Five Ladies Go Skiing: A feel-good novel of friendship and love

Ginny and Cathy were comparing photos and showing them to Lou.

‘Have you been to the chalet?’ Angie asked.

I quickly reached into my pocket and dangled the set of keys. ‘No, but I got the keys. Harold had left them with Stefano, the hotel owner.’

‘Oh, cool. You’ve not taken your things there yet then?’

‘No. Well, I thought we would go together and besides, I thought you might be hungry.’

Angie rubbed her stomach. ‘Mm. You could say that. Actually …’ She pulled out a packet from her pocket and asked, ‘Do you want some of these?’

‘What are they?’ I held out my palm.

‘Just my beans. Edamame beans,’ Angie said pouring out a small portion of crispy-looking yellow pods. ‘Just a snack. They’re crunchy, try.’

‘Oh, young soya pods, I like them fresh on my salads. They’re green.’

‘That’s it, but full of protein and healthy fats. Just handy to carry when you work out a lot.’

‘No doubt good for someone who doesn’t eat meat then. You and Cathy are pescatarians, aren’t you? I thought you might have changed your thinking now that animal rearing is strictly regulated and monitored.’

Angie frowned, turning up her nose. ‘Ew, no. Hormones, antibiotics. Probably worse. Anyway, I still couldn’t. It’s still like eating a pet to me. No, there’s lots of alternative nowadays. I’m a real sucker for the cheeses out here. Can’t beat a nutty Swiss Gruyere.’ Angie’s eyes lit up and she put her packet back in her pocket. ‘They do a lovely saffron risotto here actually, but try Gruyere grated over it instead of Parmesan.

‘We can eat here,’ I said tipping my wine to my lips. ‘Might as well enjoy the sunshine and the view, and try something different. That sounds nice. I do enjoy veggie dishes.’

‘I’ll get the menus,’ Angie said.

We didn’t know Angie until we were older. She was Ginny’s neighbour when Ginny and Mike bought their first house in Greenwich. Will and I were still in London too then. Then we all gradually moved to the village. Will and I were there for four years before we moved to Oz. I’ve missed them loads. But Oz called Will and had so much to offer. We were still young and looking for adventure. It was a wonderful place to work and bring up the girls, but Camfield Bottom would always be my home.

‘How are you feeling about skiing?’ Angie asked me as she handed the menus round the table.

‘Nervous, but it would be a shame not to as we’re here and we’ve worked ourselves so hard.’

‘You’ve all done brilliantly. Hopefully, you’ll all thank me when your legs ache.’

‘The girls are jealous their ol’ mum is off skiing.’

‘The boys are too.’ Angie laughed.

‘I was blown away when Ginny messaged me asking me to come out to ski. I’d always fancied the idea, but Will has always been more of a water-skier and I admit I’ve enjoyed that over the years, especially living in Perth and BT – before twins.’

‘Yes, I remember.’ Angie nodded. ‘How are the girls?’

‘Well, I’ve seen Mai, spent yesterday with her. She’s thriving in Milan. I’ve missed them like crazy since they left for uni and their jobs in Europe. I wished I’d extended the trip to Avril in London.’

Angie nodded. ‘Yes, that would have been nice.’

I was thirty-eight when they miraculously surprised us. All the medical knowledge between Will and I, the IVF treatments we had gone through, couldn’t make it happen; then hey presto, like magic they blessed us with their arrival. One on the thirtieth of April, hence Avril, and Mai, half an hour later on the first of May.

‘There’s definitely something poignant about the empty-nest syndrome,’ Angie went on. ‘I’m glad I had my little fitness business to focus on, even though it wasn’t turning much profit then.’

‘Yes, I need something. I’m hankering to be back in Europe near them and with you guys,’ I said. ‘I just don’t know that Will has any intention of giving up his career to come with me. He is so absorbed in his work, which I understand. I’ve just got long in the tooth with mine in comparison.’

Angie swooned. ‘Aww, I love Will, he’s so driven. It’s a good quality. Maybe he can find something similar in Europe and teach Rob a thing or two.’

We chuckled.

Will’s dedication to his current work and research, and the wellbeing of cancer patients, was admirable, and why I fell in love with him. We were both driven to curing and caring for our own reasons. Of course, I took pity on him when he revealed his motivation to succeed as a cancer specialist. Losing his mother to breast cancer at twelve and recognising he had the power to discover hope for others seemed extremely mature and gallant to me.’

‘I know. I should be grateful. And tolerant. It’s a great purpose to have.’

‘And, why you love him,’ Angie added, draining her glass. ‘More wine?’

‘Yes, and yes please.’

Mine and Will’s connection and chemistry had been evident to everyone except me. We were young, and no one was more surprised than me when this attractive new doctor gave me so much attention. Every one of our colleagues noticed his flirting, and even some of the patients did. Apparently, our sexual energy charged the hospital air. Within just two weeks of meeting, we couldn’t bear to be apart. We bought our first flat together in London and remained a strong couple.

Until now, that was. As much as I still loved him, things had changed. I had changed. The arguments about when and where we would retire had created a lot of tension. And a couple of months ago, after another heated discussion, I threatened I would return to Europe alone if I had to, telling him he could join me when he was ready. That was a sad moment. A moment I regretted. I hurt him deeply and to be honest, I didn’t know how he was still talking to me. Will could have washed his hands of me, so I was grateful for the way he dealt with it.

‘At least you’re honest,’ he’d said. ‘And if you need to go, then I can’t stop you. I committed five years to this project. Do what you need to do, and I’ll join you.’ Naturally, guilt ripped into me and I wondered if I could really go without him. The angels must have been looking down on us though. He kissed me and assured me that our love was strong enough to deal with it. I breathed out a sigh of bliss and thanked the angels for my state.

These last few years, I have discovered my spiritual side through doing yoga and meditation. So many patients of mine have trusted their guardian angels, I now find myself doing the same, and as always, I add my gratefulness. I believe Ginny and her mother were mine. It’s only since meeting these beautiful Flowers that my life has changed for the better. OK, the blip was the years Will and I waited for the twins, but sometimes, I feared it was too good, and at any second it could all go tits up. But here we were, together, and I was going to enjoy it.

‘More wine, anyone?’ Angie was asking the girls, seeing their wineglasses drained.

I caught the waiter’s attention and he smiled as he came across to our table. I pointed to a bottle on our table. ‘Encore le vin rouge, s’il vous plaît?’

‘Oui.’ He nodded.

‘Carafe d’eau, s’il vous plaît,’ Angie said turning to the waiter, then back to us. ‘Phew, not sure if it’s the sun or the altitude that is dehydrating me already.’

‘Probably all that stress driving and making sure we all got here in one piece,’ Ginny said.

Cathy tousled her hair parting, then her crown, making her bob soften her face. She then held out her glass. ‘I think you deserve a toast for getting us all here safely. Thank you, Angie. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride from Geneva and along the lake, but that last bit had me gripped in terror, I confess; it was scary. So well done, and cheers to you.’

‘Cheers, Angie,’ we chorused.

‘My pleasure girls.’ Angie gave an embarrassed smile. ‘All good practice for next time, eh?’ Her eyes checked each of us for approval but was met with apprehensive stares. ‘OK, we’ll take a snow check on that one,’ she sniggered. ‘It’s given me an appetite though. I think it’s the perfect time to order lunch.’ Her suggestion was met with smiles. ‘Then we can go to the lift station to buy our passes ready for the morning.’

Ginny nodded. ‘Absolutely.’ Then she turned towards the valley, the tension smoothed from her face.

‘So lovely to see you happy and full of energy,’ I told her, hoping it was true.

‘So lovely to be here with you all.’ Ginny gazed at me then, squinting her eyes, she sat back in her chair. That jarring feeling shot through me again, making me wonder if she did know about Mike and if she could sense I was hiding something.

Chapter 3 (#ulink_8e3d39e4-3fdb-5d3d-baa1-5084ea29a587)

Ginny