Page 65 of Head Over Skis

There’s a lady who looks to be in her mid-seventies standing behind the counter waving over at him, and I figure Rory must pop in often before his classes.

‘Doris, je suis merveilleux, merci, et toi?’

She chuckles, and I have no idea what’s been said, but I can’t help being even more attracted to Rory after hearing him speak French so easily. And that accent. It shouldn’t surprise me that he can, but assuming he could speak French and hearing the effortless way the words roll out of his mouth are two different things. I’m sad when they swap to English for my benefit.

‘How was your evening, Doris?’

‘Everything is fine, mon cher, especially since I’ll be finishing for the day soon and helping myself to some dessert. Harry cooked his mango and passionfruit… how do you say? Tarte au fromage blanc?’

‘Ah yes, his cheesecake. It’s one of his specialities,’ Rory adds, his tongue darting across his bottom lip and making me think of things other than eating cheesecake.

‘Voila, well he promised to save me a slice,’ Doris continues.

‘In that case I won’t keep you, we can’t have him forgetting and accidentally eating it himself,’ Rory says, patting her on the shoulder.

She smiles up at him and I get the sense she’s known him for a long time. He weaves behind the counter filled with hooks and room number tags.

‘I’m going to grab the spare key card if that’s okay. I didn’t think I’d be staying over tonight so I haven’t got mine with me.’

‘Ne t’en fais pas, mon cher.’ She switches back to French with Rory, and it’s only then that she looks away from him and over to where I’m standing awkwardly with my hands clasped together in front of me.

‘Oh la la, now where are my manners,’ she says, wobbling slightly as she rushes to my side.

She pulls me into a warm hug, and I catch Rory mouthing an apology at me from over her shoulder. When she pulls away, she keeps her hands on the tops of my arms and looks me over. ‘Rory, mon coeur, isn’t she a beauty?’

My cheeks instantly flush, and I look over at Rory ready to tell him he doesn’t need to answer that, but he beats me to it. ‘Yes, she is.’

If my face wasn’t already bright red, I can guarantee it is now, and I quickly look to the side to admire the reception’s artwork. Does he really have to be so charming?

‘What’s your name, sweetheart?’

‘Charlotte, though most people call me Lottie,’ I say, and her face lights up as if hearing my name has reminded her of something. Then before I know it, I’m being pulled in for yet another hug.

‘Ah, c’est genial! I’m so glad to finally meet you. It feels like it’s been years since Rory came back to the resort with a girlfriend. Not since Tori of course, and that was when he was a teenager, very thin, and with that awful spiky haircut.’

‘Oh no, we’re just friends,’ I rush to clarify.

I take a step backwards, squirreling away that detail about Tori that finally gives me a better timeline on their relationship. A relieving one too that quells my fear that they were still an on-off thing like me and Adam.

At the same time as I move back, Rory frowns. ‘Yeah okay, that’s enough, Doris.’

He comes up behind her and steers her gently back towards the front desk. He swipes up the key card he’d put down on the counter and bids her good night while I stand awkwardly, not sure whether to follow. But then Doris beckons me over, and I hesitate before deciding it’s best not to argue.

‘I was only teasing,’ she says once I’m closer and out of earshot of Rory, who’s waiting by the lifts. ‘It’s only that I’d heard from Kevin that our Rory was skipping class this week to visit someone, a Lottie, I believe. That wouldn’t happen to be you, would it?’

Who knew Kevin is the resort’s resident gossip, I wonder, as I hope news of Rory skipping his responsibilities hasn’t spread too far. If it has, I’ll be having words with Kevin, as the last thing I want is Rory to get in trouble with his boss for anything to do with me. Why would he risk his best friend’s job like that?

‘I’m so sorry, I didn’t know he was going to do that, and I take full blame. I would hate it if he got into trouble.’

‘Oh, ne t’inquiète pas, I mean, don’t worry. I think it would be a good thing for him to loosen up a bit and realise he can trust the rest of us to keep everything running smoothly. He may be the boss but that doesn’t mean he can’t take a break.’

The – what? Before I can ask her to repeat that again, Rory calls to me from the open doors of the lift. I follow him inside, confusion muddying my tired brain as the doors close and we start going up and up. The ride goes on for ages, long enough for me to bat the comment aside as just a common expression, but when I look towards the panel of buttons, I realise why it’s taking so long. We’re heading to the top floor.

When the doors open, Rory walks out first, tossing the key card onto a side table with the ease of someone who has done it many times before. I’ve never been in a top-floor apartment before, in fact the largest hotel room I’ve been in was one which not only had a bed in it, but also a desk. This is luxury accommodation on another scale.

I take off my boots and try not to knock too much snow onto the floor before moving into the main living area. Two curved sofas face a TV that’s built into the wall above a gorgeous fireplace. Ornaments line the top of it alongside more photo frames that include snapshots of a younger-looking Rory.

I peer around the corner and my jaw drops as I count not one, but four more doors branching off from this one. But that’s not what shocks me the most. It’s the wall of glass windows that faces the mountains, complete with two French doors that open out onto a long balcony.