Confessions of a Chalet Girl: Read Free Page B

it contravenes some employment law or other.’
    Checkmate.
    ‘Why do you want this job?’ Genuine curiosity prompted the question.
    ‘Why spend the winter temping in a London office and cramming yourself onto the tube when you can ski all day and hit the town at night?’
    He'd heard this argument many times. Gut instinct said she was parroting what she’d heard someone else say. Holly wasn't a party animal. Was she going to give him a straight answer to any question he asked?
    ‘Right.’ He remained unconvinced. ‘Well, it's part of your job to make sure our guests have their every whim met. Whatever the guest wants, from fireworks to an off-piste expedition, we organise it. That's what we do; help them experience life to the max.’
    Great, now he sounded like a cola commercial.
    ‘Err, when you say every whim…’
    ‘Every whim within reason that is,’ he replied, trying very hard to suppress all the whims he’d like Holly to satisfy. ‘Nothing dodgy obviously. Don’t worry. Come to me if you have any problems with … ahem, sexual harassment.’
    ‘Like people asking me questions about my underwear for example?’ She smiled sweetly.
    This girl was trouble.
    He grinned. ‘Yes…something like that. Right, I’d better dash and let you make that phone call. I’ve got a date with some paperwork. And another thing - do you mind if I leave your ski pass ‘til the morning? I expect you can’t wait to hit the slopes.’
    ‘Err, no that will be fine. Well, um, goodnight.’ Her eyes searched his for a few seconds before she averted her gaze. Was she looking for something? Hoping for something?
    ‘Goodnight.’ He turned away. Walking to his office was one of the strongest tests of self-control he’d ever known.
    ***
    Holly paced the room clasping her iPhone. As it was more of a broom cupboard with bunk beds than a real bedroom this was difficult. She thought about the banter with Scott and smiled. She'd won that last point nicely. Although, what if he now thought she didn't want him to flirt?
    Well then, that would be good because she didn't want him to. Did she?
    She stared out of the window. The snow fell in thick, heavy flakes as large as her palm. The view of the valley with its snow-laden pine trees and picturesque chalets bathed in the moonlight soothed her.
    She scrolled through her contacts list, maybe it was a bit late to ring. She’d text Pippa instead.
    Hi Pips. Am in Verbier now at Chalet. Was forced to strip in bar tonight. All your frickin’ fault! Can’t believe you got me into this!!! Hope things are okay hun xx
    A beep signalled a reply.
    Hey! Fast work there grasshopper ;-) Landed a zillionaire yet? xx
    Hmm, I met a rather interesting guy who kept going on about my underwear…
Well, maybe she wouldn’t send that reply. Instead she typed:
    Get real – I’ve got to be up at stupid o’clock to clean toilets, no time for zillionaires! Snow is lush though. Wish you were here H xx
    Pippa’s reply appeared on her screen as she watched.
    Put your big girl pants on and go get yourself a man ;-) P xx
    Great, why did Pippa insist on assuming all Holly needed was a man? It did Holly's head in. She’d told her often enough she wasn't bothered. What she needed was to be as far away from home as possible and to be left alone. She looked around at the four bunks squeezed tightly into the cramped space.
    Alone was something she was going to struggle to be.
    ***
    ‘Give us a snog love.’ One of the guests leered towards Holly, red-faced and with a paunch that bulged over his waistband, shirt buttons straining.
    She reeled back from the alcohol fumes on his breath, almost gagging. The chimes of the church clock rang out the New Year, sounding sharp and clear on the alpine air.
    Holly cursed the enforced jollity of New Year and drunken morons … sorry, 'paying guests', to whom she had to be polite and not knee in a sensitive area, no matter how provoked she was.
    She’d slip away for a bit.