Page 23 of A Copenhagen Snowmance
“Your cover?” he says, that right brow rising.
“OK, maybe that’s a bit drama llama, but you know what I mean. People know I’m here now. But thankfully it isn’t as clear that it’s you, so I think your reputation should be safe.”
He sits back in his seat, and crosses his arms. His sleeves are pushed up to his elbows and Anna can’t help but glance at his forearms, lean and sinewy. “My reputation?” For some reason this amuses him. It makes his eyes twinkle, which she vastly prefers to the steely look she is more often on the receiving end of.
“I mean your professional reputation. I don’t know about your… personal reputation.” She feels herself getting flustered and also distracted from her point. “What I mean is, I really hope this won’t be difficult for you at work and with regards to your standing in the sustainability field.”
Jamie thinks about this. “I am pretty sure this won’t negatively affect my reputation at work, Anna. In fact, it might just elevate it. And my ego, for that matter.”
Strangely, he does not seem as shocked, appalled, or outraged as Anna is. Far from it.
He keeps looking at the image, angling his head to look at it from various angles.
“It’s a great shot.”
“Jamie!” Impulsively, she slaps him on the shoulder. Wow, solid.
“What? Itis. I bet Tivoli is delighted.”
Had it been anyone else in the shot than her, Anna would agree with him, it’s a perfect advert for the park. But itisher, so that’s not happening.
“Do you think I can get the paper to take it down?” she asks, taking a seat opposite him. She picks up a box of matches and lights the advent candle for him.
“Unlikely. And probably too late. This’ll be all over the place by now.”
Opening his phone, he swipes about before holding the smaller screen up to her face.
“Instagram. The VisitCopenhagen account. And there it is again, with the same ‘Copenhagen Snowmance’ caption. And beneath it ‘Hvem er de?’ Who are they?”
“Oh, no.” Anna groans, putting her palm to her forehead. “Nooooo. They can’t make a quest out of it.”
“Like I said, too late,” says Jamie.
“Not helping.” She sinks further into the chair, dejected, and surrounds her mug with her hands for the comfort of the warmth.
“Don’t worry about it. Not on my part anyway.”
“You really don’t mind?” she asks quietly.
“Nope. And as for you, if you have your way, you’ll be back in England as soon as the snow thaws and you can forget about it.”
That’s true, but in the meantime, there’s things Jamie doesn’t understand.
“Here’s the thing, Jamie. I have an ex.” It makes sense now to give him the topline, so he’s prepared. “We lived here together. I threw him out when he had an affair and he hasn’t seen me since, because I left. But now he might know I’m back, he might turn up.”
Jamie’s face turns stony in an instant. “Was he violent towards you?”
“No,” Anna says quickly. “No. Nothing like that and I don’t expect him to be, either. But he is the kind who wants to discuss things to the nth degree, even though there’s nothing to be said and I really, really don’t want to.”
Jamie’s face relaxes a little, but not much. He gives her a concerned look, but says carefully, “And you don’t think it might be a useful thing to have this conversation where he apologises to you, and you get to tell him what a shit he’s been, because that might make you feel better?”
“No thanks.”
“Anna.”
“Really,” she says quite primly. “I don’t need any of that.”
“What, closure? That widely regarded thing most therapists will guide you towards, if the TV shows are anything to go by?”
