Chapter 14
SARAH
Jonathan prised open the tin of paint he’d chosen with Sarah’s help for the hallway.
He’d sugar-soaped the entire wall and all the way up the stairs and would make a start on the landing while she got going here.
She’d suggested an earthy colour palette to complement the chalet’s interior, which was a mixture of exposed timber and other more modernised features such as the new open-plan kitchen and the recently installed log burner.
The spruce staircase with a rail was his most recent work, and the blond colour made for a light, airy and stunning feel as soon as you walked through the front door.
‘You’re quiet today.’ Jonathan hovered, bucket in one hand, cloths in the other.
‘It’s early.’
‘And you’re usually chirpy early,’ he replied with an air of suspicion. ‘Annoyingly so in my experience, if your instigation of the snowball fight is anything to go by.’
As she poured some of the paint into a tray Jonathan moved closer to the front door. ‘The snow is really coming down out there. I cleared the path this morning, now look at it.’
‘It’s pretty though.’
‘It is. But it can be dangerous. Ask your grandad.’
‘You mean the avalanche bulletin? He’s always checking that.’
‘That’s good. We had a serious avalanche here a few years ago.’
‘In Winterbruck?’
Jonathan nodded. ‘A group of tourists ignored the trail closures and caused the avalanche.’
‘They caused it? I never even knew that was possible.’
‘It was likely a combination of natural factors, but their weight, the movement on unstable snow, all would’ve contributed.’
‘It sounds terrifying.’
‘Listen to the warnings, stick to the trails that aren’t marked as closed, and you’ll be fine.’ He smiled across at her.
She pushed the roller into the paint and moved it back and forth, glad she was here rather than next door, relieved she had something else to focus on.
Seeing her mum climb out of the taxi yesterday had brought with it a complex mess of emotions.
Her first reaction had been to race down the path to greet her.
It was good to see her, especially after the way they’d left things after the dress fitting.
They’d spoken briefly since then when Sarah announced she was coming here, but not since, and given her wedding was eleven days away she’d never needed her mum more than she did now.
However, her need to talk, to make some grown-up decisions, was eclipsed when she’d seen the look on her mum’s face as she spotted Meg in the background.
Her mum had called out, ‘What the hell is she doing here?’ loud enough for Meg to hear.
Sarah had thanked the driver for the luggage he’d brought from the boot to the pavement as the drama began to unfold.
But Meg had already disappeared by the time they made their way down the path.
Who could blame her? Talk about a frosty reception.
Her mum clearly wasn’t going to make any effort to be civil, and already Sarah felt her peace and solitude here shatter.
She realised quickly that she should’ve expected the surprise visit.
When had her mum ever been able to let things go?
She should’ve known her mum wouldn’t let the situation between them lie, and the closer they got to the wedding the more her mum would’ve worried.
Part of her was glad but the other part wasn’t, because yet again her mum wanted to step in and magically fix things – except when it came to her own problems with Meg, it seemed.
By the time Sarah and Chrissie went inside to see Grumps and Nanna, who were just as shocked at the latest arrival, Meg had gone upstairs. A short while later Sarah had heard her telling Nanna that she was going for a walk to give them all some space.
Dinner was a delicious cheese tart, one of Chrissie’s favourites as it happened, followed by poached pears drizzled in rich dark chocolate.
Meg had come back to eat but the atmosphere was almost as cold as the weather outside.
Chrissie and Meg sat on opposite ends of the table and avoided one another’s gaze as much as they could as Sarah told Grumps and Nanna all about what it felt like to be at the Jungfraujoch.
‘It was incredible, Mum.’ Sarah couldn’t stop smiling. ‘I got lots of pictures, I’ll show you later.’
‘That would be lovely. It’s a long time since I went myself. You were too little to take with us, so it was just me and your dad. It was romantic, doing it together.’
She liked those sorts of memories about her dad. ‘Someone to keep you warm,’ she said.
‘It feels like you’ve left the world behind up there, doesn’t it?’ said Chrissie.
‘It does. And the ice carvings were brilliant.’
‘I’ll never understand how people do those,’ Astrid said. ‘Where would you even start?’
‘I’ve not been there in so long I can’t remember what it’s like at high altitude,’ said Grumps.
‘It was challenging,’ Meg replied.
Chrissie’s cutlery clanked against her plate. She glared at her sister. ‘You went?’
Sarah thought it was obvious, given they’d been together outside when Chrissie arrived, but obviously her mum hadn’t quite put two and two together. Perhaps she’d expected some loyalty and Sarah felt immediately guilty. But she’d enjoyed Meg’s company and she had no reason not to like her auntie.
‘How long have you been here?’ was Chrissie’s next demand of Meg.
‘I arrived not long after Sarah. We’ve been getting to know each other.’
Chrissie had another mouthful of food, but before she’d even swallowed, she shook her head and left the table. Tension hovered in the air. She came back with a big glass of water which slopped a little when she put it down.
‘I’m not a monster,’ Meg said to her sister.
Chrissie said nothing.
Sarah noticed Grumps put a hand over Meg’s. Meg looked upset, like she was about to explode.
‘Won’t you two at least try to talk?’ Nanna’s voice came out small, as if she was scared of the reception her words might get.
‘I tried,’ said Chrissie, ‘the day I buried my husband.’
The chalet fell silent.
‘I came outside to find you.’ Her mum glanced Sarah’s way then honed in on her sister again. ‘You were with Heath.’
Meg’s expression fell. Whoever Heath was, this didn’t sound good.
‘He was upset—’
‘Save it!’ Chrissie yelled.
‘I’m sorry,’ Meg tried. ‘I didn’t mean—’
‘You never do!’
This was awful. And Sarah hated how uncomfortable her grandparents looked.
Meg stood up and threw down her napkin. ‘You’ll never let me forget it, will you, Chrissie? Any of it, no matter how many times I try to apologise or keep my distance. I am so, so sorry for what I did, but I’m done trying to reach you or understand you.’
Chrissie opened her mouth to say something, but Sarah was pretty sure the upset on Nanna’s face was why she didn’t follow through.
Meg kissed her mum on the cheek. ‘Dinner was lovely, but I need to get out of here.’ She gave Grumps a quick hug, cast a smile Sarah’s way, but probably only because Chrissie couldn’t see that, and then she left.
They finished their dinner in silence.
They’d all obviously heard the door open and close, but again, nobody said a word. Sarah saw a flinch on Nanna’s face, but that was it.
As they cleared away the plates, Sarah tried to distract Grumps. ‘Look at the snow – it’s falling heavier now.’
He smiled and his shoulders dropped a little. He loved the snow. ‘I think it’s going to be a whiteout. You won’t be able to see a thing other than snow come morning.’
‘It’s magical,’ said Nanna as she and Grumps left the table to go and sit in front of the fire. Chrissie went with them and Sarah excused herself for a bath, claiming she still hadn’t warmed up after her visit to the Jungfraujoch.
Was this what the atmosphere at the chalet was going to be like from now on until she left after Christmas? How was she going to work through her own problems with this going on?
What a total mess.
And what if Meg decided to leave now that Chrissie was here? Sarah got the impression that if that happened, the sisters would never work things out.
Over the last couple of days, Sarah had begun to think what it might be like to have Meg at her wedding. She didn’t have much family and she’d like her there. If it happened at all, that was.
After her bath, she’d put on some cosy tartan fleece pyjamas and picked up a book to read, but it wasn’t long before there was a knock at her bedroom door.
Her mum hovered in the doorway. ‘May I come in?’
‘Sure.’
Chrissie sat down on her bed. ‘I’m sorry about what happened at the dinner table.’
‘I feel sorry for Grumps and Nanna.’
Chrissie nodded. ‘I apologised to both for the outburst too. I wasn’t expecting to see Meg. After all this time…’
‘She’s nice, Mum.’
But Chrissie ended the discussion about her sister there when she said, ‘I came for you and we haven’t even talked.’
‘I hate it when we fight.’ Sarah’s voice caught.
‘We had words, we didn’t fight. Not really.’ After a beat she told Sarah, ‘Rhys came to see me at work.’
Of all the things she’d thought her mum would say, it wasn’t that. ‘He came to see you? I know you spoke on the phone… but…’
‘He really is worried, Sarah.’
She sniffed, wiped away a tear.
‘Have you changed your mind?’ Chrissie held up her hands. ‘I’m not asking in the same capacity now. Before I was asking whether you were sure, now I want to know how bad things are. Are they so bad you want to call the wedding off?’
‘I don’t know what to do.’ She fell against her mum and now the tears really came. ‘I’ve made such a mess of everything.’
‘Now what makes you say that?’
‘You tried to tell me I was too young.’
‘I wanted you to be sure, but I hate that I might have sent you into a panic.’
She pulled back. ‘I’m so confused. I love Rhys. I don’t want to be with anyone else.’
‘He’s a good guy, Sarah.’
She looked up rather than fiddling with the tissue in her lap.
‘When Rhys came to see me, it was obvious how much you mean to him and that he’ll never hurt you. The boy who came to see me is genuine, he’s in love, and he’s worried.’
‘Mum, he’s a man, not a boy.’