Page 36 of Snug in Iceland
If it was just that he hadn’t come, Rachel would have forgiven him, she would have fallen for his charm but the words didn’t touch her this time. This time, they sounded hollow because all she could picture was him with the other woman.
“Look, I know we need to talk but I can’t do it now.” Suddenly overwhelmed with tiredness she said, “I’m too tired to think. I’ll ring you tomorrow night.” Trying not to cry because it would make everything worse, she simply said, “Bye.”
“I love you, Rach.”
She ended the call without saying anything else.
Then the tears did come. Great big sobs, partly because she was tired but mostly because she was feeling emotionally drained after the phone call with Adam and with managing the conflicting feelings she had for Adam and Jonas.
Her phone pinged a few minutes later, it was a text from Gudrun.
Heard about your night in the snowstorm! Shall we meet for coffee in the morning? 10 am Te & Kaffi? G x
Perfect. Rachel xx
20
BY THE NEXT morning Rachel was resolute. She’d had a good cry and mulled everything over for what seemed like the entire night so although she felt exhausted, at the same time she was feeling refreshed and purposeful. She had been distracted by Adam and Jonas and the excitement of being in Iceland but she was here to work and to do the best job she could of launching her first-ever Snug store, and that was what she was going to do.
She found Gudrun sitting at the table in the back corner of Te & Kaffi. After ordering a latte and a chocolate croissant, she sat down opposite Gudrun, who looked more animated and enthusiastic than normal.
“So, tell me what happened in the snowstorm.”
“Well, the forecast hadn’t said it was going to snow and…”
“No! Not that part, I know all that, Olafur told me. I want to know what happened in the cabin.”
Now Rachel knew why Gudrun looked so perky. She was practically out of her chair in her impatience to know the details.
“Oh, God. Look, nothing happened. Well, not nothing but notthat.”
Gudrun’s face told Rachel that wasn’t going to be an acceptable explanation.
“Okay. I’m going to tell you because, to be honest, I don’t know what to do and I need to get it off my chest but then, that’s it. We are working our arses off. Deal?”
“Yes!” Then feigning innocence, “I am just trying to help you, Rachel. I think if you can talk to me, you will be clearer about your feelings?”
“Maybe. So, Jonas and I ended up in the cabin. And because it was cold, we slept in the same bed but with separate covers. And we snuggled. He’s the perfect gentleman.”
“Heisperfect. Completely perfect for you.”
“No, I mean he is absolutely the loveliest man, but I have Adam.”
“Who has been cheating on you.”
“We don’t know that yet,” said Rachel reasonably.
“So, you haven’t spoken to him?” asked Gudrun, finally taking a sip of her drink now that she was somewhat calmer.
“I have. I rang him last night because he’d been worried about me getting caught in the storm and had left me some messages. He eventually apologised for not coming to stay but I didn’t mention what Anna had said.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know, I might have to leave it until I get home. It’s not the kind of thing we can discuss on the phone.”
“But what about you and Jonas?”
“There isn’t a me and Jonas. I do like him and if I didn’t have Adam, who knows? But I can’t just break up with Adam after two years because of someone I’ve known for two minutes.” If she was being truthful, Rachel more than liked Jonas but knowing that there was something special between them was making the decisions she had to make for her and Adam’s future all the more difficult. It seemed more important than ever to make the right decision regardless of her feelings for Jonas.
