Her voice caught as his hands cupped her face, as his eyes met hers.
‘I would give up everything for you. I love you, Amalie, and no one will stop me from making you my wife, not even my parents. Will you marry me?’
Amalie gazed back into the eyes of the man she loved, and hoped with all her heart that it would be enough. If they were to marry, he’d have to give up so much, leave behind the life he’d always known to walk his own path, if his family didn’t accept her or the baby. Once they were married, there was little his parents could do, but they could certainly cut him off financially.
‘Amalie,’ he said. ‘Will you marry me?’
‘Yes,’ she whispered back. ‘Yes, Oskar, I will marry you.’
‘We’re going to be parents,’ he whispered, his palm covering her stomach, which was still flat and taut, not showing any signs of the life growing inside of her. ‘You’ll be the most beautiful mother, I can already see you cradling our baby in your arms.’
Oskar kissed her, his hand stroking her hair as his lips tenderly met hers, the boat rocking gently from side to side beneath them.
Maybe dreams do come true.
‘There’s nothing to be scared of, Amalie. It’s just you and me against the world.’
17
PRESENT DAY
For someone who’d dreaded coming home, Charlotte had to confess that nothing about being back had played out as she’d expected. Harrison had been a very pleasant distraction, and despite wondering if she was crazy offering to entertain his friends, it had proved to be a good decision. They were as fun and easy-going as he’d promised, although he hadn’t exaggerated about their wine consumption.
‘Something smells amazing,’ Harrison said.
She glanced up to see that he’d come over to join her. Charlotte had asked Daniel if she could move a table into the kitchen to see how it might work, and her chef’s table idea had immediately come to life.
‘I was going to try out a few main dishes on you all, but I decided to do a full chef’s evening experience instead, to see how the timing might work if my idea comes to fruition.’
‘Well, I’m loving the idea so far. It’s nice to be enjoying this hotel rather than worrying about it.’
Harrison seemed more relaxed tonight, which she imagined had a lot to do with having his friends close.
‘Go and enjoy seeing them, I’m sure they’ve missed you.’
Harrison was watching her, and she looked up, her hands hovering over the plate. ‘You’re making me nervous. Go, sit, enjoy,’ she said.
Harrison did as he was told, and soon she was carrying the first course over to the table, placing a selection of plates in the centre. She’d worked all day in the kitchen, and there was nothing quite like seeing all her hard work rewarded.
‘These are all made to share, so please taste a little of everything, and don’t forget to be honest with me. I’m not lying when I say that I genuinely want your feedback.’
‘Charlotte, this is amazing! Harrison wasn’t joking when he said he’d met the best chef in Norway,’ his friend Louisa said. ‘I love the salmon.’
‘Please, can’t you sit with us?’ Luke asked, gesturing for her to take the empty chair between him and Harrison.
‘I’ll sit once I have the main courses served,’ she said, watching them all for a moment and swelling with pride as she listened to their comments after tasting each dish. ‘There’s a lot more to go before I can relax.’
She’d always been that way—little tastes of each course to make sure she was happy with flavours, but there was never any relaxing until she was finished for the night, not even a quick bite if she was starving hungry. Charlotte liked to give her absolute attention to what she was doing, and usually it wasn’t until afterwards that she’d realise how thoroughly she’d neglected herself.
She listened to their laughter, hearing Luke tease Harrison about something, and it reminded her of how isolated she’d become lately. She’d been so focused on her career that her life had become work, and other than seeing her brother most weekends for a drink or dinner, she barely even had a social life outside of the kitchen.
Charlotte tossed the kitchen towel over her shoulder and turned her attention back to the food she’d already prepared that was in front of her. She had a leg of lamb in the oven, a side of salmon still to cook and sides to finish assembling, and as she listened to them raving about her dishes, a sense of calm settled over her. But it also made her wonder about something Amalie had said, about her Oskar and his passion for cooking, about what he’d been prepared to give up in order to follow his heart. And she couldn’t help but see the similarities in her own life and wonder if there was somehow a connection.
She’d been prepared to turn her back on everything to follow her dreams, and when she went over everything Amalie had shared, Charlotte found herself still trying to grasp how this Oskar fitted into their lives, and why she felt so oddly connected to him. She knew it was probably the fact that he dreamed of becoming a chef, just like her, but still, there was something about their story that she felt a deep connection with.
Her grandmother had gone deathly pale after their last session with Amalie, the pregnancy news coming as a shock to both her and her grandmother. But Amalie had become agitated when they’d asked if she was certain she wasn’t misremembering things, and the nurses had had to come and settle her, even suggesting that whatever they were coming to talk to her about every day was beginning to upset her more and more.
‘You look lost in thought.’
