Page 16 of Entwined in Norway

Mats led the way out of the hotel, past Ida, who was on the phone. Erik made a mental note to apologise to her later. He had kind of enjoyed her coming into the dining room, being extra polite to him when he could see she was angry. Since his accident, people tiptoed around him. But Ida didn’t, and she wasn’t afraid to call him out for being a dick.

The cabin wasn’t far away, through the woods behind the hotel and along the water’s edge. Apart from the upright timbers in each corner, the walls had been removed, so all that remained was the base that had seen better days, and the moss roof, which was sagging on one end because of some rotten roof timbers.

‘Wow. This is a project and a half,’ Erik said, stepping inside what was left of the structure and running his eyes over the ceiling. ‘You’re trying to save the roof?’

‘If I can. But I wonder if that’s even possible.’

‘Half of the timber looks good. It’s definitely possible.’

‘Yes?’ Mats looked thrilled.

‘I mean, it’s a delicate business.’ It was exactly the kind of thing he needed to distract himself. It also might help him get more information about the legacy if he knew more about the history of the island. ‘I could give you a hand. I’m around for a week or so doing some research into my family. I have time.’

‘You’re on holiday. I couldn’t ask you to give up your time for this.’ Mats looked exactly the opposite of a person who didn’t want to impose.

‘I’d enjoy it. I can’t relax like you’re supposed to in a place like this.’

‘It’s the same for me. Beautiful place, but I need something to do. Let me show you the cabin I’ve already finished,’ said Mats. ‘So you know you’re investing your time into something worthwhile.’

The finished cabin that Erik had walked past before was a short distance through the woods. A veranda with wooden shingles on the overhang had been added to the front, and a whole extra cabin-sized addition was hidden around to one side. A traditional Nordic folk art sign hung above the door.

‘Vår hytte?’ Erik knew his pronunciation was appalling, but he had some idea of how to say the words.

‘Our cabin. For my girlfriend,’ Mats said, smiling.

Mats opened the door, revealing a cosy, homely room with a table and two chairs, a stove in the corner and a small sofa. A doorway led into a separate bedroom.

‘You have a toilet?’

‘It’s a Cinderella. It burns the waste instead of flushing it. We don’t have any water out here yet.’

‘Wow, I’ve never seen one of those.’

‘Lotta insisted on an ensuite, and it was the best option. They’re quite common in Norway.’

Mats had a look on his face when he talked about his girlfriend that Erik was envious of. He’d never felt that way about a woman. And now he had nothing to offer, it seemed less likely he ever would.

‘You did a beautiful job on these new beams. I think you know what you’re doing more than you let on.’

Mats shrugged. ‘I’m a keen amateur, but I’d still love the help if you’d like?’

‘Do you have more of this wood?’ Erik ran his hand down the doorframe, which was clearly new timber.

‘As much as I need. It’s from the forest here. We had some milled to use on the hotel extension and there’s plenty left. We can always cut down another tree if we need to.’

Erik felt his heart palpitate and took a deep breath. ‘That’s incredible. The timber forest is on the island?’

‘A small part of it is, but it extends to the land across the fjord as well. I think my great-grandfather planted it. We don’t have much information about the history of the farm, but we found a couple of maps, things like that.’

In one conversation, everything Erik had come to find out had been confirmed. The island had been in the same Larsen family for decades. He desperately wanted to ask to see the maps Mats talked about, but that would seem like a weird request.

‘Are you working on the cabin today?’

‘Yes. Unless another flour emergency crops up.’

‘I’ll join you after lunch, if that’s okay?’

‘Great,’ Mats said, holding out his hand. ‘Welcome to the team.’