Page 61 of Meet Me Under the Northern Lights

‘So, tell us about your visit to Iceland,’ Hildur said when they were all sat around the table feasting on the magnificent meal. ‘Gunnar does not share details with me for fear that I will tell the whole neighbourhood and they will know his secrets.’

‘Does Gunnar have secrets?’ Magnús asked loudly.

‘No, I do not have secrets,’ Gunnar said, rolling his eyes. ‘How could anyone have any secrets in this small house with such large personalities?’

Chloe laughed. She was adoring every single second of this event.

From meeting the formidable matriarch with sparkling eyes, who could only be around five feet tall, to watching Magnús and Gunnar trying not to good-naturedly bicker with each other over serving up the delicious feast. There was no doubt in her mind already that this house was a home and it was made that way by everyone’s unique differences pulling together towards their common goal – harmony.

‘I apologise for these people,’ Gunnar said to Chloe. ‘I do not know how we got here but here we are.’

‘Do not apologise for me, Gunnar Eriksson,’ Hildur ordered. ‘I am a gift.’

‘Yes, you are,’ Chloe said immediately. She smiled at Magnús. ‘You both are.’

‘She is pretty and nice,’ Magnús remarked.

‘You are encouraging them,’ Gunnar said to Chloe.

‘And you are not letting Chloe answer the question I asked,’ Hildur said.

‘Oh, sorry,’ Chloe said, putting down her knife and fork.

‘My trip here. Well, I work for an event-planning company and a client wants to have an anniversary long weekend here to celebrate a big business milestone. So I was sent here to see what activities would work, plan the schedule, make it bespoke for the client and work out how much it would all cost.’

‘Nice, pretty and clever,’ Magnús stated.

‘You will make me blush with all these compliments,’ Chloe told him.

‘Not compliments,’ Gunnar said. ‘Truths.’

Now she did blush momentarily. ‘You are too kind.’ She smiled. ‘Anyway, I put all the activities into a plan and I sent it to my boss and she will then review it, make some amendments maybe and then she will show it to the customer and they will decide if they like it or not. That’s how it works.’

‘Has your boss been to Iceland?’ Magnús asked as he began eating again.

‘No, actually and I think she was a bit jealous that I got to come here because it really is such a beautiful country.’

‘Why didn’t your boss come too?’ Magnús carried on.

‘Well, she couldn’t fly,’ Chloe said.

‘She is scared to fly?’ Hildur asked. ‘I do not know why this is. How often do we see birds falling down from the sky? Flight, it is so easy.’

‘She isn’t scared,’ Chloe said. ‘She’s just having a baby. When you are close to the time you are going to have the baby, you aren’t allowed to fly in an aeroplane.’

The words had rolled off her tongue like they had no consequence but as Magnús launched into asking why pregnant women couldn’t fly and Hildur started to explain in more than enough detail than was appropriate during a meal, Chloe felt a warm, strong hand find hers under the table.

She hadn’t told Gunnar that Michelle was pregnant and he understood.

He now knew emphatically how challenging this last almost nine months had been for her. She squeezed his hand tight.

‘So do they burst?’ Magnús exclaimed. ‘If they go into an aeroplane and the stomach is too big?’

‘Ha!’ Hildur laughed. ‘If that was the case there would be many fat Americans bursting all over the world every other second!’

‘Well,’ Chloe said. ‘I think if I eat any more of that… what did you call it?’ She indicated the lamb that had been sliced on a large platter.

‘ Hangikjot ,’ All three of her dinner companions said in unison.

‘Yes, if I eat any more of that then I think I might burst.’

‘This is not allowed,’ Magnús said quickly. ‘Because I helped Gunnar make a lagkaka .’

‘What is that?’ Chloe asked.

‘It is a traditional Icelandic layer cake,’ Hildur explained. ‘We have made ours with rhubarb jam.’

‘It sounds so delicious but, Magnús, you will have to eat more of it than me.’

‘OK,’ the boy said happily.

* * *

‘I do not know why you are helping me to clear things up,’ Gunnar said later when the meal was finished and Chloe had been taken to Magnús’s bedroom by Magnús to help with the puffin dance practice.

‘Why do you complain?’ Hildur asked. ‘I am sitting down. Pass me the platter to dry.’ She reached out her hands, wriggling her fingers. Gunnar did as she asked.

‘So… Chloe cannot have children,’ Hildur stated.

Shocked, Gunnar dropped the glass he was holding into the washing-up bowl. ‘What? How did you know?’

‘Ah, Gunnar, still you doubt many things about me. I have told you of the strength of female intuition and I have told you about the spirits of this land; there is never anything that is unknown, just things that are untold.’

‘It is not for me to tell you either,’ Gunnar said. ‘It is Chloe’s story.’

‘I understand,’ Hildur said, nodding as she dried the plate. ‘But you know that stories can change. Just like the story has changed for you over the years, and for me and for Magnús.’

‘I know that finding out tonight that Chloe has had to work closely with someone through the whole of her pregnancy, seeing all those changes, wishing she could feel them for herself one day, must have been one of the hardest things for her.’

‘Harder still that everyone expects you to be so happy about other people’s joy all of the time,’ Hildur remarked.

‘We are always taught to be so polite, so loving and giving and caring and unselfish but sometimes, just sometimes, we need to also understand that one person’s happiness can definitely invoke another person’s sadness. Whether it is intentional or not.’

‘She has kept her sadness inside for a long time,’ Gunnar stated.

‘Well, she does not need to be sad any more,’ Hildur said with a nod.

‘I think, when you get news like that, you are always going to feel sad about it in some way. Perhaps forever.’

‘Forever is a long time,’ Hildur said, passing him back the dry platter. ‘But what does it really mean? Does it mean for the time we are alive or longer than that?’

‘Ah, Hildur, another lesson about the spirits of Iceland?’

‘Do you think Chloe coming here was a coincidence?’ Hildur asked him like it was the craziest suggestion.

‘No, I think that she had a job to do and that job took her to Iceland.’

‘And the reason it was now? The reason that you met? The fact that you told me she had nowhere to stay and you could help? How did you actually meet? Did she just get on your coach or was there something else? Something a little more like… fate?’

Gunnar swallowed. They had literally fallen into each other, landed on top of one another when so easily they could have simply been allowed to walk on by.

‘You know I do not believe in those kinds of things.’

‘I know,’ Hildur replied softly. ‘But I do not think that matters. What will be will be and what is meant for us, well, no one can stop it from happening.’

With that said, Magnús came barrelling into the kitchen, puffin costume flapping out behind him. ‘Gunnar, we need to get another ticket for my Christmas show. I asked Chloe and she said she will come.’

‘OK, OK, calm down. I am sure we will be able to get another ticket,’ Gunnar stated.

‘If that’s OK,’ Chloe said.

She was stood behind Magnús now, looking a little hesitant. He didn’t want her to feel that way, ever.

‘It is more than OK,’ Gunnar told her. ‘I just… did not know how long you are staying here in Iceland.’

Chloe nodded. ‘I know. I guess I don’t even know that yet but, the Christmas show sounds like something I can’t possibly miss and now Magnús has perfected his dance I need to see it with everyone in costume and find out more about these Yule Lads.’

She was staying for a few more days at least. Whatever was meant for him and the reasons behind it, Gunnar was grateful for whatever time they had before her leaving was inevitable.