He looked at her cheerily, and she made an ‘I’ll murder you in your sleep’ face at him, complete with throat-cutting action. His grin only got wider, and she even spied a little Swedish twinkle in his eye. What an utter berk. I wish I’d burned his other arm bald too now.
‘I don’t think Luke here wants to stay with a stranger, Hans! You have room at yours, surely? It’s just the two of you in that big place.’ She threw her arms behind her head wildly, gesturing to the upstairs. ‘Better than this pokey little hole, I’m sure!’
At that very moment, the thin clouds in the sky parted, and the sun shone bright through the windows, making the whole place look like a holiday postcard. Hans’s face was pinched, and he was straining with the effort of not laughing at her. She could see it. She wanted to headbutt him, to Morse code her distress to him with the anxious tapping of her feet on the solid wood floor.
A-b-o-r-t.
N-o w-a-y-H-a-n-s.
Hans looked her in the eye and his face spread into a slow, smug smile.
‘It’s settled then! He’ll stay here.’ Hans spoke as though Luke wasn’t standing at the side of him, looking back at his case as if he were wishing it was big enough to sleep in, and he could avoid the game of pass the stranger. ‘I tried to get him a room, I looked as soon as Luke said he might visit. It’s all booked up.’
‘Right,’ Rebecca muttered. She knew he was telling the truth, but it didn’t make him less of a git to speak it. She waited till Luke wasn’t looking and made an angry face at her boss and one-time good pal. ‘Err …’ Luke was pulling a face himself, but looking at Rebecca expectantly. ‘It would only be for a few nights, just till I find somewhere …’
He trailed off, and they all knew that it was highly unlikely. Hotels and B&Bs around here all had waiting lists, and cancellations not snapped up in seconds were few and far between.
‘It’s fine,’ some cheery woman said. Rebecca looked behind her, but saw nothing but the wall of the kitchen area. Great, it was me. Stupid, helpful, cheerful me.
‘Are you sure?’ Luke checked, and she found herself feeling a little bit sorry for him. He did look a little pathetic, a tad waif and stray.
‘Of course!’ Hans cut in, throwing his arms wide theatrically. ‘Not a problem, my friend.’
Rebecca looked at Hans in a last-ditch attempt to get out from under this mess, hoping she could project her inner feelings from her eyeballs to his brain. He ignored her at first, standing there like a waxwork. She tried to grab his attention, to glare into him the fact that she didn’t want some old friend of his shacking up under her roof. She had things to do, real, serious things. She was halfway through her Midsomer Murders boxset for a start, and she wasn’t stopping that for anyone. She didn’t want Luke there, in her life. She just wanted to bake and forget, and be left the ruddy hell alone. She hadn’t shared a space with a member of the opposite sex since Robbie. She didn’t count Hans. He was Holly’s, and they didn’t see each other that way. Never had. They had bonded over the sport, and then over their love for the resort. Baking had been an unexpected bonus for both of them. She was still staring at him, Luke busying himself with tidying some of his papers now.
‘So we’re doing this?’ she asked, trying not to plead. ‘Like, really doing this?’
Hans flashed his gaze her way then, and she knew she’d lost. He had the same look in his eye many times, and it only ever ended one way. His. Eugh, chirpy people are so relentless. I’m pretty sure he knows just how much I will hate this, but his shit-eating grin just tells me that I lost. Rats. Luke was back now, looking like the Danny DeVito of the Twins duo at the side of Hans.
‘And you’re sure it’s okay with you, Rebecca? I feel awful just turning up and messing your day up.’
‘I’m sure, Luke. I would be happy to put you up.’ Put up with you, more like. ‘Would you like a croissant?’ Ignoring her shaking hand, she picked up her tongs, knuckles white on the handles, and placed one onto a plate. Hans stepped forward too, but she passed the plate to Luke and started tonging the others into the display cabinet swiftly, ready to sell.
‘Sorry Hans, but you’re allergic to these.’ She gave him her very best, friendliest smile. The one she reserved for the worst of the customers, those who ground her gears to the max. The one that looked like it said, ‘I understand, I am here to serve you,’ but really meant ‘Leave now, and I’ll let you live.’
Hans looked confused as he pushed his huge hand through his hair, sticking his thick hat back on his stupid broad head.
‘I don’t have any allerg—’
Rebecca closed the back of the glass cabinet and looked straight at him. He shuddered, and Rebecca’s eyes narrowed.
‘Yes Hans, I’m afraid, if you eat one of these, it will definitely kill you.’
Have that, boss. You fill my spare room, I don’t feed your belly.
Chapter 2
Okay, so the day didn’t really get any better from there. In fact, Rebecca was half expecting Arnold Schwarzenegger to come running in, talking about the end of the world. Either that, or she was going to have to kill Hans and bury him in the ice. The competitions were thick on the social calendar, and the season was just getting going, ramping up more and more each day. The big one was a full two months away, but the buzz was starting already, and they would soon be descending in droves to take part in
