Summer Island
Page 23
The baby made noises and Ninni looked over at her. She was playing with her fingers.
‘I can’t get over how tiny she is,’ she said and took a bite of the omelette. ‘She’s a couple of weeks premature, but she’s doing so well. It’s hard to believe.’
‘I know. Barely a handful of a human. She likes me, you know. We had a great time while you were snoring on the sofa.’
‘Yes, I remember. You speak baby.’ She looked at him. ‘You talk as if this is going to be easy, Jack. It’s not something you can do on a whim.’
Jack shrugged. ‘I’m not. I have thought about nothing since I left.’
‘Listen, the plan was always to take care of her by myself. Karl doesn’t even know about her, and that’s how I want it. But you don’t have to do this, Jack.’
Jack looked at her. ‘I’m not an impulsive person, Ninni. Not at all, and you and her are a package deal. My dad did it with me, and he had a much more difficult time since I was five years old when my mother married him. He taught me that it makes no difference. That the dad is the one who is there. It’s not a big deal. Adoptive parents do it all the time, and they love their kids the same.’
Jack moved the baby’s chair closer to himself and sat down. ‘Ninni, eat.’
Ninni took a bite. She swallowed and nodded. ‘Good. I’m not getting in a car with you, you know, and certainly not with the baby. You’re not safe.’
Before she finished the sentence, he leaned over and kissed her. ‘Your dad will be here in an hour. I promised him we would be ready. Baby and all.’
Ninni started to laugh. She was shaking with laughter. The baby looked at her, startled by the sound. Jack raised his eyebrows.
‘I’m glad you came,’ she said finally.
‘So am I.’ Jack smiled. ‘Did you know that there’s no salt and vinegar crisps in this country? Like in the entire country?’
‘You’re mad. You know that, right?’
Jack grinned ‘Whatever it takes.’
THE END
If you enjoyed Summer Island, don’t miss Natalie Normann’s next book Christmas Island, a charming romance about a holiday no one will ever forget …
Get your copy right here!
You can also find us at @0neMoreChapter_ on Twitter and @0neMoreChapter on Facebook where we’ll be shouting about all our new releases.
In the mood for even more fantastic fiction?
You will adore The First Date by Zara Stoneley, a hilarious and heartwarming romantic comedy about what happens when the wrong guy turns up at the right time. Get your copy here!
And don’t miss the historical romance of 2020, Before the Crown by Flora Harding, which tells the story of the secret engagement between Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip in the tempestuous wake of the Second World War. Get your copy here!
Acknowledgements
When I was five, I wanted to be an artist. I had no idea what that was, but that was my answer whenever someone asked me what I wanted to be. By the time I was 14 I had read my way through my local library and written a novel – and put it in a closet somewhere. I lived in a small west-coast town and publishers existed in a place far away from my life. Probably on Mount Olympus or Asgard or some other strange place.
After 25 years as a writer, I know a bit more. I know that it’s not possible even for the most solitary writer to work in a vacuum. You need help to get your manuscript, your baby, out in the world. The generosity I have met on this journey has been overwhelming and I have so many to thank.
First, I want to thank Charlotte Ledger and her magnificent team at One More Chapter. I’m forever grateful to Charlotte for not liking anything I sent her, and for asking me if I wanted to write a contemporary romance set in Norway instead.
I want to thank editor and writer Julia Williams for putting me in contact with Charlotte and as such getting the snowball rolling.
Thanks goes to my lovely proofreader/editor Sue Davison, who helped me weed out all the things I thought were proper English, but weren’t. Thank you to Clare Abbott who also proofread the manuscript – it’s scary writing in a foreign language! Most of this book was written in her lovely apartment in London. I had a wonderful time there.
One of the first things I did when I moved to Wales for two years, was join the Romantic Novelists’ Association. The writers in the Association, and the brilliant and talented writers in my South and West Wales chapter, made me feel welcome from the first moment. Probably the best writers association there is.
Thank you also to my Aunt Berit who reads everything I write, even in English, and thinks it’s quite good, so there you go.
And last – with all my love and gratitude to Maria and Anan who has supported me all these years, never giving up on me even when I was whining the most and pushing me to be the best I can be.
Dear reader, I hope you enjoy my attempt at making Nordic less noir and to show you how romantic my country actually can be.
About the Author
Natalie Normann grew up in a small shipping town in Norway. She wanted to be a writer as soon as she realised that books were written by real people. She is a prolific short story and serial writer, and has written romance stories for women’s magazines for years.
Since 2007 she has written historical romance series in Norwegian and recently published her 56th book.
Summer Island is her first book in English.
Growing up she lived in a hotel for two years, sailed to Jamaica on banana boats with her captain father and lived for three years in Spain surrounded by almond and orange trees in the garden.
Natalie took typewriting in high school, so she could write faster, and later got a degree in history and literature. Like many Norwegian writers she worked as a translator while writing. She published her first short story in 1994 and first novel in 1995 – and never looked back.
In her free time, Natalie enjoys avoiding winter and trying to bake the perfect bread.
Also by Natalie Normann
Christmas Island
About the Publisher
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