I filled her in on our conversation with Doucet, everything from his denial of the letters to me implying she was dating someone so he would take the hint.
“That was smart,” Ruthie told me. “I hope you scared the bajeezus out of him.”
“That what out of him?” I asked, not sure I’d heard her correctly.
“Another weird phrase,” Cat answered. “It means the same asscared the crap out of himorscared the hell out of him.”
I nodded in response, but Stella chimed in before I could say anything.
“Okay, I know we have some weird things we say here, but you Swedes must do weird things too,” Stella accused teasingly.
“No. We are pretty much perfect,” I informed her, winking.
She rolled her eyes at that, but I saw the small smile.
“That’s such a lie, and you know it,” Ruthie shot back, laughing. “Every culture has weird things. Tell us some of yours.”
“Weird things Scandinavians do,” I said, thoughtfully while trying to think of something to tell them. “Hmm, this will be hard because Swedish people are generally just all-around awesome. But if Ihadto pick something, I would say that we love to say hi to everyone we meet on a hiking trail or in a park, but it’s weird to say hi to everyone you meet on the street. There is just something about being in nature with the trees that makes us friendlier, I guess.”
“I can see that,” Cat said.
“That’s a boring fact, though,” Ruthie tossed in. “Give us something weirder.”
I grinned as I thought of one that I had said out loud in a meeting last year with Archer and Wade—the phrase they later laughed at once I explained it.
“Att glida in på en räkmacka,” I told them. “It means when you get benefits or success too easy. Uh…the English equivalent would probably be the phrase ‘something handed to you on a silver platter’.”
“Okay, but what makes that weird?” Stella asked.
“Because the literal translation is ‘to slide in on a shrimp sandwich’,” I clarified, causing all three women to laugh.
“So, if Ruthie wanted to imply that I had an easy life and everything handed to me, she would tell people I slid in on a shrimp sandwich?” Cat asked.
I nodded. “Technically, yes.”
“Okay, I think we can all agree that was a good one,” Ruthie declared.
“See, us Swedes are awesome.” I grinned at them. “I am…what did Jack call it the other day? Oh, yes. I am what women would call the large package.”
Stella’s eyes grew wide at my comment, and Ruthie burst out laughing.
Well, shit. Clearly, I didn’t say it exactly the same way Jack had.
“Oh my God, Axel. That was hilarious.” Ruthie wiped a small tear from her eye as she chuckled a little more. “The phrase is ‘I am what women would call thewholepackage, notlargepackage’. That means something else,” she concluded with a sly grin.
Cat and Stella chuckled, and Ruthie just shook her head while her shoulders vibrated with another silent chuckle.
“Any woman would be lucky to have you, Axel,” Stella said, giving me a flirty smile. “You just need to find one who can handle you and yourlargepackage.”
She gave me an exaggerated wink, so I knew she was teasing, but I could also see the desire in her eyes.
Ruthie chuckled next to her. “Oooh! She’s a troublemaker, just like me. I knew I liked you.”
“On that note, I’m headed home,” Cat announced.
“I’m going to head out too,” Stella said, and I found myself disappointed that she was leaving so soon, even though she had actually been here an hour. “I’ve gotta work earlier than usual tomorrow because my early baker is off.”
“Give me just a second, and I will walk you out,” I told her.
