Grabbing the coffees on the way back to the shop, she wondered whether Jonas had knitted his hat.
10
THAT EVENING, AFTER eating at a delicious pizza restaurant just down the road from the shop, Rachel went back to her room, made a cup of tea and snuggled down into bed. She still hadn’t spoken to Adam because he hadn't rung her back the night before as he had said he would and by the time she went to bed, she’d been too tired to care. He knew she’d arrived safely so it didn’t really matter.
But now, curious about where he had been the day before, she rang him again.
“Hi, Rach! How’s it going?” Adam said cheerfully, “Is it freezing cold?”
“Yes, absolutely bitter. I’ve already bought some gloves and I tried to buy a hat but it turns out I have to knit my own,” she said, rolling her eyes at the memory of it.
“You can’t knit, can you?”
“No. Well, I did when I was little. Anyway, what have you been up to?”
“Oh, you know, same as usual. I miss you.”
“I miss you too. Today’s been a nightmare. The schedule is already over by two weeks because of a problem with the floor.”
“God, you’ve only just got there! Is it still okay for me to come over the weekend after next? I could cancel if things are going badly.”
Did he sound like he wanted to cancel?
“It’ll be alright by then, Adam, I really want you to come. It’s so beautiful, not that I’ve seen much of it yet, but I went to the Blue Lagoon and honestly, you’d have loved it.” He’d have hated it. He had an aversion to swimming pools. “Well, you wouldn’t have but it was amazing. Maybe we should go on an excursion or something when you come? Apparently, that’s the touristy thing to do,” she said, remembering her conversation with Jonas. “Anyway, how’s work going with the Scramble thing?”
“Not too bad. Hopefully, it’ll all be tied up by the time I come to visit, but you know what it’s like, as soon as this deal’s finalised, the next one will be full-on.”
Adam was right, there was never any let-up. That’s what got her down sometimes because he would work crazy hours to get a project finished and you would think there would be some respite from it and then it started again straight away with the next one. She just hoped he could manage one weekend where he wasn’t working at full pelt.
“Sorry we didn't get to speak yesterday. Where were you, it sounded so loud.” Rachel tried to sound nonchalant, although she was wondering why he hadn’t mentioned it already, especially as he hadn’t called her back.
“Oh, I met up with Jim for a drink. We went to that bar on Fisherman’s Walk. You know the one we went to for Carrie’s leaving do.” Well, that sounded entirely reasonable. “It was great actually, it’s ages since we’ve done that.” He paused as if he was considering what he’d just said.
“Well, I’m glad to hear you’re not pining for me too much.”
He laughed and she could imagine his smiling face which warmed her heart.
“So, have you managed to see much of Reykjavik yet?”
“I’ve walked around the block, I know where I can get coffee and I know where the shop is, that’s about all so far. I think I might try and find a swimming pool, I won’t survive very long without a swim, especially if everything keeps going pear-shaped.” She made a mental note to ask at reception about a pool.
“I’m sure things will sort themselves out. It probably just feels worse because you’re away and it’s all down to you.”
“Thanks, Adam. That makes me feel better,” she laughed.
“You know what I mean, Rach. You’d be taking this kind of thing in your stride normally.”
His words immediately boosted her confidence. He was right, she did relish this kind of challenge at work; it’s what made it interesting.
“I know, it just seems different, being here without the team. I’ll feel better as soon as I get the flooring sorted out.”
“Well, on that note, I will leave you to ponder your schedule. I’ll ring you at the weekend. Do you think you’ll be working through?”
“I wouldn’t think so, there’s not much to do yet. I’m going to try and meet up with the new store manager though, so it depends on how that goes.”
She wanted the call to last longer, to be able to pretend they were just at home, chatting together about their day.
“It’ll be great, Rach. You’ll smash it,” he said with a smile she could hear in his voice.
