Page 73 of Adrift in Iceland
‘He’ll have to be happy with running the galley then,’ Leifur said.
‘It’s up to you to decide what you need him to do,’ Jonas said, not realising that would be easier said than done. ‘And the great thing is you’ve worked together before, so he should slot into the team more easily than a total stranger.’
Astrid strolled over and caught the end of the conversation. ‘Oh, you’ve found someone! I don’t suppose there’s any chance they can start tomorrow, or even on Monday for the extra tour. I’d love to help out with getting them up to speed before I go.’
‘I doubt he’ll be able to start that soon,’ said Leifur, wanting to prolong the inevitable.
‘Let me give him a call,’ said Jonas, pulling his phone out and walking away.
‘It’s Isak,’ Leifur said to Astrid, knowing that’s all he needed to say for her to understand.
‘I’m so sorry,’ she said, reaching out to touch him but pulling away as if perhaps she thought he’d reject her. ‘Is he going to be happy doing Eva’s job?’
‘I doubt it.’
‘He can start on Monday. At least he’ll have one tour to see how you guys do it,’ Jonas said.
‘Jonas, Isak —’ Astrid began.
‘It’s fine,’ Leifur said firmly, laying a hand on her arm. ‘Unless you’re planning on staying, this is the best option.’ He knew he was deliberately playing on the guilt she was already feeling, but he didn’t want to get into the details of his relationship with his brother with Jonas. It wasn’t Jonas’s problem. All he was trying to do was help. Leifur knew it was up to him and Isak to work things out so that they could get along. ‘Thanks Jonas. I’ll pick up with Isak about it.’
‘Great! That’s worked out for everyone.’
‘Why would you put yourself in that position?’ Astridasked later when Eva had gone home.
Letting Astrid leave without showing her how heartbroken he was was taking all of his energy. Working together for these past few days had been a battle with himself not to beg her to stay every time he thought about what it would be like without her. And now Isak was coming onto the boat instead, it felt like the final thing that was going to beat him into submission. Over the past weeks, he’d gone from having nothing but a fishing boat to now having a share in a thriving business, a smart tour boat and the girlfriend of his dreams. Battling against Jonas’s plan to employ Isak was something he had no energy for. He knew if he said anything, Jonas would probably listen to his views and try to find someone else. But at what cost? At least this way they didn’t have to stop operating while they found a new person. Maybe having been out of work for a few weeks, Isak would come into it grateful that he had a job and be willing to be part of the team.
‘I don’t have any choice,’ he sighed. ‘We need another Eva, but most students will have their holiday jobs by now. And whatever I think of my brother, perhaps he’ll be different this time. I have to give him the chance to prove himself instead of telling Jonas what he’s been like in the past and having him be judged by that. It isn’t fair.’
‘Okay. But promise me you’ll tell Jonas at the first sign of anything you’re not happy with, the same as you would if it was anyone else.’
‘I promise.’
‘What are you doing tonight?’
He shrugged. ‘Nothing. Going home and sitting by the fjord with a beer.’ Part of him hoped she was going to suggest doing something together, but when she didn’t, he knew that was probably best.
‘That’s a good idea. I might do the same on my balcony.’
‘You may as well get the use from it while you can.’
‘Speaking of which, I had to pay for my apartment for the whole six months, so if you want to stay there instead of sleeping on the boat, you can. Anytime.’ She handed him a key.
‘Are you coming back to pack it up later in the year?’
‘I’m not sure what will happen after Costa Rica, so I’m going to pack everything but leave a key for Gudrun, and she’ll pick my stuff up if I can’t get back.’
‘Thanks, it might be useful sometimes.’ He put the key in his pocket knowing he’d never stay there. It would be like ripping a fresh wound in his heart every time he went there, and she wasn’t there. The apartment was all her, the same way she said his house was like him.
Now that the nights were drawing out, there was plenty of daylight left when he got home to be able to grab his tarpaulin and a beer and sit down on the shore to enjoy watching the water. The wildflowers and heathers had begun to bloom amongst the moss, making him realise how long it had been since he’d done this. It felt as if the time from when he’d first seen Astrid in her boat to now had been a dream, which it sort of had. The time he’d had with Astrid was so brief, it felt like he’d grasped something magical only to have it fade with the same speed as a dream.
He watched a small boat round the peninsula. He stood up, squinting to see because the sun was lower now and behind the boat, which made it hard to make out. But when the person in the boat waved, there was no mistaking who it was. He waved back, his heart full of the memory of the first time he’d seen her do this. He put his beer down, propped up against a mossy rock and walked along the shore, tracking the progress of the boat until he had to climb the path where his bay ended and the next began, and lost sight of it.
He climbed down the rocks on the other side to the smallsandy inlet and looked up to see Astrid coming towards him. He pulled the boat in as far as he could. She stood at the prow.
‘You’re looking for whales? Still?’ He had to make a joke because he couldn’t let himself believe that there might be another reason.
‘Last time I did this, I wanted so badly to get out of the boat and sit on the shore with you for a while.’
