Odd Numbers by JJ Marsh

Author:JJ Marsh [Marsh, JJ]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction
Publisher: Prewett Bielmann Ltd.
Published: 2020-04-30T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15: Gael, now

Once all the ingredients were prepared, I left Simone in the kitchen boiling potatoes while I set the table. The decorations were all-out Swiss, with lined bread basket, white napkins embroidered with edelweiss, a classic Swiss white wine – Chasselas – an old favourite, a bottle of kirsch to aid digestion, red fondue forks and plates with an Alpine cow motif. The caquelon itself, still in the kitchen, was also bright red with a Swiss flag border around the rim. The mise en place was going to look like some kind of still from an in-flight magazine designed to tempt people to the mountains.

Clark came downstairs first and whistled when he saw my handiwork. “The only thing that’s missing is your dirndl!”

“Now there I draw the line. But you can get your lederhosen out if you want.”

Simone stuck her head out of the kitchen with a frown. “We’re in Switzerland, not Munich and this is hardly the Oktoberfest.”

“Sorry, madame!”

She gave a nod and withdrew to the kitchen.

Clark looked at me, stretching his ears from his head. “Hearing of a bat,” he whispered. “Right, I’ll get some more logs in from outside.”

I knew he’d be disappointed that the chalet had a whole wall of firewood-ready logs stacked against the wall. Outdoor Man wanted to chop them himself.

Mika came charging down the stairs while Clark was collecting wood. His energy and restlessness always brings an electricity to the room. “Wow! Look at this! Authentic or what? I’d better go check Simone’s not messing up the fondue. She should have waited for the expert.”

“You’re going to end up getting stabbed with a fondue fork,” I warned him as he disappeared into the kitchen.

I took a minute to run upstairs and change into something not-grey or made of jersey, and smeared a lick of Vaseline over my eyebrows, which was as far as my make-up routine went. The smell of melted cheese permeated the whole house and I couldn’t wait to eat. I rushed back down and opened the first bottle of wine for an aperitif as Mika returned from the kitchen with an earthenware bowl of potatoes.

“Seems she has everything under control. Dinner’s up in two minutes,” he said, lighting the warmer to keep the fondue bubbling. He looked up with a smile as Lovisa descended, her nose lifted to inhale the air, dressed in a blue and white trouser suit. The Ice Queen of C&A.

Clark came through the front door with a huge basket of logs, his hair covered with a light dusting of snow. “It’s so quiet out there! You can almost hear the snow falling.”

Simone carried in the caquelon and we set it on the frame, adjusting the heat to keep the cheese bubbling. It smelt blissful now, but tomorrow morning, it would be a different story.

As always, the first evening together was an opportunity to catch up and reconnect with each other’s lives. Clark asked Lovisa about her job, which was a smart move. Because she

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