Going Off Piste

Chapter Four

In honour of her guests, Jules had prepared a full, traditional English Christmas dinner for that evening. Frankie was shocked, after such a substantial lunch, to find that her stomach was once again growling greedily in anticipation of another good feed. She was definitely going on a diet when she got home, and she was going to start using her gym membership. Not that she hadn't done her fair share of exercise today. Reuben had certainly put her through her paces on the ski slopes. Frankie felt herself cringing with embarrassment at the memory of the way she had stormed off in a sulk after her fall. He'd been so kind and patient with her all day and she'd repaid that kindness by strutting around like a spoilt teenager. She knew he'd followed her back down to the village but she'd ignored him, unclipping her skis and stomping off towards the shops without stopping to speak. At the time she had justified her actions by telling herself that she needed to get Sébastien's secret Santa gift bought before everything shut but she hadn't managed to fool even herself that her motivation was anything but acute embarrassment. She had stopped at the first shop she'd come to and bought a pair of ski socks. Uninspiring but practical; a ski instructor had to get through a lot of socks, right?

Frankie sat on the edge of her bed in front of the mirror, wracking her mind for an appropriate way to apologise to Reuben and thank him for such a lovely day. She absent-mindedly twisted her hair into a loose knot on top of her head, tucking the stray strands behind her ears, then reached for her make-up bag. She didn't need much; the sun and fresh air had given her a healthy glow that just needed the shine taking off it with a dab of face powder. She stroked some mascara along her lashes and slicked a warm pink lip-gloss on her mouth. Still thinking hard, she stood and checked her appearance in the mirror: Dark, slim-fit denims and her favourite turquoise blue sweatshirt. The top was in a slinky, silky fabric that slithered over her curves in a way that lifted it above simple leisure wear but was comfortable enough to accommodate a large meal. It also looked particularly good with a bit of tan. Frankie slipped her feet into the borrowed sheepskin slippers and thought about the many times she and Jules had fought as teenagers. And then she had it. With a relieved laugh she reached into her handbag for the little notebook and pen she always carried.

The family and their guests were all gathered downstairs in the living area, enjoying an aperitif. Simon, who looked tired but happy, was chatting animatedly to Jules about his day. Bruno and Sébastien were talking in French while Betty, dressed in spray-on jeans and a Nordic style, patterned jumper, gazed on adoring but uncomprehending. Reuben, who was in faded jeans and a checked red shirt with a white tee shirt underneath, had just added his secret Santa gift to the small pile of presents under the tree and was rubbing a very happy Gus' belly.

Taking two glasses of Kir Royale from the tray Jules had left on the coffee table, Frankie made her way over to the tree to add her own gift.

"Hi," she said, dropping her parcel under the tree with the others, "I thought you might like one of these?" She handed Reuben one of the glasses and took a large swig from the other, "And I've got this for you." She placed a folded piece of paper in his hand, "by way of an apology and peace offering." Looking slightly puzzled, Reuben unfolded the paper.

'I O U one clean hamster cage' was written on it.

"Er...thanks?" he said looking no less puzzled.

"It's a token," explained Frankie. "Me and Jules shared a pet hamster as kids. Whenever one of us did something to upset the other, Mum would make us take the other's turn at cleaning out the cage as a punishment. The hamster eventually died, probably from an over-hygienic cage environment, but way into our teens we kept the symbolic act as a way of apologising to each other. Whenever we needed to make amends, we would offer the injured party a 'hamster cage token' like the one I've just given you, which could be cashed in by requiring the one who had given it to carry out an equal task of the recipient's choosing. I definitely owe you an apology for my behaviour this afternoon as well as a big thank you for an amazing day." Reuben grinned widely and Frankie's heartbeat spiked accordingly. "So have a think," she continued quickly, "any unpleasant task you need performing, dog poo removed from the soles of shoes was a favourite of Jules', I'm your woman." Reuben tucked the paper into his shirt pocket. "I'm sure I can think of something more fun that that," he said quietly, his eyes holding hers until she could feel the heat rising in her face again. He winked and turned to Jules and Simon who had come to join them. Frankie took another huge slurp of the champagne and blackcurrant cocktail for Dutch courage and pasted a bright smile on her face.