Chapter Seventy-Five
Cat walked into the lobby of Seven Summits and froze when she saw who was waiting for her, on a sofa opposite the chalet lifts.
‘Oh. I thought you were in –’
Tristan had his black holdall next to him. He looked like he had just flown in. He stood, and ran his fingers through his hair frantically.
‘I got an earlier flight. I need to speak to Emme. Please Cat, where is she? She’s stopped answering my calls. What’s going on?’
Cat levelled him with a look.
‘You’re a grade-A creep, you know that, right?’
‘What?’
Tristan looked totally bewildered, as if that were a past life.
Cat shook her head.
‘Please, she’s not answering my calls, and I can’t go to her place of work.’
‘No, funny that …’ Cat said with a raised eyebrow. ‘Look, I gotta cook. Nice talking to you,’ she said sarcastically, as she pressed the button on the Chalet Edelweiss elevator.
Tristan picked up his bag in defeat and went to leave.
‘Look, I didn’t know about you and Anastasia,’ he said apologetically. ‘Not until Emme told me.’
Cat looked back at him.
‘Would it have made any difference if you did?’
He didn’t answer.
‘I thought not.’
Cat was small, but she made Tristan feel minuscule.
‘Really, I’m sorry.’
They stared at each other in a standoff as the lift arrived.
‘Please, can you get a message to her?’ Tristan begged.
The lift doors opened, and something in Tristan’s desolate face made Cat think Emme might want to hear him out.
‘She’s staying at the Steinherrhof.’
Tristan looked puzzled. What had happened? How had she found out? But he was also relieved. If he could just see her, he could explain.
‘Room 319. But you have to get past Tiago first.’