Page 30 of Winter Nights at the Bay Bookshop
‘We can’t wait until next Christmas to see you,’ she said. ‘It’s too long to wait and we miss you so much.’
It tugged on my heartstrings whenever she said anything like that. ‘I miss you too.’
‘Will you come to Iceland after your job ends?’
‘Maybe. I’ll think about it.’
She grinned at me and passed the phone back to Freyja.
‘Short but sweet,’ I said, laughing.
‘I’m not short anymore,’ Kára shouted from the background. ‘I’m really tall now. But I am still sweet.’
I smiled at her literal take on what I’d said. I sometimes forgot that English idioms didn’t always translate.
‘What do you think?’ Freyja asked.
‘I don’t know.’ It would be fantastic to see her and my half-siblings but it wasn’t just about them. My stomach tightened. ‘Is Pabbi on board?’
A pause. ‘You know you’re always welcome here, Lars.’
‘That’s not what I asked. Does he actually want me to stay?’
She tucked her short blonde hair behind her ears – something she always did when she was uncomfortable. ‘Of course.’
‘Freyja!’
‘Okay, so it was our idea and not his but he had no objections.’
I really appreciated the effort Freyja put into making me feel part of the family, but I didn’t want to be the cause of any friction between her and Pabbi. I didn’t like it but I’d accepted several years ago that I wasn’t going to have a close relationship with either of my parents. I’d had to do that or it would have driven me crazy. Not that making that decision made it any less painful.
‘Please,’ she begged when I didn’t respond. ‘It’s been too long.’
‘Okay, but there’s one condition and it’s not negotiable.’
‘What is it?’
‘I won’t stay at your house.’
‘No! Lars! You have to.’
‘I can’t. You know how uncomfortable the atmosphere was last time I stayed and it’s not fair on any of you.’
Freyja shook her head before sighing heavily. ‘I accept, but only because I’d rather see my wonderful stepson staying in a hotel than not see him at all. But I have a request too. You stay for longer this time. Two weeks, a month, two months.’
My smile widened as she kept advancing the offer up to a year before suggesting forever.
‘Maybe I’ll take a month or two and explore more of Iceland. But I can’t commit to anything just yet. I’ll need to see how Marcus’s operation goes and how quickly he recovers. The four-month contract should allow for plenty of time, but I wouldn’t want to leave them stuck if he needs longer.’
‘Reliable as always,’ Freyja said. ‘I wouldn’t expect anything less. Anyway, I will say goodbye because we only spoke yesterday, but I wanted to see how work was.’
‘I really appreciate it. I’ll speak to you soon.’
I sat back on my bed after the call ended, trying not to overthink the conversation about visiting. So Pabbi hadn’t made the suggestion – hardly shock news. I’d hated saying I wouldn’t stay with them as it felt rude, as though I was dismissing Freyja’s hospitality, but I couldn’t put myself or them through that again. A hotel would be better for everyone and I’d always said I wanted to explore Iceland fully one day. When would I ever get a better opportunity? Financially, I didn’t need to rush into another role so, as long as Nanna remained in good health, I could spend some time in Iceland and decide on my next career move from there. Or I could travel a little further afield. I’d always wanted to explore the other Nordic countries and all I’d managed so far was weekend city breaks in Oslo and Copenhagen – not exactly well travelled.
It was getting late and I hadn’t eaten yet so I went down to the kitchen. The takeaway companies wouldn’t deliver this far out of town unless it was a big order and a one-person meal definitely wasn’t ‘big’ so I opened up a tin of baked beans and tipped it into a pan. Two slices of wholemeal toast and a couple of poached eggs with the beans should be enough to fill me.
Settling down at the breakfast bar to eat, I reflected on my day, cringing at my multitude of apologies I’d made. Lily had been kind to me and I’d really enjoyed my morning with her but it felt like something had changed when I returned from lunch. She seemed a little cooler with me somehow but I couldn’t think of anything I might have said or done that would have caused it, so perhaps it was just my imagination. Maybe she’d had a difficult customer or something had happened behind the scenes which I didn’t need to know about but which had put her off her stride. Hopefully everything would be fine tomorrow.
