‘Will you have to go to Oslo again?’ Jo asked.
‘Probably.’ She told her sisters all about the Snug project and how Elin hadn’t been as helpful as everyone had hoped. ‘But I’m enjoying the research and I’ve found three makers in Oslo who I’m going to contact to see if they’re interested in working on the project.’
‘It’s an enormous job, Lots. Can you manage it by yourself alongside your other clients?’ said Jo.
‘Yes. Everything else is running well. It’s mostly scheduling posts.’ She smiled and took a big sip of wine. She’d have to manage. But in the end, all the extra hours would be worth it, and she’d had enough weeks with only a handful of hours’ work in the past to know it was always better to have too much work than not enough.
The talking went on late into the night. Freya was on a roll telling them hilarious stories about some of the customers that she’d had in the spa lately. She was the manager of a luxury spa in the Cotswolds, and her clients were rich and needy to say the least.
Saturday was bright and sunny, but the wind was chilly, so being at Camden in the labyrinth of the markets was perfect. Freya insisted on the crumble and custard for brunch, and even late morning when you’d think no one would be after a pudding, they had to queue for a few minutes to place their order. But it was worth it, and it tasted as good as it looked; the brûlée cracking into shards of caramelised sugar as they dug in.
Lotta’s phone buzzed with a message.
Mats: What are you up to today?
Lotta: Shopping with my sisters. How about you?
Mats: Taking a boat trip to an island.
Lotta: That sounds like more fun!
Full to the brim with food and wine, they got back to Lotta’s at around eight o’clock and changed into their pyjamas. The three of them sat side-by-side on the sofa with mugs of tea and watched old episodes of Sex and the City while they continued to chat.
Lotta’s phone buzzed with another message from Mats. They’d been texting back and forth all day. Just one-liners about nothing in particular. She knew it was drizzling where he was, that he was going out for dinner that night, that he needed a favour from his sister, and that she was going to be cross with him. Every single message warmed Lotta’s heart, but none more than this one. He was suggesting a call. Face to face. Tonight.
She felt nervous, made worse because her sisters were staying with her. She’d love it if she were at home by herself, but having spent the entire day distracted, waiting for the next message from him to land, she wanted more.
‘I’m just going on a call for a bit,’ she said, hoping they were too engrossed in watching the TV to take much notice.
‘On a Saturday night? Who with?’ Freya asked lazily.
She could have lied and said it was a work call, but she’d told them about Mats. Not in any great detail, but she knew that assoon as they realised it had turned from the odd text message exchange into having an actual call, they’d be interested.
‘That guy I met in Oslo.’
‘Oh my god, did he suggest it?’ Jo asked, sitting up straighter. ‘That means he’s keen.’
‘It’s probably not that. It’s just a lot of typing to keep on messaging,’ she said weakly.
‘Ever heard of a voice note?’ Freya said, not taking her eyes off the television.
She wasn’t about to get into an argument about voice notes. She hated them, whereas Freya loved them, and she didn’t want to be distracted when Mats would hopefully call in the next couple of minutes. ‘I won’t be long.’ She pushed her bedroom door closed and stepped over the blow-up mattress on the floor where Jo was sleeping, to her bed.
She’d straightened her hair that morning, and she still had enough makeup on to look presentable. He’d said eleven o’clock her time, and she sat cross-legged on the bed, staring at her phone screen. If he called at exactly eleven, or even a minute before, that meant he was keen, she told herself. If it was more than a couple of minutes afterwards, he wasn’t. These ridiculous thoughts were running through her mind, and she almost dropped her phone when it actually rang at one minute to.
She waited while the call connected properly and made sure she looked alright in the small window where she could see herself. Mats came onto the screen and she grinned. He looked more like the man she’d met in the airport than the one she’d seen dressed for work. His dark blonde hair was tousled, and he had the shadow of a beard. He was wearing a hoodie that straight away made him look cosy and relaxed.
‘Lotta.’ The way he said her name gave her goosebumps.
‘Mats. You look very relaxed. Where are you?’
‘At my parents’ place in Bergen. How about you?’
‘At home. My sisters are in the next room.’
‘Good to know.’
‘Is that a Coldplay poster behind you?’
