One Foot Onto the Ice (24 page)

 Susan shuffled herself further onto the bed and hugged her own
knees. “Maybe we feel this way because we went to school together?”

Jenna pulled a face. “Yeah right, you said it yourself, we hardly
spoke.” She sighed. “It’s more than that. It’s that connection. That spark.
We’ve got it and only other people who’ve felt it will understand. It’s that
pull. That attraction. That feeling you get when you want to spend every spare
second with someone.” Jenna smiled. “That sounds dramatic, but I do, Susan. I
just love spending time with you. I want to know everything about you. I just can’t
explain it. I guess some people call it soul mates, other people call it fate,
but I just feel like I’ve met someone who truly understands me, and that
feeling has given me a real sense of completion.”

Susan shook her head. “But I don’t understand you, Jenna.”

Jenna laughed and pulled Susan down beside her. “Yes you do! You
hit the nail on the head on that very first chairlift. I fell in love, I got
hurt, and I struggle to let anyone get too close.”

“And that’s what you thought I was doing? Getting too close?”

Jenna shrugged. “I don’t know. Like I said, I didn’t think about
it. I just brushed it off because it’s never been an option before. I’ve never
wanted to shout about my relationships.”

“Apart from your first one?”

“Yes. I guess so.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“There’s not much to say. I thought it was love. I left St Wilf’s
to follow her up north and it turns out she wasn’t the woman I thought she
was.” Jenna sighed. “I’ve regretted that decision ever since.”

“I thought you weren’t about regrets?” Susan smiled. “I thought
you were all about moving on.”

“I’m complex, and you’re shivering.”

Susan rubbed her own legs. “I should have worn my onesie.”

“You have one?”

Susan laughed. “Of course not.”

“Ha! That’s why I lo…” Jenna paused.

“Why you what?”

“No, nothing, that’s what endears me to you. You’re funny.”

“Sylvie called me strange and no fun at all.”

Jenna laughed. “She’s harmless enough. We had a heart to heart. I
knew she’d wait up for you.”

“She was like a secret wrinkled ninja hiding behind the bar, ready
to wound me with her truths.”

“Ha! And what did she say that was true?” Jenna shuffled up the
bed and slid under the duvet. “Come on, you’re freezing.”

Susan crept under the covers and wrapped herself into Jenna. “Oh
just that we should make each moment count.”

“Like this?” whispered Jenna, lifting her lips to Susan’s.

Susan closed her eyes and breathed deeply. “Yes, like this.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

“Susan! Susan! It’s seven thirty!” Jenna rolled over in the bed
and shook Susan’s shoulder.

“What?” groaned Susan.

“It’s seven thirty. We’re meant to be down at breakfast.”

Susan sat bolt upright. “My alarm! I always set my alarm!”

Jenna fell out of bed and grabbed her bright red onesie that had
ended up on the floor. “I think I silenced it.”

“What?!”

“Who sets their alarm for 6.00 a.m. when breakfast’s at seven
thirty?”

“Me!” protested Susan, jumping across the room to find her bra.
“Go! Get down there. Don’t make it obvious we’re both late.”

Jenna yanked the red zip all the way up to her neck, pulling the
onesie rather painfully between her legs. “Ouch!” she gasped, quickly tugging
it down at the thigh. “I’m not going to breakfast in this.”

“People wear those things all the time. No one will notice.”

“No. It’ll take me two minutes to dash back to my room. I only
ever set my alarm for seven twenty as it is.”

“Fine,” said Susan, flapping around for some knickers.

Jenna unlocked the door and yanked at the handle, falling rather
clumsily into the corridor. She pulled Susan’s door closed, took a deep breath,
and turned on her bare feet to dash up the corridor. What she hadn’t been
expecting was the vision of Marcus blocking her way with his hands on his hips.

“Early start,” he enquired. “What was it? A breakfast meeting in
her room?”

Jenna winked as she darted past him. “Early start … or late
finish?”

Marcus turned his head and eyed the ball of red racing towards the
double doors. “Eccentric entrepreneurs,” he mumbled as he continued his walk
towards Susan’s room. He reached the door and knocked loudly.

“What have you forgotten?” gasped Susan.

“
Mon amie,
” clucked Marcus, taking in the sight, “you’re
missing your top.” He shook his head. “Did she catch you off guard? I assume
she called round early to talk about Daisy. How is she by the way? I’m not sure
if you’ve heard but the man who was running the chairlift told me I’d
practically saved poor Daisy’s life. I managed to hold her until it was safe
for her to fall and I’ve been told it takes great muscle to hold onto such a
weight for that amount of time. I dread to think what would have happened if she’d
been sharing the seat with a female of the species. It really was rather—”

“Marcus,” Susan kept her hands in position across her chest, “I’m
changing.”

Marcus turned around in the doorway and continued his speech into
the hall. “It really was rather lucky and I was wondering whether we should alert
the local papers. You know the kind of thing,
accidental hero, man shows
super strength, just call me Ramsbottom, double-O Ramsbottom
. That sort of
thing. I thought I’d float the idea with you before I went down to breakfast
because the girls haven’t given me a moment’s peace since I saved poor Daisy’s
life.” He chuckled. “They’ve been badgering me to regale them with the story of
my heroics.”

Susan pulled on her top and zipped up her lilac fleece. “Can we
talk about this downstairs, I really need to freshen up and clean my teeth.”

Marcus turned back around and opened the door wider. “She really
is rather naughty taking up your much needed morning preening time.”

“Marcus, please. The girls will be waiting.”

Marcus saluted and clicked his feet together like a soldier.
“Action man’s here and ready to assist.” He smiled, leaning back into the room.
“But we both know our girls are fairly self-sufficient. Champagne Willington
will be flicking her hair as she licks some flaky pastry from those luscious
lips of hers and Eugenie Rohampton will be tucking into a plate of ham and
cheese and I’m sure that’s what gives her those huge,” he paused, “you know,
it’ll be all that calcium making its way to her milk ducts.”

“MARCUS!”

“I’m gone, I’m gone,” he whispered, pulling Susan’s door to and
strutting down the corridor.

“Professor,” called Francesca Hamilton coming out of her room, “is
it true that you were hanging from the chairlift as well?”

Marcus opened the double doors for his student, letting her lead
the way down the stairs. “Yes,” he nodded, “with just two fingers.”

****

Susan slid closer to Jenna on the wooden picnic bench in the
outdoor seating area of The Viking Restaurant. “It’s nice to finally get a
minute to talk without those prying ears. They’ve been like leeches all
morning.”

“They’re in our group. We’re skiing the same routes. You can’t
call them leeches.” Jenna bit into one of the sandwiches that Sylvie had
prepared for lunch. She swallowed quickly. “And you were all for telling them
yesterday.”

“No, I only suggested it, and anyway, Champs and Priggy are
loveable leeches. We just haven’t had time to talk about our plan.”

“I thought we’d be doing that last night.”

Susan smiled. “We must have got distracted.”

Jenna swallowed another mouthful of sandwich and glanced around
the eating area that was perched half way up the mountain. “Okay, here’s what
we do.”

Susan slid in even closer. “Ooo, I like this.”

“I know you do,” laughed Jenna. “So, in terms of our behaviour in
front of others, we don’t deliberately show our affection, but we don’t deny it
either.”

Susan glanced up at the scattering of St Wilf’s girls. Most of
them had dumped their packed lunches and bought a plate of chips instead. The
only group missing were the beginners. She nodded. “So, no public hand holding,
but no lies if asked.”

“Yes,” said Jenna, “I can handle that.” She paused. “Can you?”

“One foot onto the ice,” whispered Susan.

“What? What does that mean?”

“It means we take that first step, we hold our breath, and we see
what happens.”

“I like that,” smiled Jenna.

Susan jabbed her straw into the small carton of iced tea and took
a sip, quickly realising why most of the other cartons were dumped in the
overflowing outdoor bin. “This is a new experience for both of us. We’ve both
got to learn to trust each other and neither of us knows whether the ice will
crack below us and send us plunging somewhere dark and horrible, or whether
it’ll hold us up and give us the happiness we’re hoping for.” She smiled.
“Whether it will stay firm and let us skate away into the sunset.”

“That’s beautiful.”

Susan laughed. “No it’s not. It’s bullshit, but you get my point.”

“Ha! You’re hilarious.”

“Why? Because I said bullshit?”

“Yes.”

Susan prodded Jenna’s side. “Bullshit, bullshit, bull shitty,
bullshit.”

“What’s so funny?” asked Amber, clomping her way over to them on
the wooden decking.

“Nothing,” said Jenna, edging away from Susan.

“Can I join you for lunch? Those Mossyside kids are just doing my
head in.”

Jenna nodded. “Sure, but we’re almost finished. We’re taking the
girls over to the Indian Run this afternoon so we’ll need to head off pretty
soon.”

“Ladies!” shouted Marcus, pulling to a nervous stop in the snow next
to the ski rack. “Don’t worry, Amber,” he hollered, “I’ll give it to you from
the horse’s mouth!” Marcus unclipped his skis and placed them upright in the
rack, pushing past the other members of his group that had just arrived for
lunch, and crunching through the snow towards the decking. “Let me buy some
food and then I’ll regale you with the story of my heroism.” He sniffed and pulled
some frosted nasal drips from the top of his moustache. “I’m assuming that’s
why you’ve come over? To hear the news?”

Susan looked at Marcus who’d started to unpack his lunch from his
backpack. “Aren’t you going to eat what Sylvie’s made you?”

Marcus clomped over to the bin. “No. I need a hearty meal. I fancy
a lasagne.” He looked at the queue of Mossyside Comp kids and the girls from
his group who’d just dumped their lunches like him. “Amber, are you eating? I
can regale you in the queue.”

“I get to queue jump because I’m a Club Ski guide. We take
priority.”

“Superb, mine’s a lasagne.”

Amber rolled her eyes. “Come on then.” She smiled. “I am actually
rather intrigued to hear your side of the story. The cable car guys said you
pretty much pushed her.”

Marcus guffawed and tapped Amber on the shoulder. “Oh you tease.”
He turned to the picnic bench. “Back in two ticks, ladies.”

Jenna watched as the pair of them made their way across the
decking and into the self service restaurant. “He’s one of a kind.”

“Did you move away from me when Amber arrived?” asked Susan.

“What? No, you were tickling me. You shoved me.”

“One foot onto the ice, Jenna.”

“My foot’s out there, it’s hovering.” She smiled. “I’ll tell her,
it’s fine.”

Susan inhaled deeply. “It must be difficult though. A few days ago
you had her propped up on a bar.”

Jenna laughed. “And didn’t you just love it?”

“I’m being serious. It must be awkward.”

“But that’s just it, when it’s never serious it’s never awkward.
It’s the way I’ve always played it.”

“And now?”

Jenna edged in closer. “And now I just want you.”

“For how long?”

“For as long as you’ll have me.”

Susan felt her heart flutter. “Isn’t this just a holiday romance?”

“Not if I come back with you on the coach it’s not.” Jenna smiled.
“I’ve got a week off next week. You’re the last school before my mid-season
break.” She reached under the table and found Susan’s hand. “I’d like to spend
it with you.”

Susan’s head started to spin. “But I’m teaching. I’ll be at
school.”

“Not in the evenings, and anyway, I’d like to observe you. Maybe
I’d make a good teacher after all.”

Susan laughed. “But you don’t have any qualifications.”

Jenna dropped the hand. “Do things like that matter to you?”

“No, no, I’m flapping, I’d love you to come. But why would you
want to observe? It would take you years to train,” she took a deep breath, “but
there are ways. Not that you’d really want to be a teacher … would you?”

Jenna rested her elbow on the table and turned to Susan. “Could
you please just describe me in three words.”

Susan frowned. “Okay, you’re fun, carefree, and spirited.”

“Ugh, I get that all of the time. People are always assuming that
I’ve got no qualifications and no money to my name, that I take nothing
seriously, and that I’m just here for the laugh. It’s exactly what Marcus
thought when he met me.”

“But you set him straight.”

“Yes, by lying.”

“Jenna, those three attributes are great and I’d switch them for
mine any day.”

“And what are yours?”

“Uptight, serious, and quiet.”

Jenna shook her head. “That’s
so
not you, and I’m so much
more than just carefree.”

“Yes, you’re spirited too.”

Jenna lowered her voice. “Don’t pass this on.”

“What?”

“I have a degree.”

“What?”

Jenna nodded. “And I’ve used most of my income for the past five
years to invest in a couple of student flats back home.”

“What?”

“I’m not stupid, Susan.”

“I never said you were.”

“I do know things and I do have a life plan.”

“I just assumed you’d given up on school when you left St Wilf’s
after our GCSEs.”

“Exactly, everyone assumes.” Jenna shrugged. “Yes, I followed her up
north, but I didn’t give up my education.” She smiled. “I studied drama.”

“No?”

Jenna nodded. “Yes, but I chose to spend my time doing something I
really enjoyed, and I love skiing. I run stage school classes off season and
it’s nothing special but it keeps my hand in.”

“Why on earth don’t you tell people?”

“Why should I when it’s assumed I’m just another carefree ski-bum
seeing out an extended youth on the slopes? It’s a bit like us, Susan. I don’t
broadcast it, but I don’t deny it either.”

“So you
could
teach?”

“I guess. I’d need a PGCE but that only takes a year and I could
do that during a school placement.”

“At St Wilf’s?” Susan was beaming.

Jenna smiled. “We’re just seeing where this goes.”

“Right, right, I’m sorry. Listen to me getting all carried away.”

“But yes, theoretically I could, if they’d have me.”