Meet the Girls on Tour - Poppy, Lily, Maggie and Rachel. Four ordinary girls who have the most fun in faraway places. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll lose your heart. Perfect for fans of Jill Mansell, Debbie Johnson and Fiona Collins. 'Will have you laughing out loud' Bella on If I Could Turn Back Time Maggie can't wait for her first ever skiing holiday. New Year's Eve in the French Alps with her boyfriend Leo and two other couples: what could be more romantic? She's picturing hot chocolate, romantic snowball fights and evenings snuggled together in front of the log fire. What she didn't picture is near-death experiences on the mountains, falling out with Leo and sharing a chalet with the unbearable Jenny. When she meets Sylvain, a gorgeous ski instructor, the line between harmless flirting and full-on misbehaviour becomes ... well, blurry. Will Maggie stay on the nursery slopes, or go seriously off-piste? Expect the unexpected, the utterly hilarious and unforgettable, on this rollercoaster ride of love, laughs, surprises and sparks. You have a VIP pass to join each girl's adventure, so pack your bags and buckle your seatbelts, because just about anything is possible...
Release date:
December 4, 2014
Publisher:
Headline
Print pages:
62
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‘Ow!’ Muttering under my breath, I glare after the tall blonde girl who’s just run over my toe with her very heavy wheely suitcase. She ignores me and installs herself further down the carriage, putting her massive case on the seat beside her.
One of my new Rag & Bone suede boots has now got a distinct scuff, which is infuriating, considering I only got them the other day after getting up at 7 a.m. to brave the Boxing Day sale at Selfridges. I could go up to her and point out the damage, but it’s not worth it. It’s too early in the morning, and anyway, I’m not like my friend Lily, who will say anything to anyone. My preferred response to any conflict is always to avoid it.
Instead, I turn back to my Vogue and drool over a shoot of casual winter clothes: flat leather biker boots with buckles, hooded cardigan-coats with fur trims and luxuriously soft wool leggings: sort of Game of Thrones meets Burberry. I have a terrible habit of buying new clothes every time I go away somewhere, and I was itching to invest in some new outfits for this holiday. But the holiday itself was expensive, so I’ve made do with my Reiss camel-coloured belted wool coat, a couple of pairs of skinny jeans, my nicest angora and cashmere knits – and my poor, newly maimed suede boots.
‘You don’t need to buy a ski suit,’ my boyfriend Leo reassured me. ‘Just borrow one. Then if you like it you can invest in one, and if you don’t, you won’t be stuck with a load of useless gear.’
It’s not that I don’t think I’m going to like skiing – at least, provided I don’t break my neck or make a complete fool of myself – but I could see Leo’s point. So I’ve borrowed a knackered old ski suit from my parents’ next-door neighbours. It’s pretty awful, but I’m hoping I won’t be spending all my time on the slopes. Instead, I’m focusing on the après-ski: lots of bubbly in the snow, hot chocolate by the fire and strolling hand-in-hand with Leo through the narrow little streets of Méribel, that look like something from a Christmas card.
The girl who attacked me with her suitcase is now shouting down her phone, telling the other person that she’s on the Heathrow Express but will be there soon. I put in my earphones and turn up Pink Martini to drown her out, feeling very sorry for whoever she’s going on holiday with.
Leo and I have been together for a year, but this is actually our first proper holiday together. He has to travel a lot for work since he’s an engineer, and a lot of his weekends are already spoken for with football, cycling and running – and those are just the winter sports. I like to be active and I do sometimes join him on the odd day trip, but you’d have to be Jessica Ennis to keep up with all Leo’s outdoor pursuits.
Of course, I’m busy too. I love my job as a microbiologist, and I have friends and a life of my own, and I certainly don’t want to make Leo give up his beloved hobbies. But sometimes I wish he wasn’t quite so tied up with them, or with all his friends and teammates. One night in the pub, I ended up discussing it with Leo’s sister, Holly.
‘The thing about Leo,’ she said, ‘is that he’s a free spirit. You’re the first proper girlfriend he’s had in years. So he’s used to going away with his sports buddies every weekend and travelling for work and not having to make plans with a girlfriend. He loves you and he’ll adapt, you just have to be patient.’
I think it’s ironic that Leo is called a free spirit for being single for five years, whereas I was single for two years before I met him and felt like the village spinster although I’m only twenty-seven. But I know Holly’s right, and that I have a tendency to overthink everything – and to be too sensitive. Leo’s schedule has caused a lot of problems between us recently, but I’m hoping this holiday will get us back on track. And if we do move in together – which I hope we will some time soon – that will solve all our scheduling problems, as we’ll see each other all the time.
Just as I’m thinking that, the train arrives at Heathrow and I see Leo himself waiting for me on the platform, skis propped up beside him and wearing the Paul Smith scarf I gave him for Christmas. I make my way down the carriage, waving at him through the window as I wait for everyone to get their suitcases before me. Suitcase Girl barges out of the train ahead of me, flicking her long highlighted hair in my face as she does. To my surprise, she makes a beeline for Leo, who greets her with a big hug. What the hell? Seeing me behind her, he beams and starts waving.
‘Mags!’ he says, pulling me towards him for a quick kiss. ‘This is my girlfriend, Maggie. This is Jen – Jenny,’ he adds to me.
Great. So this is Jenny: the one single girl in our group of couples. I’d intended to be extra nice to her, because she was on her own, but now I can see she’s able to look after herself. As we walk towards the terminal she elbows her way in between Leo and me and starts peppering him with questions. She has an obnoxiously loud voice, and I find myself looking around to see if people are staring at us.
‘So how ARE you?’ she asks him. ‘It’s been ages. How was your Christmas and everything? Did you do that swim on Christmas Day? I heard it was amazeballs.’
I try not to get annoyed, reminding myself that I’m used to gi. . .
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