Late the next morning, Jonas hurried along the street to Freya’s gallery. His smile was wide and he kept chuckling to himself. A few people who passed him looked at him curiously, as if suspecting him of early morning drinking. But it wasn’t that. He had good, no, great news to share. He’d texted Frankie and told her to meet him at the gallery and he couldn’t wait to see her face; he’d also sent Freya a text to ask her to get in a bottle of bubbly in for when he arrived.
He paused outside the door, took a deep breath and tried to force the smile from his lips. He was going to give it away as soon as she laid eyes on him if he didn’t stop grinning. He tapped his boots on the wall outside to shake the snow from them then opened the door.
Inside, the lamp on the desk cast a golden glow in the corner but the rest of the gallery was in darkness. As they were closed until January, Freya didn’t want anyone coming in when they saw the lights. Oslo was busy with tourists who’d arrived to see in the new year and they would be looking for things to do, and a walk around a gallery, in the warm, would likely bring them inside.
‘Freya?’ He peered through the gloom.
‘She’s in the kitchen making coffee.’ Frankie stepped out of the shadows.
‘Were you hiding?’ he asked.
‘No, I’d just… used the lavatory.’ She gestured behind her.
‘Ah! Sorry. Where’s your father?’
‘He said he had to go and get something.’
‘Right.’ Jonas nodded. Presumably, Hugo had gone out to get the champagne.
Freya emerged from behind a display board carrying a tray of mugs and a coffee pot. She placed the tray on the desk then poured coffee into three mugs. Jonas took one gratefully and wrapped his hands around the mug, savouring the heat as it warmed his frozen fingers.
The door to the gallery opened and Hugo entered, carrying a tote bag that Jonas was certain belonged to Freya.
‘Did you get it?’ Freya asked.
‘Yes.’ Hugo smiled as he walked over to the desk and put the bag down. He pulled out a large green bottle and Freya went to the desk drawer and brought out four small glasses.
‘What’s going on?’ Frankie asked.
‘I have good news…’ Jonas drained his coffee then placed the cup on the tray on the desk.
Frankie stared at him, her face pale. ‘Don’t keep me in suspense, Jonas. I can’t stand it.’
She worried her bottom lip and Jonas had to push his hands into his jeans pockets to prevent himself from picking her up and twirling her around.
Hugo popped the cork then filled the four glasses and Freya handed them out.
‘OK… so, my contact with the boutique… absolutely loved your designs. She said she’s never seen anything like them. They’re beautiful, glamorous, classy and could be worn by just about anyone. She liked how they weren’t designed just for skinny people and said that will appeal to her regular clientele.’
Frankie’s mouth had opened and she was shaking her head.
‘She also said that she wants to put in an order immediately after the new year and that she’ll want to have a meeting with you to discuss future orders. But… get this… She wants every single garment you’ve made already so she can start selling them. She will speak to you about numbers and possible commission, et cetera, et cetera, but basically, she loved your work and also said she knew of other boutique owners who will do too.’
Frankie was still shaking her head.
‘It’s wonderful news, love.’ Freya wrapped an arm around Frankie’s shoulder. ‘Aren’t you happy?’
To Jonas’s horror, Frankie crumpled in front of his eyes, almost folding over completely, and she started to cry. He looked at Hugo then at Freya but they both looked as confused as he was, so he went to Frankie and lifted her chin gently with his forefinger. ‘Hey, Frankie. This is good news, no?’
She sniffed then nodded. He handed his champagne to Freya then smoothed his thumbs over Frankie’s cheeks, wiping away her tears.
‘I… am… happy…’ Frankie squeaked.
‘Are you sure?’ Hugo said from behind them. ‘You don’t look very happy, darling.’
‘She’s emotional,’ Freya said. ‘It’s a lot to take in.’
Jonas pulled Frankie into his arms and rubbed her back, trying to comfort and reassure her. Against his chest, she felt soft and female and that urge to protect her surged again. It was a primal instinct but it was combined with something even stronger, a deep desire for this woman, a longing to know her better, to be there for her when she was sad and to bring her joy.
When Frankie finally stepped back, her face and eyes were red and there was a large damp patch on his shirt front.
‘Frankie? Are you OK?’ Freya asked.
‘Yes. Thank you so much, Jonas. I’m extremely happy. Delighted, in fact.’
‘Well then, let’s have a proper toast.’ Hugo made sure they all had their glasses then he topped them up. ‘To our gorgeous girl and her new venture. Frankie’s fashion!’
They clinked glasses and Frankie finally smiled.
Jonas couldn’t help himself then, he slid an arm around her shoulders and squeezed her tight as her parents chatted about how exciting this was, how successful she was going to be and all the wonderful possibilities that lay ahead for her. Just as parents should do, and he realized that he wanted this for her, probably just as much as they did.
At one point, Frankie looked up at him and the emotion in her green eyes almost knocked him sideways. In spite of all his reservations about Frankie and her life, her wealthy upbringing and how he could never offer her what she would want and need, he was falling for her hard and fast. He’d tried to rationalize it away in England, to deny it when he returned to Norway, but now that she was here again, he knew all hope of fighting it was lost.
‘Where are we going?’ Frankie asked as Freya opened a door at the back of the gallery and led her up a staircase.
‘Wait and see.’
They’d left Jonas and Hugo in the gallery downstairs because Freya said she had an idea.
When they reached a short landing, Freya pulled some keys from her pocket then unlocked a door. It groaned as it opened, causing them both to shudder.
‘Now, I know you have a whole life in London and that you probably want to go back there to carry on your design business, but just in case… there’s room here for you to work, should you need it.’
Freya walked into a room that was the same size as the gallery downstairs but looked bigger because it was completely empty. The window was shuttered but daylight sneaked through the slats, creating enough light for them to see.
Frankie walked around the room then towards the back, where a doorway led into what appeared to be a kitchen area. Another door next to it, led to a small room containing a toilet and hand basin.
‘Is this yours as well?’ Frankie asked.
‘I don’t rent it but I have the keys as the owner asked me to keep a set in case anyone ever wanted to look around. There’s a separate entrance from out the back, that’s where the other door at the top of the stairs leads.’
Frankie crossed to the window and peered through the slats. Outside, people walked up and down the street and snowflakes drifted down, only to be swept up by gusts of wind and thrown against the windows and into the faces of passers-by. The flakes that made it to the ground settled on top of the snow that was already there, creating a picture-perfect Norwegian scene. It was beautiful, and even more so because Frankie was with Freya, her dad and Jonas, and there were possibilities here for the future too.
Freya joined her at the window.
‘Frankie, I’m not putting any pressure on you. I know you have a life in London and that you need to get back because of your grandmother… but I also wanted to let you know that there are possibilities here. Should you want to consider them.’
Frankie turned to Freya and met her green eyes. Her heart soared as she pulled her into a hug.
‘I’m not sure exactly what I’m going to do yet, and it’s going to take some more thought, but I do know that this is a fabulous idea and I am so grateful.’
Freya nodded against her shoulder.
‘Whatever you want is fine with me, Frankie. I just want to see you. A lot.’
‘Me too.’
They hugged each other tightly and Frankie thought about what had happened in her life and about what could happen next. A fresh start, away from London and Rolo and the life she’d lived but never really felt comfortable in, could be exactly what she needed. Of course, there was Grandma, but she suspected that Helen Ashford would be fine whether Frankie was at her beck and call or not. Frankie and her dad had spent so long doing what Helen wanted them to do, being there for her when she called for them and living the life she’d chosen for them.
Now it was time to choose their own paths…