Page 79 of Adrift in Iceland
‘It is.’
‘So you’re here for three years?’
‘Yes. Although I do have four months off in the summer months.’
‘I know, Gudrun said. And that’s why I’m here.’
Astrid frowned. ‘I don’t understand. Nothing’s changed. We can’t have a summer romance every year for four months. That’s not fair on either of us.’
‘No. But things have changed for me. We’re operating a different schedule over the winter, and with Isak on the team I don’t need to be captain ofBrimfaxiall the time.’
‘It worked out with Isak?’
He nodded and grinned. ‘Isak’s great. He’s part of the team now, and it made me realise I can make different choices.’
‘So you’re here because you think it can work?’ She could hardly breathe waiting for him to answer. Please let him think it could work.
‘What would you say if I stayed here with you for the winter? And what do you think about coming to work on the tours over the summer? Every summer.’
On the face of it, it sounded like a near-perfect plan. ‘You want to come here for the winter? What would you do?’
‘I’d like to fish. In the traditional way. And I’m going to knit Lopi sweaters. I’ve thought about this a lot, Astrid. Isak being willing to take more responsibility made me realise that I need a break from that. My whole life has been dictated by my job, but now that I’m partners with Jonas, it doesn’t have to be like that anymore. He’s fine with Isak taking over for the winter and me having a break. Then Isak has the chance to take off if he wants to when I get back.’
‘You’re going to live with me for the winter and fish and knit?’
‘If you’ll have me.’
‘Of course I’ll have you.’ She hooked her arm into his. ‘You want to knit?’
‘Yes. I loved it when we learnt at school, and my father used to knit gloves for the men on the boat in the days before you could get technical fabrics. And it’s very relaxing. I need more relaxation in my life.’
‘I love the thought of you sitting out here knitting while I’m looking for narwhals.’
‘And the summer tours? Do you think it could work? Then there would only be a couple of months at a time when we’re not together.’
‘I can’t believe you’ve come up with this. It’s the perfect plan. I took this job thinking I’d find something else for the summer months, or maybe I’d go somewhere warm for a holiday, but I never thought about working in Reykjavik for the summer. I thought you’d have someone else by now.’
‘When Eva went back to Canada, Jonas decided not to look for a replacement, so I asked him whether he’d support myidea. And he did.’
‘So, everyone’s okay with the whole plan? You have everything aligned, and you just need me to say yes.’
‘Only if you want to. If you don’t, I can catch a ride back to Iceland in a couple of days on the boat I came on. I don’t want to push you into anything. It’s your decision.’
It seemed like the easiest decision in the world. She could see it working for her.
‘You’re the one doing all the compromising. It doesn’t seem fair. And what happens in three years when I need to look for another job?’
‘Three years is a long time. Who’s to say that even if we lived in Iceland year-round together, we’d still be together in three years?’
‘You don’t believe that.’
‘No, I don’t. But you have to know, this isn’t a compromise for me. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime.’
She didn’t say anything, just looked at him until he carried on.
‘I thought I’d be tied to Iceland my whole life, and I was happy with that. I wanted that. But these past four months have shown me what else there is to enjoy about life when you’re not the person who has to keep everything going all the time. It’s given me a chance to breathe, see that sharing the responsibility with other people, Jonas and my brother, makes life easier. It’s fun being part of a team, and they’re all behind this.’
‘You don’t think it’d drive you mad not being out on the sea in the winter?’
