“Sure,” Isay.
A moment later she’s climbing into the front seat and chatting to Pierre. I am fascinated with how they converse, seeing as neither of them appears to know what the other is saying but are happy in each other’s company, nonetheless. I watch how they keep touching each other as though they cannot bear to be without physical contact. That kind of closeness is completely alien to me. I mean, I’ve had sex before, yes. But frankly, it wasn’t anything to write home about. A quick fumble, then awham bam, thank you, Ma’am, is about the extent of my sexual experience. Basically, all my previous lovers were dicks who, funnily enough, thought with their dicks. I sigh and spend the rest of the journey watching the scenery roll by as the mountains of Alpe d’Huez loom larger the nearer weget.
It isn’t much longer until we reach the resort. Pierre stops outside a beautiful wooden chalet that’s three times the size of my terrace house back home. We had to drive through the resort to get to it, and it is set back from all the other chalets, which are further down the hill and closer to the centre of the resort. It is surrounded by alpine trees covered in a layer of snow, their branches straining under the weight of it. The chalet has a wraparound porch and large glass windows on the ground floor. There are covered balconies on the upper floors, all of which have a thick layer of snow settled upon them. The nearest chalet is at least five hundred yards away. It is beautiful, secluded, but close enough to the slopes to be in a primelocation.
“This is you,” Shawna says, jumping out of thecar.
I look up at the chalet in amazement, my breath steaming up the window. Pierre opens the door then holds his arm out, grinning at the stunned look on myface.
“This is where I’ll be staying?” I say,gobsmacked.
Shawna laughs. “Yup, you’ve got the high end of the market. This is a four double-bed chalet with sauna, steam room and pool. It’s stunning. I mean, I’m pretty jealous right aboutnow.”
“There must be some kind of mistake. Why would they give me this chalet? I’m new, I might mess it up.” Worry threads through me at the possibility that I am in over my head. I mean, clearly, whoever has paid to stay in this chalet must have a lot of money and therefore probably has high expectations of their chalet girl. I can cook okay, and clean, but I am nochef.
“Don’t be daft. You just need to make sure you keep the place tidy, cook a good fry up and sort out the evening meal. Come on up,” Shawna says, climbing the steps to the front porch. She points to the case and Pierre picks it up for me. I puff out my cheeks and breathe out slowly, following them through the frontdoor.
The inside of the chalet is just as lovely as the outside and it is as big as I imagined it would be. The whole ground floor is open plan, with a stainless-steel kitchen taking up one side, and a beautifully decorated sitting room with an open fire, a chocolate brown L-shaped sofa and oversized armchair on the other. The warm wood of the kitchen table and chairs complement the wooden walls and floor of the chalet, making the place feel welcoming andcosy.
“Right, well, here you are. Pierre and I are going to shoot off. Your room is in the basement next to the pool. As accommodation goes us chalet girls don’t get anything near as nice as what you’ve got down there. If I were you, I would totally make use of all the good stuff before your family arrives. Oh, and your room has an en-suite. You’ve totally lucked out, girl. Let’s just hope the family you get aren’t arseholes!” Shawna laughs, gives me a brief hug then pulls on Pierre’s hand. “Come on, let’s leave Louisa to settle in.” She turns to me briefly and smiles. “We’re going back to mine for a bit. I’ll be back later, about eight. I’ll bring you something to wear. You look about my size.” She pulls me into a brief hug then leaves, Pierre intow.
I lean against the door and let the beauty of the chalet sink in. This place just about exceeds all my expectations, and I have a good four hours until Shawna returns. Time to check out the rest of the place. I let out a delighted squeal, all thoughts of home pushed firmly out of mymind.