Page 21 of Adrift in Iceland
‘No, I’m not going to be here that long. It’s a stopgap before I start the next job,’ Astrid said.
‘Astrid, that’s different from not being into him,’ Rachel said, raising an eyebrow.
She couldn’t deny that there was something between her and Leifur. They had bonded over the fact that they were both about to run whale-watching tours — something neither of them had expected to be doing. It was so clichéd to fall for someone you’re working with, but when she’d met him on the shore by his house, she hadn’t known who he was and there had been something. A spark of attraction, at least.
‘But he’s gorgeous,’ Iris said, her eyes widening. ‘And he might be your soulmate or something. Perhaps you should give it a chance.’
‘You sound more like Gudrun than Gudrun,’ Rachel said,laughing.
‘Since Iris realised I was right about her and Siggi,’ Gudrun said with a grin. ‘If you like Leifur, you shouldn’t worry about what I think.’
‘It seems pointless even to think about anything like that with him when I could be leaving soon.’
‘Have you applied for any jobs yet?’ Gudrun asked.
Astrid glared at her sister. She knew she hadn’t applied for anything other than the Costa Rica job she had no chance of getting.
‘I’m just saying, you could be here for longer than you think.’
‘I didn’t think I was going to stay,’ Iris said.
‘Neither did I,’ said Rachel.
Astrid groaned. ‘Fine. I like Leifur, but I don’t know if he likes me. He didn’t seem that pleased to see me this morning, even though when we saw each other yesterday, it was… nice.’
‘When did you see him yesterday? I thought you two met for the first time today?’ Gudrun said.
‘I took the boat out to Hafnarfjörður and he was on the shore. We spoke to each other.’
‘About what?’
‘Whales and stuff.’
Rachel laughed. ‘Astrid. I know you haven’t known us for very long, but we’re going to need more information.’
‘About what?’
‘All of this with you and Leifur.’
‘There’s nothing between me and Leifur,’ Astrid said, thinking that she might have to leave rather than be interrogated about someone she’d waved to once, spoken to for a minute and spent half a day with for work. She didn’t have much to go on, and she wasn’t about to dissect all of those encounters with Gudrun, Rachel and Iris. She likedthem, but she didn’t know them well enough yet.
‘Fair enough,’ Iris said. ‘I mean, you need to get to know him. Working on the boat together will help.’
‘Jonas likes him but says he’s had a tough few months,’ said Rachel. ‘Maybe that’s why he wasn’t in the best mood this morning. I expect it’s hard for him changing career when it wasn’t something he really wanted.’
‘That’s it exactly,’ said Astrid. ‘Which is why he’s probably not looking for romance either.’
‘So it went okay with Leifur yesterday?’ Jonas asked the next morning. Astrid had dropped into the office to discuss the details of her temporary job.
‘Yes. We had a good time.’
‘He said the same.’ Jonas smiled. ‘That’s a good start. He also said that your knowledge is incredible. With that in mind, I wondered if I could make you an offer to tempt you to stay for the whole summer.’
‘The whole summer?’
‘I know it wasn’t your plan, but if we could have you for the first season, it gives us a solid start. It would help us build a great reputation, and it gives us more time to find someone else who can step in when you leave.’
Jonas jotted a figure down on a piece of paper and pushed it over to Astrid. It was an extraordinary amount.
