A Slippery Slope (5 page)

‘I
didn’t say you were!’

‘So
surely it’s your fault, not mine? You got drunk with absolutely no assistance
from me.’

‘Well,
you wouldn’t have been much help anyway. You couldn’t even manage to close the
curtains or pass me my handbag this morning.’

‘Forgive
me! But I was under the misguided impression that
you
worked for
me
,
not the other way around.’

Verity
was seething. ‘And
I
was under the misguided impression that
you
would be a gentleman, not some lech who couldn’t take his eyes off my body!’

Josh
glowered at her. ‘Well you shouldn’t have flaunted it in front of me if you
didn’t want me to look at it. And now I’m a lech too, as well as a miserable
git – although how you could decide I’m a miserable git before you’d even met
me is baffling. I can’t believe Etienne told you that.’ He shot Etienne a
questioning look. ‘Did you?’

‘No!
I’m not sure what’s going on here or why you’re both so cross, but I’d never
call you a miserable git, Josh. You’re not as laid back as you used to be and
you can be a bit of a perfectionist but–’

‘Thanks,’
Josh butted in. ‘That’s good to know. No takers for membership of my fan club,
it seems.’ He scowled at Verity. ‘I gave you a job, didn’t I? How does that
make me a miserable git?’

‘It
doesn’t. But don’t make out you’ve done me a big favour. Jo told us you were really
grateful when I agreed to take her place. If that’s not the case, I can leave
right now. I don’t need to be here, you know. Nor does Lucy for that matter. We
can afford to stay in Meribel without working for
Calder Chalets
,
believe me. Just say the word and we’ll go. And for your information, it was
your niece who said you were a miserable git, not me!’

‘Mum!’
Lucy finally intervened.

Josh
looked astonished. ‘Joanna? Jo told you I’m a miserable git? Well, so much for
being the loving uncle. That’s put me in my place. Although what the fuck I’ve
done to ... Sorry. That’s irrelevant.’ He ran a hand through his thick, dark
brown hair, shook his head and sighed loudly. ‘You can go or you can stay. At
this point in time, I really couldn’t give a damn. I’m going home. I’m
knackered. See you later, Etienne.’ He marched towards the door, stopped and
turned to face Lucy. ‘I’m glad I’ve finally met you, Lucy. Jo has told me a lot
about you over the years. And don’t worry, she said much nicer things about you
to me than she told you about me, it seems. I’d like you to stay but if you
want to leave, I’ll understand completely.’

Lucy
cast Verity a pleading look but before she could reply, Josh Calder had gone.

CHAPTER
SIX

‘Can someone
tell me what the fuck just happened?’ Etienne said, sounding utterly bemused.

Verity
shook her head. ‘I lost my temper and I’ve screwed up my daughter’s life ...
again.’

Lucy’s
head shot round. ‘What do you mean “again”?’ She dashed to her mother’s side
and threw her arms around her. ‘You’ve done nothing but help me until now. I’m
... I’m not really sure what all that was about, but surely we can sort it out?
It’s ... it’s not like the thing with Dad. And that wasn’t your fault either.
That was his. Dad’s an idiot. And it hasn’t ruined my life, I can assure you.
How many times do I have to say that? It’s … not ... your … fault!’

‘Er
... I think I’ll go and catch up with Josh,’ Etienne said. ‘Lucy’s right, this
can be sorted, I’m sure. I don’t know why he was so mad just now, or why Jo told
you he’s a miserable git, because he isn’t. He’s a great guy and he’s usually
very friendly. I expect he’s just jet-lagged. Yeah, he’s a perfectionist and he
likes things done a certain way, and he is far more serious than he used to be,
but there’s a reason for that which I won’t go into. You don’t really want to
leave, do you Verity?’

Verity
sighed and kissed Lucy’s cheek. ‘I don’t know, Etienne. We’ve only just arrived
so it would be stupid to turn around and go all the way home again. Besides, I
don’t really have a home to go to ... as such. I ... I’d like to see if I can
do this but ... well, to be honest, I’m not really sure what just happened
either. I can’t believe that he could get so cross just because he turned up
and found me still in bed at eleven o’ clock. It’s not as if any guests are
arriving until next week so I can’t see why it’s such a big deal.’

‘Is
that what started this?’ Etienne asked. ‘Josh finding you in bed?’

‘I
think so. That’s what he said anyway. And when he found out that I’d been out,
got drunk and was dancing on the tables, he was even more annoyed.’

Etienne
nodded. ‘That explains it a bit.’

‘It
does?’ Verity wasn’t convinced. ‘Does he have something against alcohol then?
Or just women consuming alcohol and behaving like idiots? I’ll admit I did go a
bit overboard last night. I’m not normally like that.’

‘I
don’t think this was really about you. It was the situation. He’s jet-lagged
and clearly not thinking straight. It just stirred up bad memories. Look, if I
can get him to agree which I’m sure I can, will you stay?’

‘Mum,
please!’ Lucy pleaded.

Verity
nodded. ‘Okay, but I didn’t like what he said about me working for him. I know
that’s true, but he made it sound as if I’m some skivvy or something. Well, I
suppose I am, technically, but that’s not the point. I’m not his slave! I can’t
work for someone who doesn’t treat me with at least a modicum of respect.’

‘He
didn’t mean that,’ Etienne said. ‘I’ll go and have a chat with him and pop back
this afternoon. I’ll ... I’ll see if I can get him to apologise.’

***

‘Apologise!’
Josh said thirty minutes later when Etienne turned up at his home to discuss
it. ‘I most certainly will
not
, Etienne. Who does the woman think she
is?’

‘It’s
only a word, Josh. You don’t have to mean it. Just say you’re sorry and
everything’ll be okay.’

‘I
won’t say something I don’t mean. Not again. Never again. Not after ...’ Josh
let his voice trail off. He didn’t want to drag up even more of those memories.
He ran a hand through his hair, flopped back into the armchair and crossed his
ankles as he stretched his legs out in front of the fire.

Etienne
let out a long sigh. ‘You said some things today which I’m pretty sure you
didn’t mean.’

Josh
glanced at his friend. ‘I was angry. I still say things I shouldn’t when I’m
angry.’

‘Then
just apologise for being angry. Or say something you do mean. Say that you’d
like her to stay. That’s true, isn’t it? Where are you going to get two new
chalet hosts in time for the arrival of the first guests of the season next week?
If you really don’t like Verity, you can stay out of her way. I’ll check in on
them and make sure the chalet is running the way you want it to. You know you
can trust me.’

‘It’s
not that I don’t like her ... exactly. We’ve only just met so I don’t even know
her. But she did make me angry and I don’t like her attitude. I have certain
standards and ... but of course, you know that. I may not be a miserable git
but I am a bit of a perfectionist and I’m not as laid back as I used to be,
isn’t that what you said?’

‘Don’t
take that as a criticism, Josh. You want things done a certain way, there’s
nothing wrong with that. As for the rest, even you know that’s true. I wish
you’d lighten up again but I guess you still need time.’

Josh
screwed up his eyes and frowned. ‘Okay. If she wants to stay, she can stay. But
I’ll have to make her understand that I have certain rules. I’ll talk to her
later. To both of them. Lucy seems reasonable and Jo thinks a lot of her. Mind
you, I was under the impression that Jo thought a lot of me and look how wrong
I was about that.’ He yawned suddenly. ‘I can’t believe I’m so tired. I think
I’m going to have to go to bed for an hour or so.’

Etienne
grinned. ‘During the day, Josh? It’s a good thing you don’t work for
Calder
Chalets
. The boss wouldn’t be happy about that.’

Josh
smirked. ‘Very funny. Okay, I’ll admit I may have over-reacted. I may apologise
about that. We’ll see.’

‘Why
don’t we meet at the chalet this evening? That way you can see what her
cooking’s like and you can explain that you’re just concerned about standards
being maintained once the guests arrive. She’ll understand that, I’m sure. And
she did say that last night was a one-off and she doesn’t usually behave like
that.’

‘Hmm.
Where have I heard that before?’ Josh said sarcastically. He got to his feet
and forced a smile. ‘Fine, I’ll see you later. I’m going to have a shower.
Perhaps that’ll make me feel better.’

‘I’ll
tell them we’ll be there at seven,’ Etienne said, standing up and walking
towards the door. ‘I’m sure everything’ll be fine after a few drinks, a good
meal, and a friendly chat.’

‘If
her cooking’s as good as her body, I’ll probably be willing to forgive her
anything,’ Josh said, surprising not only himself but also Etienne.

‘Bloody
hell! Is that a trace of the ‘old’ Josh returning?’

Josh
shrugged. ‘Perhaps.’

‘Then
you shouldn’t just apologise to Verity, you should thank her!’

‘It’s
got nothing to do with her,’ Josh snapped. ‘If my niece is telling people I’m a
miserable git, I think I need to consider the possibility that I have become
one, and do something about it. She used to call me her Funcool, instead of
Uncle because she used to think I was. I didn’t realise I’d changed quite so
much. You’re obviously not the only one who thinks I need to lighten up.’

‘You
can start tonight by showing Verity you’re not the tyrannical, obnoxious,
slave-driver of a boss ... and miserable git she seems to think you are.’

Josh
raised his brows. ‘You left “lech” out of that list.’

‘I
said, show her the things you’re
not
. Didn’t you just say something
about her having a good body?’ Etienne said, grinning broadly as he closed the
front door behind him.

***

‘He
wants to have dinner? Here? Tonight?’ Verity said when Etienne told her the
news.

‘Yeah.
You’ll see he’s not the person you seem to think he is and he’ll see that
you’re going to be the perfect chalet host. He’s just concerned about the
guests’ wellbeing. You can’t blame him for that. They are his livelihood, after
all.’

‘I
understand that completely.’

‘Then
why the worried look? It’s simple, Verity. Josh really loves good food so all
you have to do is cook something nice tonight and he’ll forget what happened
earlier. He may even apologise.’

‘There’s
just one little problem,’ Verity said without thinking it through. ‘Lucy’s gone
for a walk and I’m not sure when she’ll be back.’

‘Why
is that a problem? Are you still hung-over?’

‘A
little. But that’s not it. Even when I’m not ... I’m a really crap cook.’

CHAPTER
SEVEN

‘Something
smells delicious,’ Josh said, strolling into the kitchen of
Chalet Marianne
at precisely seven o’clock.

‘And
someone looks pretty delicious too,’ Etienne added, following closely behind
him.

Verity
was bending over, checking the contents of the oven but she straightened up and
forced a smile. She was still feeling apprehensive and she thought it would
require a supreme effort on her part to get through the evening without getting
sacked, but she decided to start as she hoped to go on. Fortunately for her,
Lucy’s walk had been a short one, and together they had shopped, prepped and
Lucy had cooked a meal even Josh would have to approve of.

‘Thanks,
Etienne. People often say my rear is my best feature,’ Verity joked. ‘And thank
you Mr Calder. I’m sure it’ll taste as good as it smells. It’s beef casserole.’

Etienne
winked but Verity could see by the expression on her boss’s face that Josh
Calder wasn’t amused. Had she put her size four feet in it already?

‘Beef
casserole?’ he queried, looking as if he’d never heard of it before.

‘Yes.
Oh! Are you a vegetarian? I’m so sorry it didn’t occur to me to ask. Lucy can–’

‘No,
I’m not a vegetarian,’ he interrupted, ‘but I was hoping for something a little
more ... interesting than beef casserole.’

Verity
could feel her temper rising but thankfully, before she could respond, Lucy
appeared from the dining room.

‘Mum’s
teasing you Mr Calder.’ She threw Verity a warning look. ‘Think …
boeuf
bourguignon
– but even better. We’ve used a very old and very secret,
family recipe, made a few tweaks and come up with a dish we’re calling
boeuf
à la spéciale de Marianne
. It’s accompanied by
potatoes boulangères
,
followed by
tarte tatin
. Oh, and
oeufs en cocotte
to start. I
hope that’s okay. I’m not trying to make excuses or anything but we only
arrived yesterday evening and I ... we haven’t had a chance to plan the menus
or stock up properly yet.’

Boeuf
à la spéciale de Marianne!
This was news to Verity but even with her basic
command of the French language, she knew that just meant Marianne’s Beef
Special. And there was no old or secret, family recipe that she knew of. Lucy
simply said: ‘We’ll chuck these veg in that pot with some beef and those herbs
and stuff it in the oven for a couple of hours,’ when Verity asked what they
could cook. It did smell divine though, so clearly Lucy knew what she was
doing.

Lucy
gave Josh her sweetest smile and Verity could almost see the ice melt from his
eyes. His mouth curved into what she could only describe as a sensuous grin. He
glanced from Lucy to her, raked a hand through his hair and gave a little
cough.

‘That
sounds perfect,’ he said enthusiastically, his gaze fixed firmly on Verity.
‘And naming a dish after the chalet is a particularly nice touch. Food is a
passion of mine I’m afraid, and also one of my priorities. It’s very important
that my guests enjoy good quality, well prepared and perfectly cooked meals. If
this all tastes as good as it sounds, I won’t have anything to worry about on
that score.’

‘Let’s
start, shall we,’ Lucy said, ‘and we’ll soon find out. Why don’t you go and
pour the wine, Mum? I’ll finish off in here.’

‘Oh.
If you’re sure,’ Verity replied, grateful to Lucy for the ‘get out of jail
card’ – or in this case, the ‘get out of the kitchen before Josh realises
you’re a fraud’ card.

Josh
took off his jacket, held out his hand for Etienne’s and walked back into the
hall to hang them up.

Verity
winked at Etienne in grateful thanks for not exposing her. He’d promised he
wouldn’t tell Josh about her lack of cooking skills and clearly he’d kept that
promise. She hugged Lucy and sauntered happily into the dining room to do
something she was good at: playing the hostess.

Years
ago, when she and Tony held dinner parties at their home, long before he opened
his own restaurant, Tony had done the cooking and she had been the hostess.
Keeping people happy and their glasses full was a talent that had come
naturally to her. It was one of the things Lucy had used to persuade her to go
to Meribel.

‘I
can do all the menu planning and cooking, Mum,’ Lucy told her. ‘You can keep the
punters happy. You’re really good at that. We can share the shopping and
cleaning. And we need to be together right now. If you don’t want to come to
Meribel with me, I’ll stay here with you. I’m not leaving you to face this
without me. But perhaps it would do us both good to get away. We’d make the
perfect chalet hosts ... as a team.’

‘Lucy’s
right,’ Laura added. ‘And you always dreamt of being a chalet girl when you
were young. Now’s your chance to fulfil that dream and give yourself some
breathing space from Tony. It’s almost as if it were meant to be.’

Verity
hadn’t taken much convincing. Tony was bombarding them with texts and phone
calls and, as Verity hadn’t yet replaced her broken phone, he was contacting
Lucy instead. They’d been home only twice – when he was out – to collect some
things, including their recent purchases and were staying with Laura and her
latest husband, Bertie. After the third day, Lucy ignored her father’s calls.
When he started calling Laura’s number, Verity realised she had to get away.

She
knew she’d have to talk to him eventually but she also knew she couldn’t face
him, or the fact that their marriage was over, without bursting into floods of
tears. She wanted to delay the inevitable for as long as she possibly could.

‘May
I help you with that?’ Josh’s voice brought her back to the present.

She
turned to find him standing directly behind her, so close that she could smell
his subtle aftershave and feel his breath on her face. Unwittingly, she took a
step back.

‘I
think I can manage to pour wine without any help, Mr Calder.’ She saw his eyes
narrow and his jaw clench. ‘But thank you for the offer,’ she added hastily.
‘Red or white?’

‘Red,
please. And stop calling me Mr Calder, will you?’ He dragged a hand through his
hair.

He
seemed to do that a lot Verity noticed, wondering what his thick and rather
unruly, dark hair felt like. Would it be soft to the touch? Would it be coarse?
It needed a trim, being just an inch or so too long; it brushed against the
collar of the white shirt he was wearing beneath his navy blue jumper. She
shook herself mentally, took a deep breath and poured the wine.

‘And
what exactly would you like me to call you?’ She held the glass of wine out to
him.

‘Certainly
not a miserable git! Call me Josh. Everyone does,’ he said with a smile
hovering on his lips.

She
smiled in return and feigned an air of friendly indifference but as he took the
glass and his fingers brushed hers, she felt as if she’d been stung by a bee
and she snatched her hand away so quickly that the glass tipped up, spilling
wine onto the floor.

‘Shit!’
she said, meeting his eyes momentarily before hurriedly depositing the bottle
on the table and dashing towards the kitchen. ‘I’ll get a cloth.’

Verity
shoved the kitchen door open and Lucy stepped away from Etienne with a half
guilty, half disappointed look in her eyes.

‘What’s
up?’Lucy asked, her voice an octave higher than usual.

‘I’ve
just spilt wine all over the floor,’ Verity said, wondering if she had
interrupted something between Etienne and her daughter. She wet a cloth under
the tap, and with another quick glance at her daughter’s flushed cheeks, she
headed back towards the dining room. ‘If I’m not on the next plane back to the
UK by the end of this evening, it’ll be nothing short of a miracle!’

Josh
was wiping the front of his jumper with a handkerchief and Verity realised that
it wasn’t just the floor she’d spilt wine on. Had it soaked through to his
white shirt? She hoped not. She watched, almost mesmerised as his hand
travelled down to his charcoal grey trousers and she saw three large, deep red
splashes just below his waist and down his right thigh.

‘May
I help you with that?’ she asked, realising too late exactly what she’d just
offered to do.

She
wondered what on earth had come over her. Was it the alpine air? Was she
suffering from some sort of delirium-inducing altitude sickness? Had she
suddenly turned into a lonely, desperate woman who was gagging for it?
Something had happened to her because as she stood there watching Josh Calder,
that’s exactly how she felt!

He
raised his head and as his eyes met hers, she wasn’t sure if she saw surprise,
amusement or anger in them. The corners of his mouth twitched and lowering his
head again, he continued dabbing at the stains.

‘I
think I can manage, thanks. Perhaps another time.’

‘There
won’t be another time, I assure you. I’ll be more careful in future.’

She
could feel him watching her as she knelt at his feet mopping up the wine and
silently telling herself to stop acting like a besotted sixteen-year-old. She
was irritated that he hadn’t stepped back. If she raised her head now, her face
would be ... 

‘Are
you okay down there?’ Josh asked, bending down and taking the cloth from her
hands. He stood up and held out a hand to help raise her to her feet.

She
ignored the proffered hand and leant on the table instead, grabbing the cloth
back from him and heading towards the kitchen, more annoyed with herself than
with him.

‘I
work for
you
, remember,’ she said.

‘You
could have fooled me,’ he mumbled.

Verity
took a breath and entered the kitchen, relieved to see Etienne leaning against
the worktop farthest away from Lucy.

‘Can
I help in here?’ she asked. ‘I think it’s best if someone else pours the wine.’

‘I’ll
do that,’ Etienne said, grabbing another two bottles.

When
he’d gone, Verity turned to Lucy.

‘Was
there something going on just now between you and Etienne?’

‘No.
He was just ... being silly.’

Verity
studied Lucy’s face. ‘He seems extremely nice, Lucy and there is no denying
he’s incredibly handsome, but he is nine years older than you, he works as a
ski guide and he lives in a ski resort.’

‘I’m
well aware of that, Mum. And your point is ...?’

‘Nothing.
Sorry. You’re old enough to make your own decisions and a lot wiser than I am,
in all probability. I just don’t want you to get hurt, that’s all.’

Lucy
smiled and, removing the ramekins from the oven, placed the first course on a
tray.

‘Don’t
worry, I’ll be careful. Besides, who says I’ll be the one getting hurt?’

She
winked and nodded towards the door, which Verity opened to let her pass into
the dining room.

Josh
and Etienne were standing by the fireplace. It was smaller than the one in the
sitting room but the heat from the fire had less space to fill. This room
wasn’t vaulted, so even though the floor space was comparable, it was as warm
as toast within about fifteen minutes. Which was just as well; Verity had
forgotten to light the fire until ten minutes before Josh arrived. She wondered
if he’d realised and would mark her down on that score too. Lucy had told her
how important ambience was in a ski chalet and they’d agreed that Lucy would
cook whilst Verity prepared the dining room. She almost failed at that.

‘It’s
very cold tonight, isn’t it?’ she said, hoping that would cover her lapse.

‘If
you think this is cold, just wait until January,’ Josh replied. ‘The
temperature often drops several degrees then. More of a ‘beach bunny’ are you?’

‘A
beach ... bunny?’ Verity could feel herself scowling and tried very hard not
to. Every time Josh opened his admittedly kissable-looking mouth, he either
infuriated her ... or made her think things she definitely shouldn’t be
thinking.

‘As
opposed to a ski bunny,’ Josh clarified.

‘Oddly
enough, Mr Calder–’

‘Josh,’
he interrupted, with that sensuous smile hovering on his lips.

She
attempted to match it. ‘Oddly enough ... Josh, I have never thought of myself
as either type of ... bunny. I’m an all weather, all conditions, woman. I think
you’ll find that many women are ... nowadays.’

‘Let’s
eat,’ Lucy suggested with a definite edge to her voice.

Verity
was surprised when Lucy and Etienne sat opposite one another. She was even more
surprised when Josh held out a chair for her before taking his. He was clearly
determined to irritate her. She studied the ramekin containing her egg.

‘Do
you know much about Meribel?’ Josh asked.

Glancing
up, she saw he was looking directly at her.

‘Um.
No. I’ve never skied in France. Only Vail in Colorado and St Anton in Austria.’

‘Really?
Why just those two resorts?’

Verity
sighed. ‘One of my mum’s husbands lived in Vail and another had a chalet in St
Anton.’