Chapter 24
The gusting wind and the thrum of the engine made it difficult to hold a conversation during most of the trip, but they exchanged smiles and nods when possible, and in more sheltered passages he pointed out the sights to her.
Ella took pictures of Leif, framing his strong face against the coastline as he steered Rán into Ris?r Harbor, and others of the rocky landscape, with nautical cottages surrounded by abundant heather.
She trained her camera’s lens on Leif’s large artist hands as they rested on the helm.
She now understood why he didn’t tell her everything right away.
Had she been in his place, she probably would’ve made the same decision.
She marveled at what twelve hours, sobriety, and fresh air could do for one’s perspective.
Leif cut the engine and guided Rán into a slip at the Ris?r dock on the mainland.
Dozens of wooden sailboats dotted the U-shaped wharf.
Ella knelt on a cushion and snapped photos of the century-old storefronts made of white clapboard and carved wood trim.
Geraniums brightened their window boxes.
There was an outdoor fruit and flower market, and shoppers drank beer and smoked cigarettes at sidewalk cafés.
Beyond the wharf, white-painted stores edged the two-lane street; a scattering of homes and a white wooden church dotted the treed hills.
“Is there a church near Lyng?r?” Ella asked. Maybe Hilda went to Sunday services when she summered there. “Also, do you think it’s legal to spread her ashes in the water?”
“Yeah, Dypv?g Church. I’m not certain about the ashes, but I’ll gladly take you to Dypv?g whenever you like.” Leif removed his sailing jacket before gesturing at the shops. “It won’t take me long to buy the part I need.”
“What’s the part for?” Ella put away her camera.
“Ragnar’s water pump is broken, but it’s an easy fix.”
“Doesn’t sound easy to me, Mr. Fix-It.” She smiled at him.
“Well, it’s freeing to be self-sufficient. It’s important to me,” Leif commented in a serious tone.
“You know that’s how I learned to sew? When I was a kid, my mormor used to bring home the ugliest clothes, and I felt like I needed to alter them just to be able to wear them.
It drove Mormor nuts that I was shortening hemlines and adding lace or patches!
But I became quite good at sewing, and that was the start of my designs, and my store. ”
“That shows initiative. I respect it,” Leif said with a smile as they went ashore.
· · ·
Ella and Leif stepped from the Ris?r hardware store onto the cobblestone footway.
She tucked the water valve that Leif needed into her purse as she watched two men unloading bolts of fabric from a van parked at the curb.
She was mesmerized by the gorgeous azure-and-apricot velvet and the burgundy corduroy.
She imagined combining those fabrics to make beautiful, colorful patchwork pants.
She touched Leif’s arm. “Wait. Where are they going?”
Leif followed her gaze. “Um, Nina’s Sewing and Knitting. It’s two doors down—the shop with the flowerpot holding the door open.”
“Let’s go there. Do we have time?”
“Sure. And Nina is a real character. The two of you should get along very well. She opened the store when I was small, and a while back she altered my father’s old smoking jacket for me. He was slightly taller than me.”
With Leif on her heels, Ella followed the delivery men into the store. She hadn’t seen anything like it since coming to Norway.
The well-lit space smelled of lavender and lime.
Mannequins stood on shiny walnut floors, wearing colorful, handknit sweater dresses in Nordic patterns: snowflakes, reindeer, and Viking runes.
Abstract oil paintings in vibrant hues hung on pastel-orange walls.
Ella could’ve been standing in the middle of a dream of her own shop. She loved it.
“This place is so cozy and has great energy. I hope Little Bird will feel just like this.”
Leif had a sparkle in his eye as he looked at Ella. “You fit perfectly in this place. I had a feeling you’d love this store.”
Leif called out, “Afternoon, Nina!”
“Be with you in a jiff!” a woman said from behind a panel of gold velvet drapes.
Ella led him to a table filled with baskets of knitting needles and yarn, and soft angora berets and scarves.
She grabbed a blue scarf and reached up to tie it around his neck.
He put his hand on the side of her face and moved in closer, his lips brushing hers.
It was slow and sweet, and seemed to say, I care about you, be with me.
It made her dizzy. She couldn’t imagine growing tired of being around him.
No one had ever made her feel the way Leif did—like she’d swallowed a hundred sunrises, like somehow the two of them fit together perfectly, like a lock and key.
She thought that maybe she was falling in love for the first time.
“Haven’t seen you in years, Leif! You good?” Nina called out as she pushed through the curtain. It was amazing that she didn’t topple over from the weight of her tremendous turquoise necklace and her silver-streaked beehive hairdo.
“All is well,” Leif confirmed, and he gave Nina’s hand a quick squeeze. “This is Ella.”
“Nice to meet you.” Ella grinned and shook Nina’s hand.
“Likewise.” Nina’s lips curled up at the edges as if she were genuinely pleased. “Where are you from?”
“The United States—Colorado. I’m staying in Lyng?r right now, a place called Ringpynten. Have you heard of it?” Ella was hopeful.
“Ringpynten? Nope, never heard of it.” She circled Ella and reached out her hand like she might run her fingers right over her body, but she patted her own beehive hairdo instead.
“The needlework on your wrap coat is extraordinary. Those finches! And the scarlet gilia flowers stitched onto these coat sleeves! Oh! Who’s the designer? ”
“It’s my own design.” Ella’s face flushed with pride. She unzipped her coat, showcasing the lace hem flowing around her ankles, then took it off and held it out to Nina. “Try it on if you like.”
“Your own design?” Leif arched his brow in surprise. “I’m impressed.”
Ella’s heart did a little flip.
“You’re an extremely talented young lady,” Nina said. She moved to the mirror and pushed her arms through the sleeves. Turning her body, she viewed the wrap from all sides.
“I finished the embroidery this week. It was inspired by my mom’s old sketches. Maybe you’ve heard of her? Her name was Sara Nilsen; she was born in Oslo but summered in Lyng?r.”
“No, I haven’t heard of her, but that’s very meaningful that your mother inspires your work,” Nina said with approval.
“There’s something very special about your stitchwork.
It’s playful. I feel happy when I look at it.
The details are phenomenal, and the color combo is delightful.
It’s been so long since I’ve been this excited about a design that I think I’m shaking.
” She grinned as she removed the wrap, but she held on to it instead of handing it back.
“Is it for sale? I’ll pay you fourteen thousand kroner for it. ”
Fourteen thousand kroner? Ella was too shocked to speak. That was around sixteen hundred US dollars—twice the amount that she’d charge for a similar coat at her shop in Boulder. Incredible, if she could get that much money for one of her wraps!
Leif let out a soft whistle. “What a great opportunity! You could break into the Norwegian market and sell your designs here. You should do it!”
“I know what I like when I see it, and I don’t hesitate,” Nina said firmly.
“If you sell it to me, I’ll display the coat on the window mannequin to show off the vivid needlework.
I think it might even increase sales on my embroidery floss and silk threads.
” Her certainty and enthusiasm were exhilarating.
“It’s a deal.” Ella smiled, nearly shivering with excitement, just as Nina had said.
“Ella, this is fantastic!” Leif threw his arm around her.
Nina folded the wrap over her arm and asked, “Do you have more like this? I’d love to buy two more from you and send them to my sister.
She owns two boutiques in Oslo, and when anyone is interested in buying something unique or glamorous or both, they buy from her.
If the wraps sell, she’ll probably order more. ”
“High-end designer coats at a posh Oslo boutique—wow!” Leif hugged Ella. “You could make some good money.”
“Yes, thank you, Nina. This is exciting! I’m all in. I’ll get to work on two other designs.”
“I look forward to seeing what you come up with,” Nina replied. “This could be the start of something. I don’t know what yet, but I have a good feeling.”
Ella knew this was a great opportunity, and a rare one. Selling her coats in Norway might help her business in America. Maybe she could even write off at least one trip a year to Norway. That wouldn’t be so bad. Not bad at all.