The Little Swiss Ski Chalet

by Julie Caplin

‘I hope she will be OK.’ With a quick, shy goodbye gesture he turned and walked away down the corridor, leaving Mina feeling heartened by his kind sympathy. There were always good people in the world to brighten things, no matter how bleak the situation appeared. The quick episode restored Mina’s natural faith in the world and that things would turn out well.

  As she drained her coffee cup, Johannes and Luke appeared. The older man looked grey and drawn, and Luke anxious like a nervous rabbit, constantly checking for danger.

  ‘Any news?’ asked Luke.

  She shook her head. ‘I haven’t seen anyone. She’s through there.’ She pointed to the double doors with their big red circle with a line through it, which clearly read ‘no admittance’ in any language.

  Luke and Johannes both sat down on either side of her.

  ‘Do you want a coffee?’ she asked, suddenly needing to do something.

  Luke shook his head. ‘I’m OK.’

  Johannes did the same.

  The three of them sat in silence, although Mina noticed that Luke fidgeted constantly. His foot tapped, his kneed jigged, and he seemed to have shrunk into his chair, as if he didn’t want to be there or to touch anything.

  At last, over an hour later, a doctor came out of the double doors, a mask across his face, which he pulled down.

  All three of them jumped to their feet in perfect unison and the doctor’s mouth twitched.

  He held up a hand and began to speak. Luke interrupted in quick German. ‘Sprechen sie Englisch. Sie ist eine familie und Englisch.’

  ‘The lady, she’s your…’

  ‘My godmother. I’m staying with her. There is no other family. Her name is Amelie,’ Mina added the last a little fiercely.

  ‘Your godmother has had a heart attack. She will recover, but we need to insert a stent to enlarge an artery bringing blood to the heart. It’s a simple procedure. We shall do it tomorrow.’

  ‘Is she conscious?’

  He shook his head. ‘Not yet. She’s going into a room on her own, and will be monitored overnight.’

  ‘Can I… we see her?’

  ‘Yes, once she has been settled. Half an hour.’

  ‘She’s not going to die?’

  The doctor, his eyes glinting behind his glasses, gave her a stern look. ‘Not if I can help it.’ Then he gave her a grave smile. ‘Modern medicine means that her condition will not be so serious once we have done the procedure. Until then we will be watching her very carefully. But it will be important for her to avoid stress and anxiety.’

  ‘Let’s hope the woman will see some sense now and let other people help her,’ Johannes grumbled as soon as the doctor left. ‘I’ve been telling her.’

  Mina smiled at him. ‘If you know what’s best for you, I wouldn’t tell her you told her so. It might not endear you to her.’

  His mouth shut abruptly and for a second his moustache bristled, before he regarded her with a steady glance. ‘Perhaps not.’

  ‘Amelie doesn’t like being told what to do.’

  ‘Well, she might have to learn to put up with it,’ he said, folding his arms and looking recalcitrant, clearly a man who didn’t like being told what to do either.

  ‘Perhaps you need to tell her why it’s so important to you,’ said Mina, trying to suppress a smile.

  He glowered at her. ‘Hmmph.’

  Mina rolled her eyes. ‘The two of you are as bad as one another. I think you need to tell her how you feel.’

  She almost felt sorry for him as he coloured. ‘Hmph.’

  ‘In words of more than one grunt,’ she teased.

  ‘I’ve tried to show her.’

  ‘Maybe she thinks you’re being neighbourly.’

  ‘Foolish woman.’

  ‘Hearts and flowers,’ interrupted Luke, suddenly appearing a little more lifelike. ‘A romantic gesture.’ For a while he’d been looking like some kind of graveyard effigy. ‘That’s what you need.’

  It took longer than the predicted half-hour, nearer an hour and a half, before they were led through several corridors to a ward with several private rooms.

  ‘I’ll wait outside,’ said Luke, seeming uncharacteristically on edge.

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Yes. Probably only allowed two visitors.’

  Mina guessed he was right. This was actually the first time she’d ever been inside any part of a hospital apart from A&E. There’d been plenty of trips there – like the time she’d fallen out of a tree, when she’d bounced too high off the trampoline, and taken a tumble off her bike from a home-made ramp across the garden bench; she really did break her wrist that time, but the previous excursions had been false alarms. She felt now as if she should be tiptoeing, and wasn’t sure if it was alright to speak above a whisper. Glancing at Johannes, she tentatively pushed open the door.

  Amelie was wired up to a beeping monitor made familiar by endless episodes of Casualty, thanks to Hannah, who’d once thought she’d like to be a nurse, an idea scuppered by her aversion to blood and a couple of spectacular faints. Mina felt a little bit like fainting now, at the sight of her godmother lying so still. The insistent sounds, the green waves oscillating on screen. This was serious. How did someone go from being alive and well in the morning to this, silent and lifeless? Nothing in her experience had prepared her for this. The enormity of everything hit her hard. Amelie wasn’t going anywhere for a while. The chalet. The guests. Someone needed to run the place. Amelie would worry. Worry was bad for the heart. Mina stared down at her godmother making a silent resolution. Her godmother had given her so much security over the years and she knew how important the chalet and the guests were to her.

  She touched her godmother’s hand, while Johannes hung back a little, a look of blatant longing on his face. Mina beckoned him over.

  ‘Talk to her. I’m sure whatever we say will register in her subconscious.’ That’s what they always said on the television.

  He swallowed as if too self-conscious, so she took pity on him and started.

  ‘Hey Amelie, it’s Mina. You gave us quite a scare but the doctors say you’re going to be fine. And don’t worry about anything at the chalet. I’ll sort everything out. Johannes and Franzi and Giselle and Dave are all helping. And I promise I’ll look after the chalet as if it was my own home and all your guests were staying with me. You don’t need to worry about anything.’

  Johannes stepped forward and Mina patted his arm, she could see his throat working as he tried to find the words.

  ‘No, you mustn’t worry about anything. We’re all here to help you. I… we love you. Just get better and come back to us.’

  Her breath caught in her throat at seeing the usually-so-forthright man lost for words, and the emotion came flooding back. She’d been trying so hard to be pragmatic; seeing Johannes’s pain was more than she could bear herself.

  Leaving him with Amelie, she stumbled out in the corridor, the heavy lump in her chest almost suffocating her. Luke leaned against the wall, his arms folded, looking detached and closed-off, as if this was the last place in the world he wanted to be. When he saw her his face softened and he dropped the aloof stance and held out his arms. She went straight into his embrace and buried her face in his warm neck, determined not to cry but just to lean into the comfort he was offering. His arms enfolded her hugging her to him, both hands clasped against her back.

  ‘I’ve got you,’ he murmured into her hair. ‘It’s OK.’

  She sucked in several determined breaths; she wasn’t going to cry. It wouldn’t help. Instead she clung to Luke, relishing the feel of his body, warm and strong, stalwart and steady. Instinctively she knew she could rely on him. He was hers. In that moment, the truth of it imprinted itself onto her brain. He was hers.

  Neither of them said a word for a few minutes. Eventually she peeled her head away and looked up at him. He bent his head to lay a soft kiss on her lips. She pushed up on her toes to deepen the contact, needing that human connection, needing Luke’s unspo
ken calm. He responded briefly before pulling back and lifting a hand to stroke her face.

  ‘Thank you,’ she whispered, stretching up and kissing the corner of his mouth. ‘For being here.’

  She was overwhelmed by the feeling that bloomed, warm and heartfelt in her chest. It had been hopeless from the moment she’d met him. Remembering what Johannes had said, she knew she shouldn’t waste any more time. As much as she’d tried to deny it, she couldn’t now. She was in love with Luke. She looked up at him with tremulous smile, everything she felt shining out of her eyes. ‘Luke?’

  ‘And finally,’ he said, stroking a tender thumb over her mouth. ‘She gets it.’

  ‘You?’ She couldn’t bring herself the ask the question in full, she was still getting used to the idea that she was totally, head-over-heels, lightning-bolt, in love with him.

  ‘Always. From the very first day I met you. I told you, it was serendipity. Love at pointy elbows.’ Despite everything she managed a shaky laugh.

  ‘I’m never going to live those elbows down, am I?’

  He shook his head, the familiar lopsided smile lighting up his face.

  By the time they left the hospital it was just after seven and growing dark. The journey back to Reckingen was completed in silence, and just as they drove through Fiesch a few snowflakes tumbled out of the sky. Mina stared at them, a kaleidoscope of icy white against the pitch-black sky. Every now and then Luke would look back from the passenger seat, almost as if she checking she was still there, and send her a quiet smile.

  At one point Johannes tutted and muttered something to himself in German. Luke laughed and turned around to Mina. ‘He’s complaining about us distracting him. That was German for “get a room”.’

  ‘I’m not doing anything,’ she replied demurely, raising her eyebrows at him in the rear-view mirror.

  ‘You don’t need to do anything,’ Luke said, his eyes radiating gentle sincerity and intimacy.

  She tucked the comment away in that little warm glow radiating quiet joy inside her. As always when with him, all her senses were attuned to Luke frequency, and in the dark of the car it seemed to have intensified.

  Ten minutes on, when Mina looked up at the dark night sky, it had filled quickly with whirling flakes, spinning down like autumn leaves toyed with by a gale. She was surprised by the speed at which it was settling. The road ahead, lit up by the headlights, had a cotton wool-bobbled surface in no time at all. Johannes slowed his driving, and although they moved at a steady pace, the last bit of the journey took a good ten minutes longer than usual.

  When at last they pulled up outside the chalet, defeat overwhelmed Mina. Returning without Amelie felt wrong and she tramped up the steps, bashing the snow with irritable kicks from her boots as she went. Inside she shook off the flakes clinging to her hair, left her things in the boot room and opened the door into the reception. Subdued voices murmured in the dining room beyond the lounge and she crossed the room to find a few people still seated at the dining table, including Dave, Frank, and Claudia. Their heads all turned in quick succession.

  Mina dredged up a smile, although she felt totally drained. Until now she hadn’t realised how taut and tense she’d been in the hospital. They all jumped, firing questions over each other. She held up a hand to silence them. ‘She’s fine. Amelie’s had a small heart attack, but she’s in the right place.’ She explained about tomorrow’s operation and the planned stent and then turned to Dave.

  ‘How was dinner? Did you manage?’

  ‘It was fine… thanks to Franzi who was able to come and help, but I know where the cutlery and tableware is kept now.’ He grinned. ‘Claudia helped lay the tables and Frank opened the wine.’

  ‘Bless them.’ She pulled a small grimace. ‘I hope they didn’t mind. They are paying guests.’

  ‘They’re also good friends of Amelie’s. They don’t mind at all.’ Dave shot her a sympathetic glance. ‘I can help again tomorrow.’

  ‘Can you?’ Mina wasn’t in a position to turn any help down. ‘Are you sure? What about Sarah?’

  For a moment he almost looked cocky. ‘She doesn’t mind sleeping with the chef.’

  Mina laughed. ‘Well, that’s excellent news. But you are on holiday.’

  ‘As long as I can get out in the afternoons, I’ll be happy. Franzi did say that she and Giselle will help where they can, but they’ve got exams coming up at school so can’t do any extra hours. Franzi helped tonight because it was an emergency.’

  ‘It will be fine,’ said Mina, already starting to make lists in her head. She could do this. She had to.

  ‘Have you eaten? There are some cheese pies left.’

  ‘Do you know what? I’m starving, and I bet Luke and Johannes are too.’ She looked around and both men were talking, warming their hands in front of the fire, although Johannes still had his coat on.

  ‘Johannes, stay for something to eat,’ she said, making it more of an order than a request. His face still looked grey and exhausted, and if he felt anything like she did, he was probably worn out and depleted. She guessed that the last thing he wanted to do was go home on his own.

  The three of them retreated to the kitchen. Mina needed that barrier between herself and the guests, in part because she didn’t want to impose her worry and concern on them, but also needing that separation, because although they might care about Amelie, it wasn’t really their problem. Trying not to think about Amelie mixing dough, flouring the surfaces, beating eggs, and baking her gorgeous cakes, Mina laid the table at one end and put the pies in the oven to heat, while Johannes made coffee.

  The silent group ate mechanically to the hum of the dishwasher. Franzi had clearly stayed to tidy up the plates and cutlery from the dining table, although there were still a few glasses and the dirty tablecloths to be removed. Mina wasn’t sure if either Johannes or Luke actually tasted the little cheese pies. When Johannes finally laid down his knife and fork he rubbed a weary hand over his forehead. ‘I should go. I’ll come across early in the morning to clean the fire. You’ll need to put the guards in front before you close up for the night.’ Mina nodded. Tiredness tugged at her but she realised she couldn’t go to bed until she’d switched out lights, locked doors, and cleared the dining table. She really ought to lay it as well for breakfast, it would be one less job in the morning. As it was, she was going to have to get up very early. Could she go to bed before the guests?

  Johannes took his leave and Mina rose to give him a quick hug.

  ‘I’ll ring the hospital in the morning.’

  ‘Thank you. Goodnight.’

  As soon as he’d gone, she looked at Luke as she tried and failed to stifle a yawn.

  ‘You look bushed.’ He stood up and ran a thumb under her eyes, the gentle touch taking any insult out of his words.

  ‘Just what every girl wants to hear,’ she replied with a wan smile, reaching up to touch the fine lines fanning from his mouth thinking that he still looked quite tense. She stroked her hand down his jawline to the warm skin between his neck and shoulder, not wanting to relinquish the touch. He laid his hand over hers and squeezed. Seconds passed as they stood facing each other, each of them studying the other. It would have been easy, thought Mina, in a moment of uncharacteristic weakness, to step forward, sink into his arms, and stay there. There was the flicker of understanding in his eyes when instead she said, ‘I can’t go to bed yet.’ And part of her didn’t want to. She didn’t want to be on her own, weighed down by thoughts in the dark. ‘I need to lay the table for breakfast.’

  ‘Do it in the morning. I’ll help.’

  ‘I want to say you don’t need to do that, but I think, being practical, I’m going to need all the help I can get. Ever run a hotel before?’ Although she said it with a positive wrinkle of her nose, her concern was not running the place, but running it to Amelie’s standards.

  ‘Can’t say I have, but I do know things always look better after a good night’s sleep.’

  ‘You
’re right. I’ll just do the dining table.’

  ‘I’ll do the fire guards for you.’

  Teamwork, she thought as they headed toward to the dining room and the lounge. Luke would always be on her team and she wasn’t sure how she knew that – she just did. All the guests had disappeared, for which she was grateful, although not surprised; people tended to go to up to their rooms early after a hard day’s skiing and hiking. While Luke locked the doors, raked the fire, and put fire guards on both sides of the open fireplace, she put a fresh cloth on the main dining table, cleared the evening’s condiments from the sideboard, and put out the large jars of cereal and muesli. She’d put out the fresh bits in the morning.

  Feeling that at least she knew what she was doing tomorrow morning, she clicked out the light with a relieved sigh. Elephants, she thought. One bite at a time.

  Luke met her at the bottom of the stairs and they climbed them together. Tread by tread. There was a funny fizz in the bottom of her stomach as she listened to their synchronised steps. Was being in step another form of serendipity?

  What a day. She’d never have dreamed this morning, when she’d ambushed Johannes by jumping off the bottom step, that it would turn out quite like this. For a brief second the germ of the idea that had been fluttering at the back of her head since she’d visited his chocolate den flitted through her mind like an elusive wisp of mist. She made an inarticulate noise of frustration. It would come back when her body didn’t feel as limp as a water-deprived daisy.

  Luke took her hand as her steps slowed. ‘Come on.’

  She relished the touch of the contact and squeezed his hand, knowing that she couldn’t let go. Not tonight – but it felt right, not needy and pathetic. Just right.

  When Luke led her to her door she opened the door and tugged at his hand.

  ‘Mina,’ he whispered.

  ‘I don’t want you to go.’

  He rested his forehead on hers and they stood in the doorway, the small creaks and sighs of the building settling for the night around them, like comforting ghosts.

  Pulling him in, she closed the door and led him to the bed.