Page 50 of Meet Me Under the Northern Lights

STROKKUR GEYSER

‘So, there is no Kat today?’ Gunnar asked as they walked from where he had parked the minibus to the start of this area of geothermal activity, crowds beginning to gather, all wrapped up against the cold weather.

‘No,’ Chloe answered. ‘Kat said her feet were going to fall off if I made her walk all day again. But she will probably do just as many steps shopping for Christmas gifts in the town centre.’

‘This is true,’ Gunnar agreed, nodding. ‘OK, so, what you need to know about this place is that Strokkur is the most active geyser here and it erupts approximately every five to ten minutes, shooting water around fifteen to twenty metres high. However, it can get even higher than that, sometimes to forty metres.’

‘Wow, that’s crazy,’ Chloe said.

And then she screamed as something like an explosion happened and she put her hands to her ears and jumped in shock.

Gunnar laughed and took her by the shoulders, spinning her round to face the opposite direction. ‘That was Strokkur!’

‘I can’t see anything,’ Chloe said, eyes scanning the bubbling pools on the trail ahead of them.

‘It is very fast,’ Gunnar said. ‘A few seconds, a powerful surge and it is all over.’

And Chloe was absolutely not going to deep-think the sexual connotations that were coming to mind right now…

‘Well, you know, we will see in another ten minutes,’ Gunnar said, taking his hands from her shoulders. ‘Come, you will feel it get warmer when we are next to the water streams.’

Right now Chloe couldn’t imagine it being warm at all here on the outside, but this was his island, he knew it far better than she did.

‘So, I had a revelation about the event last night,’ Chloe said, walking alongside him as they headed up the walkway.

‘You did?’

‘Yes,’ Chloe said. ‘I realised that I had been too focussed on delivering an action-packed showcase of Iceland when I should have been remembering what the event is for.’

‘And this is?’ Gunnar asked.

‘It’s an anniversary for Sinclairz Chairs. Ten years of being in business, building the company from that first chair prototype to now being one of the leaders in ergonomic seating. So, “celebration of achievements” is key.’

‘OK,’ Gunnar said. ‘Good.’

‘But, Lincoln Sinclair did not get here on his own. He might be the brains behind it all, but no man is an island. Good workers support him in every aspect of the business; they are the heart of Sinclairz Chairs and the reason it’s still thriving.

Some of his staff have been with him since day one, so I think it’s going to be really important to make “family” a focal point. ’

Gunnar nodded his head, looking deep in thought. ‘Family is important.’

‘Yes,’ Chloe agreed. ‘And it can take many forms. I mean, Kat is like the sister I never had and when your blood relatives aren’t around any more, or actually even if they are, other people can be more important, closer.’

‘I agree,’ Gunnar said. ‘It is not about how people are related to you, more so it is how they impact your life.’ He took a breath. ‘That is one of the reasons, the main reason why Kirstin and I did not work out.’

‘Oh?’ Chloe said.

‘But, you know, at the beginning, when I should have been honest with her, I wasn’t. So that was on me.’

Now Chloe felt a chill run through her. He hadn’t been honest? He had been hiding something? What did that mean?

‘I think, perhaps if I had been truthful at the beginning then things might not have deteriorated like they did.’

He sounded sad, reflective, like talking about this was hard for him.

‘Gunnar,’ Chloe began. ‘Please, you don’t have to tell me anything you feel uncomfortable about sharing because?—’

‘No,’ Gunnar interrupted. ‘This is not about “I do not have to tell you”, Chloe. For so long I have been telling myself that I do not have to tell anyone at the beginning, that time will make a difference, but the difference has to start with me.’ Gunnar sighed.

‘Chloe, the reason Kirstin and I broke up was because a child was never going to be in her future.’

And that’s when the geyser erupted again, shooting water up into the air as Chloe’s heart went with it.

‘Oh, wow, that was… so quick and spontaneous,’ Chloe said, eyes filling up with tears, throat tight. ‘And I missed it, wow, but if there’s ten minutes right, I can… pop to the toilet.’

‘Yes, but, is everything OK?’ Gunnar asked, looking at her intently.

She nodded and did her best to channel BAFTA-winning actor. ‘Absolutely, just need to, you know, use the facilities. I will be back.’

Not waiting for him to say anything else, she half-walked, half-jogged back the way they had started, all the while weeping on the inside.