‘I was offered a job working for Ole, but after what he did to Mats, I couldn’t stay. But I’ve found a role at a rival bank, so that feels good,’ she grinned.
‘That’s great. I bet Mats was pleased to hear that.’
‘He was. So are you planning to move to Bergen with Mats?’
‘Oh, not at the moment.’
Hanne looked surprised, but she said, ‘Too soon, I guess.’
‘Exactly. And I have a lot going on with work.’
‘Of course you do. I’ve never seen Mats so happy with anyone before. He deserves that.’
Lotta nodded. It felt a little like a warning. ‘He does. Excuse me for a moment.’
She was almost back to the door when Mats caught her arm.
‘Hey, are you okay?’
‘Yes,’ she said brightly. ‘It’s just kind of overwhelming.’
He took her hand and led her to a door at the end of the terrace. They went through into an empty room with a glass wall facing the view.
‘How did you know about this room?’ Lotta hitched up her skirt and slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor.
‘This isn’t the first party I’ve been to here,’ he said with a rueful smile. ‘Sometimes you need somewhere to take a breath.’
‘It must be nice to catch up with Hanne.’
‘Yes, that was a pleasant surprise.’ He sat down next to her. ‘Lotta, what is it?’
‘Does this feel like work for you?’
He frowned. ‘What do you mean? It isn’t work for me. I’m happy to be here to support you.’
‘But you’re trying to get away from this and here I am dragging you back in.’
He shook his head. ‘It’s not the same, Lotta. This party is not the superficial bullshit I used to go to where everyone is nice and polite to each other but it’s a cover for the shark-infested pool it really is. Everyone in the room having their own agenda, but the only agenda really is that everyone wants to be richer, whatever it takes. This is not that. This is a celebration of everything you’ve been working towards, a celebration of heritage, art, and things that really matter to people.’
‘You’re here for me though.’
‘I am.’
‘How can I be there for you unless I move here?’
22
Mats ran his hand over his face. He wasn’t sure where this had come from and why Lotta was suddenly overthinking things between them.
‘You can be there for me in other ways than having to live in Norway,’ he said. She needed to hear that, even though it didn’t ring entirely true to him.
‘It feels so one-sided at the moment. You lost your job and I sent you off to Bergen when I should have been there for you.’
‘I’m fine,’ he said. ‘And seeing Hanne actually makes it better. She’s come out of that place better off too. They did us both a favour and we can move on.’
‘But…’
‘Lotta.’ He stood up and reached out his hand. When she took it, he pulled her up into his arms. ‘You deserve this night. Enjoy it. Life is like this. Right now, this is your time to shine, not mine. My time will come.’
