‘See you down there,’ he called, and the door slammed shut behind him.
She swallowed back her irritation and blasted herself with ice-cold water. It caused her to momentarily stop breathing, but it was the only way to clear her head and get on with this absolute pain of a day. Why had she let Tristan talk her into it? She’d told him point-blank that she had zero interest in hiking in the Alps, and his attempts to suggest that the scenery was worth it and that the fresh air would do her the world of good had just made her laugh. She was not a fresh-air kind of girl. She much preferred driving to walking, and if she managed to even turn up at the yoga studio once a week, it was a miracle. She always made sure to snap a couple of pics for Insta, though. She looked good in her expensive workout gear, even if she only used it to sit around drinking coffee in.
Then he’d changed tack . . . telling her there were world-class massage therapists, and a hot tub that contained some sort of mountain spring water that would make her look younger. Something to do with the minerals, he said. Good shops, too, he’d said. Designer gear you won’t get back at home.
That had swung it. She’d even agreed to let Cat take her shopping to get the clothes and equipment they needed for the weekend. It was quite possible that Cat had something else up her sleeve. After their showdown at her thirtieth a few months ago, Ginny had kept expecting some further fallout – but her sister had been uncharacteristically fun last night.
Well, whatever. Ginny had given in. The magic mineral spa would at least provide some new fodder for her followers, even if she had to filter the fuck out of herself for the foreseeable, to make it look like the water had indeed performed miracles.
When she made it down to breakfast, half an hour later, the other three were smiling and laughing; a table full of croissants and cheeses and fruit in front of them. Ginny sat down and grabbed the coffee pot, slopping liquid over the sides of the cup and into the saucer as she attempted to pour with a shaking hand.
Cat raised an eyebrow over her glass of orange juice. ‘Sore head, love?’
Paul looked at Ginny with sympathy. ‘I was a bit rough too, but the food has sorted me out. It’s so nice to be able to help yourself to a lovely breakfast buffet again, isn’t it? I’ve really missed all this.’
Cat nodded. ‘It’s weird though, isn’t it? I was so desperate for normal things, then when things started to normalise, it was almost like it never happened. I was lucky with the business, with most people postponing their events rather than cancelling. But it’s been non-stop trying to fit everything in lately. I’m so glad of this break.’
‘Well, I’m just glad all that working-from-home nonsense is over,’ Tristan cut in, taking a bite out of a croissant. ‘Worst eighteen months of my life, being stuck at home with the missus.’ He laughed hard and pinched Ginny’s arm, to let her know he was joking.
She gave him a weak smile. ‘Wasn’t a barrel of laughs for me either.’ She picked up a hard roll and ripped it apart, pulling out the soft centre and stuffing it into her mouth. Actually, she’d quite enjoyed the lockdowns. They had given her plenty of time to come up with new ways to grow her followers. It wasn’t like she spent much time with Tristan anyway. He spent most of his time in his office at home with the door locked. He slept on his sofa bed in there most nights, too – citing late-night meetings. She had a feeling he was spending more time chatting on Messenger, but he never left his phone unattended for long enough to even attempt to snoop. ‘Can we drop the pandemic chat? We’re all still here, aren’t we?’
Cat looked bemused, and Ginny was surprised yet again at her sister’s overly cheery mood. How could she be so damn chirpy at this hour?
‘I’m so glad I switched to water when you lot started on the shots,’ she said, reading Ginny’s mind. ‘I felt a bit funny after the beers, actually.’
Typical Cat. Always so bloody sensible. Ginny should’ve known that Cat wouldn’t drink shots. She’d pulled that trick before.
‘Forgive me for trying to have some fun,’ Ginny said, more harshly than she intended. She was pissed off that Cat had made a fool out of her with the fake shots. Not that the men seemed to have noticed or cared. She rubbed her temples. The headache was still lingering, and she felt like she hadn’t slept a wink.
Cat flinched. ‘Someone got out of the wrong side of the bed.’
Tristan squeezed Ginny’s arm. ‘Come on, Ginny-Gins. Get yourself sorted, eh? Wait until you see the mountain views . . . this hike is supposed to be spectacular, you know.’ He paused. ‘And not too challenging.’ He pulled a map out of his back pocket, unfolded it and smoothed it out across the table, shoving the breakfast things out of the way. ‘There’s a great halfway point here. This little lodge restaurant has excellent reviews.’ He pointed at a brown square on the map that meant nothing to her. Patches of green and grey, and broken brown lines. How on earth is he going to navigate us like this?