Chapter 25 #2
He suggested a walk on the beach, since it was such a beautiful evening.
As they strolled, she almost told him how much she liked him, how she wanted to spend every second with him, but she held back.
She’d told herself that he was only supposed to be a sexy summer fling, yet she had gone and fallen for him and didn’t know if she could stop herself from tumbling further.
At one point he shyly removed a small block of wood from his pocket and presented it to her.
Ella moved her fingers over the outlines of a beak and wings. “It’s adorable. A little bird!”
“Yes, it’ll be a finch for you when I’m finished.”
“It’s so cute. I love it.”
His ears reddened a little. He’d brought towels to sit on and spread them over the pebbles on the ground. Beneath the clear early-evening sky, Ella sat down next to Leif and scooted close enough to feel the heat of his body.
“You know, I wish I’d asked Nina more questions about the coats. I want to show her the sketchbook and get her thoughts on some of my other designs,” she said.
He tossed a pebble into the water, then wrapped his hand over hers and said, “Well, we can fit in another trip to Ris?r before you go back. It’s another chance to be with you. How about Saturday—we can grab lunch on the wharf before we meet Nina, and make a day of it.”
“I’d like that.” This would mean extending her stay by a couple of days, but she told herself that she’d simply work around the clock after she returned home.
For now, she slid onto his lap, kissed him, and buried her face in his neck.
Their hearts beat fast for each other, saying everything without having to say anything at all.
“Do you believe in fate?” she whispered as she slid his necklace from his shirt and touched the aquamarine talisman that was identical to her own.
“I don’t know . . . but I believe in us.
And I like to think our pendants are a sign.
I’ve been thinking, Ella—why don’t you come back here this winter?
I’ll take you skiing in the mountains, and you could talk business with Nina, and probably sell your other designs here too.
” As he traced his thumb over her palm, tingles spread through her.
“That would be wonderful. But the truth is, I need to get Little Bird up and running and make it a success before I can take another vacation.” Her internal seesaw had shifted again.
Norway was growing on her, especially with Leif at her side, but thinking about a future here was a fantasy.
The smartest thing she could do was live in the moment and appreciate this amazing time in Norway, with Leif.
“You’re smart and talented. I have a feeling you’ll do just fine with your company. OK, follow me. I’ve got something to show you.” He grasped her hand and gestured toward the water.
“Oh, no—you’re crazy. Isn’t it cold?” Her high fake laugh did not mask her fear.
“It’s the great North Sea that made the Vikings.”
“What?”
“It’s an old Norwegian proverb. Are you in?”
She had to be out of her mind to consider dipping even her toes in that cold surf. But she trusted Leif. And she recognized this moment as a chance to push past her fear of the water by actually swimming in the sea. She made up her mind.
“I didn’t bring a bathing suit,” she explained as she pulled her embroidered tunic over her head and threw it onto the towel. Turning her back to him, she removed her bra from underneath her tank top and set it on her tunic.
“Damn,” he said appreciatively. The way his eyes moved over her body sent her heart hammering.
He yanked off his shirt, uncovering a lean body sculpted with muscle.
She pictured his hands skimming her body, their hips pressed together, and it pulled her thoughts to the bed they would share tonight.
A current of lust spread through her. She turned away abruptly to hide her flushed cheeks and then grabbed her trusty life vest.
“You don’t need the vest. The water is shallow.” He smiled reassuringly.
Still she hesitated, clamping her toes against the smooth pebbles. She looked at the water stretching out before her, where several red-throated loons floated on the surface. They made swimming seem effortless. She tossed the life vest back on the towel.
“I’m just curious, but why don’t you like the water?” he asked, threading his fingers through hers.
“Ever since I can remember, my grandma lectured me about the dangers of water. I let that get into my head.” She told him about the time she jumped off the diving board at the community center and thought she would drown. “It reinforced Mormor’s warnings about the water.”
Leif gave her a hug. “That must have been horrible. We don’t have to do this, you know.”
“No, it’s OK. I want to try to swim.” They walked to the shoreline.
Chilly salt water sloshed over her feet and she inhaled sharply.
She remembered something her art teacher often recited, a quote by Auguste Rodin, and it felt right for this moment: “The main thing is to be moved, to love, to hope, to tremble, to live.”
Leif kept a firm hold on her hand and led her farther into the water until it met her knees. She glanced over her shoulder at the security of the shore and paused.
“You’ve got this,” he said, his hand resting on the small of her back.
“Yes, I think I do.” She grinned at him. But as the water rose to her thighs and the sea tugged at her, she flung her arms around his neck. “Hey, Boy Blue, didn’t you say it was shallow?”
“We can stop here,” he said. “But try to float for me.”
Float? She was sure she looked as scared as she felt.
“Hey, it’s OK—if you start to sink, I promise to grab you.”
“I just need a moment.” She counted to five slowly and focused on her breathing.
“Take all the time you need. I’ll just be staring at your breasts until you’re ready, how’s that?”
She laughed.
“See? Laughter is good for your health,” he said lightly. He gently scooped her up from underneath. For a moment, his touch calmed her, until the cold water lapped over her skin and carried her back to reality, and she stiffened again.
“You can do this . . . relax back slowly into the water, and let your head and shoulders recline like you’re lying flat on the sofa .
. . that’s it. Now, if you make small movements with your hands—that’s right—that will allow you to stay afloat and helps keep your mouth and nose out of the water, and to breathe naturally.
” He cradled her, supporting her with his arms and comforting her with his words and presence until her body gave way, trusting him.
“You’re doing great. Now, relax and clear your mind. Just keep your chin up. Breathe. I’m going to release you slowly. Ready?” His advice echoed what she heard every week from her yoga teacher: Relax, clear the mind, focus on your breathing.
“Yes. Ready.”
He let her go slowly.
She concentrated on the blue sky with a single cloud shaped like Cupid. She floated. The water was freezing, and she couldn’t feel her toes, but it didn’t matter, she was floating.
“Fantastic! You’re doing it! How does it feel?” he asked, beaming at her.
“Freeing and divine . . . this must be what zero gravity feels like.”
“You’re funny and I’m so glad you are.” He splashed her a little and laughed.
She gasped, cleared the water from her eyes, and lowered her legs until her toes grazed the smooth rocks on the seafloor. She grinned because it wasn’t that deep, nothing to be afraid of, and she splashed him back.
Elated, she announced, “I’m going to dunk my whole head in!
” She held her nose and took a breath, then gripped his hand.
They dove under the water and kicked their feet while continuing to hold hands as they lay suspended below layers of aquamarine.
Together they rose through the blue and broke the surface.
As they waded to shore, she raised her eyes to the sun.
She’d just floated in the North Sea—something she wouldn’t have dared to do when she first arrived in Lyng?r.
“Now I’m officially a Viking!” She laughed and kissed him on the lips.
· · ·
Ella showered while Leif chopped vegetables for dinner.
In the bedroom, she slipped her lacy camisole over her head and considered there was a good chance their clothes would come off tonight.
For some reason this made her nervous in all the best ways.
It was more than lust though. Being with him felt right—maybe they clicked because they were both artists and orphans.
The trouble was, she didn’t know how to navigate the precious brief time until she flew home to Boulder.
In the kitchen, diced onions and carrots were piled on a cutting board over the farmhouse sink, but he was nowhere to be seen. “Leif?” Ella called out.
“Look up.” Leif stood near the loft railing. “I’m looking for scissors, to cut string to tie up the beef.”
“Hello sweetheart!” Astrid squawked.
“Oh good! I’m ready to meet the silver-tongued bird.
” Ella hurried up the stairs. The spacious room featured forest-green walls and an enormous painting of a falcon.
Leif leaned against Ragnar’s antique desk, which was covered by science journals, a container of bird bones, and a typewriter.
Astrid, with her red tail feathers and intelligent eyes, moved around her large birdcage.
Ragnar really was quite an ornithologist.
“Hey there,” Ella said to Leif, feeling a light tickling sensation in her stomach as she held his gaze. He was looking at her like she was his favorite shade of blue. She wanted him to hold her and never let go.
He roped his arms around her, and their lips met.
“Kissy kissy,” Astrid said, clicking her beak. “Love Ragnar.”
“That bird is bonkers,” he said, between kisses. “Ragnar is expecting dinner. He’ll be home in an hour, perhaps sooner, but I can’t think of anything besides wanting you.”
“Mm-hmm.” Ella slid her fingers beneath Leif’s untucked button-down shirt.