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Sophie decided just to enjoy the run without even looking at the people around her. Every year so far she’d looked, been hopeful of catching someone’s eye but being alone with her Kindle definitely seemed a better deal than landing up with the likes of Thomas. The only romance they knew was pretending to be charming until they’d actually got you into bed. Then they dropped the act.
Like kissing a prince only for him to turn into a frog. What’s wrong with this picture?
She put her sunglasses on and as they set off down the slope she enjoyed the familiar buzz of speed, fresh air and fantastic scenery. She’d always loved sledging as a kid but this was way better. You had so much more control, once you’d got a bit of experience. All around her she could see inexperienced skiers going far too fast and with little or no control. It took all her skill to avoid collisions with them.
Pulling up at the bottom of the slope and avoiding those whose skills clearly didn’t include stopping without falling over, Sophie deliberately avoided catching anyone’s eye. Which was why when someone skied directly in front of her and stopped suddenly, spraying snow up into the air she practically jumped out of her skies.
“Pardon Mademoiselle,” the handsome skier said, his face stretched into a grin. His fair hair flopped down into startling blue eyes. “Sophie?”
“Er, oui?” Sophie replied, frowning slightly. How did this guy know her name? Then she noticed he didn’t have a green armband on like the rest of them and felt more confused than ever. Was it one of the organisers?
“J’ai quelque chose pour vous.” From inside his jacket he retrieved a red, heart-shaped card and he handed it to her. Before she could protest or ask who he was he’d skied off, down towards the next run.
“What did he give you?” Lucy asked. Both she and Tash snapped off their skis and crowded round her, peering over her shoulder.
Sophie showed them the heart-shaped card with Mme. Sophie written on the front. Then she turned it over and stared with astonishment at the writing on the back. “I think it’s some kind of clue.”
CHAPTER TWO
Bonjour chère Sophie, I’d love to meet,
Follow these clues for a special treat.
Clue one sings love songs, is a chairlift,
And a number you can eat.
Sophie stared hard at the words on the heart-shaped card.
“Is this a wind up?” She narrowed her eyes at Tash. This would be just the kind of thing she’d waste her time on.
“Hey, this nothing to do with me.” Tash held up her gloved hands, palm side up. “Not guilty.”
“Hmm.” Sophie decided to reserve judgment. Tash was a good actress. Sophie had seen her lie with practiced ease on numerous occasions while they’d been working together.
And how could this possibly be real? Who would go to this kind of effort for me?
Her mind flickered over the ski-bum instructors they drank with. Definitely not their style. Most thought buying you a drink was all they had to do to get a girl into bed, or even into the loos on some occasions.
Hardly romantic.
Unbidden, a memory of Luc’s dark eyes staring intently at her flickered into her mind.
Ridiculous. Of course he doesn’t like me, he was just being kind.
She wouldn’t let herself get caught up in this only to discover it was just a big joke at her expense. Another Valentine’s Day loomed in her memory, an ugly spectre.
A warning.
She’d been only sixteen when she’d found a Valentine’s card wedged in the corner of her school locker. She’d treasured it all day, sneaking peaks at the card where it lay between two exercise books in her school bag. For once she’d been able to ignore the muffled sniggers and taunts from the class bullies, clutching her delicious secret close to her like a protective shield. She even dared to hope it might be from Paul. She’d had a crush on him for … well forever. But all the girls fancied him, as captain of the football team he could pretty much take his pick from the pretty girls, the thin girls.
But a girl could hope, couldn’t she?
When ringleader Clarissa had announced to the whole class at the end of the day that she’d sent it as a joke, well, the remembered humiliation could still make her crumple beneath its weight. Then had come the taunts – “Who’d send you a card then, Sophie?” “Maybe another fatty might take pity on you, you didn’t think Paul had sent it, did you? What a scream!”
Screaming had been exactly what Sophie felt like doing. How had that witch Clarissa known she had a crush on Paul? Had her surreptitious glances in his direction been so obvious to everyone? Was he laughing at her too?
Ever since then she’d hated Valentine’s Day with a vengeance.
“You look worried Soph.” Lucy lightly touched her arm, drawing Sophie out from the shadow of the bad memories. “We’ll come with you and help. I think it’ll be great fun.”
“Of course we’re coming.” Tash grinned. “We positively have a duty to go with her in case the guy’s a nut job.”
“Well, hang on, I’m not actually sure I … ” Sophie felt a surge of anxiety at the speed things were moving. Shouldn’t she think this through a bit more?
“Not that he’s any more likely to be a nut job than any of these guys.” Tash waved a hand to gesture towards the other skiers coming down for the first planned stop of the day. She appeared not to have heard Sophie’s protest.
Resistance with Tash was useless once she’d got a project to fixate on. Although if she was going to follow this clue it would be nice to have some company.
“But, don’t you want to carry on with the ski-dating schedule?” Sophie hesitated, brain still trying to make sense of this. She couldn’t really have a secret admirer, could she?
“Nah, I don’t have problems meeting men. Anyway if there’s anyone interesting here we’ll catch up with them at the drinks later on, eh, Lucy?” Tash’s eyes sparkled with a confidence Sophie envied.
“Yes of course, I wouldn’t miss this for anything. I’ve never had anyone go to these lengths for me.” Lucy looked wistful.
At that moment the group dressed as pirates hurtled down the slope towards them, singing “We are pirates on the piste.”
“On the piss more like.” Tash yelled back and Sophie laughed, relaxing.
“Hey girls, fancy a shag?” A Johnny Depp wannabe shouted over at them.
“Oh please, is that really the best you can do?” Lucy’s tone was scathing as she rolled her eyes, turning her back to them.
Sophie laid a restraining hand on Tash’s forearm, having seen the flash of fight in her eyes. She could really do without the hassle. “Leave it,” she whispered. “Let’s just ignore them and concentrate on the clue. Please?”
After a moments deliberation Tash nodded her agreement, turning her attention back to the red card. “Amelia is going to be so gutted that she missed this.”
“I think she’s too busy being loved up with Matt to be bothered,” Sophie replied. “She’ll have met him off the plane at Geneva by now.”
“So, we’re working out the clue then and going ahead with this?” Lucy practically bounced up and down on the spot, her cheeks pink. “It’s so romantic, you are lucky, Sophie.”
“Erm, I suppose so.” Sophie still wasn’t sure this wasn’t a giant wind-up and was trying to ignore the tiny flutter of hope battling for her attention. “But we might not be able to work it out. How can you eat a number that sings love songs?”
They all studied the card, ignoring the mêlée around them.
“Don’t forget the chairlift bit. Maybe we should start with that?” Tash said.
“I think I read something in a magazine about chairlifts named after celebs here in Verbier,” Lucy said, frowning, her petite features screwed up in concentration.
“I just get on the things. I don’t hang about waiting to be introduced.” Tash snorted.
“You know, I think Lucy is right. I vaguely remember seeing something about that online. We could look it up. I can just about pick up the café’s free wifi from here.” Sophie pulled her iPhone out from the inside pocket of her ski jacket.
She typed “Verbier chairlifts named after celebrities” into the search engine and positioned herself so both Tash and Lucy could see the screen. While waiting for the results to load she stamped her feet on the snow in an attempt to warm them up. A cloud covered the sun, making it too cold to stand still for long.
“Well, I don’t think it’s Diana Ross, although she does sing love songs,” Tash said as they scanned the list of results.
“But she hasn’t got a food connection, has she?” Sophie frowned and clicked on a different link. “Ooh, look, what about James Blunt, he has that restaurant, La Vache, doesn’t he, with a couple of other celebs? And it says here he’s got a chairlift named after him. I’ve never been to the restaurant, have you?”
“It’s a bit pricy, it’s not like we can afford to be regulars there, is it?” Tash replied. “But maybe we could stretch to sharing a pizza.”
Tash and Lucy snapped their skis back on, but Sophie hesitated, catching Lucy’s eye. Lucy shrugged as though to say “Why not?”
Why not? It’s not as though I’ve got anything better to do today.
“Come on you two,” Tash called out. “We’ve got a chairlift to queue for.”
Deep down Sophie knew she really wanted to do this but it was as though a part of her refused to believe the excitement, too afraid of the possible crash waiting for her ahead. She was afraid to jump, afraid this run might end in painful disaster and public humiliation.
But what if this wasn’t a joke? What if her secret Valentine was someone who actually liked her?
Careful, Soph, this could be a wind-up. Don’t get your hopes up.
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