Page 84 of Entwined in Norway

He led the way down the path to the jetty. It was dark in the woods, so Ida picked up one of the storm lanterns that lit the path. They used solar-powered ones in the summer, and she wasn’t sure what they’d do in the winter. Probably have some permanent ones wired into the mains.

Erik’s kayak was still stashed behind the bush.

‘Didn’t you return this when you left?’

‘No, I completely forgot about it. And I feel bad that I haven’t filled my two trash buckets yet, but there’s really not that much trash around. I’ll make another donation when I take it back.’

‘Where are we going? It’s starting to get dark.’

‘Not far. Trust me.’

He lowered the kayak into the water and then held it while Ida climbed on, then handed her the storm lantern.

‘You sure you need to take this?’

‘Yes.’ It felt like a safety blanket. It was one thing coming back from Loddefjord in the dark, or even back from Heidi’s beach in deep twilight. Not knowing where they were going was scary. And she trusted Erik, but she still didn’t like the idea of going somewhere strange in the dark.

Erik paddled around the back of the hotel and across to the other side of the fjord. It was only a couple of minutes before he pulled up against the bank and said, ‘You climb out first.’

Ida rested the lantern on a flattish rock, glad that she’d brought it, and climbed out. She was much better at it than when she’d first been kayaking with Erik. She helped to hold the kayak steady while he followed suit, scrambling onto the bank.

He started walking up the hill. It was a pretty steep incline, and it seemed crazy to be taking a hike at this time of night. After about ten minutes, the trees became less dense, and they came into a clearing. It wasn’t the top of the hill, but between the trees, it had an impressive view across the fjord of the lights twinkling in Bergen and the surrounding towns.

‘What do you think of this spot for the cabin?’

‘I thought it would be down by the water.’

‘This feels good, doesn’t it? A little further away, a little more secluded?’

It felt like they were a million miles away from the island. Erik sat down and patted the grass next to him, which Ida knew would be damp, but she sat down anyway, putting the lantern behind them so they could see the view without its glare interfering.

‘It’s a great spot. Is this your woodland?’

‘It’s our woodland, mine and your family’s. No need to split anything up. But I think I might take some of these trees down to improve the view. And to build the cabin with.’

‘Is it a good idea to be so far up the hill?’ She didn’t want to pour cold water on his plan, but it was something they ought to consider.

‘I think it’s going to be okay, Ida. I’ve come to realise that my leg isn’t done healing yet, and it’s something I’ll keep working towards. And it’s weird, but those days we spent in Voss I didn’t even notice it. The flight home and the flight here were a hundred times better than the first time I came. Maybe Norway has healed me.’ His teeth were bright when he smiled at her in the darkness, and she smiled back.

‘I think it was probably me.’

‘You could be right about that,’ he laughed.

30

Three months later

As it did every year, the first snow fell in Voss in October, at first covering the tops of the mountains and then, as it grew more persistent and the temperature dropped, the whole town. Mats’ proclamation in the summer that they should all go to Voss after the first snow, like they’d done as a family so many times, became a plan that everyone was working towards.

‘I don’t want to leave my house behind,’ Ida said to Erik the day before they were due to leave. ‘It’s so perfect I never want to stay anywhere else.’

Ida had been living in her house since she’d picked up the keys two months ago. She and Erik had worked on it solidly, with some help from Mats, and it had finally been completed two weeks ago. After a week of painting, they’d declared it finished, which is why Ida was reluctant to leave for Voss when she’d only just started enjoying living there, now that it was dust-free and cosy.

They were sitting on the sofa in a nest of blankets and cushions, drinking hot chocolate and watching the flames of the fire through the glass door of the cast-iron stove. A few trolls from the collection she’d rescued from the farmhouse on the island were lined up on a shelf above the front door that Erik had fitted specially, overlooking anyone who set foot in the house. Like weird little security guards. Aside from the troll she’d left in the house as her lucky charm, the rest of the trolls were still packed in a box in the garage of the house in Loddefjord because, as much as she loved them, she didn’t want them filling her perfect little house.

‘I’m going without you then,’ Erik said.

‘You wouldn’t.’