Page 24 of Adrift in Iceland
‘Yes. And relieved. She looks a little different, but she feels the same. She’s still my boat.’
‘Of course she is. She’s beautiful.’
Leifur saw the genuine appreciation in Astrid’s eyes. And that did something to him. For a moment, he considered pulling Astrid into his arms.
‘Where are you taking me, then?’ She headed into the wheelhouse, breaking the spell, which perhaps only he had been under.
‘I thought we might head south. Take a look at something other than marine mammals. I think we’re going to be over whales quite quickly.’
‘Speak for yourself,’ she said, feigning shock. ‘Whales are my life.’
‘Whales are not my life.’ He was about to say that fish were his life, but that wasn’t true anymore, and it still felt odd every time he realised that.
‘What’s your thing then?’
‘I don’t know. The boat, maybe?’
‘As long as you’re sure.’
He gave her a side-eye, and she grinned then bumped herself against him gently.
‘Come on, let’s go,’ she said. ‘Show me something better than a whale.’
He started the engine again and took the wheel, heading out of the harbour. Astrid left the wheelhouse and stood at the bow, the wind in her hair making him wish for the second time in half an hour that he could wrap his arms around her.
‘Hey, get yourself inside and put a lifejacket on!’ he called out. He’d been remiss in setting off without remembering the new rules of the boat, but it was the first time.
‘Where are they? I’ll get you one.’
‘I’ve only got two so far,’ he said, pulling two pristine,modern lifejackets out of his bag. ‘We need to sort out the equipment. I think Jonas is making a list.’
Astrid took her position back on the bow once again. It was exactly the stance she’d had when he’d seen her in the small boat near his house. Her eyes were on the water, watching. He guessed it was habit after being on research boats for her old job.
It took around half an hour for them to skirt around the coast, heading north from Reykjavik, and Leifur estimated it would be another hour until they got to their destination, the island of Andriðsey off the west coast.
‘Can I get you a drink? Do we have anything?’
‘There should be some instant coffee in the galley and maybe some powdered milk. Or I have a couple of bottles of water in my bag.’
‘Coffee’s good,’ she said, and disappeared down to the galley.
Leifur liked that she felt at home on the boat. It was because she was used to boats, he told himself, not because she felt particularly at home on his boat. But whatever the reason, she fitted in here.
When the island was in sight, he let Astrid in on the surprise.
‘Look in my bag. There are some binoculars,’ he said, keeping his hands on the wheel. It would be time to drop the anchor in a few minutes, but they needed to get a little closer first.
She looked at him suspiciously. ‘You want me to take the wheel while you look?’
‘Sure,’ he said, surprising himself since he’d hardly ever allowed that when he’d been fishing.
He rummaged in his bag and pulled out the pair of binoculars he’d packed along with a small picnic.
‘Here,’ he said, handing them to her. ‘And we’re notlooking at the water. You need to aim higher.’
She frowned, and then a smile lit up her face. ‘Puffins?’
He nodded, enjoying seeing the reaction he’d been hoping for.
