by Kate Hardy
A week later, Lynda had broken off their engagement, worried that the stain on his career would transfer to hers because she was his fiancée—according to her, everyone would still think there was no smoke without fire. How it had hurt to discover that the one person he’d expected to bat his corner for him, the way he would’ve done if their positions had been reversed, didn’t actually believe in him. All Lynda had wanted was to buy him out of his share of their house and get his name off the mortgage.
‘I took a sabbatical because I needed a bit of space to help me decide what to do next. Iceland’s a good place to think.’ And he’d come to realise that Lynda hadn’t been right for him anyway. She’d wanted him to be something he wasn’t—the sort who’d serve on committees and boards, moving away from medicine to admin. Sam had wanted to make a difference where it really mattered, saving lives and making his patients better rather than talking budgets and politics. So her breaking up with him had done him a favour, really.
‘I think we all get rough patches at work,’ Hayley said. ‘Days when you lose people, or you know the system isn’t going to get your patient the right help and you can’t do anything about it.’
There was a hint of sadness in those blue, blue eyes, and he guessed she was thinking about her fiancé. But it was none of his business. He wasn’t going to push her to talk.
‘Though I’m sorry you had to deal with a break-up at the same time as a rough patch. That’s a bit of a double whammy,’ she said.
He lifted a shoulder in a half-shrug. ‘If I’m being honest, we’d been heading for the rocks for a while. I’d been kind of deluding myself.’ Knowing he was being a coward, but wanting to get back on safer ground and talk about something less emotionally daunting, he asked, ‘So why did you come to Iceland?’
‘I’ve always wanted to see the midnight sun,’ Hayley said. ‘And there were other things on my bucket list, like seeing the whales.’
‘What else is on your list?’
‘Seeing a geyser erupt,’ she said promptly, ‘and touching a glacier, and seeing the split between the continental plates. Oh, and I saw this video of people walking behind a waterfall—I’d really like to do that, too.’
‘I can take you to do all that, as well as that beach with the cave that’s a bit like the church columns.’
‘Thank you. But it’s your job, so obviously I’ll pay you the going rate for a guide,’ she said.
‘No,’ he said. ‘Apart from my weekly self-indulgence of going to see the whales, I haven’t really done anything just for fun. So if you don’t mind me muscling in on your bucket list, and maybe making some suggestions of places I think you might enjoy, it’d be a holiday for me.’
She frowned. ‘Surely you’ve already visited all those places with clients—I mean, aren’t they on every tourist’s wish list?’
‘True, but seeing something through someone else’s eyes keeps it fresh,’ he said. ‘Please don’t offer to pay me.’
‘At least let me pay for the petrol,’ she protested. ‘And buy you lunch.’
He really ought to shut up. But his mouth wasn’t working to the same script as his head. ‘As long as you’ll let me buy you dinner tonight,’ he found himself saying.
‘I’d like that. Thank you.’
‘It’s a deal.’ He reached across the table to shake her hand.
* * *
When Sam shook her hand, it sent goose-bumps over Hayley’s skin.
This felt more like a date than agreeing to share some travel plans. Yet in a way it was a kind of blind date, because she knew hardly anything about him—just that he’d had some kind of career crisis and a bad break-up, so he was taking time out to decide what to do next with his life.
But, if she pushed him to talk about it, that would give him the right to ask her the same: and she didn’t want to talk about Evan and how her life had sunk into a black hole after her fiancé’s death.
She was just going to focus on the fun stuff. That was the reason she was in Iceland, after all. To help her move on. And if this was some kind of date—well, it wasn’t serious, but maybe it was something that she needed. Something that perhaps they both needed.
After coffee, they went to see the church with its soaring ceilings and tall windows. Hayley loved the sheer simplicity of it, and the beauty of the simple crystal font. She enjoyed the tour of the city afterwards, with Sam pointing out the places of interest—the Town Hall, the Tjörnin lake behind it, which was a perfect mirror for the town hall and old buildings that lined it, the Parliament building and the striking black glass building of the Harpa concert hall. Sam knew lots of anecdotes and stories and entertained her thoroughly, though she wasn’t entirely sure whether he was teasing her when he told her about the locals throwing yogurt at the Parliament building as part of a protest.
Before they stopped for dinner, he asked, ‘Do you have any food allergies, or are you vegetarian?’
She smiled at him, liking the fact that he’d been thoughtful enough to ask. ‘No and no. I’m very happy for you to recommend somewhere.’
He took her to a little bistro by the Old Harbour. ‘They do some of the best fish in Iceland here,’ he said. ‘And I can guarantee it’s freshly caught.’
The place was tiny and candle-lit; the interior walls were all of polished wood, and Hayley noticed that there were vintage photographs of the area hanging on the walls. ‘Would I be right in thinking that this used to be a fishing shed?’ she asked.
‘A lot of the buildings in this area are,’ Sam explained. ‘They’ve been renovated and painted different colours. Some are shops, some are cafés and restaurants, and there’s an ice cream shop here that does an amazing array of flavours.’
The ambience was lovely—but the food was even better. On Sam’s recommendation, she chose ‘catch of the day’, which turned out to be a seafood risotto topped with fresh cod.
‘The food is amazing,’ she said.
And the dessert was spectacular: a chocolate dome that, when she poured hot caramel sauce onto it, melted into a rich chocolate pudding.
Even better than the food was the company. Hayley couldn’t remember the last time she’d been out to dinner with a man, and Sam was nice. He had an innate kindness that appealed to her; and he was easy on the eye, too, with short dark hair brushed back from his face, hazel eyes and a sensual mouth.
Not that she ought to be thinking about his mouth. Or kissing. Or wondering what his hands would feel like against her skin. It made her feel disloyal to Evan—even though she knew that Evan wouldn’t have wanted her to be alone for ever.
They lingered over coffee, took a last stroll round the Old Harbour area, and then Sam walked her back to her hotel.
‘I can hardly believe it’s half-past eleven at night and it’s still so light,’ she said, marvelling. ‘Back at home it would be dark by now.’
‘With your hotel being this side of the bay,’ he said, ‘you’re going to get amazing views of the sunset across the sea.’
Just what she’d hoped for.
Ahead of them was a steel sculpture of what looked like a Viking boat; it glowed gold in the light of the setting sun. And when Hayley looked back over her shoulder, the sky was ablaze with orange and gold and hot pink.
‘The midnight sun,’ she said softly. ‘I’ve always wanted to see it. And it’s as incredible as I thought it would be.’
When they reached her hotel he asked, ‘Shall I meet you on the dock outside the ship at nine?’
‘That sounds good. See you there,’ she said.
He didn’t attempt to kiss her, and Hayley was shocked to realise that she was faintly disappointed. And then she felt ashamed. They weren’t dating and they hadn’t even agreed to have a holiday fling. Sam Price was simply a kind stranger she’d met by chance, and he’d offered to keep her co
mpany in her travels. She really shouldn’t be throwing herself at him. And wasn’t he still getting over a bad break-up? The last thing he needed was someone mooning about over him. Maybe she should have made a polite excuse and stayed on her own after all. Tomorrow, after the whale-watching trip, she’d feign a headache.
‘Goodnight,’ she said, and headed for her room.
Her window overlooked the sea, so she took some last shots of the sunset and emailed them to Dani, along with an account of her day and the fact she was acting in accordance with their agreement about saying yes to opportunities. She woke in the middle of the night and was surprised to see it was still quite light; back in London at this time it would be dark. She woke again in time for the sunrise and was stunned to see how the sea turned into a shimmering mass of gold and silver.
After breakfast, she walked down to the old harbour to meet Sam for the whale-watching trip. This time, nobody on board needed a doctor’s help. They saw a school of porpoises, and then two minke whales together. When the whales leaped out of the water in a perfect arc and she gasped with pleasure, it felt natural for Sam to slide his arm around her shoulders—and for her to slide her own arm around his waist.
Though at the same time it felt wrong. This was exactly what she would’ve done with Evan. And Sam wasn’t Evan. ‘Sorry,’ she said, sliding her arm away from his waist. ‘I think I got a bit...well, carried away with the emotion of seeing the whales.’
‘Me, too,’ Sam agreed, removing his arm from her shoulders. He looked just as shocked as she felt.
They were careful not to even let their hands touch accidentally until they were back on land. She should make up some excuse, Hayley thought, say she had a headache or something—though it would be a shame to miss out on the trip they’d planned.
Sam looked slightly awkward. ‘Would you still like to come and see the waterfall and the geyser?’
He was clearly offering her a chance to back out, recognising that the moment he’d held her on the ship had been difficult for her. But she could see something in his eyes. Something that struck a chord with her. Loneliness maybe, even if it wasn’t something either of them would admit to. And it would be good to have some company. ‘If you’d still like to go,’ she said carefully. After all, it must’ve been awkward for him, too.
‘Let’s go, then.’ Sam drove her out to see the Gullfoss waterfall.
‘The water looks almost golden,’ she said in amazement when they’d made their way down the path to the double drop.
‘That’s how it gets its name—“gullfoss” means “golden falls”,’ he said. ‘Partly it’s because of the sediment in the water.’
As they drew nearer to the edge, Hayley slipped on a smooth piece of stone and Sam caught her arm, steadying her. His touch felt almost electric. And she could see in his expression that it was the same for him—instant attraction that neither of them had been expecting or looking for, and it seemed that neither of them quite knew what to do with it or how to react.
‘Sorry,’ she said.
‘Uh-huh.’ But he didn’t move his hand away. He just looked at her, as if he was as surprised by the feelings as she was. And then he cleared his throat. ‘They say if you don’t like the weather in Iceland, wait five minutes—and look, the sun’s just come out.’
She looked to where he gestured, and hanging over the waterfalls was a bright rainbow.
It was a natural phenomenon, she knew, caused by the sunlight and the spray from the waterfall. But in a weird kind of way it felt as if it was Evan telling her was it OK, that she was ready to move on and he approved.
She shook herself. ‘Photo opportunity,’ she said brightly, moving away just the tiniest bit so his arm fell naturally away from hers.
And how stupid that she missed it being there.
What was she, a recycled teenager?
She was just going to have to ignore it and be sensible. She smiled, and took a snap of the rainbow on her phone.
When she’d had her fill of the waterfall and the rainbow, Sam drove them out to the Geysìr area. ‘The old Geysìr is the one that all geysers are named after,’ he said. ‘Apparently it used to be even bigger than the one in Yellowstone, but it’s been dormant for years.’
‘So I won’t actually get to see a geyser going up?’ she asked.
‘Oh, you will.’ He smiled. ‘Strokkur erupts pretty much about every ten minutes. And if you have a slow-mo setting on your phone, I’d recommend that because then you’ll really see how it works. The water at the top of the pool is cooler and acts as a kind of lid to the hot water below, so the pressure builds up and then you can see it boil over and the geyser erupts. Then it leaves a sinkhole and the water drains back in, and the cycle starts all over again.’
She could see a circle of people standing round what she assumed was the geyser, and then suddenly a massive plume of water shot into the air. ‘Oh! That’s amazing.’
‘Let’s go and get a better view,’ he said, and walked with her to where everyone was standing.
As he’d suggested, she filmed it on slow-mo. ‘Dani would’ve loved this,’ she said wistfully. So would Evan, though she didn’t say it.
Then, as they moved deeper into the fields, his fingers accidentally brushed against hers. Again, she felt that swoop of butterflies in her stomach; and when she caught his eye, she was pretty sure it was the same for him.
What were they going to do about it? Ignore it? Or see where it led them?
There wasn’t any future in it. Couldn’t be. After the end of this week they’d be in different countries, thousands of miles apart, and he’d said nothing about returning to England.
The sky had turned the deepest summery blue, and the scenery was amazing. There were little puffs of steam rising from underground pools, and a tiny pot that produced a bubbling spout a few centimetres tall. Sam seemed to be careful to keep a little distance between them when he showed her the site of the old Geysìr, now just a pool with the occasional bubble to remind you that the water was extremely hot, and the twin pools of Blesi—one perfectly clear so you could see into the yawning cavern beneath it, and one that was the most amazing milky azure blue.
‘The milky colour’s from silicates in the water,’ he said. ‘That’s the cool one—it’s only about forty degrees Celsius.’
‘Cool?’ she asked.
‘The other one’s hotter,’ he said.
‘The milky blue pool: is that what the Blue Lagoon’s like?’ she asked.
‘Pretty much. We can go there this evening, if you like—that’s provided we can get a ticket, because evenings are pretty popular,’ he added.
‘I’d like that.’ She smiled at him.
‘Give me a second.’ He made a quick phone call, and she noticed that he spoke in fluent Icelandic. ‘OK. We’re in luck—I’ve booked us in.’
‘Thank you.’
They had dinner at a little village outside the city—lamb stew and rye bread, followed by blueberries and thick Icelandic yoghurt—and then stopped off firstly at her hotel so she could pick up her swimming things and then at his seafront apartment so he could pick up his.
‘I can’t remember the last time I felt this relaxed,’ she said as they sat in the warm water of the lagoon, her face covered in a mask of white silica and an ice-cold smoothie in her hand.
‘That’s what this is meant to be about,’ he said with a smile.
‘This must be amazing in the winter—sitting in a hot pool under the stars.’
‘And with the rocks all covered in snow,’ he agreed. ‘It’s pretty.’
Their gazes met, and for a second she thought he was going to kiss her.
He didn’t, but she could feel the anticipation brewing between them as he drove them back to the city and parked outside his apartment building. Every time they’d a
ccidentally touched that day, she’d been so aware of him. And she didn’t think she was alone in that reaction.
‘Shall we walk along the harbour again to catch the sunset?’ he asked.
‘That’d be nice.’
At her hotel, he turned to face her. ‘Goodnight, Hayley.’
‘Goodnight. Thank you for such a lovely day.’
‘My pleasure. Would you like to see the glacier, waterfalls and beaches tomorrow, if it looks as if it’ll be dry?’
Spending more time with him? Part of her thought it was a good idea; part of her didn’t. But she found herself agreeing.
‘You’ll need sturdy shoes,’ he said.
‘And a waterproof, just in case the weather changes?’
He smiled. ‘Yes. Wear layers. And hiking trousers are better than jeans, if you have them—we’re going to get wet by the waterfalls, plus they’re better protection than denim against the wind.’ And then the look in his dark eyes grew more intense. He lifted one hand and placed it gently against her cheek. In answer, she tipped her head back very slightly. And then he brushed his lips against hers—more asking than demanding. She slid her arms round his waist, and he kissed her again, his lips teasing hers until she opened her mouth and let him deepen the kiss.
Desire flooded through her, mixed with a dose of guilt. But this wasn’t being unfaithful to Evan. He wouldn’t have wanted her to spend her life alone and mourning him. He would’ve wanted her to keep seeing the joy in life and focus on the good stuff. Sam Price was the first man she’d wanted to kiss since she’d lost Evan. And this was meant to be the Year of Saying Yes. So she leaned into Sam, kissing him back.
When he finally broke the kiss, there was a dark slash of colour along his cheekbones and his mouth was reddened; she was pretty sure that she looked in the same state.
