‘Or have independent goals and want to work towards joint goals also.’
‘Sometimes things are just too hard, Gunnar. When people haven’t planned for them. When they are dropped on someone unexpectedly.’
He shook his head. ‘His name is Magnús, Kirstin. The “thing” that was dropped on you unexpectedly, the “thing” that got too hard. He’s just a boy and he needed my help.’
And Gunnar felt as passionately about this now as he always had. Magnús had lost everything in one distressing night and he wasn’t about to turn his back on him.
‘The trouble is, Gunnar, Magnús was not the issue for me. The issue was you and the fact you did not tell me at the very beginning. That you didn’t trust me to know about him.’
He shook his head. ‘And look what happened. I was correct.’
‘This is pointless,’ Kirstin said. ‘And it is time for me to go. Take care, Gunnar.’ She turned away and then she turned back, facing him again. ‘Just, maybe, if things are romantic with Chloe, do not make the same choices again.’
She didn’t give him the opportunity to make any reply but headed towards the exit.
Gunnar took another handful of nuts and crunched them hard as what Kirstin had said filtered through his mind. She was surely just telling him that because she felt guilty. Except he knew not being honest about Magnús from the start hadn’t been right. He looked to Chloe, packing up her things at the table. He hadn’t been honest with her either. He had told her Magnús belonged to a friend…
Chloe looked over to him and gave a small wave. He owed her many truths. Perhaps he owed it to himself too. He waved back.
39
AN UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, THIRTY MINUTES’ DRIVE FROM REYKJAVIK
The journey in Gunnar’s truck to the location for the dog sledding had been peppered with nothing but small talk. It was not at all like the rapport they’d built up, the flirtatious banter Chloe had also started to get accustomed to. Ordinarily, having him go off piste and make the beginning of her meeting with Kirstin super difficult and potentially business-destroying, would have made her cross, but, from his behaviour at this moment, she knew there was far more to it. And now, here they were, about to meet Alaskan husky dogs who were going to drive them over the snowy terrain. She knew she had sold the idea as research for Sinclairz Chairs, however she couldn’t deny the thought of it being a date had been appealing. But now…
‘Chloe, I am sorry for what happened at the hotel,’ Gunnar said once they had got out of the truck and planted feet on snow-covered ground. ‘I let my shock about Kirstin being here distract me from the whole reason I was there in the first place. To help you.’
‘It’s OK,’ she answered.
‘No, it is not OK,’ Gunnar responded, putting his woollen hat over his head then locking the car door. ‘You will accept my apology and you will let me make it up to you with this dog sledding experience. I will use all my negotiating skills to get the best price for your event.’
‘You don’t need to do that. I can negotiate in English.’
‘Come on, you know that I have charm for this work,’ he said. ‘How I talk about all the folklore on my coach tours.’
‘Hmm,’ Chloe said. ‘I don’t think more lying is going to help anything.’ She stepped towards the small gathering of people a few metres away but then he crossed her path, moved in front of her, blocking the way.
He inhaled like he was in shock. ‘Your faith in thehuldufólkhas been rocked? But you talked so passionately about them before.’
Chloe sighed. ‘To get you out of a difficult situation with your microphone. And I had far more success helping you with that than you did with helping me with my meeting.’
He nodded. ‘And that is why you will let me help you again now. In fact, there is no more conversation to be had. I insist on it.’
And before she could say anything else to the contrary, Gunnar was striding ahead towards what looked like their guides for the experience.
* * *
Chloe was taking photos. She didn’t wholly believe that these dogs were going to be able to pull their sled. Yes, she had seen the videos, but they were dogs, not horses. They also looked way too cute to be able to be strong. However, they were leaping around now, getting ready to be fixed into formation at the front of the large wooden sledge.
‘You think the people from Sinclairz Chairs will like this mode of transport?’ Gunnar asked her.
‘I don’t know yet,’ she said. ‘It will depend on how covered with snow we get and how cold it is.’
‘They do not like the cold?’ Gunnar asked. ‘And they want to come to Iceland?’
‘Well, Kirstin did say the focus should be “classy” and “classic”.’
‘What does that even mean?’
