‘Is it you?’
She does a remarkable job of holding on to her composure; the only slip is the slight wobble of her bottom lip. ‘Yes.’
‘Who is he?’ Princess growls. ‘I’ll have him killed.’
The situation might not call for it, but we erupt in laughter. Tiger Mum is back.
Sabrina laughs too, her eyes glassy with tears. ‘The love of my life, or so I thought. We met a couple of years ago. We both work in the travel industry. He’s a chef, so there’s a lot of time apart as we both take different jobs around the world, you know how it is, Aubrey. Living the dream of seeing as much of the planet as possible, while still trying to navigate love. We had plans to work like that for a few more years, save the deposit for a house and then find regular nine-to-five jobs. It made the long-distance thing easier, knowing that we had a goal, a dream and that these separations wouldn’t be forever.’
‘So what happened?’ Barry asks softly.
‘I left for Calais and he stayed in the Caribbean. When I pushed for him to book his flight to Lapland, he kept making excuses. Eventually, after many video calls, he admitted that he’d taken up with someone else while I’ve been away. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess. And now I’m back to square one, alone and probably about to lose my job because I’ve been so caught up in my heartbreak.’
‘You’re not alone,’ Princess says. ‘You have us. You always will.’ She stands and gives Sabrina a quick hug. When she pulls away, she says, ‘And there’s no chance you’ll lose your job.’
‘Oh, there is, Princess. I just got my second warning for chatting to George. We were stocking up the coffee station, so it’s not like we weren’t working, but apparently, we shouldn’t have been doing that. One more warning and I’m done.’
‘Not going to happen.’ Princess takes the coffee pot from Sabrina’s hand. ‘Sit down, darling. Have some breakfast.’
Sabrina’s eyes go wide. ‘No way, Princess! If she?—’
‘I insist.’ Princess won’t let it go and pushes Sabrina into the chair. ‘I’m one of the owners of this train, the majority shareholder, actually, and I decide who stays and goes. And right now, I’d like you to enjoy breakfast with me and after that I’m going to have a little chat with your manager, OK?’
Princess is the majority shareholder of the Winter Wonderland Express! What! We’re all stunned before laughter gets the better of us.
When we’re composed, Sabrina says, ‘Umm, OK, wow, I did not see that coming. Sure, I’ll sit down, and I’ll bloody well enjoy it too!’
‘Good.’ Princess smiles.
‘One other thing,’ Sabrina asks. ‘Does this mean I officially get to join the Unlucky in Love Travel Club?’ She gives us a watery smile.
‘We’d be honoured,’ Karen says. ‘You dodged a bullet with that guy, Sabrina.’
‘Yeah, I sure did. And you never know, maybe it was all for the best.’ George walks by. The six-foot tall cutie pie gives Sabrina a shy smile and doesn’t seem the least bit curious as to why she’s sitting down with us.
‘Oooh,’ Princess catches the look Sabrina and George share and grins. ‘The thing about our club is that love blooms in the unlikeliest of places.’
Sabrina shrugs and leans forward to whisper, ‘George is just the sweetest. He’s got that golden retriever energy, and after dating the cliché alpha male, I’m done with those egomaniac types.’
‘Love those cinnamon roll heroes,’ I say. ‘Can’t get much sweeter than that.’
Sabrina stands up and grabs the coffee pot again, as if she can’t relax even though Princess has insisted on it. ‘I better get back to work or it’s not fair on the others. More coffee, Aubrey?’ She doesn’t wait for an answer and pours coffee into my tea, but I don’t mention it. She’s got enough on her plate, though something tells me her heartbreak will soon be a thing of the past.
30
24 DECEMBER, LAPLAND, FINLAND
The last stop
I find myself a little teary as I pack my belongings, ready to disembark at the last stop for the Winter Wonderland Express. It’s been one of the best experiences of my life and I’m happy the holiday is not quite over yet. Glancing around the cabin once more, I make a mental note of how it’s laid out and how I’ll package the idea for my clients. Jasper’s writing an article about the train for a prestigious online newspaper – which I’ll be sharing on my website in the hopes it inspires future travellers. I take one last look around, hoping that one day I get to ride the Winter Wonderland Express again, although there’s a big chance it won’t be as special as this trip was because it’s been all about the friends I’ve made and the time we’ve spent together.
We meet on the platform. Sabrina is dressed up in a one-piece candy-cane costume, and I can’t help but laugh.
‘They saved the best for last.’ She gestures to her red and white striped ensemble.
George stands beside her. ‘I did offer to swap but she said no, and thank God for that. I’m not sure I could pull off all that Lycra like Sabrina can.’ George is wearing a more sedate Nutcracker ensemble.
‘It doesn’t leave much to the imagination, George, does it?’ Sabrina giggles.
