Page 81 of Adrift in Iceland
‘There’s no pressure to work today. It’s turned out to be more of a team outing than a dry run, so you don’t need to worry too much about finding whales.’
‘Stop trying to spoil my fun.’
Olafur and Gudrun had already headed over toBrimfaxi, giving them a precious moment alone before they had to do the same.
‘I can’t wait for tonight,’ Leifur said, kissing her again, hardly able to believe that they had the next four months together.
‘Neither can I. I’ll put my stuff in your truck later.’
They were going to live at Leifur’s cottage. It was more convenient to have a place in Reykjavik, but they’d decided the short commute was worth it for the beautiful summer evenings they could spend looking out at the water.
‘And no Eva this year?’ Astrid put her arm around Leifur’s waist as they walked to the boat.
‘Actually, she’s sharing the galley job with Isak. She’s writing her dissertation, so it suited her, and he’s working for the wider team now, so it’s worked out well for both of them.’
‘It’s like I never left.’
He put his arm across her shoulders and squeezed her against him.
‘Not at all. This has been a long time coming.’ He kissed the top of her head and then stepped aside to allow her to boardBrimfaxifirst. The entire team was waiting on deck to welcome her, and Leifur loved seeing her reaction.
‘Welcome back,’ Jonas said, hugging her. ‘Sorry for throwing you in at the deep end.’
‘Oh, it’s fine. I’m looking forward to it. I can’t wait to spend the summer with lots of guests after a winter with narwhals.’
‘And Leifur? It was that bad?’ Jonas laughed.
Isak was in the wheelhouse and started the engines. Leifur let off the ropes, and they set off.
After Astrid said hello to everyone on deck, she went below and found Eva in the galley.
‘Astrid! It’s so great to see you.’ They hugged each other. ‘How were the narwhals?’
‘Incredible. Don’t tell Leifur, but I can’t wait to get back there.’
Eva laughed and handed her a glass. ‘It’s a non-alcoholic cocktail. Everyone else had one when they came onboard.’
‘Thanks. And how’s the degree going? Leifur said you’re writing your dissertation over the summer?’
‘I’ve been working with the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute here to look into how their database of humpback whales could be expanded to create a global database.’
‘Wow, that’s amazing.’
‘If it hadn’t been for last summer, I wouldn’t have come up with that idea. I hope I can work in that field, identifying individuals, when I graduate.’
‘Can I get a glass of water for Rachel? She’s not feeling well,’ said Gudrun coming into the galley.
Astrid filled a glass. ‘I’d better come up with you and get started. Is she seasick? It feels calm.’
Gudrun followed Astrid up onto deck, but got waylaid talking to Iris. Astrid found Rachel leaning over the bow, looking determinedly at the horizon while Jonas rubbed her back.
‘I don’t think looking at the horizon is going to help,’ he was saying to her.
‘It usually does,’ said Astrid.
‘Perhaps not if you’re pregnant,’ said Rachel.
Jonas looked at Astrid and grinned. ‘We were keeping it a secret, but I guess with a sea as calm as this…’
