Page 20 of Adrift in Iceland
‘You should only tease people you know. You met him less than a minute ago,’ Astrid said to her sister. Then she turned to Leifur. ‘I’m sorry I mentioned it to her. You should know I also told her we had a great time.’
‘I can vouch for that,’ Olafur said.
Leifur felt Astrid’s hand tap him briefly on the thigh, in a reassuring way.
‘Gudrun is going to be the first person on our list of people not allowed on the boat. Right Leifur?’
‘That seems a little harsh —’
There was a more insistent tap on his thigh.
‘But what Astrid says goes. She’s first mate.’
Gudrun laughed and rolled her eyes at them both. ‘Oh, I see where this is going.’
‘What do you mean? I am the first mate. What else would I be when there are only two of us?’
‘To the Captain and the First Mate ofBrimfaxi.Skál!’ Jonas said to defuse the conversation.
‘Skál!’
10
LATER THAT EVENING, after Leifur had left, Astrid and Gudrun were sitting with Iris and Rachel at one end of the table they’d all been sharing. Brun, perhaps missing his partner, Fliss, who was in England visiting some university open days with her daughter, had started an impromptu singalong with his guitar at the other side of the bar, which everyone was enjoying.
‘I feel bad that we haven’t gone over there,’ said Iris, looking over to the small stage where Brun and the other men were gathered.
‘It’s fine,’ Rachel said with a wave of her hand. ‘We don’t want to lose the table.’
‘Good point,’ said Gudrun.
‘I still can’t believe you said that to Leifur,’ Astrid said.
‘What did she say?’ Iris asked.
‘She told him I said he’d been grumpy this morning when we met up for the boat trip.’
‘You did say that.’
‘I thought you’d realise it was between us.’
Gudrun shrugged. ‘Maybe I’ve forgotten how to be a sister. It’s been a while.’
It had been a while. Too long. And perhaps she’d taken itfor granted that she could come and go from Gudrun’s life as she pleased, expecting things to be exactly as she’d left them when she came back.
‘I’m sorry. He was grumpy this morning but I feel awkward that he knows I told you that because he did turn it around. I told you that too.’
‘Oh, this is like the time when Gudrun got cross with me because my ex-boyfriend turned up when Jonas and I had just got together,’ said Rachel.
‘I wasn’t cross!’
‘You were. But I know you were being protective of Jonas,’ Rachel said. ‘And as soon as you knew I wanted to be with him and not Adam, it was fine. She’s just worried Leifur’s going to break your heart.’
Gudrun smiled at Rachel, and Astrid felt a rush of love for her sister.
‘You don’t need to worry, Gudrun. We’re not in heart-breaking territory at all.’
‘Really?’ Iris said. ‘You’re not into him?’
