JO DIDN’T SEE much of Henrik that week. He was busy working and there weren’t many emergency situations where she was needed to work with him, now that she wasn’t on call.
Her practice, or rather Gary’s practice, was busy.
As more tourists came into town to watch the icebergs go by, a common cold seemed to rip through Nubbin’s Harbor, and Josephine just hoped she didn’t catch it, so she took extra vitamin C in an effort to avoid it.
She didn’t want to be sick for her trip to the main island and a chance to see L’Anse aux Meadows. It would be her first real touristy thing, besides kissing a cod, that she’d done since she’d arrived in Newfoundland. And it was a place she had always wanted to see.
It might be nice to go on a mini vacation. She couldn’t remember the last time she went somewhere, and it would be nice to have friendly company. Someone to chat to. She’d missed talking to someone.
You mean you miss Henrik.
It was true. She missed his company. She had gotten so used to being alone these last three years. It was easier to shut people out rather than to feel.
Especially the emptiness and loneliness that had saturated most of her life. It was easier to ignore it by keeping people away.
Now Henrik was in her life for better or for worse.
Since he’d arrived back in the village, she had gotten used to him being around, even if they didn’t get to chat much.
It was good to connect. She didn’t feel so lost, so alone in the world. It was exciting to have a friend and someone to look out for her.
This week the only thing she had heard from him was a message to say they were on for Saturday and he’d pick her up at seven in the morning. Sharp.
As much as Jo wanted to sleep in, she was ready at seven and waiting outside the clinic with their picnic lunch, her small suitcase and a thermos full of coffee.
Decaf coffee.
Henrik’s truck came around the corner and pulled up. Henrik got out. He was grinning, and that friendly charming smile made her heart skip a beat.
“You have a proper picnic basket and all!” Henrik remarked.
“I went to Cherry’s Kitchen, and she put together a picnic for me. Something she does during tourist season.”
“Smart. I didn’t know she did that,” Henrik remarked.
“Isn’t Cherry’s Kitchen your go-to place for dates?”
Henrik raised an eyebrow and saw she was smirking. “Where would you be hearing that?”
“Lloyd.”
Henrik rolled his eyes. “Of course. Yes, I’ve taken other women there. Are you jealous?” he teased.
“Nope, I’m just surprised you didn’t know about her picnic lunches.” She winked, and he laughed as she folded up the blanket she’d brought.
Although, there was a bubble of jealousy at the thought of him with other women. It surprised her. She wasn’t a jealous person by nature.
Don’t think about it.
He was her friend and nothing more, even if secretly she would like a little bit more. Warmth crept up her neck, and she looked away, hoping he didn’t notice her blush.
Again.
He took the basket and blanket and placed them in the back seat. Then he took her overnight bag and set it next to his.
“I also brought coffee. It’s decaf, though,” she said.
He wrinkled his nose. “Well, that’s thoughtful of you.”
“I need to limit my caffeine.”
“I know, but decaf coffee is like drinking American beer. Weak.” He chuckled at his joke.
Jo rolled her eyes. “Don’t let any Americans hear that.”
“An American told me that when he was up here working with the coast guard,” Henrik said, winking again. “He couldn’t handle the screech at all. You at least kissed the cod. He passed out with it.”
Jo laughed as he opened her door and helped her up into the passenger seat. She buckled up, and Henrik climbed in and pulled away from the clinic. She opened the thermos and poured him a cup of coffee in one of the paper cups she had brought.
“Ta,” he said, sipping it, making a face. “Awful. Awful.”
“You suck, you know that,” she said, chuckling. It was so easy to tease him, to joke with him. She liked that about him. Everyone might think he was a bit aloof or grumpy at times, and she’d heard the term loner tossed about by other town folk, but that wasn’t the person she saw when she was with him.
When she was with Henrik, he was easy-going and friendly, like most of the residents here.
“Are you ready to see my Viking ancestors?” he asked, grinning as they made their way from Nubbin’s Harbor to the ferry.
“Your Viking ancestors?” she asked.
“My dad’s family is Norwegian, and my mother’s family were original Newfoundlanders that descended from Irish immigrants, ages ago.”
“I was wondering about your name, Henrik Nielsen. It’s a bit different from others around here.”
He nodded. “My mother was a Power.”
“I’ve heard that name.”
“My gran only had my mother, but Gran had a couple of brothers, and most of their family, third cousins and the like, have moved away. Moved west.”
“It seems like a lot of people move west,” she remarked.
He nodded, his lips pressed together firmly. “Aye. I was engaged to a girl, and that’s what she wanted too.”
Jo could tell by the furrow of his brow and the stiffness of his spine it weighed heavily on him.
The jovial mood had melted away.
“Tell me about it,” she said, gently.
“There’s not much to tell.”
Jo reached over and slipped her hand over his. He smiled sweetly, and she saw pain in his blue eyes that were usually full of mirth.
The same pain of loss she knew all too well.
“Tell me anyway.”
He sighed. “We were going to get married, and I thought we were going to settle here. Make a life, like our ancestors did, but she left me the night we were going to run away together. So in a way, she left me standing at the altar, not in the literal sense. She headed out back to British Columbia. She didn’t want to live with me here.”
“And you didn’t follow?”
His back straightened, and he frowned. “Fogo is my home. I won’t leave. Other people leave, but not me. Not that I blame them. There was no work when the fisheries died down, but we’re working hard to build back up, and people are gradually coming home again.”
“Home is important.”
“The most. So that’s why it ended.”
Jo wasn’t sure she had a home anymore. It had been some time since she’d felt that inexplicable draw to a place where she had roots. She didn’t know what else to say, so instead she tried to introduce another side of leaving home.
“Where I come from it’s just too expensive. If you leave some communities in Ontario, you might not be able to buy back in, and then farmland is getting swallowed up by the urban sprawl.”
Henrik shuddered. “That’s terrible. The idea of urban sprawl.”
She smiled. “It’s a different kind of life compared to this one.”
“And which one do you prefer so far?”
Jo chuckled softly to herself. “I like both.”
“We’ll work on that.”
They pulled up to the ferry and got in the line. The ferry was off-loading the first run of passengers. It wasn’t too long until they were boarding. Once Henrik’s truck was secured in the hold, they got out and headed out to the passenger deck for the voyage across. As they were leaning over the rail she saw antlers in the water, which caught her off guard.
“Henrik,” she exclaimed, gripping his arm. “Antlers.”
He chuckled. “And there be caribou attached to those antlers.”
“I still can’t believe they swim across the channel. I know I’ve seen it before, but it’s still amazing.”
“Yep.” Henrik nodded, like it was the most normal thing in the world to see a herd of caribou swim by, but Jo supposed, for him, it was. She watched in awe as the caribou made it to the shoreline and clambered up out of the water, shaking as they pranced away over the rock into some brush.
The ferry sounded its horn and slipped its moorings. The ferry jolted, and Henrik’s arms came around her to steady her. It was comforting to have his arms around her. It felt right, and she didn’t push him away. Instead she relished the feeling of being held again.
It had been a long time.
It felt wonderful.
Henrik didn’t mean to reach out to wrap his arms around her, but when the ferry jerked, she fell back against his chest and so he steadied her, but Josephine didn’t move away, and he didn’t want to push her away.
It was lovely having her in his arms again. Her sweet scent of vanilla surrounded him, and he knew firsthand that she tasted just as sweet. It was taking all his self-control not to caress her and kiss her, like he longed to do.
Just like he’d wanted to do when he saw their baby on the ultrasound. Not that there had been much to see. It was just this little blob, but it was a little blob with a heartbeat, and it was his child. One day it would be a person, with their own personality, and he was both scared and thrilled about that.
He had been so overcome with emotion, and he saw that Josephine was holding back tears, then she’d opened her heart and told him why.
Which is why he’d finally decided to share his pain about Melissa. Even then it took him some time to tell her. He’d wanted to tell her then but hadn’t been able to put it into words until just now.
Josephine understood his pain, and he understood hers.
It was easier to keep himself closed off usually. He didn’t like to talk about his feelings, but she had opened up this piece of her heart to him, and he couldn’t help himself from reciprocating. When he was around her, it felt right.
Henrik was still scared and fearful for his battered heart, but he wanted Josephine to stay, to be in his life, and if she left Fogo he would miss her company. So he held her close during the whole ferry ride to Farewell.
It was just an hour, such a short time, but it was worth it.
He wasn’t sure that she was going to stay yet, and he wanted to savor every moment that he could with her.
The thin sliver of land of Newfoundland grew on the horizon, and he reluctantly let go of Josephine, and they headed back down to his truck to prepare to disembark. There were a couple more jolts, and the ferry moored on the other side.
Josephine settled in the passenger seat and he climbed up, waiting until the bay door opened and he could start his truck.
It was only a few minutes before the traffic from the ferry began to slowly make its way off and onto the highway. He navigated his way inland on the island to the other coast to take the highway that ran to L’Anse aux Meadows at the very tip.
“Would you like to stop for lunch at Gros Morne?” Henrik asked. They had been driving for a few hours, and it was almost noon.
“Sure. Wherever you like.”
“It’s a beautiful spot, but we’ll have to come back another day to see it properly. Maybe take a trip up the fjords.”
“Fjords?” she asked.
“I told you,” he teased. “This is Viking land.”
“Fitting, the inn you booked our rooms at is called the Valhalla Lodge Motel.”
They approached the park gates, and Josephine stared in wonder at the steep mountain cliffs and the water. Gros Morne Mountain loomed as they made their way into the park to find one of the many picnic sites that overlooked the ocean vista.
“You can camp here?” she asked.
“Yes, and you can hike up the mountain, but I wouldn’t suggest you do that in your condition.”
“No, but maybe one day,” she said, offhandedly staring out the window.
His heart skipped a beat.
Maybe she was giving up on her idea of leaving, and his plan was working to get her to stay here in Newfoundland, where they could be a family.
Don’t get ahead of yourself, a little voice warned.
Henrik didn’t say anything as he found a fairly level picnic site with a view of the mountain and the water. Something that Josephine could manage easily. He parked the car, and they got out. She grabbed the blanket out of the back, and he took the picnic basket.
She didn’t go for one of the tables but headed out into the tall grasses that were gently blowing in the sunny June wind and spread it out. It was a patchwork quilt.
“Is that one of Gary’s?” Henrik asked. “I only ask because it looks like one of the ones that are done by the ladies in Nubbin’s Harbor.”
“Yes. It was the largest one and looked the most comfortable.”
“They are comfy, and they’re very warm.” He set the basket down on one corner so the blanket wouldn’t blow away. Josephine sat down and began to unpack the basket. There was sparkling cider and sandwiches, both cheese and meats.
It was brilliant.
“It looks like it’s turkey. I hope you like turkey.” Josephine held out the sandwich.
“I do.” He took it from her and unwrapped it, taking a bite of it before leaning back against the quilt.
“What’s that mountain called?” Josephine asked. “The one you don’t want me hiking yet.”
He grinned. “Very difficult name.”
“Oh?”
“Gros Morne Mountain,” he said.
She smiled. “That is certainly complicated. So have you ever hiked up there?”
He nodded. “When I was doing a training session a few years back. It’s steep, lots of sharp rocks and wildlife, but I think the most challenging training that I’ve ever done has been on northern Labrador and up into Nunavut.”
“Seen a polar bear?” she asked.
He nodded. “One got a little too close to me once, but George was with me and scared it off. They’re beautiful, but they are predators.”
“I wouldn’t mind seeing a wild one, but from a distance,” she said.
“Distance is good. If you go into northern Labrador you can see them. Sometimes they wander down this way, but usually that’s when they’re on some sea ice.”
“Poor things,” Josephine remarked.
“What about me?” he asked, joking.
“Why should I feel sympathy for you?” she asked, her eyes twinkling.
“No reason. I just wanted all the attention on me.” He winked and finished his sandwich, enjoying the scenery from their picnic site. It had been a long time since he’d been here for leisure. He’d seen some beautiful sites when he did travel from Fogo, but it was always for work, and he always returned to the place he called home.
“When we get to our hotel, we should stop for some great fish and chips near there. There’s a little tavern near Hay Cove. If it’s still there.”
“I could go for some traditional fish and chips. As long as I don’t have to kiss anything and it’s not a sea cucumber.”
Henrik cocked an eyebrow. “You’re getting over your aversion to fish. Maybe you’ll become a native Newfoundlander after all.”
One could only hope.
They finished their lunch, packed up their garbage and headed out of the national park and back to the highway. It was still another four hours or so from Gros Morne to just outside L’Anse aux Meadows.
Josephine drifted off to sleep and slept most of the way with her head pressed against the side of the truck as they drove to the Valhalla Lodge Motel, which was off the main highway not far from the national site. It was made of logs and really embraced the Viking flair, and there was a longhouse restaurant called Thor’s Place that was attached. Since the place he wanted to take Josephine was actually closed, he thought that Thor’s Place looked interesting.
Josephine checked them in. She came out of the office holding two keys. “They’re adjoining, but seriously, don’t be pestering me all night.”
“I wouldn’t do that.” He grinned and took the key.
“So where is this place that you wanted to have dinner?” she asked.
“It’s closed. We passed it when you were drooling on the side of my window.”
Pink tinged her cheeks. “Oh, no. I wasn’t snoring, was I?”
“No.” He grinned. “There’s a restaurant attached to the motel. How about we meet there in twenty minutes? Gives us a chance to stretch and freshen up.”
“That sounds good. I’ll meet you there in twenty.” She picked up her overnight bag and made her way to her room. Henrik couldn’t help but admire her as she walked away. He couldn’t believe how much he was enjoying himself. Usually his life was mostly work, barely any play unless a tourist he fancied was in town, but he never went on trips just for pleasure like this.
Not in a long time.
Josephine seemed to drag out all the bits of him that he’d thought were locked away. There was a glimmer of light in his life again. It made him smile. He was very thankful that they had separate rooms, because he wanted to take her in his arms again and not let her go.
He wanted her to be his, and that thought scared him straight to his core.
Jo took her time freshening up. She changed out of her jeans and sweater, slipping on a sweater dress and some nice shoes. She put her hair up and changed her jewelry, then put on some more makeup. She wasn’t sure how fancy Thor’s Place was, but she had a feeling it wasn’t a five-star wear-a-suit-or-get-out kind of place.
When she got there, Henrik was already seated. He waved and then stood up. Heat rushed to her face, realizing he had changed into different clothes too: well-fitted jeans and a fisherman’s sweater that hugged his wide shoulders perfectly. It also brought out the color of his eyes and his dark hair.
He was incredibly handsome, and she could see some of the other women in the restaurant admiring him. Not that she could blame them. She had been extremely attracted to him the first time he’d spoken to her at Lloyd’s bar.
Had been? That little voiced questioned her, teasing her.
Had been was not the right tense. She was still extremely attracted to him, which was part of the problem with having him in her life. Their eyes locked across the room, and a flutter in her stomach made her catch her breath.
She could get lost in those eyes. She had before.
It was so hard to remain friends with someone who you knew could make your blood sing with just a simple touch.
And right now, she wanted that touch again.
“You look beautiful,” he said, as she slid into the booth opposite him. He sat down when she was settled. Their booth was tucked in the corner and overlooked the ocean.
“I love your sweater,” she said, trying to be vague, but her cheeks were heating again, and she was blushing. She knew she was.
“Thanks. My gran knitted it for me a year before she died.”
“She was talented,” Josephine remarked.
He smiled, nodding. “Yes. She was.”
The waitress came over, handing them their menus. “Can I get you something to drink, ducky?”
“Iced tea is fine,” Josephine answered.
“And you, ducky?” the waitress asked, addressing Henrik.
“Brewis would be the best kind.”
The waitress nodded. “Back soon, and I’ll take your order.”
Josephine opened the menu and saw that Thor’s Place did have fish and chips but also caribou steaks.
“What’re you going to have?” Henrik asked.
“I’ll stick with the fish and chips. I was looking forward to it. What’re you going to have?”
“Caribou,” he said.
“Seriously?”
He shrugged. “I’ve had it before. Mind you, George’s auntie cooked it up, but I’ll see how this place manages it.”
“Maybe I can steal a bite?” she asked, not sure if she was going to or not, but she was curious just the same.
“Perhaps,” he said, slyly.
The waitress returned with their drinks and then took their orders, and it was just the two of them again. She knew that she would eventually have to bring up the subject of their baby. She knew that he wanted to be involved, but she was having a hard time picturing what that would look like in a year, when she would head back to Ontario. Yet, if she stayed she’d have to fund her own practice. Trauma surgeons weren’t in high demand on Fogo.
At the very least she’d have to go to Newfoundland proper to work, and so she and the baby would still be separated from Henrik.
She flinched.
She didn’t want to deprive her child of their father.
It was hard to contemplate or rationalize in her that this one-night stand, the first one she had ever had in her life, was not just for one night. He was completely part of her life from now on.
“Something seems to be gnawing at you,” Henrik asked, cautiously.
“Something is.” She swallowed the lump of dread that had been lodged in her throat. “You want to be involved with the baby?”
“I do. You know that I do.”
“What happens after the year is up?”
Henrik frowned, only for a moment. “We’ll figure it out.”
“I know, being a trauma surgeon, I can usually think three steps ahead of a situation, but when I think ahead about this, I see lots of plane fares and...”
Henrik reached across the table and took her hands in his. It was reassuring and comforting. He looked into her eyes, and all that trepidation melted away.
“Josephine, I plan to be in my child’s life. I promise you this. For now, let’s focus on getting to know one another better, working on our friendship so we can give our baby the best possible chance of a stable childhood.”
“I’d like that.”
And it was true.
She wanted to be his friend. At the very least, even if her heart was telling her that she wanted more. She was just too scared to have it.