Page 47 of Entwined in Norway

‘You don’t have set days?’

‘I do, but because the hotel is still quite new, I like to be on hand unless I can’t be. I’d rather save my days off for helping out Fredrik.’

‘So could you take a couple of days off to help me?’ It seemed odd to him that there wasn’t more structure around this, but then, after Mats, she was the boss.

‘What do you need help with?’

‘I want to go somewhere with you, Ida. Somewhere that’s not here. Somewhere we can be alone.’

He watched her blush, and she smiled at him as if he’d come up with more than just the suggestion she take a couple of days off.

‘Let me check with Emilie and Magnus. I’m sure it will be okay. Mats might cover if there are any gaps.’

‘So, being the local expert, where should we go?’

‘Voss.’ She said it with no hesitation at all.

‘I went through there on the train from Oslo.’ He remembered it because it was an iconic winter sports town, firmly on his radar.

‘We have a winter cabin there. No one will be there.’

‘It sounds perfect. Can we go tomorrow?’

She laughed. ‘You don’t want to waste any time.’

‘Ida, I love this island, but I need to be somewhere with you where you don’t have to think about work. And we can’t stay in that tiny room for the rest of my visit.’ It almost hurt him to refer to the fact he would be leaving in a few days but he brushed the feeling aside in favour of the monumental high he was on after his icy dip and with the prospect of an evening with Ida still ahead of him.

‘Okay.’

At that moment, Heidi stuck her head around the door. ‘I thought I heard you two. Erik, could I have a word?’

Given what she was wearing, he had to assume this woman was the chef, but he had no idea why she would want to speak to him. ‘Sure.’ He raised his eyebrows at Ida, who also seemed surprised, and followed the chef into the kitchen.

‘I couldn’t help overhearing what you were saying about needing to get Ida away from the island. I think I can help.’

Erik was torn between being annoyed that this woman had been eavesdropping on them and being intrigued to hear her idea. He crossed his arms and tipped his chin up. ‘Go ahead.’

‘You have a kayak.’

He nodded.

‘Take Ida on the kayak. Go further into the fjord from here, follow the water around, and you will come to a waterfall. It’s on the left-hand side. Paddle past it, then on the same side you will see a beach where you can land.’

‘How do you know this?’

‘My grandfather used to work on this farm. He built a cabin at the top of that beach and used to take the family there in the summer. They didn’t have much money, and it felt like a holiday even though it was so close to home.’

‘Wow, and it’s still there?’

‘Not exactly. But it’s a nice spot to have an evening off the island, and it is not as far as paddling to the mainland.’

‘Do you have a couple of sandwiches we could take?’

‘You can’t eat sandwiches on a date. Come back here in half an hour and I will have some food ready for you.’

‘Okay, thanks…?’

‘Heidi.’