Page 29 of Snug in Iceland
Gudrun took her eyes off the road for a second to smile at Rachel. “Always happy.”
“You’re right, I do need to talk to him but what do I say? Do I sound him out to see if he tells me first, maybe start by saying that Anna saw him and see what he says? Or just say I know he’s been seeing someone.”
“Hmm, I would probably try to get him to confess rather than accuse him because then he will be defensive. If you want to stay with him you need to know he is telling you the truth, not keeping secrets. And if he is seeing someone else you probably need to know how long it’s been going on or whether he’s seen other people before.”
“If I want to stay with him,” said Rachel quietly. “Before I came here, I felt like things weren’t right between us. I don’t know whether it was to do with this woman, maybe that was why things hadn’t been so good but I thought we needed a break from each other and a chance to miss each other and I really hoped that would make a difference. Now I know that he hasn’t been missing me or he was and has filled the void with someone else.”
“What were you going to do if nothing changed when you got back?”
“I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I suppose I thought it would work and we’d just carry on. But being here has given me space to think and I have been feeling differently and thinking about our relationship and whether he’s actually The One.”
“You must have thought he was The One in the beginning?”
“I did to start with.” Not an emphatic, ‘yes’. “There weren’t sparks or anything like that. I mean, obviously, I fancied him and I do love him. Is Olafaur The One?”
“Definitely. As soon as I met him I knew. And the first time we touched, it was like electricity.”
Gudrun’s eyes were sparkling and Rachel could see how much she loved Olafur as she spoke about him. And she knew exactly what Gudrun was talking about because she had felt that spark with Jonas.
“The thing is, it’s not as if I haven’t been tempted but I just wouldn’t do anything like that while I’m with Adam.”
Rachel blushed as she thought of the times she’d let her mind wander with thoughts of being with Jonas. But the kiss on Friday night was all him. She had nothing to feel bad about. But if one of Adam’s friends had seen her in the bar on Friday night with Jonas and his friends, they might have jumped to a similar conclusion to Anna.
“Adam deserves the benefit of the doubt,” she said decisively.
The visit to the designer was a huge success with Rachel and Gudrun placing a big order that would be ready in time for the opening of the shop. It was really important to them both to have some Icelandic stock for the launch and they had also discussed with the designer the possibility of exporting to the Snug shops in the UK.
After all the emotional upheaval of the morning, Rachel was exhausted and declined Gudrun’s offer of a quick dinner when they got back to Reykjavik in favour of room service and an early night. Yet another day had gone by without Adam returning her calls from the weekend. The calls she’d made before Anna’s revelation and which now made her feel like an idiot because maybe that waswhyhe’d missed them. Despite being desperate to speak to him she really didn’t know what to say and hoped that sleeping on it would help. Perhaps he would ring tomorrow and tell her that he’d just secured a new client. Would it be okay then if that’s what it was? Was the next phone call between them going to be the end? Once her mind had stopped whirring with possibilities, Rachel fell into a deep sleep.
*
The work at the shop was in full swing now. Rachel and Gudrun spent the next morning taping sheets of protective covering over the beautifully finished floor ready for the onslaught of heating and fire alarm installers.
They’d had some postcards printed with information about the Design Call and once they’d finished at the shop, they strolled around town leaving them in what they hoped were strategic places.
“Have you spoken to Adam?” asked Gudrun as they headed towards the Harpa.
“No, not yet. He’s supposed to be coming to visit this weekend so I had wondered whether to leave it until he’s here. Perhaps it’s better to talk face-to-face.”
“True, that probably is better.”
“The only thing is, whether he will actually come.”
“Why would he not come? He doesn’t know that anything is wrong.”
“No, not because of that. He’s not very good at putting things like that first. If anything came up at work he wouldn’t think twice about cancelling.”
“But if it’s a long-standing arrangement and a holiday, surely not?”
Gudrun looked surprised and for a minute Rachel saw it through Gudrun’s eyes and wondered if she was wrong to doubt him. Butanyarrangement she had with Adam couldn’t be relied on. That fact was sad but true. And of course, it was natural for Gudrun to be surprised to think that her boyfriend might just not turn up. If Rachel was watching it happen to someone else, she’d think the guy was being a dick for even thinking of not coming on a trip like this when he said he was going to and arrangements had been made. She was too accepting of Adam’s behaviour and being distanced from it made that clear to her.
The lack of contact from him, even before Anna’s phone call had made Rachel begin to think that he must be snowed under at work. He would work crazy hours and be so distracted that he wouldn't think of sending a text or a quick email to touch base. The fact that she was away, gave him free rein to be even more like that with no-one there to have any expectations of him.
On Wednesday morning Rachel finally had an email from him. It wasn’t a phone call but it was something.
Hi Rach, I hope everything is going well over there. Sorry I haven’t called in a few days. I had to work all weekend and have been in too late every night to ring you but I’m surprised you haven’t called me. Have you been snowed under?! Things here are not great, the Scramble deal has hit a real wall with the contract negotiations. I hope you have good Wi-Fi as I will need to check my emails while I’m there. Can’t wait to see you. A x
She typed out a brief reply.
