‘At least now we know where my culinary skills come from. I was starting to think that I might have been the one who was adopted for a while there.’
They both laughed, heads bent together as they shared their little joke. It had been particularly incredible for Charlotte to hear Amalie’s story, feeling a kinship with her long-lost Oskar and the way he’d yearned to follow his own path.
‘I miss her, Lotte,’ her grandmother said. ‘I knew she didn’t have much longer, but now I feel like we missed out on talking about the past. She could have told me all this years ago, and instead…’
‘I know,’ Charlotte said with a sigh. ‘But at least you know what you know. If we’d been given the box a week, even a month later…’ She couldn’t even imagine what it would have been like, staring at that little wooden box and trying to make sense of the clues that had been left behind.
They both stood a moment longer, until her grandmother patted her hand. ‘Come through to see the men. Your father has something for you.’
Something for me?She gave her grandma a quizzical look but only received a shrug in response. But when they walkedthrough to the living room, she saw that there was a bottle of French champagne and four glasses waiting, and she hadn’t a clue what they were there for.
‘What are we celebrating?’ she asked, glancing at Harrison. ‘Have I forgotten someone’s birthday?’
‘We’re celebrating you,’ her father said as he eased the top off the bottle. ‘I’ve missed out on years of celebrations with you, so this is a start for all the birthdays and all the career milestones.’
Charlotte found herself with tears in her eyes then, and a lump in her throat that was almost impossible to swallow past. But she accepted the glass from her father when he passed it, wishing she could tell him how much it meant to her, but unable to get the words out.
‘To my Lotte,’ he said. ‘For taking the culinary world by storm, and for never being afraid to follow her dreams. I’m so, so proud of you.’
‘To Lotte,’ her grandmother and Harrison chimed in, holding up their glasses in unison.
She laughed and then cried, forcing herself to take a sip even as it all felt almost too much. One thing she’d never liked was being the centre of attention.
‘I know I should have said it sooner, but I really am so proud of you,’ her father said from across the room, his voice cracking. ‘And if your mother was still here, I’m sure she would have been very proud of you, too.’
‘Thank you,’ she whispered, grateful that he’d mentioned her mother. There had been such a big void in her life when her mother had left, and she only wished they’d had the chance to reconnect before her passing.
‘Now,’ her grandmother said, as Charlotte joined Harrison on the sofa. His hand fell to her thigh, and she nestled against him. ‘I want to know what your plans are. Will you two lovebirdsbe staying here, or will we have to come and visit you in London?’
Charlotte glanced at Harrison. ‘Well, I’ve actually decided to stay on at the hotel for at least another year. I feel like I’ve found the place I want to be, and I’m grateful to have been offered a permanent position.’
‘I was going to wait until tomorrow to share this, but I’ve actually been offered a new project,’ Harrison said.
‘What? Why didn’t you tell me!’ Charlotte swatted at him playfully. ‘What is it? Where will you be working? Is it another hotel?’
His smile was smug. ‘Actually, it’s right here in Oslo, which is why I was going to tell you in private. In case you’d rather I turn it down and find another project in London.’
‘Here? You’ve been offered a jobhere?’ she repeated. She’d been wrestling all day with her decision to stay in Oslo, knowing in her heart that she couldn’t turn down such an incredible job for Harrison, but hoping desperately that they could find a way around long-distance.
‘You don’t mind?’
She shook her head, unable to hide her smile. ‘Mind? No, Harrison, I most definitely don’t mind!’
‘That’s something else to celebrate then,’ her father said. ‘Congratulations to you both!’
Harrison looked at her and she bit down on her bottom lip, hardly able to believe how well everything had worked out. She couldn’t have planned it better if she’d tried.
‘You didn’t tell us what the project was,’ Charlotte’s grandmother said. ‘Do we have another new hotel being planned for the city?’
‘No, I’ll be designing a new art gallery here,’ he said. ‘It’s a refurbishment rather than a new build, but the project sounds fantastic. Not to mention it keeps me closer to Charlotte.’
‘When would you start?’ she asked.
‘That’s the thing. I thought for once that I might take a month off, enjoy being a tourist here for a bit before launching into the new job. My only problem is that I’d rather not travel alone.’
‘Harrison, if that was a hint it wasn’t a very subtle one.’
‘I was actually thinking you could take a week off and we could play tourist together,’ he said, his hand covering hers. ‘What do you say? Do you think Daniel will give you some time off?’
