Page 23 of Entwined in Norway

‘He tried to be. Actually there are five of us but I was the only one living in Bergen at the time.’

‘That’s tough.’ Extra tough because he remembered her saying her father had died, which was how her brother came to have the island.

‘So where are you going to start with your family research?’

He was grateful for the subject change, although he didn’t want to be too specific about the family research yet.

‘I’ve already been to the archives in Bergen, so I know I’m on the right track.’

She didn’t ask anything else, which was good. He wasn’t ready to tell Mats or Ida what his research had thrown up. Not until he’d seen it for himself.

The restaurant Ida had chosen was a stone’s throw from where the boat docked. It was right on the quayside with a large glass extension that sat next to the water, giving diners a great view of the harbour. Inside was a huge fish counter where all kinds of freshly-caught fish sat on mounds of ice, waiting to be chosen.

‘Wow, this is incredible,’ he said to Ida as they walked in.

‘The fish is amazing here,’ she said. ‘I get the feeling you like the good stuff?’

He grinned at her. ‘Absolutely.’

She smiled back at him, then spoke in Norwegian to the woman who was showing people to their tables. They had a conversation which was longer than necessary for a simple table reservation, and Erik got the impression that he was being appraised the entire time.

‘You know that woman?’ He asked Ida once they were seated in what he would have said was one of the best tables in the place, right next to the window but in the corner where it was a little quieter.

‘We went to school together. Her parents own this restaurant.’

‘Ah. Were you doing some kind of deal?’

Ida laughed. ‘She wouldn’t do a deal for me. We’re not really friends. She was asking about Mats.’

Erik raised an eyebrow. This was another thing he’d missed out on being an only child. ‘She wants you to set her up with him?’

‘Probably, but it’s too late for that. He has a girlfriend now, Lotta. She’s really nice.’

‘Does that kind of thing happen a lot?’

‘All the time. Mats was a banker. He used to live in Oslo and was pretty well off until he started on the hotel. Now he’s not. Women used to like the idea of him.’

‘Rich and successful?’

She shrugged. ‘Yes, but he was still just Mats. My older brother, who used to think my friends were annoying.’ Her eyes darted to the woman who had shown them to the table. ‘Women like her were only after his money.’

That seemed harsh, but he guessed Ida felt protective of her brother. Erik knew a little of what it was like to be wanted for the success you had rather than who you really were. When he was winning, he’d built up a good amount of prize money, most of which he still had. It had taken the edge off having to worry about earning a living for a while, but it had also attracted women who were more interested in that than in him.

‘When I was boarding, there were women who were interested once I started winning. It’s not a great feeling.’

‘Mats found it hard to date when he was in Oslo because of that. Did you date much?’

Erik swallowed. ‘Um. I guess. It took me a while to realise that’s what was happening. That these women wanted to be with the champion snowboarder more than they wanted to be with me. Before I realised, I dated quite a lot.’

‘It’s flattering,’ Ida said. ‘That’s hard to ignore.’

‘Pretty hard for a twenty-two-year-old who was never that lucky with girls in high school.’

Ida grinned. ‘I was never that lucky in high school either. Or since, actually.’

He sensed the self-deprecation was a defence mechanism, and he wanted to soothe that part of her.

‘Everyone has their time. Maybe that time is now.’ He reached across the table for her hand.