‘They give you a capable vibe. That’s quite sexy.’
‘Mmm. Capable. I like that.’
‘Not capable of remembering bed linen though.’
Mats guffawed and watched Lotta push herself off the bed and reassemble her clothes.
‘Come on, we’ll get cold lying here for much longer,’ she said.
There had been more progress than Lotta had expected on the island over the past two weeks. The farmhouse was unrecognisable; its roof removed and in the process of beingrebuilt, while the veranda had disappeared making the place seem smaller.
‘They’re rebuilding the veranda?’
‘Yes. Bigger and better than before.’
There were builders everywhere greeting Mats as they passed, treating him like one of their own rather than the boss. He introduced Lotta as his girlfriend to everyone they came across. Her stomach clenched a little each time. It felt so amazing to be called Mats’ girlfriend, and it was the first time she’d heard him refer to her like that. It was more intimate than partner, which is how they’d referred to each other last night.
After they walked around the farmhouse clearing, they headed for the edge of the island and took a walk around it. Every side gave something different. The long edge behind the farmhouse had trees that grew close to the water. They were part of the intentional timber forest planted decades ago by Mats’ ancestors, and the woodland they created had a different feel to the natural tree-covered areas of the island. This was more uniform, spaced out equally with very little growing around them, perhaps for having been tended until whenever that had stopped.
A handful of cabins that were quite rotten compared to the ones in the woods, their roofs and windows missing and even some walls, ran along the water’s edge.
‘These are in a lovely spot,’ said Lotta. ‘Imagine if you had one of these with a little veranda of your own where you could watch the water and daydream.’
‘Would you like that more than where ours is?’
‘No. I will never want a different cabin. That’s our cabin. But I’d love a veranda.’
‘Your wish is my command.’ He swept his hand down as if he was bowing. ‘Also, look at the state of them. They must get the worst of the weather on this side of the island.’
‘True. And we’re tucked away in the trees.’
They circled the rest of the island, with Mats noting that it took around an hour at a leisurely pace.
‘Shall we have a coffee and then think about heading back?’ he said.
‘The cabin should be warm by now.’ Lotta wanted to make the most of the time they were alone. Not that she’d said to Mats, but the idea of making love in his teenage bedroom was weird, especially with Ida in the room next door. And she hadn’t had enough of him yet.
They headed back to the boat in time to have dinner with Ida. She’d invited Fredrik and Emil too, and Lotta was looking forward to a family dinner. She’d met all of Mats’ siblings now except for Thea, who worked on the post boats that travelled up and down the coast, and she never heard anything about her coming home or meeting up with any of the others at all.
‘How did your week go in Oslo?’ Fredrik asked over dinner.
‘Good, thanks. I think that was probably the last visit I’ll have over here for work,’ she said carefully, since she and Mats hadn’t had chance to discuss their next steps yet.
‘It’s probably Mats’ turn to come to London, isn’t it?’ Fredrik said.
‘If he wants to,’ Lotta said, smiling. She’d love Mats to visit, but it was something they hadn’t discussed. There were quite a few things they ought to discuss now. ‘Now he has more time.’
‘What do you mean?’ Ida asked.
She glanced at Mats and caught his look of horror. He hadn’t told them he’d been made redundant? She gave him a look that she hoped conveyed,why on earth not?
He looked at her, dejected, and she felt bad for outing him. But then, why hadn’t he told her it was a secret?
‘I got made redundant.’
‘What?’ Fredrik looked at Mats in confusion. ‘I thought you were the top strategy guy in that place.’
‘So did I. But the bank is being bought out and they chose someone else for my position.’
