“You’re loyal, but you’re not naive, and you know what Johnny and Major have is the exception, not the rule. Which makes you worry about what kind of life Minor’s going to have.”

He stared, dumbfounded again, then nodded slowly. “I think we both know whoever was on the E-Minor wasn’t just a friend.”

“You did say the Fiskares repeat their names and repeat their tragedies.”

“I did.”

“Plus, a woman knows when she’s being charmed for the benefit of the charmer, and when she’s being charmed for the benefit of others.” She waved a dismissive hand. “Which is neither here nor there. The point I’m making is that with Minor, the not-talking-about-it isn’t quite so funny.”

“No,” he said. “No, it isn’t, and watching out for him is one of the things I promised my mother.”

“Major is safely established behind the old bachelor narrative. Minor is young. He’s smart as all get-out. He’s ten steps ahead of everyone, cunning and wily. But he could trip one of these days. And you worry.”

“I do.” He kicked at the ground a little. “Either that he’ll trip or someone will trip him. Ma said people aren’t always kind toward what they don’t understand.”

“You’re one of the kindest fellows I’ve ever known,” Astrid said.

I’m so in love with you, he thought, as he said aloud, “I’ve never known anyone like you in my life. Well. No. That’s not exactly true. You’re a lot like Marta.”

“I wanted to be like her when I grew up.”

“You did. You are. But a thousand times more beautiful.”

A flickering, melting moment.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

He tapped his mouth, shaking his head. “You have the damnedest way of making people share their secrets.”

“I feel I know so many of yours now. Maybe I should tell you one.”

“Never tell a secret out of obligation.”

“Did Major teach you that?”

“No, I just came up with it now.”

“I have two secrets to tell you. One now. One later. Maybe. Take me someplace where we can sit down.”

Fiskare

He took her to the little rocky beach on the west side of Tre-O.

“Someone’s been camping,” she said, pointing to a ring of stones and the charred remains of a fire within.

“Oh that’s us,” Kennet said. “My brothers and sisters, I mean. We come here to fish and swim and cook out.” He sighed. “In fact, we were planning to bring you here tomorrow for a surprise fika and I just let the cat out of the bag. So don’t let on you’ve seen it already. I’ll be murdered.”

She drew pinched fingers across her lips. “I’ve never had fika on an island. Will there be coffee and cake?”