Page 8 of The Hidden Daughter (The Lost Daughters #7)

The next time Amalie saw Oskar, he was having a cigarette with some of the other kitchen staff as she was returning from her lunch break.

He offered her a warm smile and held her gaze until she disappeared into the hotel, but when she’d glanced back out of the window, she could see that he was still looking at her.

Her cheeks had flooded with heat, and her stomach had flipped the same way it had at the party, even though she’d tried her very best not to think about him.

But every night when she crawled into bed, she’d close her eyes and see his face; remember the way his fingers had touched hers and the way he’d looked at her.

Her friends kept asking her if she’d seen him, teasing that they’d have him for themselves if she wasn’t interested, but Amalie had just shrugged each time, pretending that her heart didn’t leap every time she passed the kitchen, hoping to catch sight of him.

And then one day, almost a week after their first meeting, she was asked to take a plate of food up to the room of an important guest. Amalie ran her hands over her skirt, cursing her uniform and wishing she was wearing anything else, before taking a deep breath and walking into the kitchen.

The kitchen was a lively place, with pans clattering and raised voices, but it was one of the younger men who cleared his throat when he saw her.

‘I’m, ahh, here to collect a steak for room…’

‘Amalie!’

She forgot entirely what room she was supposed to be collecting for when Oskar appeared, a kitchen towel thrown over his shoulder as he strode towards her.

‘Oskar, get back to your station!’ an older chef barked.

He rolled his eyes and she laughed, his smile making her heart thud all the way to her toes.

‘Are you coming tonight? To the party?’

She resisted the urge to wring her hands, folding them in front of her instead. ‘Ahh, maybe.’

‘Please come,’ he said, glancing over his shoulder as his name was called again. ‘I’d love to see you.’

She hesitated.

‘Maybe tonight we can have a drink together,’ he said. ‘You’d make my day if you said yes.’

‘All right,’ she said, forcing herself to accept, to be brave enough. She’d promised herself, after all. ‘I’ll come.’

‘You will?’ His eyes widened as his name was yelled this time, and he started walking backwards, as someone else passed her the tray she’d been waiting for.

‘I will,’ she said, receiving a final grin from Oskar before he disappeared again.

The chef who passed her the tray gave her a wink, but she ignored him. There was only one man in this kitchen she had eyes for.

I’m meeting him tonight. I’m actually going to see him again. And this time if he offers me his arm, I’m going to take it.

It felt like déjà vu to Amalie, as she stood on the fringes of the party.

Only this time, she was the one looking for Oskar.

She sipped her lemonade and glanced around, smoothing one hand down her dress as she wondered whether she’d made a big mistake or not in coming.

Her friends had left to dance some time ago, and she had a sinking feeling inside that Oskar had decided not to come after all.

She set down her drink and wrapped her arms around herself, scanning the crowd one last time.

‘Amalie!’ Oskar called at the same moment she turned to walk away.

She looked over her shoulder, relief thundering through her body as she saw him standing there, his cheeks flushed and his hair messy, as if he’d just hurried straight from work.

‘I thought you weren’t coming,’ she said, as he stepped closer.

He bent over, making her laugh as he caught his breath. ‘I’ve run all the way from the kitchen. I’m so sorry, I couldn’t get away earlier.’

‘It’s fine. I—’

Oskar’s grin warmed her as he shook his head and stood up straight. ‘It’s not fine. I wouldn’t have kept you waiting if I could have helped it.’

She stood, staring back at him, not sure what to say, but knowing that she very much liked the way he was smiling at her.

‘May I introduce you to everyone?’ he asked, holding out his arm. ‘I have a feeling you’re too shy to move away from this spot otherwise.’

She went to slip her hand through his arm, but something stopped her. ‘You’re not doing this because you feel sorry for me, are you? Because I’m perfectly happy standing here on—’

‘No,’ he said, placing his hand over hers and guiding it through his arm as his eyes met Amalie’s again. ‘I’m asking you because you’re the most beautiful girl here, and I want you tucked by my side before all of the other men here form a line and ask you to dance.’

She blushed furiously, her cheeks on fire as his lips turned up into a sweet smile.

But no matter how embarrassed she was, Amalie never let go of his arm as he indeed whisked her around the lawn, past hanging lanterns and a table full of champagne and soft drinks, to a group of men slightly older than her who she soon learnt all worked in the kitchen in various roles, some of whom she recognised from earlier in the day.

Oskar might be different to them, but he had a way of immediately putting everyone, including her, at ease.

Amalie sipped champagne until her head was light and laughed so hard her cheeks hurt, but it was when Oskar took her hand in his and tugged her gently away from the noise of the crowd that her heart began to race.

She was loving every moment in his company, but she wasn’t sure about being completely alone with him yet.

‘I’m not so certain—’

‘Trust me, Amalie,’ he said softly, his fingers interlaced with hers as he lifted them and placed a warm kiss to her skin. ‘We can sit over here by the water, close enough that the party is within earshot. And it’s the middle of summer, so it won’t get dark, everyone can still see us.’

Amalie had never been alone with a man before, and as much as her heart was telling her to go with him, she was nervous.

But Oskar seemed to sense that she was about to pull away from him, and so he let go of her hand, their fingertips brushing as he took a step away.

He took off his jacket and settled it around her shoulders with so much care that she wondered if it was silly to be so cautious, before putting a small distance between them again.

She’d waited all week to see him, and now that she was with him, it was like she was trying to talk herself out of it.

‘How about I sit down over there, and you just come as close as you feel comfortable?’ he suggested, pushing his hands into his pockets and strolling a few steps away.

The sky reflected off the water despite the late hour, and as stunning as the fjord was during the day, somehow it was even more magical at night.

Without the party in the background, it would have been silent, and it wasn’t the first time she thought how different the air was here at the fjord.

It was clear and crisp, almost as if it were untouched by other parts of the world, and the light was magical enough to take her breath away.

Amalie followed Oskar but sat a small distance away, snuggling into his jacket. She hated to think how cold he must be, but there was something reassuring about inhaling his cologne and warming herself with his clothes.

‘Is it true that your family own this entire hotel?’ she asked.

Oskar chuckled. ‘All I wanted was to come here as an unknown, without anyone knowing my family name. But everyone seemed to know who I was before I even arrived.’

‘Why are you here?’ Amalie asked. It was something she’d heard a few of the others musing about, why a young man from such a wealthy family would want to spend his summer working long hours in the kitchen. ‘Did your family want you to work for the summer? To know what it was like to have a job?’

‘I come here each summer because I love it. This place, being in the kitchen, it lights a fire within me,’ Oskar said.

‘When I’m here, it’s as if I’m finally where I’m supposed to be, although I know that makes no sense at all.

I couldn’t stand lying about all summer doing nothing when I could be here. ’

Amalie nodded, even though she didn’t really understand. She couldn’t imagine working so hard if she didn’t need to—she’d gladly have a summer lazing about by herself without having to work until her back ached and her hands felt raw.

‘I’ve wanted to be a chef since I was a boy, and this is the only time I get to be close to that dream,’ he said. ‘My future was written for me before I was old enough to walk, but for now, until I finish my studies, my summers are mine to do with as I wish.’

‘How many summers do you have left?’ she asked, shyly.

‘Two, including this one.’ He sounded sad. ‘So I’m going to make the most of every minute.’

She stole a glance at him and bit her bottom lip when he caught her looking.

But Oskar didn’t say anything, he just lay back on the grass and stared up at the sky, reaching out a hand.

Amalie did the same, positioning herself so that she was staring at the sky above, eventually feeling brave enough to extend her arm towards his and wiggle her fingers as far as she could reach them.

Their fingertips touched, only just, but it was enough to make her heart race all over again.

‘Amalie!’ one of her friends, another maid, called out from behind them. ‘Amalie, where are you? It’s time to go!’

She sat up, reaching for the jacket to give it back to him, but Oskar shook his head.

‘Keep it,’ he said, standing and offering her a hand to help her to her feet.

Amalie stared up into his eyes, wishing they’d had longer together, that the night wasn’t about to end. But she wouldn’t stay out alone with him, not if everyone else was slowly starting to leave. She was drawn to him in a way she’d never experienced before, but she still knew to be cautious.

‘When can I see you again?’ he asked.

Oskar bent, his face inches from hers before he leaned in and brushed a kiss to her cheek.

‘Amalie!’

She turned at the call, realising that Oskar still had her hand when she went to move away.

‘Sunday night,’ he said. ‘If you want to see me again, meet me here after your shift ends.’

Amalie touched her fingers to her cheek as she ran, lifting her skirt as she fled back towards the party. And although she hadn’t given him an answer, she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she was going to see him again.

Sunday night couldn’t come soon enough.