December 21
“Evening red and morning gray, a good sign for a fair day,” Alfred said, taking a sip of coffee.
“Huh?” Ingrid asked as she came through the kitchen door. She was tired and had a pounding headache.
“That’s what they say,” the caretaker said. “A gray morning means it’ll be nice later in the day. Right, Maja?”
“That’s right,” the chef said, glancing out the kitchen window. “It’s going to be sunny later today, and it’s started getting
warmer. That’s the kakelinne for you.”
“The what now?” Sunny asked.
“The kakelinne,” Maja replied. “When it gets warmer in December and you can get more baking done.”
“As long as it doesn’t get too warm,” Sunny said as she was loading the dishwasher. “We can’t have slush when we’re picking up the Christmas tree with a
horse and sleigh! It has to be really Insta-friendly.”
“Really what?” Alfred asked.
“Nothing. Nice pictures,” Sunny replied. She’d given up on involving the caretaker in conversations about the hotel’s social
media strategy, not to mention future-oriented topics in general. But she did trust him to pick out a nice Christmas tree.
“Can’t do much about the warm weather,” Maja said. “It comes every year during the Christmas baking.”
“And it’s Saint Thomas’s day today,” Alfred grumbled. “It’ll be good to take a sip of that Christmas beer.”
“As if you haven’t tasted it already,” Maja said with a scoff.
Alfred muttered something in response that they couldn’t make out.
“Hi! You guys aren’t grumpy, are you?” Hussein said. He was just coming into the kitchen. “If someone is grumpy, all they
have to do is eat some gingerbread dough, and they’ll feel much better.”
He opened the refrigerator door with his bandaged hand and reached the other toward a bowl covered in plastic wrap.
“No, Hussein!” Maja said sternly. “You can’t eat any more dough! We’re baking it later today, and then you can decorate the
gingerbread house with the other kids once we’ve put it together.”
“Hussein, you know what David says?” Sunny asked when she saw that Hussein was about to protest. “‘Eggs should not fight stones.’
It’s a saying from China, where he’s from.”
“Am I the egg, then?” Hussein countered.
Sunny winked at him.
***
Two families from Oslo arrived before lunch. Ingrid had just checked them in and given them the key cards to the family apartments when Pia, David, and Vegard came down to eat. David had been working in the library all morning, while Pia and Vegard hadn’t made an appearance until now. Ingrid decided to eat with them.
Fresh trout and cucumber salad and a big glass of ice water kicked her headache to the curb, and the sun had come out, just
as Alfred predicted. It shone over trees and mountain peaks in a clear blue sky. It was still a couple of degrees below freezing,
even though the temperature was rising fast, so the snow was dry. That meant great sledding conditions. To add to the atmosphere,
the hotel had borrowed horses and a sleigh to transport the Christmas tree so that the most adventurous guests could ride
the sleigh back. Sunny and the new kitchen assistant would serve mulled wine and gingerbread along the way.
Pia, David, and Vegard were joining the expedition, along with several of the newly arrived guests. There weren’t any spruce
trees up here in the mountains, so they would drive down to Dalen to chop down the beautiful specimen Alfred had found in
the fall, which would have the honor of being this year’s Christmas tree at Glitter Peak. Tomorrow, the guests would help
decorate the tree—another Insta-friendly opportunity, Sunny had noted—and it would be the centerpiece of the dining room this
Christmas.
Just as the minibuses were about to leave, the front door opened, and a voice called out, “Wait for us!” Out came Freya Wilkins,
clad in a wool cape, lace-up boots, and a bearskin hat, speeding across the parking lot. John Wilkins followed her, immaculately
dressed in his navy blue winter coat. Of course , Ingrid thought. A “Daughter of Norway” couldn’t possibly miss out on the felling of the Christmas tree. Perhaps the “picture of my mother” had just been a moment of confusion? Since Freya had clearly improved and now looked more like the robust creature who’d arrived at the hotel, Ingrid might be able to ask about that. But she could do so later.
***
Ingrid heard the sound of sleigh bells and opened the front door just as the sleigh pulled up outside the hotel, the minibus
following close behind. The Christmas tree was just as beautiful as Alfred had promised. With the help of the farmer who owned
the forest, he’d cut it down with great pomp and circumstance—carefully documented by Sunny—while the hotel guests were served
mulled wine and gingerbread and took pictures. Now, it would be stored in the basement to acclimatize before being decorated
tomorrow.
Voices and laughter could be heard inside the dining room, and Ingrid went in to see what was happening. She stood inside
the door and watched Hussein, who’d managed to charm the three teens visiting from Oslo into decorating the gingerbread house
with him. And it wasn’t just any gingerbread house! It was more like a castle, with a tower and spire that were now being
decorated with icing and M the silence was palpable, and her clear voice carried through the room as she sang the first lines of the beautiful, mournful “A Kind of Christmas Card.” She then transitioned straight into a traditional Christmas song that encouraged a sing-along for the chorus.
The applause lasted for a long time when Sunny was finished, and the pleasant atmosphere was amplified by both the singing
and the drinking. Vegard grinned at Ingrid and waved at her from across the room. He looked as though he was taking credit
for the success—had he become Sunny’s manager now, too?
Ingrid picked up the jug of Christmas beer, refilled the glasses, and raised her own to toast Nana Borghild, then Maja, and
then Thor. His blue gaze was intense, and it was hard to tear her eyes away. She felt her face getting warm. Probably red,
too. Dammit .
Her grandmother looked at her with a small smile. What was Nana Borghild thinking?
Ingrid met Thor’s gaze again. It felt so good to just be in the moment. Suddenly, finding out about all those old secrets
didn’t seem so daunting anymore. There were plenty of challenges, that was for sure, but such was life. Right now, it felt
as though everything would be fine as long as they were here together—at least for a little while. Some tense muscles in her
shoulders gently started to loosen. What an atmosphere, with so many good people. Maybe—just maybe—this would go well after
all.
Some of the guests had started making their way out of the bar, and Ingrid followed Borghild and Maja to the foyer while Thor
joined Vegard and the others. When she came back a few minutes later, the three men were engaged in lively conversation.
Ingrid sat down at the empty chair at the men’s table. “Hi, guys. This went so well! But where did Pia get off to?”
“She went up to her room,” Vegard said. “She’s tired, but everything’s fine.”
“That’s good. Do you want to keep going with the Christmas beer?”
They were more than happy to do that. Ingrid made sure they had a new jug at the table, and she herself had a glass of ice
water. The atmosphere was nice and relaxed, and the conversation flowed easily.
“Thor, you have to show Ingrid the pictures,” David said. He turned to Ingrid. “We’ve had time to talk about both sheep and
photography while you were busy.”
“Yes, it turns out they have that interest in common,” Vegard said. “Photography, I mean. Not sheep.”
Thor leaned toward his backpack on the floor and pulled out a folder. “I brought something I wanted to show you.” He pushed
a couple of glasses aside and placed the folder in front of her. She opened it and flipped through the pictures he’d selected.
“Wow! These are really good,” she exclaimed.
And she meant it. Sheep, mountains, old buildings, cars—the motifs from the village were familiar, but Thor had a keen eye
for capturing the beauty in everyday situations.
“Ingrid, you should consider offering photography courses or workshops for the guests here during the summer,” David suggested.
Ingrid nodded. “Yeah, that’s a good idea.”
“It’s a great idea!” Vegard emphasized.
Ingrid smiled and sank back in her chair.
It was rare to spend time with these three friends all together. She just hoped that Vegard wouldn’t make any embarrassing
hints about her and Thor. Or—even worse—about Preben. How things would be between them in the future was something they had
to figure out on their own.
***
“Ingrid?” Maja’s hand on her shoulder pulled Ingrid out of her thoughts. She would have loved to sit here with the guys all
evening, but now the chef needed to discuss something with her.
Ingrid could smell the delicious aromas even before the kitchen door was open. The staff had dinner preparations well underway.
Tonight, they would be serving a big, traditional Christmas buffet: ribs with both red cabbage and sauerkraut, Christmas sausage
and medisterkaker. Pinnekj?tt and mashed turnips, lutefisk with bacon, and almond potatoes. Rice pudding and red sauce. Kransekake.
They were willing to do Christmas Eve a bit early so that the visitors could taste as much of the traditional food as possible.
To satisfy guests who had what Maja called, with a snort, “newfangled food preferences,” they also had nut roast and a number
of different vegetables and salads.
Ingrid stopped Sunny on her way to the dishwasher, her hands full of plates.
“Sunny, thank you for a fantastic performance! What a nice surprise.”
Sunny beamed. “Thanks!” She set down a tray of glasses and pulled her phone out of her pocket. “Look! Pia P shared this on
Instagram. Have you ever seen so many likes and comments?!”
“That’s amazing!” Ingrid said.
“I can’t believe it, really,” Sunny said. “So many people have seen me. And the hotel, too!” she added quickly. “I know it’s
Pia and not me they’re following, but still.”
“Yeah, that’s how it works, you know,” Ingrid said. “We have to be on the same team as the right people. And I’m happy I have
you to help me with that.”
***
When the staff gathered around the long table in the kitchen after dinner was over, the consensus was that this very important
evening had surpassed all expectations.
“All of the guests seem really happy tonight, too,” Nana Borghild said. “I guess the party will continue for some, but I’m
going to head off to bed myself.”
She smiled. “Good night, dear Ingrid,” she said. “Now you should go and find your friends. Especially one of them.”
***
Party in the suite , said the text from Vegard. We’re waiting for you!
Okay, she could treat herself to a glass or two with the others. She could rest another time. Well, if the hotel went bankrupt, she could
rest all the time. Be right there , she replied.
She took a quick glance at herself in the mirror, changed her shirt, put on some lip gloss, and headed for the Peer Gynt Suite.
She hadn’t gone far when she stopped abruptly, ran down two floors to the wine cabinet by the bar, pulled out a bottle of
champagne, and took a tray with five glasses with her. She grabbed a bottle of Borghild’s raspberry soda for Pia as well before
continuing as steadily as she could up the stairs, stopping outside the door to the suite.
She heard music coming from inside before she knocked, and it grew louder when Vegard opened the door with a big smile. She
didn’t recognize the song, but then again, she wasn’t particularly up-to-date when it came to the latest music.
“Hi, Ingrid!” Vegard called out, hugging her as if it hadn’t been less than an hour since they’d last seen each other.
“Hi, Vegard! Why don’t you help me with this tray before I drop it, you goof,” she laughed, struggling to keep her balance.
“Ooh, champagne!” Vegard shouted in response.
He took the tray and placed it on the low coffee table by the sofa. Thor had stood up halfway when he spotted the potential
crisis with the champagne, but then he sat back down next to David, who greeted Ingrid with a warm smile.
Pia was sitting in an armchair, dressed in another gorgeous wool dress with her long legs in a pair of high-heeled shoes.
How was it possible to look so elegant when she was so pregnant? She was probably tired, too. She’s really making an effort , Ingrid thought.
Ingrid sat down in the last available chair at the coffee table. She filled a glass with raspberry soda and handed it to Pia.
Then she opened the champagne.
“Lovely!” Vegard sighed happily, grabbing the first glass as soon as Ingrid had filled it. He tilted his head back, and his
glass was already empty before Ingrid had even had time to fill glasses for Thor, David, and herself. He held the glass up
for a refill and called out, “Cheers to Glitter Peak!”
“Cheers!” the others echoed. Ingrid inhaled the aroma from her own glass; it was reminiscent of coffee and toast. The taste
was fresh and fruity. Yes, Vegard was right—this was lovely. And Glitter Peak was worth toasting. Maybe she should run down and get another bottle right away.
It was almost one in the morning when Pia got up from the chair and had to support herself on the backrest. “Whoa, I think
I stood up a little too quickly,” she said. “I almost blacked out.”
“Be careful,” Ingrid said. “We don’t want any more people fainting around here. Come on, I’ll take you back to your room.” She put an arm around Pia, who leaned her head against her shoulder.
“I’ll come with you,” Thor said. “It’s getting pretty late anyway.”
Ingrid looked at the empty bottles and collection of glasses and snack bowls on the coffee table. “Maybe I should just clean
this up first.”
“Nope, you’re not working right now,” David protested. He was sitting on the sofa with Vegard’s head resting in his lap. “We’ll
clean up in the morning!”
“Nighty-night!” Vegard said with a wink, waving goodbye.
“It’s later than I thought. I really should have been in bed a long time ago,” Ingrid said once Pia had been safely escorted
to her room and she and Thor were walking through the corridors. “But we were having such a nice time.”
“Yeah, it was really nice,” Thor said. “Everyone feels extra at home here when they learn more about the inner life at the
hotel. We almost laughed ourselves to death when you told us about Aunt Maja and Speedy. And the dry rot that was really Cheetos!”
Ingrid laughed. There was a lot to laugh about when it came to the dramatic episodes that had happened here recently and the strong personalities that
surrounded them at the hotel. But she hadn’t talked about everything .
They arrived at her apartment, and she unlocked the door and stood in the doorway for a moment.
“Good night, Ingrid,” Thor said.
She summoned her courage. “You don’t want to come in for a sec, do you?”
“So you’re not so tired after all?”
She laughed again. “No, I’m pretty tired. Dead tired, really. But like you said, we have some things we need to talk about.”
Once they were inside, she filled a couple of glasses with water and put them on the table before plopping down on the sofa.
Thor sat down next to her. Now they finally had the chance to talk. But instead of saying something wise and mature, to her
own surprise—and Thor’s—she started crying.
Thor grabbed her hand. “Ingrid, what’s the matter? Don’t be upset! Did I say something? Do something?”
Thor really was so sweet, with his blue eyes and caring smile.
“No, it’s nothing you’ve said or done,” she said, sniffling. “I’m just so... tired ! And confused because of this thing with you. And Preben. And there’s so much going on here, and the electrical systems are
bad, and Nana Borghild won’t really explain what the Muskox wants, and certainly not why she has a picture of Freya Wilkins’s
mother on her wall.”
Thor fell silent. For a long time.
“Wow,” he said. “I’m a little lost. But I guess there’s even more to talk about than I thought. Have some water, Ingrid.”
***
It was such a relief to tell him everything. They kicked off their shoes and sat cross-legged on the sofa with their backs
against the armrests. Thor got more water and listened.
Some things he already knew, other things were new to him. She felt her head clear the more she spoke.
“There’s no way around having a proper talk with both Borghild and Freya Wilkins,” Thor said. “I can come with you if you want. Maybe we can make more sense of things if we work together?”
He moved closer to her, lifted her outstretched legs so they rested across his lap, and took her hand.
“Ingrid,” he said. “I wonder... Okay, I’m just going to ask you straight out. Is there still something going on between
you and Preben Wexelsen?”
She shook her head. “No,” she replied.
“Not that it’s any of my business,” he said. “Or, I guess in a way it is. In any case, it’s important for me to know where
things stand.” He blushed. “Because... I have feelings for you, Ingrid. I guess I really like you, plain and simple.” He
squeezed her hand. “I’ve felt this way ever since you came back to Glitter Peak. I hoped there could be something between
us. And after what happened here in your apartment... But then I found you and Preben hand in hand in the library, and
I felt so stupid. I mean, how could I have thought someone like you would like someone like me? When you could have someone
like him .”
“There’s nothing between me and Preben anymore,” she assured Thor.
He looked at her. “Are you sure about that?”
She paused. After what happened in the Himalayas, she’d been positive that her relationship with Preben was over forever.
But now that he was back in her life, was she still as certain?
She thought about their last encounter. His suggestions about the foundation and the new collaboration. The fresh start it
might mean. His intense gaze, his enthusiasm. The agreement to talk again soon.
But yes, she thought. She was, in fact, quite certain.
“It’s over,” she said. “Done. A relationship with a man like Preben is like binary code; the answer can only be one or zero. It’s all or nothing. And now it’s nothing. Zero. On the romantic front, that is. But I do think we could be friends. Collaborators. That’s why he was here, actually.” She quickly summarized the project Preben had proposed.
Thor was still holding her hand as he took in what she was saying. “It’s good if you can work together,” he said. “If you
can make something meaningful out of what happened. But I have to admit, I’m happy to hear you say it’s over. Because I think
about you all the time, Ingrid. And especially since... we kissed.”
“I’ve been thinking about you a lot, too,” Ingrid said. “It was really nice. But I wasn’t sure what it meant. I wondered if
it was just a... whim. I wondered if I’d ruined our friendship. Because I guess I never really believed what Vegard said
about you having a crush on me.”
Thor looked horrified. “Did he say that? Is it really that obvious?”
She laughed. “Yeah, I guess so. At least, Vegard has been insisting on it for a long time. But he’s always teasing me, you
know.”
“And what about you, did you know?”
“No, I don’t think you’ve done much to show it,” she said with a smile. “Before now, I mean. It’s always been so easy to talk
to you, so nice to be with you. I would have liked to spend more time with you. But I’ve never felt like you wanted there
to be something more between us.”
She thought for a moment. Then she went on, “I guess I’ve been pretty preoccupied with everything around here lately. I’ve been letting everything revolve around my own problems—work and loss and heartbreak. But I could have asked you about the same things. How you are really doing. Whether you find it lonely on the farm. Whether you miss having someone to share life with. But it always
felt like it was too big to bring up. Too personal. It’s been easier to talk about... practical things.”
Thor squeezed her hand. Again, she thought about how big and strong his hands were.
“I want to talk to you about everything, Ingrid.”
“I realize that now. But I guess Vegard was right. I haven’t been seeing things clearly because I put you in the friend zone.”
“The friend zone.” He smiled wryly before growing serious again. “So is that what I am to you? Just a friend?”
“No, Thor.” She looked him straight in the eye. “You’re more than just a friend. Much more.”
And then he kissed her, holding one hand against the back of her head and pressing the other against the small of her back.
He was so warm, his lips were warm, his breath was warm, she didn’t want him to stop. A dam burst, and she kissed him back,
sliding her hands under his shirt, feeling his warm skin. She wanted him! For the first time in what seemed like an infinitely
long time, she wanted a man.
“Ingrid,” he murmured as she continued to kiss him, stroking her hands over his back, down to the waistband of his pants.
He was glowing, she was in his glow, she was somewhere else.
They lay on the couch afterward. Their clothes were strewn across the floor, and she stroked his hair absentmindedly as the
aftermath of what she’d just experienced rippled through her. It had been a long time since she’d felt so good.
It took a while before she started getting cold.
“Come on,” Thor said.
He lifted her up from the couch and carried her into the bedroom.
Her mind was racing, but she felt so relaxed with his arms around her. It was a feeling of finally being home .
Snow was falling gently outside the window. Early tomorrow morning, Thor would go back down to the village and resume his
life as a sheep farmer, but tonight, he would be here. She fell asleep with his warm body close to hers, a single duvet spread
over them both.