Last Place in the Chalet

by Sue Brown

  Noel picked his jaw off the floor. Angel continued to surprise him. He left the room after Angel, his mind whirling as he thought about that, with Angel. Was he ready?

  OVER STACKS of pancakes and bacon, Maria asked what everyone was going to do that day.

  “We’re going to Golden Peak today,” Marv said, and Frankie and Goldie nodded in unison.

  “I’d like to explore the town and then maybe do some lazy skiing,” Noel said.

  Angel raised an eyebrow. “You want to go shopping?”

  “I need to get some gifts for my family. I’m not seeing them until after New Year, and I’ve left it to the last minute.”

  “Do you want company?” Angel asked somewhat hesitantly. “I haven’t explored the villages.”

  Noel smiled at him. “That would be great. Are you sure you don’t mind missing a morning’s skiing?”

  “I think I can cope,” Angel assured him. He looked at Maria. “What are you going to do for the rest of the day?”

  Maria grimaced. “I’m going to rest, I think. I’m not feeling so well today.”

  Angel frowned. “Do you need to get checked out at the hospital?”

  She shook her head. “I think I’m just overtired. I was reading a thriller and lost track of time.”

  “I bet you’re the type of reader who reads till it’s time to get up,” Noel teased.

  “Busted,” Maria agreed with a smirk. “I was always the kid under the covers with a flashlight, reading until 3:00 a.m.”

  Angel still looked worried. “Okay, but if you need any reassurance, get Don to take you in to the hospital.”

  Maria leaned over the table and patted his hand. “I will, but I’m sure I’m fine. It’s sweet of you to worry, though.”

  When they returned to the bedroom, Angel seemed preoccupied. They shut the door behind them, and Noel asked, “Do you think there’s something wrong with Maria?”

  Angel shook his head and smiled at Noel, although it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m sure she’s fine. I always get a bit overprotective of new moms. But I’d rather she got checked out and find there was nothing wrong than leave it too long.”

  Noel had a feeling he was talking from personal experience, but from the look on Angel’s face, he didn’t want to discuss it. He chose the most neutral thing he could think of to say. “Don has to go into Lionshead after breakfast, and he offered to give me a ride.”

  Angel looked excited about the prospect of going around the villages. Noel had a love/hate relationship with shopping, but he liked the idea of doing something different and he had left all his Christmas shopping until the last moment, his attention being solely focused on proposing to Adam. He frowned as he thought of Adam for the first time that morning.

  “It will get easier,” Angel said softly.

  Noel gave him a wry smile. “I can’t hide anything from you, can I?”

  “Nope. I can read you like an open book.”

  “It’s kind of worrying,” Noel admitted.

  “It’s my job,” Angel pointed out. “I spend my life trying to work out how people are feeling, especially when they can’t tell me.”

  “I’ll never be able to play poker around you, will I?”

  “Not if you expect to win.”

  He laughed as Noel grumbled under his breath.

  They went in search of Don, and as they walked into the kitchen, they discovered Charlie pressed against the refrigerator and Don cupping his jaw, giving him the kind of kiss that made Noel’s toes curl and his mouth dry. He heard a squeak from Angel and glanced back to see him staring at the two men openmouthed. It seemed he was just as affected as Noel was. They started to back out, but then Don raised his head and looked over his shoulder.

  “Sorry,” Angel started. “We’ll come back in a minute.”

  Charlie stared at them, but his eyes were unfocused and looking dazed. After a kiss like that, Noel wasn’t surprised. He licked his lips. “We’re fine. We’re done.” But his hands were still resting on Don’s hips and neither of them was moving.

  Angel and Noel backed out of the kitchen as fast as they could. In the hallway they stared at each other wide-eyed.

  “Wow,” Angel mouthed. “That was hot.”

  Noel nodded. He’d seen a lot of guys sticking their tongues down each other’s throats, but Charlie and Don’s kiss had been quite something.

  “You guys look as though you’ve seen a ghost,” Maria said from behind them.

  “Not so much a ghost as an R-rated movie,” Noel assured her.

  Her eyes went wide, and Noel could see her desire to go into the kitchen to see for herself. But then Don stalked out, color high in his cheeks, and growled at them that if they were ready to go, they’d better get a move on. He headed to the door without waiting for a response. Angel, Noel, and Maria smirked to each other behind Don’s back.

  With a cheery wave, Maria vanished in the direction of her bedroom. The three men donned jackets and boots.

  “It’s cold today. You’ll need hats and gloves,” Don said.

  The icy chill seared Noel’s lungs as soon as he stepped outside, and Angel gasped.

  “Damn, it’s really cold,” Angel said, shivering.

  Noel wanted to put an arm around him, but Don said, “I’ll get the heater on in the bus.”

  They hurried on board, and Don got the engine running. It took a short while for the heat to percolate through the bus.

  “Are you expecting another snowstorm?” Noel asked. The sky above was white and looked as though it could dump more snow at any moment.

  Don nodded. “We might avoid it. The weather patterns are erratic at the moment.”

  Noel looked at Angel. “Do you still want to go shopping?”

  “We could have lunch in Vail and then put in a couple of hours skiing this afternoon,” Angel suggested.

  Vail was made up of three villages, and Noel easily found presents for his family among the different types of shops. His mom would love the leather handbag he purchased, and maybe for once she wouldn’t complain that he hadn’t put any effort into her gift. Angel oohed and aahed over items in the leather shop, which made Noel wonder if the young man had a little bit of kink inside him. Noel’s kink extended as far as a pair of furry handcuffs Adam had given him as a joke present.

  That was about as much shopping as Noel could take. They were deciding what to do next when they rounded the corner to witness a stout lady dressed in skiwear slip and fall over. She struggled to get to her feet, and they rushed forward to help. The street was icy and they slipped as they hauled her to her feet, but eventually all three were standing.

  The woman had bright red cheeks, which were probably as much from embarrassment as the cold. “Thank you, boys. You’re very kind.”

  “Our pleasure,” Angel assured her.

  She sighed. “I must have looked awful.”

  They tactfully kept silent.

  She brushed the snow off her behind and put on a game face. “For some reason, my kids thought I’d enjoy a skiing vacation for my sixtieth birthday. I haven’t skied since I was a teen. What were they thinking?”

  “They’d like a skiing vacation?” Noel hedged a guess.

  She sighed again. “And who’s here to take care of the grandbabies because she doesn’t want to ski.”

  “That doesn’t sound like much of a birthday vacation for you,” Angel said.

  “Don’t get me wrong. I love my kids, and the babies are adorable. But when they suggested taking me away for my birthday, I was thinking somewhere hot or Europe.” She pasted on a smile. “Sorry. You don’t need to hear me complain. I just wanted to get out for an hour before they ski.”

  Noel glanced at Angel, who was patting the woman’s hand. He’d been looking forward to getting on the slopes, but he could wait a couple of hours. “Ma’am, would you like to go for coffee or a hot chocolate?”

  She looked stunned. “Me? Oh no. I’ve taken up enough of your time already.”
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br />   “It would be our pleasure,” Angel assured her and offered his arm.

  “Well, thank you,” she said, beaming with pleasure, all traces of embarrassment gone in the face of the unexpected invitation. “It’s my birthday today, you know.”

  Noel took her other arm, and they carefully resumed their walk. “Happy birthday, ma’am.”

  “Ma’am makes me feel eighty. Call me Josie.”

  “I’m Noel and this is Angel,” he said. “There’s a lovely little coffee shop just around the next corner.” He’d seen it during their explorations.

  “That sounds delightful,” she sighed. “Lead on.”

  The coffee shop was busy, but they managed to find a corner table. Josie squeezed around the back, leaving Angel and Noel to sit next to each other. They took off their jackets, and Noel ordered hot chocolate and pastries for all of them. It was his second breakfast, but he promised himself he would work it off on the slopes later.

  Their order arrived, and Josie took a long swallow of the chocolate and sighed happily. “This is wonderful. You have no idea.” She licked away the cream and chocolate from her top lip. From her joy over a simple beverage, Noel had the feeling it was the first time she’d had the chance to relax since she arrived. “When I fell down, all I could think is that you would laugh at me. Instead, you picked me up and made my day.”

  Angel grinned at her. “You’re very welcome.”

  Noel nodded his agreement.

  She tilted her head as she studied them both. “You’re a very cute couple.”

  “We’re not a couple,” Angel assured her, and Noel wondered if he was the only one who could hear the unspoken yet.

  Josie looked surprised. “No?”

  “We met on the plane on the way out,” Noel told her. “We were row mates. He had to deal with me at a bad time.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

  “My boyfriend dumped me at the airport.”

  Her expression softened into sympathy, and she leaned forward to pat his hand. “I’m so sorry, dear.”

  Noel smiled, but he knew it wasn’t convincing. “Me too. But Angel took care of me. Fed me coffee and listened to my tale of misery.”

  “I had my own drama when we arrived. They overbooked my chalet and had to find beds for fourteen people before the snowstorm hit,” Angel said. He grinned at Noel. “They managed to find rooms for everyone except me. We were down to the last bed in the whole resort.”

  “In my room,” Noel supplied.

  Josie stared at them wide-eyed. “This is like the Christmas story without the manger and the hay.”

  Noel glanced at Angel, and they both snickered.

  “We have to tell Josie the rest,” Angel said, and he went on before Noel could reply. “We have a pregnant lady called Maria, her husband is named Joe, and three businessmen who run a dealership called Wise Guys.”

  She clapped her hands. “This is better than any soap on TV. You’re the angel. All you need now is the donkey and shepherd.”

  Angel smirked at her. “We have a shepherd. That’s Charlie’s last name. He’s our host.”

  “As long as Maria doesn’t have the baby we’ll be fine,” Noel grumbled. “Gorgeous men are one thing. I don’t do babies.”

  “I would hope not,” Angel said primly.

  Josie leaned forward. “You think he’s gorgeous?”

  Noel opened his mouth and shut it again, realizing what he’d just confessed. “I….”

  “Yes?” Angel couldn’t hide his smirk.

  “I….”

  Josie grinned at Noel. “It’s all right. We get the idea.”

  Noel leaned back in his seat and picked up his drink. Saying nothing was probably the best idea at the moment.

  Josie snickered, and then, to Noel’s relief, she and Angel started talking about her hometown in Illinois, which Angel knew because he had family there. Noel was content to let them talk, not knowing the area at all. He was West Coast born and bred and rarely traveled east. He loved the easy way Angel could converse with someone they’d only just met. He’d never had good social skills, something Adam had criticized him for on many occasions.

  “Noel?” Angel rested a hand on his knee. “Are you okay?”

  Noel blinked. “Yeah, I’m fine. Why?”

  “You were scowling at your cup,” Josie said.

  “Oh sorry. I was thinking of something.”

  “He’s thinking of his boyfriend,” Angel told her. “He’s the only one who puts that look on your face.”

  “Ex-boyfriend,” Noel muttered.

  Angel squeezed Noel’s thigh and then turned to Josie and offered her another pastry.

  She hesitated and then took one, saying somewhat defiantly, “It’s my birthday.”

  Noel nodded. “It’s your birthday and hang everything. You can do what you like today.”

  “As long as I’m there to babysit the babies,” she said, a rueful smile curling her lips.

  “Are your children taking you out tonight?”

  “I doubt it. There’s a pre-Christmas celebration in the hotel bar if we want to go, but someone will need to stay behind.”

  She tried to sound airy and unconcerned, but her sadness was there. Noel thought Josie’s kids needed to be kicked into line.

  “You’ve got time for another drink, though?” Angel asked.

  Josie looked uncertain. “Are you sure?”

  Noel leaned forward and patted her hand. “We’re sure. It’s not often I get to celebrate a big zero with someone.”

  Angel and Josie looked at each other and burst out laughing.

  Noel stared at them. “What did I say?”

  “It’s a good thing you’re cute,” Angel said, “otherwise you might just have told a lady she was old.”

  “What? I didn’t, did I?”

  They laughed again at Noel’s concern, and Josie told him that she wasn’t that sensitive about her age. Noel sucked in a deep breath. He really was useless at small talk. From now on, he’d leave it to Angel and he would just look pretty. Although Angel had him beat on that too.

  Josie was telling them about her late husband, whom she’d adored since high school, when she looked over Noel’s shoulder. “Uh-oh.”

  “Uh-oh?” Angel echoed.

  “I’ve been found.”

  “Quick. Hide under the table,” Angel suggested.

  She grimaced. “Too late.”

  “Mom, where’ve you been?”

  Noel turned his head to look at the speaker. A man, who looked very like his mother but without the laugh lines, scowled at her.

  “Here,” she said. “I fell, and these two nice gentlemen picked me up and took me for hot chocolate to get over the shock.”

  He glowered at her. “Why didn’t you come home? We’ve been waiting to go out.”

  No “Are you all right?” Noel noticed. He caught the anger building on Angel’s face.

  Josie sighed. “Because it’s my birthday, and these two gentlemen offered to do something nice for me.”

  “You could have come home and had a drink,” he snapped. “We want to go skiing.”

  Noel turned in his chair to look up at the man again. “You can wait a while.”

  He didn’t even have the grace to look ashamed. The man scowled down at him. “What’s it got to do with you, buddy?”

  “It’s your mom’s birthday. You should be doing something for her today,” Angel burst out.

  Josie started to put on her jacket. “I’m coming, David.” She looked deflated, all the happiness and laughter erased from her.

  “You’re welcome to spend the day with us, Josie,” Noel offered.

  She shook her head over her son’s angry protests. “I’d best go. Thank you, both of you, it’s been a wonderful morning. The best I’ve spent since I got here.” She gave her son a pointed look, but he just huffed.

  “We paid for your vacation.”

  “You paid for her to be your babysitter,” Angel snap
ped. “There’s a difference.”

  David scowled at Angel. “What’s this got to do with you?”

  Angel opened his mouth, but Josie laid a gentle hand on his. “It’s okay, Angel. It was good to meet you. Thank you for rescuing me.”

  She maneuvered back around the table, and with a last smile, followed her son out of the coffee shop.

  Noel and Angel sat in silence for a moment.

  “What a dick,” Angel said finally.

  Noel grunted in agreement. He sighed. “Let’s go. I need to ski off all the pastries.”

  Angel looked torn, but then he nodded. “You’re right.”

  They put on their coats, and before they’d even moved away, a woman claimed their table with an air of triumph. Noel shot her a hard look, because, Jesus, give them a chance to move. But she ignored him and sat down, divesting her coat and bags onto the other chairs to keep them free.

  Noel caught Angel’s gaze, and he rolled his eyes and grinned. It was time they left. He needed the wind in his hair and snow under his skis. Then he was almost flattened by several teenagers who pushed in, talking at full volume to each other and ignoring everyone else.

  He took a deep breath when they reached the sidewalk. “Was I that oblivious as a teenager?”

  “We all were,” Angel assured him. Noel growled under his breath, and Angel laughed and took his arm. “Come on, old man.”

  “You’re not making me feel any better,” Noel said.

  Angel winked. “I know.”

  Chapter 7—Day 3

  two days before Christmas Eve

  afternoon

  THE AFTERNOON was full of powdery snow and wide-open runs that Noel and Angel took at a gentle pace. Neither felt like pushing himself, and Noel was mainly content to follow Angel’s line as they took an intermediate run with gentle turns. It was relaxing after the pace of the previous day.

  He contemplated suggesting to Angel that they pack up for the afternoon when another skier cut across Angel’s path. Fortunately Angel managed to avoid him, and they both carried on down the run.

  Noel frowned as he watched the guy veer and get in someone else’s way—a woman who let loose a string of invective at his back. Noel took a wide turn so he was out of the path of the annoying skier and caught up with Angel at the bottom.