I could get used to this, he thought.

***

Ninni watched Jack from the path. She was on her way to the beach, and then spotted him going into the water. So now she didn’t want to go down there.

Also, she didn’t want him to see her. What if he thought she had come down to see him in his trunks? Not that he wasn’t worth watching. He looked good.

Her gaze followed him as he swam across, and when he turned to swim back she threw herself behind the nearest hesjer. The grass was still green under the upper layer of hay and smelled strongly of Timothy and red clover.

This was beyond stupid, she thought, cursing herself. If she got up now, he would know what she’d done and she would feel like an even bigger idiot.

Frikk came bouncing over to her, delighted with the new game. He crawled under the hesjer and she followed, scraping her bottom on the lowest wire.

‘Stupid, stupid, stupid,’ she muttered.

Frikk ran off, barking in the process, and she closed her eyes. Even Jack would know that wherever Frikk was, she wouldn’t be far behind. There was really only one thing to do – stand up and pretend that was what she had intended all the time. Someone has to inspect the hay, she thought.

She stood up, only to discover that Jack was gone.

Oh, thank God, she thought and hurried up the field. Frikk zigzagged through the rows of hesjer and ran in front of her up to the house.

Ninni sank down in the garden and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. It took her a minute to realise her phone was buzzing.

‘Hi, Dad. No, I’m fine. I was just … running with Frikk,’ she said, trying to catch her breath.

‘I got your message,’ he said. ‘Is everything okay?’

Ninni pictured him in the small bookshop on Tyskebryggen, the German Dock in Bergen. Most likely, he would be sitting in a corner, reading a book and ignoring customers as best he could.

‘Yes, only I have quite some news for you. Agnar had a son and he’s here.’

Petter didn’t say anything. Ninni checked the screen to see if she had accidentally turned it off. ‘Pappa?’

‘I’m here. Are you sure? I mean, that’s … Agnar never mentioned anything like that.’

‘Alma thought he was an imposter at first, but she has seen the paperwork and he looks like Agnar. I thought perhaps you’d want to meet him.’

‘Of course I do. I’d decided to come to the island after closing hour tomorrow anyway.’

‘Do you want me to come and get you? I have taken the boat out.’

‘No, I don’t want you on the water by yourself; it’s not that far, anyway. I’m perfectly happy on the ferry.’

Ninni smiled. He always said that. ‘Okay. Everybody will be at Olav and Sigrid’s for the day. Planting potatoes.’

‘Whatever for? They are perfectly capable of planting their own potatoes. That field of theirs is minuscule.’