Confessions of a Chalet Girl: by Lorraine Wilson Page A

tried her best to fit in and not be noticed.
    ‘We’d better see what the doctor says.’ His arms remained around her yet there was tension, a combative element to their stance.
    She didn't know if she wanted to kiss him or slap him for being so hard on her for a minor offence. Irritation flared within her, what gave him the right to be so judgemental?
    ‘How long will the skidoo be?’ she asked.
    ‘Magda was going to fetch one of the guys. They'll be at the mountain café by now so it shouldn’t be long.’
    ‘Good old Magda.’ She wished she could bite the words back but it was too late.
    ‘Why do you say that?’ Scott frowned.
    ‘I think she hacked my accounts. After all she doesn't like me.’
    ‘Come on now, why would she do that? Isn’t that a little paranoid?’ He sighed. ‘To tell the truth I don’t know what to think and I could really do without this today of all days.’
    His eyes briefly flashed with pain.
    'Today of all days'.
    What did that mean? If she hadn't been so riled she might have stopped to ask.
    ‘Paranoid? Someone set me up!’ Holly’s jaw clenched and her fighting hackles rose.
    ‘So you've said but Holly, don't you get you could've been killed up here? It’s not a run for beginners.’ His exasperation was clear but something more than that, he was seriously rattled.
    I don’t understand what’s going on.
    ‘I did try to tell you but you weren’t listening,’ she said, some of the anger draining away with the realisation he'd been afraid for her. She sighed and rested her head against his chest. His heartbeat pulsed rhythmically in her ear, far more rapid than it should have been.
    She didn't know what to say to make this right. The engine of a skidoo broke the silence.
    He patted her on the back, almost absentmindedly and disengaged himself, walking in the direction of the noise and waving. ‘Over here.’
    Before the skidoo reached them he turned back to her. ‘You’ll be alright with Sven and the doctor will look after you. I’ll see you later, back at the chalet.’
    Then without another word he snapped his skis back on and was off.
    Frickin’ brilliant. Well done Holly, you handled that well.
    She tried to muster a smile for the tanned and smiling Sven and climbed on board behind him, refusing to lie on the stretcher tied to the skidoo. Things were embarrassing enough without arriving back at the resort on a stretcher with everyone staring at her, hoping to witness a drama.
    ***
    Scott knew he’d behaved badly. Anger at himself, at Holly, and even at Zoë coursed around his body. Confused thoughts whirled in his mind with the intensity of a snowstorm, obscuring any clear thinking as he skied down to catch up with the group.
    Perhaps he should've told her about Zoë ’s anniversary, explained why he’d wanted her with him today and why he was in such a foul mood. But he'd been so furious she'd lied and put herself in danger, just like Zoë had … 
    He took little pleasure in the breathtakingly gorgeous surroundings. All he could think of was Holly, Holly, Holly…. Lying in his arms, underneath him, her soft curves yielding, her sweet mouth grinning at him and vibrant eyes locking on his. Part of him wanted to go to the doctor with her but he badly needed to get away to calm down, to think … 
    Had she tried to tell him? He'd been a bit distracted, maybe she’d said something this morning but she certainly hadn't told him she'd never been on a pair of skis in her life! The whole Facebook thing was a weird but perhaps he’d been too quick to judge?
    When he stopped to think about it Holly was different from the others, less artificial and certainly not a game player. If he was going to choose between believing Magda or Holly he knew which girl he’d pick, despite Magda having worked for him for two seasons. Maybe he should take her word for it about her accounts being hacked.
    He recalled the expression on Holly’s face when left her. Guilt twisted