Read Online A Slippery Slope by Emily Harvale - Free Book Online Page B

away, thinking that she must put on another
jumper: she was obviously feeling cold.
    ‘He’s okay, I suppose. He’s very handsome I’ll give him that and
he did seem to be making an effort to be friendly. Although he may not be quite
as happy when he discovers I can’t cook!’
    ‘He doesn’t need to find out. Last night went off without a hitch
and it’s not as if he’ll be here every day. Jo said that we’ll probably hardly
ever see him – unless there’s a problem with the chalet or we need his help in
some way.’
    Verity wondered why she found that news disappointing. Surely she
should be pleased?
    ‘So what’s the plan for today?’ she asked. ‘The rooms will only
need a quick dust and polish and the beds made, and we can do that the day
before the guests arrive. Perhaps we could go for a walk and get to know
Meribel. That way we can tell the guests exactly where certain places are and
how they get to them.’
    Lucy grinned. ‘Particularly the bars. We do need to know where all
the best places are. There’s lots of info in this pack Josh left us – the one
you haven’t read, but it’s best if we see for ourselves.’ She waved the
five-page, plastic covered pack in the air before taking the cup of coffee
Verity handed her.
    ‘And then I think I’d like to see if I can still ski after all
these years,’ Verity said, taking the pack, flicking through it and tossing it
onto the worktop opposite. ‘Although perhaps I should do that before we
check out the delights of Meribel, bearing in mind what happened on our first
night. And that was in just one bar. These days you can get arrested for being
drunk on the slopes! Or should that be pissed on the pistes?’
    ***
    Not only could Verity still ski; after the first few blue runs she
found she could still ski well. The snow conditions were perfect, the air was
cold and clear and the sky, a beautiful, shimmering blue around a warming
golden sun.
    Together, Verity and Lucy explored some of the superb pistes
Meribel had to offer but after a few hours of virtually non-stop skiing, they
were both exhausted. The only ‘rests’ they’d taken were when they travelled
back up to the top of the next run via the various draglifts, chairlifts,
gondolas and cable cars.
    ‘I hadn’t realised how unfit I am,’ Verity said as they headed to
one of a choice of restaurants in Meribel for a well-earned lunch. ‘My legs
feel as if they’re on fire!’
    ‘You’re not the only one!’ Lucy exclaimed, virtually collapsing
onto a chair at a table positioned at the front of a surprisingly empty sun
terrace. ‘And I’ve been boarding every year so I haven’t even got the excuse of
being out of practice.’
    They had just completed the descent from the top station of Mont
du Vallon at a height of 2,952 metres, down the red run of Combe Vallon on to the blue, tree-lined Ours , through part of Meribel Mottaret and
finally, the green Truite into Meribel.
    A waiter brought a menu, followed by the two large glasses of red
wine they ordered, and they sat back, closed their eyes and soaked up the sun
as they waited for their lunch.
     ‘Well! Fancy seeing you here. And why may I ask, aren’t you back
at the chalet slaving over a grubby shower tray?’
    Verity recognised the voice immediately and despite the question,
she opened her eyes and smiled up at Josh.
    ‘Because there aren’t any grubby shower trays to slave over. But
don’t worry, we were hard at it for at least ... oh, half an hour before we
came out this morning.’
    ‘I was teasing you,’ Josh said, a hint of concern evident in his
blue-grey eyes. ‘Are you having a good day?’
    ‘I know you were. I could tell by your tone. And we’re having a
lovely day, thank you. We’ve just skied down Mont du Vallon. The views were
stunning and the pistes really are superb. But we’re exhausted now. Where have
you been?’
    He was dressed in ski pants, ski jacket and ski boots so he’d
clearly been taking