‘Shall we go and wake Daddy, Olea?’ I ask.

Olea opens the bedroom door and shouts Daddy! in a loud, dramatic voice. 102

‘Is that my girls?’ Kristoffer mumbles, sounding grotty and sluggish. Then he sees that it’s me, doesn’t say a word, but turns to face Olea. He’s not wearing a T-shirt and shuffles upwards until he’s leaning on his elbows, his face grimy-looking. It feels like this is something I shouldn’t see; I stand in the doorway, wavering, feeling stupid.

‘Why does it smell so yucky in here?’ Olea asks. She sits on the bed and bounces up and down.

‘Daddy’s not feeling very well,’ Kristoffer says.

‘Really?’ Olea asks, unconvinced.

‘I’ve been a bit under the weather,’ Kristoffer replies. ‘But I’m almost better now.’

He wraps his arms around Olea and squeezes her until she squeals with glee.

‘Are you my best buddy?’ he asks, burying his nose in her hair, playful and warm, jiggling her gently from side to side. ‘Are you my best buddy?’

‘Nooo,’ Olea shrieks, wrangling herself free and giggling. ‘You smell yucky.’

‘Who is your best buddy, then?’ Kristoffer asks, tickling her.

‘Uhhh,’ Olea says, pretending to think about it, pulling faces and cocking her head to one side in an over-the-top performance. ‘Um, um… Ida!’ she shouts all of a sudden, pointing at me.

‘Oh really?’ Kristoffer replies, he chuckles and looks up at me. ‘Sounds like you’ve surpassed me, thanks for that.’

‘Sounds like it,’ I say, chuckling along with him. 103

‘Why don’t you head out for a bit, Olea,’ Kristoffer says, sitting up in bed. ‘I just need to have a word with Ida.’

‘Is it a secret?’ Olea asks.

‘No, just something boring,’ Kristoffer replies.

‘Why do I have to go away?’ Olea asks.

‘It’s about Granny’s birthday,’ Kristoffer says.

‘I want to hear too!’ Olea says.

‘It’s just about cooking dinner tonight,’ Kristoffer says. ‘Go and see Granny and ask her if you can have an ice cream.’

Olea huffs and makes a show of dragging her feet on her way out of the room before banging the door closed behind her. I wonder if I should perch on the edge of the bed, but I remain standing, he should ask me to, if that’s what he wants.

‘Things went a bit too far last night,’ Kristoffer says.

‘Oh?’ I reply, pretending not to understand.

‘No, well, firstly, I was pretty out of it,’ he says, rubbing his eyes.

‘You can say that again,’ I reply, laughing. He doesn’t join in my laughter.