Chapter 16
Ella heard Leif knock on her door, and she looked at Hilda’s urn. “OK, Mormor, I’m off to dinner with the cute boatbuilder. We might even make out, how about that?” She laughed as she imagined Mormor’s shocked expression, knowing that her advice would have been for Ella to keep her legs crossed.
In the foyer she smoothed her ruby-red dress and fiddled with the rhinestone clips that held her hair in a braided updo.
All afternoon she’d thought about Leif. She’d been so excited she changed her outfit a dozen times and painted her nails red to match her bra and underwear—not that she expected them to sleep together.
Mormor had always said to wear good underwear just in case .
. . even though Ella knew she was referring to getting into an accident, she decided to take what she could from this advice.
And if she and Leif did make out—it wouldn’t be by accident.
She opened the door and grinned at him. “Hey.”
“Afternoon.” He removed his sunglasses. “Wow! You look nice.”
“Thank you! You look nice too.” He’d shaved, and his full lips looked soft and kissable.
He flashed her a wickedly sexy smile and a look that said he could somehow read her thoughts.
Turning away quickly, she lifted her life vest from the coat hook, shut the door behind her, and stopped near the pink fairy roses that grew against the stone wall.
“Wait,” she said. “I have a question.” She touched Leif’s arm and felt that same spark of heat that hovered between them always.
“Ask away.”
She pointed at an outcropping of rocks wedged between the lawn and the dock. A large, thick iron ring the size of a Frisbee was drilled into the stone there. “I noticed that ring the other day, but I forgot to ask. What’s it for?”
“Oh, it’s from the eighteenth century. The king of Norway sanctioned several rings exactly like yours to mark mooring points in Lyng?r. Sea captains and merchants had to pay to use them, but they preferred your ring over the others.”
“And what was so special about mine?”
“Ships won’t run aground if they tie up here.
” He gestured at the bank. “See how the rock disappears vertically into the water? It’s very deep—no reefs.
Plus, your property is sheltered from the northerly winds.
Word traveled that your ring was the safest one to use.
The local folk call your property Ringpynten—Ring Point—because of that ring. ”
“Finally, I learn some information about my property! That makes me so happy. It’s the fifth-best thing I’ve found since coming to Lyng?r.”
“OK, I’ll bite. What are the first four?”
“In no particular order: One, the painting of me and my mom. Two, my mom’s sewing machine. Three, her sketchbook—”
“I should’ve asked before I thumbed through the book. That was wrong of me.”
“It’s OK, I forgive you.” She smiled at him, and she really meant it.
“Four, the photograph with the drawing of my mom, the one you saw the other day. Those are the only hints I have about her. That’s why I didn’t want you to touch the photo or the sketchbook.
” She dug into her purse for the picture. “Would you mind taking another look?”
“Sure.” He reached for the photo.
“I think the woman’s shoes belong to my mother. Maybe the blanket too. I wish I could track down the man who called her sweetheart. I sort of wonder if he could be my dad? That’s not what my grandma told me, so I don’t really know.”
Leif scanned the photograph before flipping it over and studying the sketch of Sara, as well as the inscription. He shook his head. “Good luck. This guy could be from anywhere.”
“I know the odds are against me. But it’s important to me to try to learn something about her, or about my family.
I’ve knocked on some doors in Lyng?r but generally no one’s at home, or they don’t seem to know my family.
Maybe I’m getting paranoid, but sometimes I feel like everyone I’ve met is hiding something.
” She shook her head in frustration and disappointment. “But I want to keep trying.”
“I’ll do what I can to help. I suppose he could be from Lyng?r.”
On an impulse, she leaned into him, slid her arms around his waist, and gave him a tight squeeze. She smiled so wide a gnat flew into her mouth, causing her to cough and splutter. Leif patted her back.
“Appetizer,” she croaked, spluttering some more.
She dabbed her eyes, careful not to ruin her makeup.
“Your offer to help just made the list. It’s the sixth-best thing that’s happened to me since I came here.
” She wondered if maybe she and Leif were destined to cross paths.
He’d rescued her at G?sholmen. Plus he could pave the way for her to speak with Erik and other locals from that generation.
With Leif in her camp, she had a real chance of learning about her family and finding out what happened to Sara.
“I’m glad to help. That way we can spend more time together, Sunna.”
“Sunna?” Ella tilted her head at him in question.
“She’s the Norse goddess of the sun: bright, smart, and beautiful, like you.” His ears went pink as he noticed the glow on her face after he said it.
Neither of them moved as they gazed at each other.
Ella felt the spark flare between them again, and she imagined kissing him passionately.
His gaze flicked to her breasts, and she saw some of the same heat flash across his face.
A moment passed before Leif motioned to the steps leading to the dock.
“After you,” he said.
She paused to steady the weakness in her knees. They crossed the dock to Leif’s boat, a wooden double-ender.
“Is this yours? It’s nice, but it’s not what you usually drive.” She smiled at him.
“Rán is at home. This is Skadi.”
“I like those names. Rán sounds fast; Skadi sounds like an exotic bird.”
“In Norse mythology, Rán is the goddess of storms and the drowned. Skadi is the goddess who married Njord, the god of sailors and the sea. I built them, and I christened them.”
“Well, it’s smart to have a couple of goddesses on your side!
” Ella gave him a wry grin, and they laughed together.
“You really built them? This one has incredibly fine details. So intricate.” She swept her fingers over the braided vines carved on the boat railing.
Two dragons with glaring eyes, gaping jaws, and long, ribbonlike tongues were entwined in a spray of foliage.
“It’s what I love to do.”
“You’re such a talented artist. Who taught you how to carve?”
“Thank you.” He stood straighter and pushed back his shoulders. “I taught myself. But Erik whittles too, so he encouraged me. By the time I was nine years old, I was carving boats.”
“Your work is so meaningful and . . . I don’t know, it’s speaking to me in a way I’ve never thought too much about .
. . my Norwegian heritage feels closer to me, somehow.
” She touched the Viking rune, shaped like a musical note, carved into Leif’s boat railing.
“It’s inspiring—I’m imagining this on a line of dresses. ”
“You’d put that on clothes?”
“Definitely. Would that be OK with you?”
“My designs on your clothing?” He laughed and shook his head like he couldn’t quite believe it but was delighted all the same.
“Right now it’s just an idea, but if I decided to go for it, how about I mail you my sketches and if you approve, we could talk on the phone? I would pay you for the privilege of using your art, of course. What do you think?”
“Sure, it’s a deal.” He grinned and shook her hand. As their skin touched, Ella reflected that her attraction to him was more than just physical; she liked him and wanted to spend time in his company.
They boarded and she cinched the straps on her life preserver. “Where do you want me to sit?”
He pointed at the rear of the boat. “At the tiller—see that wood handle at the stern? Over there. I’ll join you in a second.”
The boat swayed on the waves as she staggered to the tiller and plopped down on the stern bench. As she gulped the briny air, she slid a cracker from her pocket and chewed on it to try to settle her stomach.
Leif joined her and gestured at her life vest. “Water makes you that uncomfortable?”
“I don’t swim. You don’t ever wear one?”
“Nah, I always wear blue, and that protects me. Your ancestors were seafarers, though—no one taught you about boats?”
“Growing up, it was just my grandma and me. She hated the water and never wanted me to go near it. She passed that phobia on to me.”
“That must’ve been tough for you. I can’t imagine,” Leif said, kindly. “I saw the urn. You’ll leave her here when you go?”
Ella nodded. “If I knew where my mom was buried, I could put Mormor there too.”
“I’m sorry you lost your mum. That must have been hard on you.” He scratched at something on his pants. “I also lost my mum. She died when I was a toddler.”
Before she could reply, he held up a hand and shook his head, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.
“No—no need to say anything. This is pretty heavy, but what I really want is for us to have a nice night together, some good food, and get to know each other better.” He stood to throw off a line and changed the subject.
“Hey, I read Colorado has rodeos and real cowboys. Is that true?”
“Yep, we have plenty of those. Cowboys are great.” She couldn’t help laughing at his enthusiasm. She rocked her torso, like she was riding a horse, tipped an imaginary hat, and put on her best cowboy voice: “Howdy, partner!” He let out a bark of laughter and started the engine.
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