Time for Surprises

by Mette Barfelt

  She was getting ready to leave when Vidar appeared in the kitchen. "Morning." She studied his face to judge his mood. "Was it a late night?"

  "Uhum. Where are you off to?" He flopped down onto a chair.

  "To the office to install everything on my new computer. It'll take most of the day. It's a considerable chore, in addition to losing what I worked on all Friday. Whoever did this to me knew exactly how much trouble he would cause."

  "Why do you say he? It may just as well be a woman." Vidar poured coffee into a mug.

  "Of course."

  "Did you make me breakfast?" He looked around the kitchen as if to find the hidden treats.

  "You can make it yourself. I've got to go. The kids won't be home until evening."

  "A pity I can't help you with the PC, but I need to work out. There's a bike race coming up shortly."

  Miranda clearly saw where his priorities lay, and regretfully, it wasn't with her. It saddened her, and she wondered what tied them together, besides Sofie and Noah. If only he hadn't lost his job. They'd always been happy together and enjoyed activities as a family on weekends. They'd been on vacations abroad several times, and everyone had loved it. Strange how things could change so suddenly, just because one of them was without a job.

  "Gabriel has offered to reinstall everything. It's not my forte."

  "Ah, the finance manager. If that had been my position, I would have been there for you today. Bike practice or not."

  Yeah, sure. Miranda was embarrassed on Vidar's behalf, listening to his nonsense. He'd always been self-centered. He was eager to help as long as it didn't clash with his training. The problem was, he exercised so often there was hardly any help to get.

  14

  Miranda found Gabriel sitting at her desk with the new PC in front of him. "Have you been here long?"

  "Half an hour or so. I've made a good start." The pale green sweater matched his blue eyes perfectly and gave them a sea-green tinge. She had to look twice.

  "Is something wrong?"

  "No, no." She turned and walked over to the coffee maker. "Would you like anything to drink?"

  "Coffee, please."

  "Milk and sugar?"

  "Always."

  She smiled. "I believe you're fond of sweets. Too bad the bakery isn't open today."

  "Yes, Sunday's a dull day in that respect."

  "Anything I can do to help you?"

  He shook his head. "It'll be quite a bit of waiting. Putting in a computer takes time."

  "Then I'll start redoing everything I lost on Friday." She made herself comfortable on the sofa.

  "Was it a lot?"

  "Way too much. I'd nearly finished everything I wanted to send off to potential conference clients. New ideas for the spa, thoughts on the restaurant, new possible boutiques..."

  "Sorry to hear that. Do you want more shops in the lobby?" He eyed her curiously.

  "Perhaps. We've got two premises available, one next to Anemone and the room adjoining the front desk. If we rent it out, it'll give us some extra profit."

  "It will come in handy. Anything in particular you have in mind?" He joined her on the sofa while the computer worked on its own.

  She put down her notepad. "I haven't gotten that far yet. It'll have to be something that fits our concept. Something the locals are willing to come out here to buy. Preferably something not being offered in the town already."

  "So many criteria. It won't be easy to find those kinds of shops." He crossed one leg over the other, and she couldn't avoid noticing the muscles in his thighs and legs through his tight jeans. So different from Vidar's matchstick legs. Maybe she should suggest he take up handball and running instead. Weightlifting was probably also in the picture. She felt herself turn slightly hot under the collar and opened a couple of buttons on her cardigan. What on earth was she thinking? Sitting here, dreaming about legs and thighs like a teenager. She focused her eyes on the boats in the marina outside. What had they been discussing? Ah, new shops.

  "There's no hurry, and it'll take time to find the appropriate boutiques. We've got plenty of other issues to deal with first," she had to admit.

  "How are things with Tony?"

  "To be honest, I think it's Annabel who runs most of the spa. Tony has enough with his own self-development."

  Gabriel grinned. "I can't figure out your father's reasoning. He's made some odd employments."

  "Neither can I. None of us were close to him. Father was never present, he was always too busy working."

  "And Jasmine flutters about."

  She smiled at his wording. His perception of her sister was spot on. "I've meant to discuss her with you." She hesitated for a second. "I'm not sure how long she'll stay in her job."

  "What do you mean? Has she tired of it already?"

  "Not that I know of, but she's pregnant."

  Gabriel stared at her, confused. "I didn't know she was seeing anyone."

  "That may be the problem. Jasmine doesn't have steady relationships but prefers men she can never have. She's been having an affair with lawyer Hugo Andresen for several years. The apartment she lives in belongs to him. But now there's a new man involved."

  "Simultaneously?"

  She grimaced.

  Gabriel looked pensive. "Whose child is it?"

  "Good question. I bet Jasmine would like to know the answer too. It's someone we know. That's all she wants to divulge."

  "It's like a soap."

  "The thought has crossed my mind. But she's the one who has to live with the uncertainty until the baby is born," she said.

  "Glad I'm not in that predicament. It must be awful." He went to check the status of the computer.

  Miranda had been mulling over who the father might be but still had no idea. They had few friends in common, and she'd never spent much time with her sister. They were too dissimilar.

  "It needs another hour before I can continue." He pointed at the PC.

  "Let's have lunch while we wait."

  On the way to the restaurant, they met Kitty, wearing a fluffy pink robe. It was easy to see where she was heading. King wagged his tiny tail, wanting her to pat him. Miranda lifted the dog and buried her hand in his soft fur. "You're so cute." King gratefully licked her hand.

  "Are you off to your daily pampering?" Miranda hugged Kitty.

  She laughed merrily. "But of course. My visit to the spa is the highlight of the day. King is my spectator."

  "As long as you don't start giving him treatments too, that's fine."

  Kitty laughed even harder. "The thought has occurred to me. But what are you doing here on a Sunday, with this handsome man? Has Vidar run off?"

  Miranda gave her a lopsided smile. "Yes, he has. Bike practice again. I have some trouble with my computer and Gabriel is helping me with the new installations. We're just grabbing some lunch before we continue."

  "Good for you. You know, my dear Freddy wasn't nearly as attractive as this guy here." Kitty nodded toward Gabriel, who was standing next to her, looking uneasy. She took hold of his upper arm and let her hand glide up and down to make sure what was under his sweater. "Oh my, such goodies, Miranda. No way my Freddy could compete with this."

  Miranda knew her face was as red as her sweater. Kitty certainly had a way with words. She glanced at Gabriel, who seemed to feel the same. Better get a move on.

  "See you later, Kitty. You need to leave as not to lose your appointment."

  "No worries. They'll wait for me."

  Miranda knew she was right. If William hadn't cared much for the rest of his family, at least he'd loved his mother deeply by giving her free access to everything.

  "Sorry about that," Miranda said as they walked toward the restaurant. "Kitty is much too outspoken. She means well."

  "I'm sure she does. Don't worry about it."

  Easy for him to say.

  They worked together until late afternoon. All application programs and files were at long last re-installed, and Miranda was grate
ful to have access to her PC again.

  "What a task." She opened the fish & chips boxes they'd picked up at the restaurant. "Thank you so much for all your help. I couldn't have done it without you."

  "The computer has back-up installed, but I've added a few extra security procedures. We've got to take precautions. We still don't know who did this, or why."

  She knew what he said was true but tried not to think about it. What if it happened again?

  "You're right. I'll be careful."

  "That would be best. I'll keep a lookout too and see if we can solve this."

  They ate in silence for a while, both lost in thought.

  "Mmm, this is tasty." He squeezed some lemon on the fish.

  "I was amazed when Remy chose to have fish & chips on the menu. It doesn't really match the other dishes. But that was before I tasted it. I don't think I've ever had such crunchy and delicious fish before. The French fries are crispy and just right."

  "The potatoes have a special taste. Remy must've added something extra in the deep fryer, or it could be a spice."

  She smiled. "Must be a secret ingredient, much like the chef himself."

  The house was empty when Miranda returned home, so she decided to stop by the knitting café that Sara had invited her to. But first, she went down to the basement. She searched through several boxes before finding what she was looking for. A thin, white ball of yarn to make tatting, and the crochet needle she was going to use. The pattern was here, too, and she would need it. It had been years since last time, and she had to brush up on her knowledge.

  Sara and her friends sat on one of the sofas, working on their needlework. She looked around but didn't know anyone else, so she went over to them.

  "Miranda, good to see you. There's room here." Sara pointed at a vacant chair next to her. "How are you?"

  She was unsure whether to tell what had happened. It would sound silly that she'd run into trouble already. She'd just opened the hotel. But they might be able to help her. What if one of the locals was behind this? She couldn't be sure the offender was an employee, even though it was natural to believe so. It could just as well be someone in Solvik who disliked the new hotel and had done their best to cause trouble. It would be naive to think everyone in the small town was enthusiastic about the new competitor. She made a swift decision, concluding she didn't have anything to lose by mentioning the break-in. On the contrary, they might give her valuable insight into life in the town.

  "It's been an interesting first week. Much to learn and some issues to sort out." A bowl of lemon mousse was passed around, and she helped herself.

  "There's always something. I had huge problems when I opened the bakery." Sara tasted the dessert.

  "Me too," Emmelin said. "What happened?"

  "Someone poured coffee on my computer, making it die."

  "Oh no." Bettina gasped. "How did it end?"

  "Not well. I've spent all weekend reinstalling, and I lost a lot of work. Had to buy a new computer." She looked at them. They all appeared shocked.

  "Did you find out who did it? Was it the cleaners? Accidents do happen..." Emmelin drank some tea and gazed at her.

  She shook her head. "The cameras in the corridor were disconnected, and the keycard shows no one has been in my office."

  "But that's impossible." Bettina stared at her, uncomprehending.

  "Not if someone did it on purpose." She sampled the dessert. "I like this."

  Sara loved sweets and fully agreed. "It's the café's signature dish. They've had it forever. This is today's leftovers we're lucky enough to enjoy."

  They savored the dessert for a moment.

  "That's awful," Sara continued. "Do you suspect anyone?"

  Miranda shrugged. "It must be someone who's familiar with the camera and the keycard system. Fooling with the systems without getting noticed isn't easy."

  The others nodded.

  "We don't know if someone at the hotel is behind this. What if it's someone from Solvik? Would any of the locals do something like that?"

  The women looked even more surprised. Thoughts like that must be unheard of in this town.

  "You mean, because of increased competition?" Sara ate some more.

  She smiled. "Maybe someone resents the new hotel."

  "In that case, it must be you, Bettina," Sara said, laughing. "You're competing for guests."

  Bettina paled and looked like she would faint. Sara regretted her outburst. "Just kidding, Bettina. You'd never think of doing anything like that."

  Bettina regained her color. "I can assure you it wasn't me." She looked at Miranda. "I wouldn't know how to disconnect the systems. And I wouldn't want to ruin anything for you, either. There's room for both of us in Solvik."

  Miranda smiled warmly. She knew without a doubt that Bettina wasn't the one. Intuition told her it couldn't possibly be the owner of the guesthouse. "I've never suspected you, Bettina."

  "Glad to hear it."

  "Who else would benefit if it goes badly at the hotel?" Emmelin looked from one to the other. "This café and Lombardi's?"

  Miranda's gaze moved to Vera. The agreeable older woman hardly had the required technical skills. She said as much to the others.

  "But she's not that happy about increased competition any longer," Sara said. "She wholeheartedly supported my bakery and the Italian restaurant, but I have a hunch she feels it's enough now. Two new eateries have popped up this last year. I'm sure they're being affected by it."

  Miranda had no problem seeing it from Vera's point of view. "I hoped we could complement each other. The café will always be the town's meeting place. Our fish restaurant caters to a different clientele. It's an exclusive eatery for special occasions. It's not a place you stop by to get a quick bite when you're hungry in the afternoon. The prices are too high for that."

  "But the food was amazing," Sara said with a blissful expression on her face. "I'd like to eat there every day."

  They were interrupted by Vera. "How nice to see you here, Miranda," she said, smiling amicably. "The hotel is running smoothly?"

  "Thanks, it's busy. Lots to do when everything is new." She'd heard the waitress was fond of gossip, so she had no plans of involving her in the hotel's challenges. She might later on, if it was necessary, but not now. She hoped to work it out on her own.

  "We had dinner there at the opening," Vera continued. "Delicious food. Harriet agreed. I'm just hoping you won't take over our customers. I think there's been a drop already..." She seemed genuinely concerned, and Miranda recognized what a threat the hotel presented.

  "Not to worry," Miranda assured. "Our restaurant primarily targets conference participants and spa guests. We'll do weddings and such eventually."

  Vera moved on. "Let's hope so."

  "She throws her weight around," Emmelin said, nodding toward the waitress. "But I seriously doubt she's capable of causing this kind of trouble."

  Miranda felt the same way. "What about the Italian restaurant?"

  Sara started laughing. "I can answer that because I know Ricco. He knows little about tech stuff. His cousin Luca takes care of that."

  "And Lombardi's is doing well. I've been there several times, and it's always full," Bettina added.

  "So I'm back where I started," Miranda said while trying to get the hang of the tatting. She was tired of pondering about this and forced her thoughts in another direction. "How are the cute babies?"

  "They're not always cute, not when they're hungry." Sara helped herself to more lemon mousse. "I need extra strength to get through the day," she said and looked at the food. "It's incredible how they get hungry at the exact same moment. It would've been much easier if I could feed one at a time. But no, they both cry out simultaneously. You'd think they were dying of hunger. So, it's pretty chaotic at times."

  "Sounds hectic," Emmelin said. "I believe twins must be more than double the work compared to one."

  "Without a doubt. But both my husband and my in-laws are helpin
g. I wouldn't survive without them."

  "I'm lucky to have our neighbor Magda who helps us. And Oliver is big enough to lend a hand when needed." Emmelin looked at Miranda. "Do you have children?"

  She smiled. "Two teens of thirteen and fifteen. They attend school in Oslo, but Noah is starting in Solvik next fall. Sofie is off to a new high school somewhere."

  "I have a daughter the same age as your son," Bettina said. "Maybe they'll be in the same class."

  "That would be nice. They don't know anyone yet and aren't happy about moving here."

  "It's never easy moving away from their circle of friends. Anneli was lucky to make new friends in her class quickly, but she still misses her old ones."

  "You know what?" Sara asked, looking at them all. "We've got more in common than you'd think. Sure, Emmelin and I were born here but moved back when we were adults. So we've all had to get to know new people and create the life we want in Solvik. We've become good friends, and now we have a new friend, Miranda. We don't have champagne to toast with, but nothing beats dessert. More lemon mousse, anyone?"

  15

  "Have you thought this through, or is it on the spur of the moment?" Astonished, Miranda looked at her children. They'd finished dinner and were about to clear the table.

  "Tennis isn't fun anymore." Sofie appeared completely uninterested. "I can't be bothered to play. Besides, it's such a hassle, and we have no one to drive us."

  Miranda once more felt guilty for turning their lives upside down. "But I've found a good alternative for you here in Solvik. In fact, they're practicing tonight, and I'm going to drive you there. Say hello to the coach and such. Next time you can go by yourself, it's in the sports hall by the school."