‘Oh yeah. It’s all of that. Cookie?’ he offered. I took two in case he didn’t come back. ‘Is it legal work you’re doing?’
‘Er… yes, a couple of urgent emails. Shouldn’t take long.’
I tilted my phone away slightly as I quietly clicked out of Instagram. I’d already posted my photos of the fjords and thefarmhouse and made it clear I was at an amazing top-secret spa #amazing #topsecretspa.
Henrik sat opposite with his coffee and I wondered if he had to supervise me while I was in here. To make sure I didn’t overdose on TikTok.
‘Henrik? This is a bit of a strange one so bear with me, but having checked a few things online, I seem to be… on the wrong retreat.’
He slowly raised his eyebrows. ‘The wrong retreat?’
‘Yes.’ I laughed. ‘It turns out, I’m supposed to be in Sweden. Can you believe it?’ I took an awkward sip of my coffee, then stopped for a second to enjoy it. Perfect taste, perfect temperature, creamy and strong. ‘Oooh – this is nice!’
‘Isn’t it? That’s the coffee you’ve got in your cabin. Jonas grinds the beans by hand. He’s obsessed with it. Wait till you try the biscuits. Freshly baked in the Nilsen kitchen this morning by the big man himself.’
I bit into one and it melted on my tongue. Crumbly and oaty with choc chips, it immediately leapfrogged Fortnum’s double-choc chunkies as my favourite biscuits of all time. Henrik watched my face change with a shy smile.
‘Good, aren’t they?Mor’ssecret recipe. My mother. Sorry, you were saying… you were heading for Sweden and took a hard left?’
‘It’s a long story; I won’t bore you with all the details. Obviously I’ll still pay in full – I wouldn’t want you to be out of pocket.’
Henrik looked completely bewildered. ‘But you only arrived last night. How do you know you won’t like it here?’
‘Oh no – it’s not that! I already love it here, but it’s my friend’s birthday. My Swedish friend.’ I could smell freedom. A quick swipe of my credit card and I’d be out of here. We could sweep this misunderstanding under the carpet and forget it everhappened. ‘If it’s OK with you, I’ll settle whatever I owe and get out of your hair today. Can I book a boat back to Bergen harbour?’
‘Not likely, I’m afraid,’ Tore said, from the doorway. ‘Good morning, Sara. How did you sleep?’
‘Morning!’ I said, surprised to see him. ‘I slept well, thank you. Really well.’
‘I’m pleased to hear you got some rest,’ he said. ‘The Bergen boat only comes once a day, and ordinarily we could take you to the mainland in our dinghy, but not in this weather.’ He looked out at the heavy clouds. The snow was falling thick and fast against the window, adding to the chunky layer already on the ground. I didn’t want to get stuck here.
‘How long will it last?’ I asked, repeatedly tapping my weather app and getting nothing. I was being held hostage by a lack of technology.
‘A couple of days. Maybe three.’
‘Three days?! You mean we’re trapped?’ I alreadywasstuck here. My heart raced as I tried to think logically. Three days was totally doable. Seventy-two hours. Two more sleeps. I wasn’t trapped; I was safe, and warm and completely fine. But I couldn’t catch my breath.
Henrik eyed me with concern. ‘Are you OK?’
I nodded silently and he jumped up and ran round the table.
‘Look at me,’ he said gently, taking my hands. ‘Into my eyes. It’s fine. You’re fine. Now, take a breath in…’ I followed his voice and mirrored his breathing. ‘And out…’ He nodded as he spoke, keeping eye contact and calmly repeating the words until the feeling passed.
‘Thank you,’ I said, relieved and full of adrenaline, once I was out the other side. ‘I’ve been having these breathless episodes. It’s stress, I think. I’m OK now.’
‘Are you sure?’ Henrik’s eyes were full of concern. ‘Take your time.’
I kept the deep breathing going and pushed into the soles of my feet, feeling the floor solid beneath me.
‘I’ll just have to be patient, I guess. The weather is the weather. Can I book on the next boat whenever it makes it through? And I’ll settle my bill now, so at least that part is done.’
‘But you’ve already paid,’ Tore said, confused. ‘Upfront when you booked.’
‘Have I?’ Well, that explained why I’d thought it was a ten-star spa. Four grand wasn’t the deposit – it was the full amount. I just hadn’t quite realised that this was what I’d paid for. ‘Great, well that’s sorted then. No hard feelings and maybe someone else will book in and you can sell my room twice.’
Henrik shook his head in disbelief. ‘You don’t even want to try it out for a week when you’ve already paid? How bad can it be?’
Father and son both looked at me, one hurt and the other offended.
