28. Copenhagen
COPENHAGEN
Lucy was far outside her comfort zone as she walked through the Copenhagen Airport.
This last-minute trip involved too many firsts.
It was her first time in Denmark and the first time she’d ever left her kids alone.
It was the first time she’d been in a different country from them, and the first time she’d lied about where she was going.
It was the first time she’d taken a trip to see a man who didn’t even know she was coming.
And it was now the second time she’d traveled to a foreign country without Mason knowing where she was.
She’d texted Jack as soon as her plane landed, and by the time she was in a cab, he’d already texted back a thumbs-up emoji.
She would have liked more information, but she knew she was going to have to accept messages from him in whatever form they came and no matter how abbreviated.
A sign of life was a sign of life, after all.
The cab dropped her off in front of 71 Nyhavn, the hotel Greta had recommended. Before going inside, Lucy took a picture of the canal and texted it to her. And then she wrote: Hope you’re enjoying NYC and the brothel lol.
She rolled her suitcase into the attractive brick building and looked around.
It was as if Greta had read her mind: 71 Nyhavn, a two-hundred-year-old renovated shipping warehouse, was the exact style that had inspired the pitch Lucy had delivered to Laurel Hotels.
It had beautiful old beams across the ceilings, fresh white walls, and classic, functional furniture.
Neutral colors, clean lines. Her room, as functional as it was attractive, was bright and had a view through black-framed windows of boats in the canal and verdigris steeples on the other side.
She was settling in and feeling grateful when Greta texted her back: The hotel you recommended is not my taste, but at least it’s cheap.
Lucy stared at her phone. God , even if she had her good side, that Greta was such a prig. Yes, Lucy was tired of Bryn and Harper’s brothel theme too, but that didn’t mean one couldn’t appreciate it and enjoy the fun. Greta needed to lighten up.
She started to text her back something snarky, but she stopped herself. Instead, she texted Adam: How’s NYC? You holding up okay? In case you need a night on the town, PLEASE get Greta to go with you. She seems SO in need of some laughs.
Adam texted back: I could use some laughs myself. She’s in nyc? Where’s she staying?
Lucy hesitated a moment, and then she texted him the address of the hotel.
After unpacking, she sat at the desk with her laptop and opened her email. She looked out the window, composing her thoughts.
Dear Bj?rn,
It has been about fifteen years since we last spoke, and I know you don’t want to hear from me.
However, there’s something I need to say.
I happen to be in Copenhagen for work and wondered if we could meet for coffee.
Are you free in the next day or so? I promise not to take too much of your time, but it’s very important.
My best to you and your family,
Lucy (Henley) Holt
She reread the email and hit send, a feeling of dread coming over her as she imagined him receiving it.
She called her mother, knowing she would catch her just as she was heading to work.
“Hang on,” her mother said as soon as she answered. There was muffled noise in the background, followed by barking. “All right,” she said, “just had to finish cleaning the litter box. Three cats make one hell of a mess.”
“I’m so sorry,” said Lucy. “Can’t Otto do more to help out?”
“Otto’s got back-to-back surgeries this morning,” Irene said. “I’m happy to take over while Greta’s away.”
“I wanted to let you know,” Lucy said, bracing herself for her mother’s reaction, “that I’m away too. I had to take a little work trip.”
“What do you mean?” Her mother’s voice was suddenly intense. “What trip? Where are you?”
“I’m in Oslo.”
“Oslo, as in Norway ? Why?” There was more rustling, and Lucy could tell she’d been put on speaker.
“Hi, Lucy,” her dad called out.
“Hi, Dad,” said Lucy. “You’re on duty too?”
“Someone has to change Piglet’s cedar chips,” he said.
“Sorry,” Lucy said again. “And thank you.”
“So,” her mother said, “you were saying you’re in Norway?”
“You’re in Norway?” her dad said.
“Yeah, I told Bryn and Harper I’d come here to check out this factory that makes bed frames—”
“I wish you’d let us know before you and the kids go flying all over kingdom come,” her mother said, her exasperation clear.
“How are the kids?” her dad said.
“They’re fine. They’re… in Berlin,” Lucy said. She bit her lower lip and winced in anticipation.
There was a pause. “Lucy,” Irene said. “You did not leave those precious children all alone.”
“Jack’s eighteen,” she said, “and perfectly able to—”
“Why are you lying to me?” her mom snapped.
“Excuse me?”
“You’re in Denmark,” she said.
A foghorn blew in the canal outside the window. “No, I’m not. I’m in—”
“I can track your phone, Lucy, and I can see right here with my own eyes that you are in Copenhagen, Denmark.”
“You can track me?” Lucy said, reeling. “Mom! That is such an invasion—”
“Of course I can track you,” Irene said, “just like you can track your children.”
Lucy got to her feet and stammered, “N— No, I can’t track my children. The girls don’t even have phones, and Jack’s too grown up for that—as am I!”
“Don’t change the subject. What are you doing in Copenhagen?”
Lucy huffed in frustration. “Like I said, there are these headboards—”
“Headboards schmeadboards,” Irene said. “Tell me the truth.”
“Fine,” Lucy said, taking a breath, “Jack has gotten curious about Bj?rn recently, and he wrote him a letter. So I decided to come here and talk to Bj?rn before Jack makes a plan to meet him. I don’t know enough about him or his family, and I don’t want to set Jack up for upset or disappointment or confusion, especially after everything he’s been through. ”
There was a pause.
“Makes sense to me,” her dad said.
“Yes, it’s about time,” Irene said. “This is good. Jack should know Bj?rn. I’ve been saying that for years. Good.”
Lucy breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay then.”
“But that does not explain why you lied to me,” her mom said. “Why did you say you were in Oslo?”
“I don’t want Jack to know I’m here.”
“Whyever not?”
“I just… don’t.” There was no way to explain herself without revealing yet another layer of her dishonesty.
“I’m worried sick,” Irene said. “How could you leave those kids by themselves in a foreign country? What if, God forbid, there’s an accident? They don’t even speak the language.”
“The girls have picked up a little—”
“What if Alice gets sick? Or Zoe runs off at the playground?”
Lucy felt as defensive as she had the day she’d told her parents she was pregnant. “Everything’s going to be fine,” she said. “I know what I’m doing.”
“Rex, say something.”
“Jack’s a capable young man,” Rex said. “He can take care of his sisters.”
“As long as nothing goes wrong,” Irene said, “but something always goes wrong.”
“She has a point,” her dad said.
“When are you going back to Berlin?” Irene said.
“In a couple of days. Three, tops. Or four, depending on work… and when I hear from Bj?rn.”
“Are you saying”—Tank barked then in the background, as if joining in Irene’s outrage—“he doesn’t even know you’re there?”
“I sent an email,” Lucy said weakly. “I’m sure he’ll answer soon.”
Irene exhaled loudly. “You did not think this through, Lucy. You never think things through. I’ve never known anyone to be as impulsive as you are—”
“Yes, I know,” said Lucy, “but I’m doing the best I can.”
“Three cats,” Irene said. “You adopted three cats and two dogs and then left the country. I’ve had it.” Lucy’s mother hated to be late for anything, most of all work, so it was unsurprising when she said “I’ve got to go.”
Then she hung up the phone. Lucy could not remember a time when her mother had hung up on her.
She spent the afternoon at the headquarters of Bang, half an hour outside the city.
The CEO had worked at BoConcept for years and had gone off on her own to design durable leather upholstered bed frames that could be ordered in large quantities.
They were expensive, but Lucy loved the look of these beds, and she liked the CEO who walked Lucy through the manufacturing floor.
They had a conference call with Lucy’s team in LA in the early evening.
After conferring with Bryn and Harper, they wrapped the deal by the end of the day.
Lucy was so distracted, doing the part of her job she loved best, that she almost forgot the real reason she’d made this trip. Almost.
As soon as she said her goodbyes and got in a cab back to the city, she checked her email and saw that Bj?rn had not answered.
She sunk into a Hamlet-style angst; he was blowing her off and she had no idea what to do.
She preferred to think her email landed in his spam or that he and his family were away on vacation.
But the most likely possibility was that he had no intention of responding.
How terrible would it be if she showed up at his place of work?
She called Harper as soon as she was back at her hotel.
“Great work today,” Bryn said. Harper and Bryn were together because of course they were. “What time do you get back to Dallas?”
“Actually,” Lucy said, “I was thinking I might stay here another day or two.” She scrambled for a justification to prolong her stay.
“The hotel I’m in has these gorgeous milk-painted shutters that would be so perfect for Laurel.
” As she was talking, she took a picture of them and emailed it.
“I was thinking, since I’m here anyway, I could pay a visit to the manufacturer. ”
“I thought we’d already settled on shades,” Harper said.
“I see the image,” said Bryn. “Are these decorative or functional?”
Lucy opened and closed the shutters in her room to find that they indeed blocked most of the light. “Both,” she said. “They would add a nice detail, don’t you think? And they would solve a problem for the buildings that can’t accommodate shade brackets above the window frames.”
“All right,” said Harper, sounding skeptical, “but keep in touch with us.”
After they hung up, Lucy texted Jack just to make sure the day had gone well. He sent emojis: a smiley face and a slice of pizza.
She got out of her work clothes, put on jeans and sneakers, and went down to the lobby to get a restaurant recommendation.
The desk clerk suggested a place and then handed her a FedEx envelope that had arrived all the way from Dallas.
She stared at it a moment before putting it in her purse.
She texted Greta: Just want to say thank you—FedEx arrived.
I will Venmo you. Sorry the hotel isn’t to your liking.
She wandered along the crowded canal, admiring the brightly painted buildings until she found the bistro the hotel recommended.
She sat at the bar and ordered salmon and asparagus with a glass of wine.
It was so rare for her to spend time by herself, and she appreciated the chance to be alone.
In spite of the stress, this was a much-needed break from the constant responsibility of her kids.
But as she paid her bill, she saw the envelope tucked in her purse and couldn’t help but think how much better she would feel if Mason were with her.
It was still light out when she stepped out of the restaurant into the cool night air. Her phone pinged, and she stopped short when she saw Bj?rn’s name in her inbox.
Dear Lucy,
What a nice surprise. It would be wonderful to see you after so many years. Can you meet for dinner at H?st, tomorrow night at 7:30?
Fondly,
Bj?rn
The email was polite and warm, which was heartening.
But Lucy could not begin to imagine what his reaction would be to the news that he’d fathered a child eighteen years ago.
Would he be angry? Cold? Would he demand a paternity test?
Would he think she wanted something from him?
And how would Astrid take the news when he went home and told her? Would they both despise her?
But this wasn’t about her anyway. This was about Jack. And for his sake, she would find a way to be levelheaded and diplomatic, to calm whatever conflict arose and to clear the path for her son to meet the man who had banished her from his life.