Page 17 of Ignited in Iceland
He wasn’t making it sound fun. And Iris wasn’t getting the impression from him that he’d like her to go, and really, what other reason would there be?
‘Thanks for the invitation. Do you mind if I see how this afternoon goes? I’m still quite jet-lagged.’
‘Of course,’ said Olafur. ‘We will see you if we see you. And take no notice of Siggi. He is quite grumpy.’
Iris laughed partly at Olafur’s stark assessment of Siggi and partly at Siggi’s look of resignation.
Siggi was mumbling under his breath in Icelandic as they walked to the jeep together.
‘I’m not going to come. Don’t worry,’ she said. If he was that annoyed that Olafur had asked her, he was making it simple for her to say no.
‘No, I would like you to come. I was thinking about asking you because it is interesting to see a city with someone who lives there. You see a different side of things. I am annoyed with Olafur for interfering. As if I cannot manage my own life.’
They reached the jeep and settled inside. Iris left her coat on, since it was going to be a brief journey.
‘Do you think they’re trying to set us up?’ she asked.
‘Probably.’
She didn’t know what to say to that, but Siggi felt the need to fill the silence.
‘It is not just Olafur,’ he said. ‘If you had walked into the office the other day and any of the others had been there, they would have asked you to join in with something like this as soon as they knew you were staying for a while and travelling alone.I prefer to wait. You might not be a person who wants to be involved in anything.’
‘And you might not like me,’ Iris added, helpfully.
Siggi laughed. ‘That is not the case,’ he said, smiling across at her.
‘You mean you prefer to sit back and get the lie of the land before jumping into anything.’
‘Yes, that is it. My friend Brun was working with an author last year. She came for a book tour and he was taking her everywhere she needed to go. He invited her to the open mic night and she went round to Rachel and Jonas’s house to make bread.’
‘Okay,’ Iris said, laughing.
‘And I am not sure you would want to do that.’
‘I’m not sure either. Can’t I just come to the bar for a drink without having to go to anyone’s house and make bread?’
‘You think it is funny, but they are together now.’
‘Are your friends that amazing that I’ll want to get together with you just to be in the gang?’ She blushed as she said it, feeling bold for even suggesting out loud that she and Siggi might get together.
‘I don’t know what I am saying,’ Siggi said, laughing and banging his hand on the steering wheel.‘But I do know that you would not be the first person to say yes to a night out and end up staying in Iceland forever.’
‘God, really? I mean, I am drawn to the volcanoes, but I’m not sure even that’s enough to make me want to stay here.’
Siggi pulled up outside the IMO building. It was a huge concrete cube with windows in a vertical line down the side that faced the road. ‘If you end up staying forever, I will not be here. Just to be clear.’
‘So you’re saying I’m safe to come for a drink?’
‘Yes, Iris,’ he said, smiling at her. ‘It is safe. I would recommend you accept the invitation.’
Iris’s stomach did a somersault. It was probably nerves about meeting Bjarkey. ‘So where shall I meet you?’ She was fully intending to take a taxi back to the hotel.
‘Here, as soon as you’re finished?’
‘No. You’re not waiting for me.’ She climbed out of the jeep. ‘I’m not going in until you’ve driven away. All the way down the road,’ she said, nodding towards the busy dual-carriageway they’d just left. ‘I’m getting a taxi. Where shall I meet you?’
He smiled as if he was enjoying her getting cross with him. Iris imagined that could be infuriating if you were in a relationship with him.
