‘Ignore us,’ Clover said quickly, as Beau staggered downstairs into the living room. He was wearing just a pair of Supreme stretch boxers. He stopped mid-stride, his hands still pulling down on his cheeks as he saw the camera trained upon him.
Johnny had set up a tripod along the far library wall opposite the stairs. It gave him an easy panorama of the room, from the sofas and fire by the picture window on his right, panning round to the dining table, the lift and staircase, over to the kitchen and the door leading into the cinema room and snug. In other words, it left nowhere to hide.
‘Just ignore us. Go about as if we’re not here,’ she said breezily.
Beau’s hands swung down from his cheeks. ‘Ah man! I’m wrecked though.’ He did look less than well.
‘I sincerely doubt this is going to be interesting enough to make the cut,’ she smiled reassuringly. ‘We’re just letting the camera roll.’
‘Have I gotta do the interview with you now?’
‘No,’ she smiled.
He relaxed again. ‘Oh good.’
Clover watched through the lens as Beau sauntered over to the table and collapsed into the chair opposite Ari, who was already at the table, eating toast with a taciturn expression. He looked like a little boy who’d been scolded by his mother, his eyes skating towards the camera every thirty seconds. Clover knew he was waiting – and bracing – for Foley’s appearance. She wondered what he had said to Kit last night about the filming beginning in earnest, and how Kit had taken the news.
‘You okay?’ Ari grunted to Beau as Carlotta came through from the kitchen and poured his black coffee.
‘Yeah mate,’ Beau nodded repetitively. From here, Clover and Johnny could only see him from behind, but he still had a bouncy puppy quality; he was never down for long.
‘Up for getting out there today?’
‘For sure!’ Beau reached for some toast too and tore into it, dry, seemingly unable to wait. ‘Umpf,’ he moaned as he chewed. ‘I just need to load up on carbs.’
Ari glanced towards the camera.
‘Reckon Mikey’ll be up there again?’ Beau asked, his mouth full.
‘No. Tipper had a chat with him after the session yesterday. He’s heading to Saas-Fee.’
‘For the camp?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Doing both weeks?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Huh,’ Beau nodded. ‘Guess we’ll see him there then.’
‘Yeah.’
‘. . . You okay?’ Beau asked.
Ari dragged his gaze off the camera and looked back at him. ‘Yeah.’
Johnny pressed his thigh against Clover’s in amusement. Beau was a natural, Ari was not.
They all heard the footsteps coming down the stairs, Foley rounding the corner a moment later. He was wearing a pair of orange board trousers, hanging low on his hips – quite possibly the ones Beau had worn the other day – and a grey thermal base layer.
His gaze went straight to her and Johnny sitting opposite, against the far wall, training the camera’s cyclops upon him. He didn’t so much as break stride at the sight of them but she saw the anger ripple through his eyes as he passed by. Last night’s apology felt like a distant, distorted dream.
‘Bro,’ he said, slapping his brother on the shoulder as he went straight to the table. ‘You went hard last night.’
‘We had some celebrating to do,’ Beau said, looking up from his breakfast and meeting Kit’s hand grip.
‘It was only a training session.’
‘No. It was a sign of what’s to come. Mikey was so pissed.’
‘Don’t know why. He landed it. I didn’t.’
‘You didn’t try. But you would’a and he knows it.’ Beau shook his head and laughed. ‘You threw down the gauntlet, man. You’re coming to get them and they know it. They act pissy to you now but just like on the water, they’re all gonna have to fucking bend the knee to you.’ Beau was jabbing his finger excitedly.
Kit gave an amused grin and Clover realized it was the first time she had seen him so much as smile. ‘Well, that I’d like to see.’ He slapped Beau’s shoulder and sat down at the next chair beside him, pointedly offering his back to the camera.
The first snub of the day.
Clover didn’t care. ‘Did you get that?’ she whispered to Johnny.
He nodded, and she sat back and smiled. It was the first bit of decent material they’d shot.
‘. . . gone on to Saas-Fee,’ Ari was saying.
‘Oh yeah?’ Foley sat back in his chair as Carlotta again came over with the coffee and his daily protein shake. ‘Thanks, Carly.’
Carly? Was the nickname a flirtation? Or a sign of affection? Either way, Clover was sure the housekeeper was blushing on her way back to the kitchen. Johnny nudged her foot with his. He’d seen that too.
‘. . . be lots of eyes then. We’ll have to be careful what we show them.’ Foley had lowered his voice but she knew the mic was picking it up.
She watched Ari catch Foley’s eye and tilt his head warningly in their direction but Foley just shrugged with his usual contempt and looked out of the window. The sky was hanging low and soft today, blocking the mountains on the far side of the lake from view and setting the town in gloom. ‘The light’s pretty flat out there,’ he muttered, clasping his hands behind his head and stretching.
‘Yeah. There’s supposed to be a dump tonight but I think it’s coming in faster than they expected,’ Ari said, looking out too.
‘I’ve got a rad idea – why don’t we take a day off from the park and just go catch some pow?’ Beau suggested as Kit got up and walked over to the window. He looked out, pressing one hand to the glass, his body silhouetted against the light.
‘Lifts are still open,’ Ari said, checking the app on his phone. ‘But the winds are picking up from eleven.’
‘We could make some fresh tracks, head back early,’ Beau chipped in.
‘Mmm.’ Kit’s finger tapped the glass restlessly as he considered the idea. He didn’t seem enthused. ‘I’m not feeling it. It’s gusting already. By the time we get up there . . . Do we really want a day of chewing on ice?’
‘Oh c’mon!’ Beau cried. ‘Don’t be such a pussy!’
Kit ignored his brother, looking back at Ari. ‘We could go to the ball pits.’
‘Yeah sure; whatever you wanna do. It’s all there, ready.’
Kit pushed away from the glass, nodding, looking more convinced. ‘Yeah. Let’s get in there then. I want to embed the 1260, get some muscle memory fired up. I can’t do that in these conditions. The wind’s just gonna whip in our faces.’
‘Or we could just free-ride,’ Beau argued. ‘If the weather’s against us, let’s just chill and enjoy the mountain.’
‘Enjoy the mountain?’ Kit frowned.
‘How’s your brother gonna do what you’re so sure he’s gonna do, if he loses a day to that?’ Ari suddenly snapped, making them all jump. ‘Kit doesn’t get to arse around like you, Beau. He has to train. People expect from him. Saas-Fee’s in a few days and we already know all eyes are on him. You saw how it was out there yesterday! Your job is to help keep him focused, not encourage him to take a day cos you’re hung.’
There was a moment of silence, tension billowing, before Beau pushed his chair back sharply and got up. ‘Yeah, yeah.’
‘. . . So are you coming?’ Kit called after him as Beau strode from the room, taking the stairs two at a time.
Four seconds later, his bedroom door slammed. A silence bloomed in his wake.
‘He’ll come,’ Kit said to Ari.
Ari nodded, his gaze glancing over her and Johnny again. She sensed from his expression that he had forgotten they were there. That they all had.
Ari glanced at Kit and cleared his throat. ‘So we’re going to do an indoor training session today,’ he said to them, as though the point may have been lost on them.
‘Okay,’ Clover smiled. ‘Thanks for the heads up, we’ll bring some lighting then.’
Kit frowned, his hands on his hips. He shot a ‘seriously?’ look at Ari, but Ari merely gave a small shrug.
‘We’ll start getting ready now. Anything else we should bring?’ she asked.
Ari’s mouth opened, but Kit spoke first. ‘You’ll be fine. It’s been all set up for us. It’s pretty sweet down there.’
‘Great,’ she replied, looking back at him uncertainly. His glower had suddenly gone. She smiled and patted Johnny on the shoulder. ‘We’ll get the equipment ready.’ Johnny lifted the camera – still on its tripod – and they left the room together, not saying a word until they were on the floor below.
‘No, your room,’ she whispered. ‘Beau’s not the only one who’ll have a sore head today. Sleeping Beauty’s still snoring.’
They went into Johnny’s room and shut the door. ‘Did you see that?’ she asked.
‘What?’
‘He didn’t shoot fire from his eyes at me. He was almost helpful.’
‘Well, I’m not sure he was falling over himself to be helpful,’ Johnny grinned. ‘But yeah, he wasn’t picking a fight. I expect it’s too early, even for him.’
Clover didn’t say anything. Johnny had no idea about her altercation with Kit regarding the chess game; he didn’t know she was sporting bruises as dark as tattoos on her arm. He didn’t know about the apology.
‘That was odd though, didn’t you think? With Ari and Beau, I mean. The way Ari lost his rag at him like that. It just seemed to come out of nowhere.’
‘Well, he’s bound to get frustrated by the situation, I guess. He’s trying to keep Kit focused – not helped by us being here, naturally – and Beau’s just freeloading, trying to distract him.’
‘I guess.’
‘I mean, Kit pulls off a Switch Backside 1260 and Beau’s the one who goes out and gets hammered? Come on! It’s bound to lead to tension.’ Johnny walked over to his wardrobe and unzipped an equipment bag, collapsing the camera and tripod and putting them in.
‘Mmm. That was a decent start though – the comment Beau made about everyone bending their knee to him? That’ll go down like a lead balloon. It’s all supposed to be fraternity and brotherhood out there. And Foley wants to be king?’
‘I know,’ Johnny agreed, pulling out some lighting filters. ‘It just confirms what we all already know – Kit Foley’s not a team player. Never was, never will be.’
‘And it’s clearly not lost on them he’s being ostracized.’
‘Do you think he cares?’ Johnny asked.
‘No. He just keeps his eyes on the prize.’ Clover sank onto the bed, looking out of Johnny’s window. The view towards the mountains was largely lost in the low, gathering clouds today. It looked cold out there, and ominous. She was glad they were spending the day indoors. ‘. . . I wonder if he misses it.’
‘What?’
‘Surfing. The ocean. Sun. Sand. His old life . . . It’s all so completely opposite to this.’
‘And yet the sport has so many overlaps. Just a different surface.’
‘Mmm. Do you think he loves it, though?’
Johnny thought for a moment. ‘I don’t really get the impression he loves much, to be honest. We’ve been here nearly a week and . . . he doesn’t smile, tell jokes, chill out. He didn’t really celebrate that trick last night, he doesn’t go free-riding, much less muck about in the snow . . .’
‘Unlike some people,’ she grinned, remembering their first day on the slopes. ‘God, that was so embarrassing.’ She ran her face through her hands at the memory of Kit, Ari and Beau passing directly above them in stony silence. ‘He’s such a fun sponge.’
‘Yeah, exactly,’ Johnny grinned. ‘He seems sort of frozen. Or hollow, or something.’
‘Maybe that’s the mindset of a winner. That’s what it takes to be a champion – you can’t react to the little things.’
‘Or maybe – whisper it – he’s just incredibly dull?’ Johnny murmured, eyes wide with the scandal of it all. ‘He might look like a Roman god but maybe, underneath the tan, and the muscles, and the hair and those fricking unbelievable eyes . . . maybe there’s nothing else.’
‘Mmm, maybe. I’ve not seen anything to get him going,’ she mused.
Johnny gave a sudden laugh and straightened up. ‘Well, apart from you, of course. He really fricking hates you.’
Clover’s mouth opened in protest. ‘Us, you mean! He hates us!’
Johnny considered for a moment. ‘Yeah . . .’ His face broke into a delighted grin. ‘But mainly you. This goes out in your name. It’s your face on the screen. Your company. I reckon if he had us lined up against a wall and only one bullet in his gun, he’d shoot you.’
‘Johnny!’ she laughed.
‘What? You don’t agree?’
She shook her head, laughing harder. ‘No, I do. That’s the problem. You’re absolutely right. He’d so shoot me. He’s a . . .’ She sighed.
‘He’s a monster.’
She remembered his apology by the pool last night. The words almost choking him. I’m many things. But I’m not that. ‘Yeah,’ she murmured. ‘He’s a monster.’
*
Clover stopped, shivering, in the hallway as Matty darted down the stairs, looking panicked. ‘Oh my god, finally! Where have you been?’ she hissed.
‘Filming. We decided to show you some mercy and let you sleep in.’ Clover looked her up and down suspiciously. ‘Why are you wearing that?’ Her friend was in heels and a cream Zara trouser suit that looked like a Valentino, a slip of caramel silk peeping past her revere collar. She looked ridiculously modelesque.
‘I told you last night. Dinner! I’ve been trying to get hold of you all day.’
Clover rolled her eyes. ‘Well, we had no mobile signal. We’ve been in an industrial unit outside Kaprun. Julian’s set up a soft play zone for him—’
‘Excuse me,’ Ari grumbled, walking past with a stony expression.
Clover stepped out of the way, biting her lip apologetically. ‘Whoops.’ She lowered her voice; Beau and Kit would be following in from the car any second. ‘He’s got a load of ball pits and giant trampolines set up in a unit for them. They’ve been practising jumps all day. And when I say all day . . .’ Clover rolled her eyes. ‘Problem is, there’s no heating. Or anywhere to get a hot drink or some food. So while they were keeping warm jumping about . . .’
‘Oh no.’
‘Oh yes,’ Clover nodded, shivering. ‘And guess who deliberately didn’t tell us that – on purpose? I didn’t even bring a jacket because he said we were going to be inside. I am frozen.’
‘Your lips are a bit blue . . . Oh hi Beau,’ Matty smiled as Beau loped past.
‘Hey Matty, you look hot.’ He stopped and corrected himself. ‘Sorry, I mean . . . nice?’
Matty gave a bemused smile as he got into the lift. ‘Not a clue,’ she mouthed.
‘None.’ Clover gave another shiver. ‘Look, I think I’ve caught a chill. I need a hot bath. Could you be a pet and ask Carlotta if I could possibly have a hot chocolate? I’m too tired to walk the extra steps.’
‘Clo!’ Matty cried, looking appalled. ‘You can’t have a bath or a hot chocolate!’
‘Is it really too much to ask?’ Clover sighed. ‘We gave you a free pass today. The least you could do is—’
‘Julian’s going to be here any minute.’
‘Okay. And you’re all ready. It’d only take you a minute to nip upstairs for me. Pretty please?’ she said over her shoulder as she began walking down the corridor.
‘Clo,’ Matty called after her. ‘Julian is expecting you and Kit to join us.’
‘Ha! As if!’ Clover laughed, turning back. ‘I am almost hypothermic because of him!’
‘But he’s made reservations.’
‘And I already told you no. Over my dead body. I cannot think of anything worse—’
‘Worse than what?’
They looked back to find Kit standing in the doorway, his board under his arm.
‘Nothing,’ Clover said quickly.
His eyes narrowed. He could easily read a lie. He looked straight at Matty instead with a quizzical expression.
Matty swallowed. ‘Kit, I’m sorry if no one’s told you this – I thought Clover at least might have mentioned it today.’ She shot Clover a cross look. ‘But Julian’s expecting you to come out for dinner with us tonight. He’s made reservations at eight.’
He digested the news in silence, looking slowly back at Clover. ‘. . . Why didn’t you mention it?’
Her mouth dropped open in surprise. ‘Because I knew you’d say no.’
‘Oh. Because you know me so well?’ The question was a taunt. ‘Just because you can’t think of anything worse . . .’ he replied, quoting her words back to her. He looked back at Matty again. ‘What time?’
‘. . . Now-ish?’ she grimaced.
Clover saw Foley droop fractionally. He had been training for eight hours solid, refusing even to stop for them to get lunch somewhere – all to punish her, she knew it. But he wouldn’t go straight out to dinner after such a gruelling session, just to spite her. Surely?
‘Fine. Give me ten. I need to shower,’ he muttered, leaving his board propped against the wall.
Clover looked on in horror as he stepped into the lift and pressed for the fourth floor. The doors closed.
‘You have got to be fricking joking!’ she hissed at Matty. She had been fantasizing about her hot chocolate and long bath for the past four hours.
Matty winced, seeing her quiet fury. ‘I’ll make it up to you, Clo. I promise.’
‘How?’ she hissed. ‘How?’