by Kris Tualla
“That’s a very good idea, Dahl. We can talk about investing it later, when the payments actually start coming.” She squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m more stressed than I realized.”
He smiled and her heart lifted. “Understandable.”
Kyle looked at Teigen again. “Do you want to accept the offer?”
“I do.” He glanced at his father who sat silently at the head of the table. “It would assure that Hansen Shipping stays in Arendal and the men who work for us will still have jobs.”
“I agree,” Nikolai said quietly.
“Then so do I,” Kyle said confidently. “But can I suggest one addition to the negotiations?”
One corner of Teigen’s mouth lifted. “What would that be?”
“Keep a piece of the company. Maybe only ten percent.” Kyle smiled at Nikolai. “To honor centuries of Hansens at the helm.”
“I like it.” Teigen turned to Selby. “What do you think?”
“I agree,” she answered. “But I’d also add that a Hansen sits on the cooperative’s board.”
Teigen’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t have time for that. Or the desire, to be honest.”
Selby lifted one eyebrow. “Who says it has to be you?”
Teigen’s eyes rounded. “You?” he blurted.
“Why not?” she challenged. “It’s the nineteen fifties and women are doing all sorts of things like that. Look at Kyle. She might be getting a Ph.D. in psychology.”
Teigen turned wide eyes to Dahl. “Do you hear this?”
Kyle pointed a finger at Teigen. “What we women did during the war made certain that the right side won. You know that’s true.”
Dahl’s mouth opened and closed. Clearly he couldn’t deny her words.
“And because of those experiences some of us aren’t content to just disappear into kitchens and diapers,” Kyle continued. “We want to share your burdens. Share your world.”
“She makes a good point, Teig,” Dahl admitted. “And so does Selby.”
“I agree with keeping ten percent of the company.” Teigen gazed at his father. “Pappa? Do you agree that I should let Selby sit on the board?”
Nikolai smiled a little. “Your mother would have agreed. So I must.”
“All right, then. I’ll accept the offer and set up the sale of ninety percent of Hansen Shipping.” Teigen’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “And I’ll let them know that Mrs. Selby Hansen will be sitting on their board of directors.
He chuckled. “God help them!”
July 25, 1950
Dahl and his best man Teigen left for the church first, holding to the tradition of the groom not seeing his bride until she appeared at the end of the aisle at the beginning of the ceremony.
Selby shooed the men from the house at nine o’clock, a full hour before the scheduled nuptials, so they opted to walk into town and get a cup of coffee in the meantime.
The wedding would be small because both Dahl and Kyle were visitors to Arendal, but Dahl had called friends in Bergen and Oslo to invite them to the sudden event. Kyle had no idea if any of them would be able to make it to the mid-week morning wedding, but she doubted it.
Last night as she was packing for their two-night honeymoon, she explained what was happening to Thor. “We’ll go to the church and have the wedding at ten o’clock. After that, we’ll go to that restaurant you like and have a big lunch.”
“Can I have dessert?” he asked.
“You can have whatever you want,” Kyle promised. “After we’re done, Uncle Teigen will bring you back to the house while Dahl and I take a little trip.”
Thor scowled. “Where are you going?”
“To a town about half-an-hour south of here, called Grimstad. We’re staying there for two nights.” Kyle straightened and rubbed her lower back. “It’s what people do when they get married.”
Thor didn’t look convinced. “Why?”
Kyle thought of the real reason and a thrill of anticipation snaked through her gut. “It’s a chance for the new husband and wife to spend some time alone.”
“Why?”
“Because after the wedding, they need some time alone.”
“Why?”
Kyle floundered for an explanation her five-year-old son would understand. “Because… they want to kiss. A lot.”
Thor wrinkled his nose. “When I marry Torhild will I have to kiss her a lot?”
Kyle bit back her smile and gave Thor an empathetic look. “Oh, sweetie. You can’t marry Torhild. She’s your cousin.”
That was startling news to Thor. “But I love her.”
“I know you do. And when you get older, you’ll find another girl to love.” Kyle opened a drawer and lifted the armful of clothes stored there. “Do you want to help me move my clothes?”
“Where’re you putting them?”
“In Dahl’s room. That’s where I’ll be sleeping when we get back.” Kyle flashed her happiest smile, hoping to convince Thor to be happy, too. “You’ll have this room all to yourself! Won’t that be nice?”
Thor looked like the floor was crumbling beneath him. “No.”
“Think about it—you can stay up and look at your books as long as you want to,” Kyle cajoled. “Besides, after we get back from Grimstad it’s only for five more nights. After that, we fly back home.”
Thor accepted the stack of sweaters Kyle handed him with a grunt, but he helped her move her clothes without further complaint.
Kyle looked at Selby in the mirror when her sister-in-law pinned a final curl in place. “I’m going to miss you when we leave.”
“I’m going to miss you, too.” Selby rested her hands on Kyle’s shoulders and met her gaze in the glass. “Please promise me you’ll come back.”
“I’ll have to. Thor will need to check on his holdings.” Kyle grinned. “And you know the planes do fly in both directions. You all should come visit us in Minnesota.”
“Visit America?” Selby looked surprised by the idea. “Maybe we should.”
She stepped back. “You look amazing, Kyle.”
Kyle turned around and rose to her feet. Being a widow with a child precluded her wearing white, but the cream-colored light wool suit and veiled hat she purchased yesterday were beautifully tailored. “I hope Dahl thinks so.”
“How could he not?” Selby looked at her own reflection and smoothed her short hair before pinning her hat in place. “Are you ready?”
“More than you know,” Kyle admitted. “Let’s go.”
*****
Dahl was surprised to see a dozen of his friends enter the church and take their place on his side of the aisle. Gunter and his wife, Karolina Ingebrigtsen, who had been Selby’s understudy, sat grinning in the pews. Bennett Wilhelmsen, their erstwhile props manager, was there with his wife. The couples chattered happily, reuniting while they waited for the ceremony to begin.
Only Ben sat on Kyle’s side, but he had also brought a guest. The young woman was dressed in very modern clothing and carried herself with an artistic flair. Dahl understood the attraction immediately.
A flurry of activity at the back of the church drew Dahl’s attention. The pastor walked up to him and suggested the men get in place.
“This is it,” Teigen teased. “Last chance to escape.”
“Shoot me if I try,” Dahl teased back. “Because I will clearly have lost my mind.”
The door to the narthex opened and Selby, Kyle’s matron of honor, appeared. Grinning like a fool and carrying a bouquet of pink roses, she walked forward in time with the music while the organist played Pachelbel’s Canon in D.
When she took her place at the front of the church, the organist switched to Wedding Day at Troldhaugen by the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg. All heads in the little crowd swiveled to the back of the church.
When Kyle stepped into view, Dahl thought he was dreaming. How could such an incredible woman have fallen in love with him? He was nothing special. Not compared to her
.
Kyle’s eyes met his and hers were glittering with her normal tears. Her tender heart made him love her even more.
Thor, in a brand-new suit and tie, took his role seriously and concentrated on stepping in tandem with his mother as he held her hand and walked her down the aisle.
Once they reached the adults in the front of the church, Thor sat in the first pew with Ben while Dahl and Kyle faced the pastor.
When the cleric asked, “Who gives this woman to be married?”
Thor stood up.
“I do,” he said loudly. Then he sat down and beamed at his mother. “You can get married now, Mamma.”
*****
Kyle pushed her plate away. “I can’t eat another bite.”
“When do you want to leave?” Dahl asked quietly.
“How about fifteen minutes ago?” Kyle was only half teasing. “Are you ready?”
Dahl looked down the table of assembled friends and family members. “I am. Let me offer one last toast.”
Dahl stood and raised his glass of champagne. When he had everyone’s attention, he said, “Thank you all for coming today, in spite of the short notice. My wife and I could not be happier.”
He smiled down at Kyle. “And now we are going to leave you to your continued celebration, and head out. Skål!”
Dahl gulped the last bit of champagne in his glass, then set it down and grabbed Kyle’s hand.
“We’ll see you in two days,” he said to Thor. “And don’t worry, I’ll take very good care of your mother. I promise.”
Dahl was a man of his word.
The inn in Grimstad was charming. The view of the North Sea from their room was gorgeous. The bed was oversized and the down-filled comforters felt like clouds. The fireplace burned away dampness and kept the room cozy.
That was good, because once she got past her initial shyness, Kyle and Dahl spent the rest of the day and night buck naked.
Anticipation of her wedding night had weighed on Kyle for the two days that Dahl was gone to Oslo. Tor was the only man she’d ever disrobed in front of, and the only man she’d ever had sex with. She didn’t expect to have to go through this process again with a different man.
While her previous experience should make her feel more confident, the opposite was actually true.
Would Dahl be physically different from Tor? Would he want to make love the same way Tor did? Would she be as responsive as she was six years ago?
Had she forgotten how to do it altogether?
Dahl had noticed her nervousness and asked her about it.
“I’m not sure I remember what to do,” she confessed.
Dahl ran his fingers through her hair dislodging Selby’s carefully placed hairpins. “It’s not something you forget, darling. Trust me, will you?”
Kyle shook out her hands trying to discharge her nerves. “At least I know it won’t hurt.”
“Not at all. Far from it.” Dahl pulled her head forward and claimed her lips.
Just like Dahl’s kisses dispelled thoughts of Tor’s so did his lovemaking.
With only a couple weeks to enjoy their marriage, Tor loved her robustly and as frequently as they could be together. He left her breathless and quivering each time, but time was never a luxury they had.
Dahl acted like they had all the time in the world. He roused her tenderly, touching and kissing her in ways Kyle never imagined, until she begged him to get to the point before she died from desire.
He did.
Kyle writhed under him, pushing to get him closer, deeper, until there was no space left. Her entire existence coalesced into a tingling ball of energy which exploded magnificently, throwing her outside of her body into the ether.
When she drifted back into earth’s atmosphere, she heard Dahl’s grunts and growls as he was claimed by his own consuming culmination. When he stopped trembling, he looked her in the eyes, panting over her and looking euphoric.
“My God, Kyle…” he rasped.
Kyle pulled him into a kiss. Her legs were still wrapped around his hips and he was still inside her. She didn’t want either of them to move.
When the kiss ended, she was crying.
“I’m so happy,” she snuffled. “I love you so much.”
Dahl kissed her tears away. “I love you, Kyle. You have no idea how much.”
She smiled softly. “Will you show me again?”
Chapter
Twelve
July 28, 1950
Kyle held Dahl’s hand as they sat in Teigen’s office. She couldn’t stop touching him; it seemed she was afraid that if she let go he would disappear.
Her first love did.
Dahl knew that while he would never live in Tor’s shadow, he would have to live in the detritus of the man’s untimely death. At least for a while.
Dahl squeezed Kyle’s hand and winked at her. I love you, he mouthed.
She beamed happily and her cheeks pinkened.
Moving into his bedroom last night went more smoothly than he anticipated. Kyle had already explained the situation to Thor, but the boy was still not happy about it. So Dahl took a shot at helping the five-year-old understand.
He didn’t play fair. “Do you want a brother or sister?”
Thor looked skeptical. “Yes…”
If Thor hadn’t had so much fun with Torhild over the month, Dahl wasn’t sure he would have given that same answer, but this gamble had clearly paid off.
“Well then, the mamma and pappa need to sleep in the same bed, without anyone else in the room, so a baby can grow in the mamma’s tummy.”
And that was that. Thor was on board with the arrangement.
Of course, he did ask them at breakfast this morning if the baby was growing yet. Neither he nor Kyle were surprised, considering Dahl’s explanation.
“We won’t know until Halloween,” Kyle told Thor. “Maybe not until Thanksgiving. Or even Christmas.”
The boy frowned a little. “That’s too long.”
“Babies take a year,” Kyle shrugged. “Sometimes longer.”
Dahl grinned at Kyle. “Maybe we should take some naps together. That might help.”
Thor brightened. “Do that!”
Kyle punched his arm, but she was laughing.
“Here they are.” Teigen held up a stack of papers. “This is the official offer from the Hansen Shipping Cooperative.”
He handed them to Kyle. “You can see there that they’ve offered two-hundred-and-twenty-five thousand for ninety out of one hundred shares of the company.”
Dahl looked over his wife’s shoulder while she read the document.
“The down payment will be twenty-five thousand,” Teigen continued. “Loan payments will be made annually on December first and include five percent interest on the unpaid balance before the payment is credited.”
“Is there an end date to the loan?” Kyle asked.
“Not at this point. The way it’s written, they pay whatever they can.” Teigen looked at Dahl then back at Kyle. “What are your thoughts?”
Dahl held back, waiting to see what his wife would say.
“I think there needs to be a minimum payment every year,” she said. “They are free to pay more at any time, but not less.”
Teigen nodded. “I agree. I don’t want this to go for more than ten years.”
“You know the business, Teig,” Dahl injected. “Can they afford to make payments of twenty-thousand a year?”
“They should be able to. And if they expand, they can pay more.” Teigen faced Kyle. “Do you agree? Twenty thousand a year plus interest?”
Kyle gave him a one-shoulder shrug. “That sounds fair to me.”
Teigen made notes on a pad of paper. “Me, too. I’ll send them that counter-offer today.”
“So what should Kyle expect in the way of payments?” Dahl asked.
Teigen looked at him. “I’m keeping the twenty-five thousand as an emergency fund in case they default on the payments, and I’ll put it
in an interest-paying account. If all goes well, we’ll split it at the end of the loan.”
He shifted his attention to Kyle. “But starting next year, I’ll wire you ten thousand every December—or half if they pay more—plus half the interest.”
“Perfect.” Kyle’s expression turned impish. “Did they agree to Selby being on the board?”
“They agreed to a Hansen,” Teigen hedged. “I didn’t specify which Hansen.”
“It shouldn’t matter,” Dahl said. “Who knows what the business world will be like in ten years or so.”
“That’s true.” Kyle offered Teigen her hand. “If the cooperative agrees to the minimum payment, then I agree with the rest of the arrangements.”
Teigen shook her hand and flashed a wry smile. “I’m really going to miss you, Kyle.”
August 1, 1950
Kyle and Thor watched while Dahl loaded their cases into the trunk of his sedan. At four o’clock in the morning the shifting sunrise was now over an hour away, but they needed to get to the Oslo airport in time for their ten o’clock flight to New York.
Teigen and Selby stood next to Kyle and Selby was dabbing her eyes.
Kyle faced her sister-in-law. “It’s been quite a month, hasn’t it? I had no idea how my life would change by coming here.”
“It’s a wonder, that’s for sure,” Selby agreed. “Please write to us often and let us know how you’re doing.”
“And I’ll send pictures,” Kyle promised. “You do the same.”
“Cross my heart.”
The women embraced and both were crying. Kyle finally let go of Selby and wrapped her arms around the man who no longer looked as much like Tor to her. Teigen was his own man in her experience now.
“I love you, Teigen,” she murmured. “Thank you for everything.”
“Thank you for telling me what you did about Tor.” His voice was rough with emotion. “God bless you and Thor.”
Kyle pulled away and looked at her new husband. “He is blessing us. More than I ever expected.”
