Page 85 of Entwined in Norway

‘I’m ready for the snow, baby!’

Ida laughed. He never called her baby, and she wasn’t sure she wanted him to start now. ‘It won’t be the same as snowboarding, you know.’

He shrugged and grinned at her. ‘It’ll be awesome, and you know it.’

She was happy he was looking forward to it. He’d been building himself up to the idea of skiing over the past couple of months. His leg had steadily continued to improve, and Ida knew having a go at skiing meant more to him than he was letting on. It was a way of reclaiming that part of his life, being at peace with what he couldn’t do anymore by doing something different but related.

‘I think I’ll be the cabin cook and cleaner, like I always am. And that’s fine.’

‘But I have a vision of us gliding through the snow side-by-side. You don’t want to do that?’

‘Maybe once, but that’s all. It’s going to be annoying skiing with a beginner.’

He laughed. ‘I am no beginner. I have a natural affinity for snow sports, don’t forget.’

Ida shook her head. ‘Cross-country is a different set of skills to throwing yourself down a mountain. I know you think you’ll be good at it, but we’ll see.’

‘We will.’

The following day, it was grey and raining, which was very common in Bergen at this time of year. They’d packed the night before so they caught the bus to the train station. Fredrik was driving Mats, Lotta and Emil.

Erik loved the train ride, and Ida knew that climbing through the mountains from Bergen to Voss now that the weather had turned more wintry would be spectacular, the snow gradually appearing as the altitude increased. And it was nice to spend some quiet time together before there was no chance to exchange a word between them once the Larsens were together.

The whole family was excited. It had been a few months since they’d got together on the island to celebrate the opening, and Thea hadn’t been able to make it then, so it was the first time they’d all been together since two Christmases ago.

‘It’ll be great to finally meet Ingrid,’ Erik said once they were settled on the train.

‘She’s very excited about meeting you. She knew about you before anyone else.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘That day when you invited me out and we went to the fish restaurant, I called her to find out what to wear.’

‘You did?’

‘My brain stopped working and I just couldn’t think straight.’

‘I can understand that. I have that effect on women.’

‘It was only because I hadn’t been out for a meal with anyone other than the family for a long time. I didn’t want to let myself down. It had nothing to do with you.’

He smiled and squeezed her leg. ‘It’s okay if you want to think that.’

If Erik had been Mats or Fredrik, her reaction would have been very different. Erik smoothed her edges, and she felt more at ease with him than she did with anyone else in the world, apart from Emil. She didn’t need to think of a smart comeback to hide the way she felt. Erik knew she’d fallen for him the first time he’d set foot on Lysgården, and she knew it had been the same for him. They loved talking about that moment, that whole couple of weeks when both of them had found parts of themselves they had thought were gone forever. Because that was how they found themselves here, on this train, slowly becoming part of each other’s lives.

‘Hey, look.’ Erik was peering out of the window. The train had stopped at a station called Finse, not too far from Voss, where there was an old hotel right next to the platform. The snow was deep enough that there were people on skis as if that were the only way to get around, which Ida suspected it wasn’t, but at this time of year everyone was excited to get on their skis again. Before the long winter ground everyone down.

‘I’ve always loved how this hotel looks in the snow,’ said Ida. ‘It could be from a movie.’

‘It’s very pretty. Reminds me of the old ski lodges we have at home, but smaller.’

‘Have you decided what to do about Christmas?’

They’d talked briefly about it before, but Ida felt a decision ought to be made.

‘I’m going to have to go back. I can’t not be at home for the holidays. And I can spend some time in Banff clearing my place out, ready to sell. Would you think about coming with me?’

He’d never asked her that before, and Ida had assumed it was because he wanted to catch up with his parents by himself. Such a lot had changed for him in a short space of time; it was understandable. So she had no expectation of joining him. Even though she badly wanted to share Christmas with him.