‘You’ve been a fisherman for a long time.’ No wonder it was part of him. Part of his soul.
‘It’s time to move on,’ he said softly. ‘And I don’t think it’s going to be as hard as I thought.’
13
THE FOLLOWING DAY, Leifur was on his way to his mother’s house for a rare family meal. He saw plenty of his mother, but the rarity was that his brother was coming too. He hadn’t seen Isak for months, and they weren’t great at keeping in touch with each other. But his mind was filled less with thoughts of how the evening might go, and more with thoughts of Astrid.
The urge to keep her warm and safe while they were heading back from their puffin adventure had been instinct. He put it down to the fact that Astrid was the first woman who’d ever been onBrimfaxi, at least as far as he knew, and far from it feeling odd, it felt as if she belonged there. Had he overstepped? Probably. What little he knew about normal working environments was that it was a bad idea to mix business and pleasure. It hadn’t happened yet, but now, he wasn’t sure what the situation was between him and Astrid. It wasn’t so much about the physical side of what had happened, which literally boiled down to her standing in front of him, leaning into him, and their hands had touched.
It was almost nothing.
Except it was everything.
Though he’d never had a proper relationship himself, he’dhad crushes on unattainable women, he’d had a few short-lived flings, and he knew the difference between all of that and what love looked like. He was hesitant to admit that his feelings for Astrid were as strong as that, but he had feelings for her. That she had come along at exactly the time when his life was in turmoil, bringing a calm influence, seeming to understand him, on some level felt like it was meant to be.
He let himself into his mother’s house with his key.
‘Hæ, Mamma!’
‘Big brother! It’s been a while.’ Isak came into the hallway.
‘Isak. You look good.’
His brother was looking sun kissed, even his hair was lighter. That wasn’t from working on a fishing boat in Iceland.
‘I’ve been to the Caribbean, can you believe it?’
‘The new place must be treating you well, then.’
‘Better than the last place,’ Isak said, laughing. ‘Come on, Mamma’s about to dish up.’
‘Leifur, it’s not like you to be late,’ his mother said as he took his coat off and sat down at the table.
‘Sorry, Mamma. I’ve been in the office today finalising the tour schedule. We had to work late to get it to the website person.’
‘I’m pleased you’re busy and not lying around on my couch all day,’ she said, winking at him.
‘Do you get paid for the extra time? At the new place, I get overtime if we’re back after the scheduled shift.’
Leifur glared at his brother but bit his tongue. ‘I’m a partner in the business, so it is a profit share, not an hourly rate.’
‘How isBrimfaxi, Leifur? Are you happy with the work?’ his mother asked as she dished up the delicious-smelling roast lamb stew.
‘She’s perfect,’ he said, smiling as he thought about the daybefore. ‘I took a run out to Andriðsey Island to see the puffins.’
‘Aren’t you supposed to be looking for whales?’ Isak said, smirking.
‘Would you like to come for the trial run next week?’
‘I’m working every day next week,’ said Isak.
‘That’s a shame,’ Leifur said with relief. He’d only meant to invite his mother, Peta, and he’d already had enough of his brother’s jibes.
‘I would love to come,’ said Peta. She patted his hand. ‘I’m very proud of you.’
‘For ruining the family business and massacring Pabbi’s boat?’
‘Isak!’
