Page 18 of Meet Me Under the Northern Lights

Chloe took a deep breath of the crisp, cold air and hoped it would work magic to her heated-up temperament.

She shouldn’t have let Kat’s line of questioning get to her.

Why had she done that? Because there were elements of truth to it?

She swallowed, watching tourists coming out of the Icewear store, bulging totes full of knitwear.

Baggage. Like she was carrying? She sighed.

She knew she had unaddressed issues to work through, she was trying to work through them by literally working through them.

‘Please come back and finish the fish and chips.’

It was Kat, at her shoulder, looking like she might burst into tears.

‘I will,’ Chloe said. ‘Just, give me a minute.’

‘I’m an idiot,’ Kat said. ‘But you know that. I don’t think, I just say, and sometimes I could do with a muzzle.’

‘Well maybe a muzzle is a little far but?—’

‘Don’t be nice to me, I don’t deserve it. I’ve got on a plane here without asking you if it was OK and now I’m here I’m pushing my agendas probably because my mother does that to me and how awful is that?!’

‘It’s OK,’ Chloe said, putting a hand on her friend’s shoulder.

‘It’s really not.’

‘And, maybe, just maybe… you have a point.’ She sighed. ‘Perhaps I have been burying myself in work to forget about… everything.’

‘Which is totally understandable,’ Kat said.

‘I mean, I tend to bury myself in H?agen-Dazs and other people’s problems apparently.

We all have our coping mechanisms. But, you know, I just want you to be happy and if working for Michelle makes you happy then it’s not my business to make you question that,’ Kat said.

‘Working with Michelle,’ Chloe said. ‘That’s what I want, remember? The partnership.’

‘Then that’s the plan,’ Kat said, winding an arm around her shoulders. ‘Your plan. Not something I’ve bitch-talked to you about. And I am here now to help you create this perfect Christmas celebration party/whatever it is for Sinclairz Chairs.’

‘OK,’ Chloe said, taking a deep breath and refocussing.

With minimal input from Michelle it was going to be down to her to pull something out of the bag that was going to wow her boss and the boss of the chair business, something that was going to elevate her to that piece of company ownership pie.

‘So, what is the plan? Apart from me paying for this lunch to make up for being a total cow.’

She had a few places in Reykjavik she had noted down for this afternoon – the Sun Voyager sculpture, the Arnarhóll statue – but after that she didn’t know.

‘Let’s go and finish our food, then we will brainstorm,’ Chloe said.

‘And I’d better call work,’ Kat said, clapping her gloved hands together. ‘Check they got my email. It’s a bit reckless of me, isn’t it? Let’s hope I don’t get fired. I need the cash for all the Nordic knitwear I’ve had my eye on since I arrived.’

‘Gift bags,’ Chloe said, pointing a finger into the air. ‘We could suggest gift bags for all the Sinclairz celebration attendees – a mix of luxury and traditional. Something woollen. Or something kooky.’

Huldufólk . She thought about Gunnar. Him talking about the mysterious hidden people. Him looking at her so intensely from the driver’s seat of his truck last night. What trip did he say he did? Something about the south coast…

‘So, how do I wangle an invite to this festive celebration if you get the job?’ Kat asked, breaking into Chloe’s thoughts.

‘Well,’ Chloe said. ‘If you get fired from your job, you could apply to Sinclairz Chairs and?—’

Kat slapped Chloe’s arm good-naturedly. ‘Stop!’

‘Come on,’ Chloe urged, glad the air had been cleared. ‘Before they think we’re not coming back.’