Page 19 of Entwined in Norway

‘Yes. Sometimes I stay here if there’s a room free.’ She held back from telling him he’d stolen her room.

He walked over to the chairs around the campfire and sat down, rubbed his hair with the towel and then wrapped it around his shoulders.

‘Do you have time for a break now you don’t have to wrestle me out of the water?’

Her stomach flipped. He wanted to talk to her. It had been a long time since a man, especially a man that she liked, had done that.

‘I have a few minutes.’ She took the seat next to him. ‘So you worked with Mats today?’

‘Uh huh.’ He smiled as he said it. ‘It was great to have something to do. This place has a slow pace.’

Ida laughed. ‘It’s supposed to be relaxing. Are you the kind of person who’s not very good at that?’

‘I guess so.’

‘Why did you come here then?’

‘I think I told you my family has roots here. I wanted to come see for myself. And my dad asked me to source some Norwegian spruce while I’m here.’

‘Why?’

‘It’s the best in the world,’ he said, as if that answered her question. ‘And I might take up your suggestion of going for a hike tomorrow, although working with your brother again is tempting.’

‘Really?’

Erik laughed. The first time Ida had heard him do that and it matched the impression she had of him from the images she’d seen online. A happy-go-lucky version of the man who was here now.

‘He’s good company and I love what he’s doing here. Not just the cabins, the whole thing. It’s brave.’

He stood up and pulled his t-shirt on. ‘Want to walk back?’ He turned and smiled at her. Was she imagining that he maybe felt something too? Or was he being friendly to make up for his tantrum over the hot water? She was so out of practice.

‘So you’re from Toronto?’ She’d seen from his check-in details.

‘Yep. Born and bred, but I live in Banff, near Calgary. I lived in Banff.’

‘What do you do?’

He exhaled, and she realised it was a question he found difficult to have to answer but she had to get this part of their conversation out of the way so that as far as he knew, he’d told her his story instead of her doing a deep-dive into him herself. She only hoped he would.

‘I’m sorry, I —’

‘No, it’s fine. I was a snowboarder. I was on the national team, but I had an accident last year.’

‘I’m so sorry.’

He shrugged. ‘It could have been worse.’

But Ida sensed it couldn’t.

‘Your brother did a beautiful job,’ he said, nodding towards Mats and Lotta’s cabin as they passed by.

‘How did you get into working with wood?’

‘My father’s a joiner. And so was his father, and his father before him. I guess I’m lucky he made me learn the trade alongside my boarding. He wanted me to have something to fall back on.’

Ida saw the wistful look in his eyes.

‘Are you enjoying it?’