Page 57 of Snowed In with You

‘Craig David,’ said Lucy, not taking her eyes off Nate.

‘Yeah,’ said Alex breathlessly. ‘Shit, these numbers are insane. It’s been on my TikTok since first thing this morning, and now everybody is talking about it.’

‘Everybody who? Where?’ demanded Nate.

‘Everywhere,’ said Alex, his face breaking out into a smile as he waved his phone at Nate. ‘You’ve gone mega-viral, my friend.’

‘Who gave you permission to put my singing online?’ said Nate, pressing his fingers into his forehead as he tried to breathe.

‘Hey,’ said Lucy, pushing down the aisle and sitting in the seat that Andrea had just vacated. ‘It’s OK.’

‘It’s NOT OK,’ said Nate, burying his fingers in his hair. ‘I didn’t ask for a welcome committee.’

‘I’m sorry,’ said Alex. ‘Actually I’m not sorry. This is going to make you a superstar.’

‘I don’t want to be a superstar.’

‘Everyone wants to be a superstar. This could be your big chance.’

‘He’s right,’ said Lucy quietly. This was exactly what Nate had said he wanted yesterday morning, but it was all moving too fast for him. ‘Look, you don’t have to do anything right this minute. Just smile and wave and look surprised and confused, which you are. Then we’ll go back to the hotel and work out what’s going on.’

‘I’ll answer any questions for you,’ said Alex. ‘You don’t have to say anything. I know what I’m doing.’

‘What’s the alternative?’ asked Nate breathlessly, looking at the group outside the bus, then back at Lucy.

‘Living on this bus with Ulrich?’ said Lucy gently, wishing she could take the burden of the stress for him so he could somehow enjoy this moment. ‘One way or another, we need to get off.’

‘Shit,’ said Nate, letting out a long, slow breath, then closing his eyes and taking a few more, his hand on Lucy’s arm to steady him. ‘OK. Let’s do it.’

Alex hurried down the bus and spoke to Ulrich about helping him create some space, then took Nate’s arm and guided him through the noisy crowd who were calling his name and asking questions. The noise retreated as they moved away, leaving Lucy and Willem watching from the steps of the bus.

‘Come on,’ she said, already worried about Nate’s state of mind after being in a crowd like that. She climbed down from the bus and bowed her head against a biting wind, then followed the mass of people moving towards the hotel.

‘This is wild,’ said Willem. ‘I’ve seen Alex pull some shit before, but this is next level.’

‘Did he know?’ asked Lucy quickly. ‘Was he expecting this reception for Nate?’

Willem shook his head quickly and laughed. ‘Lucy, you’ve spent the last few days in Alex’s company. Do you really think he’d have engineered a welcome that wasn’t all about him?’

‘No,’ said Lucy. ‘He must be gutted.’

‘Are you kidding?’ laughed Willem. ‘He’ll appoint himself as Nate’s manager and be forever known as the person who made him a star.’

‘Hmm,’ said Lucy, wondering if that was a good or a bad thing. ‘Is there money in that?’

Willem shrugged. ‘Yes, but Alex doesn’t need money; his family are very wealthy. He just needs a profile and a spotlight.’

‘OK, but will he look after Nate?’

Willem stopped on the path outside the hotel and looked intently at Lucy. ‘He will be taken care of, Lucy. Alex is a good guy. I’m marrying him, remember?’

They pushed through the waiting crowd of . . . who are these people? thought Lucy. Press? Fans? She tried to take the measure of them, but they were all bundled up in coats and scarves. Men and women, young and old, talking in a mix of French and German and English. Handy, since Nate spoke all three. The only thing Lucy knew for sure was that they had seen Alex’s videos barely eight hours ago and immediately made their way to Zermatt to wait for him to get off the mountain, which seemed entirely deranged. Without seeing the online discourse, it was hard to imagine how that had happened. They barely gave her and Willem a passing glance, so clearly Nate was why they were here.

Willem flashed his room key card to the doorman to gain access, then led Lucy into the foyer of a very fancy Alpine hotel. Nate and Alex were by reception, talking intently to a woman in a long green coat. Lucy did a double-take, then realised it was Sasha, holding the handle of Nate’s luggage. She’s already packed his bag, then, thought Lucy, realising how entirely surplus to requirements she was right now.

Alex hurried over to them, holding his phone to his ear and talking at a million miles an hour. ‘Hold on,’ he said to the person on the other end, then turned to Lucy and Willem. ‘There’s a car waiting to take Nate to the airport,’ he said importantly. ‘Sasha has asked me to go with them, give her a debrief and put together a plan. They’re expecting a crowd at Geneva and Heathrow.’

Heathrow? thought Lucy. What happened to flying back to Bristol?