Page 37 of Adrift in Iceland
‘But it’s different now?’
‘Yes. It’s taken me a while to catch up with the fact that the age difference has disappeared. In fact, most of the time she’s so bossy you’d think she was the oldest.’
She and Leifur finished working on the boat around four o’clock.
‘I’ll head home and be back later for the party,’ he said.
‘Okay. Don’t be late. I don’t want to be on my own.’ She knew it was ridiculous, but she was worried about a person she didn’t know very well arriving first and then having nothing to say to them.
‘I’ll come early then,’ he said, grinning. ‘I wouldn’t want you to have to deal with your friends alone.’
‘That makes me sound like a crazy person. They’re not my friends yet. That’s the problem.’
‘Have a glass of wine before anyone gets there to take the edge off. You’ll be fine.’
Astrid decided that was good advice, so by the time Leifur arrived — first, she was halfway into her first drink.
‘Here,’ he said, handing her a bottle of wine and kissing her on the cheek at the same time. ‘Am I first?’
‘Yes. And thank you for that.’
‘The place looks great,’ he said, walking into the lounge with his hands in his pockets.
He was wearing a dark grey sweater and jeans with brown boots. Overall, it was a great look on him and made her stomach feel strange, in a good way. His hair was combed to one side rather than being tousled like normal, and even his beard looked… tidier.
‘It’s kind of the same, but I got carried away in Snug withGudrun’s staff discount.’
‘It feels like your place,’ he said, turning to face her.
‘Can I get you a drink?’ She felt slightly flustered at the way he was looking at her, and the fact that he looked so polished compared to normal made her feel less at ease with him.
‘Do you have beer?’
She opened the fridge and handed him a beer and then rummaged in the drawer for a bottle opener.
‘Have you sat out on the balcony much?’
‘Only on the first night. It’s not warm enough in the evenings yet.’
‘True.’
Why had she asked him to be here first? This was excruciating. How could it be so different from every day on the boat?
Thankfully, there was a knock at the door, and Sol and Thor joined them. Astrid busied herself with sorting drinks out for them while Leifur chatted to them and then everyone else arrived.
‘So you’re staying for the summer?’ Iris asked her.
‘Yes. It’s a relief to have something solid for a few months.’
‘You don’t think you’ll stay here long term?’
‘Honestly, I don’t know what I’m going to do. At least the tour boat work is linked to my career. Why did you decide to stay? Was it because of Siggi?’
‘Kind of. I was working for a geology lab in the UK, but my boss and I didn’t see eye to eye. I thought I’d be hard pressed to find another position that allowed me the freedom I had to pursue my research, but when I came here to study the latest eruption, a spot opened up at the Icelandic Met Office. By then, Siggi and I were together, but I can’t honestly say whether I’d have chosen him over my career.’ She looked over her shoulder to see where Siggi was, then laughed. ‘Heknows, but I don’t like to remind him too often.’
‘After so many years, I can’t imagine what I’d do if I couldn’t find another research post. I don’t feel like I’ve finished yet.’ There was more to discover and more to research, and in her heart of hearts she knew that wasn’t going to be possible if she stayed in Iceland, however much it had started to feel like home.
‘I completely understand,’ said Iris. ‘Keep looking. You never know what will come up. And in the meantime, enjoy the summer with that lovely boat captain.’ She nodded to Leifur, who was chatting to Jonas and Olafur.
