only wanted to come over and say hi...”
“Oh, don’t be silly. You’re not disturbing me.” Freja adjusted the strap from her purse further up on her shoulder. “I’m waiting for my daughter and Viggo. Emma, my daughter, is getting the grand tour around the school, and I offered to wait here. Didn’t want to slow them down.” She pointed to her leg. “Old injury that’s acting up again.”
Svala’s heart sank, and her voice pitched. “What injury?”
Freja flinched back slightly and Svala cleared her throat, and hurried to smooth over her reaction. “I’m sorry. That’s none of my business.”
The frown on Freja’s face dissolved, and instead, a slow smile built on her face. She reminded Svala of herself, on those few occasions she’d lived a life over the age of forty.
Freja studied Svala, head tilted to the side, as if the recognition was mutual. “It’s okay; I fell down some stairs once.” A quick, almost undetectable waver of insecurity passed over Freja’s blue eyes. “A long time ago.”
Svala nodded, and tried to appear unaffected while the questions rang in her head. Why did she lie? What happened to her?
“I’m sorry to hear that.” She shifted her eyes to Freja’s leg, and her stomach tightened.
Freja shrugged and pressed her lips together. She glanced down the hallway, before returning to Svala. “Is this a good school?”
“Yeah, I think so.” Svala tried not to stare at her daughter’s leg again. “We have some really good teachers, I think your daughter will like it here.”
Freja’s brows shot up, as if she doubted Svala’s assumption. Svala masked her puzzled reaction with another smile, but had no time to consider Freja’s reaction as Viggo rounded the corner up ahead. Two security guards and a small group of girls followed in his wake. When he caught sight of Svala, he quickened his steps, and his eyes sparkled with excitement. The closer he got, the harder Svala’s heart pounded.
When he reached them, he turned to Freja, but glanced at Svala with obvious anticipation. “They’re showing Emma the gymnasium and are heading into the locker rooms. I thought I’d come back and check up on you.”
Freja nodded. Viggo’s gaze shifted to Svala again and their eyes locked, neither one of them able to break the eye contact. Freja glanced from Viggo to Svala and a shy smile lingered at the corner of her lips. “I’m sorry, this is...” She trailed off and turned to Svala. “I’m afraid I don’t know your name, dear.”
Svala tore her gaze from Viggo and looked at their daughter. “Svala,” she said. “My name is Svala.”
Freja gestured a hand toward her, looking at Viggo, but quickly lowered it and turned her attention back to Svala, eyes narrowed. “That’s funny. Why do I recognize that name? It’s very unusual.”
Svala shrugged and shook her head. Viggo studied her with a crooked smile. She met his gaze again and couldn’t stop a smile from surfacing too. Freja picked up on their silent communication and bit her lower lip.
“So, Viggo, this is Svala,” she said. “She came into my store a while back. I believe it was the same day you came by, before we knew who you were.”
Viggo extended his hand to Svala, their eyes still locked. She accepted his strong hand shake and his energy surged through her, filling her with an immediate need to be with him. Judging from the longing in his eyes, he shared the emotion.
“Nice to meet you, Svala.” He held on to her hand, his eyes never leaving hers.
She swallowed hard and retrieved her hand, legs weakened. “Nice to meet you too,” she managed.
Chapter 2
1980
New York
Freja had grown into a straightforward and self-confident teenager with a direct approach to life. Instantly drawn to Svala, it didn’t take long before the two girls became close friends.
Viggo watched them from a distance, and Svala often caught him smiling as they passed him in the school hallway. He
“Oh, don’t be silly. You’re not disturbing me.” Freja adjusted the strap from her purse further up on her shoulder. “I’m waiting for my daughter and Viggo. Emma, my daughter, is getting the grand tour around the school, and I offered to wait here. Didn’t want to slow them down.” She pointed to her leg. “Old injury that’s acting up again.”
Svala’s heart sank, and her voice pitched. “What injury?”
Freja flinched back slightly and Svala cleared her throat, and hurried to smooth over her reaction. “I’m sorry. That’s none of my business.”
The frown on Freja’s face dissolved, and instead, a slow smile built on her face. She reminded Svala of herself, on those few occasions she’d lived a life over the age of forty.
Freja studied Svala, head tilted to the side, as if the recognition was mutual. “It’s okay; I fell down some stairs once.” A quick, almost undetectable waver of insecurity passed over Freja’s blue eyes. “A long time ago.”
Svala nodded, and tried to appear unaffected while the questions rang in her head. Why did she lie? What happened to her?
“I’m sorry to hear that.” She shifted her eyes to Freja’s leg, and her stomach tightened.
Freja shrugged and pressed her lips together. She glanced down the hallway, before returning to Svala. “Is this a good school?”
“Yeah, I think so.” Svala tried not to stare at her daughter’s leg again. “We have some really good teachers, I think your daughter will like it here.”
Freja’s brows shot up, as if she doubted Svala’s assumption. Svala masked her puzzled reaction with another smile, but had no time to consider Freja’s reaction as Viggo rounded the corner up ahead. Two security guards and a small group of girls followed in his wake. When he caught sight of Svala, he quickened his steps, and his eyes sparkled with excitement. The closer he got, the harder Svala’s heart pounded.
When he reached them, he turned to Freja, but glanced at Svala with obvious anticipation. “They’re showing Emma the gymnasium and are heading into the locker rooms. I thought I’d come back and check up on you.”
Freja nodded. Viggo’s gaze shifted to Svala again and their eyes locked, neither one of them able to break the eye contact. Freja glanced from Viggo to Svala and a shy smile lingered at the corner of her lips. “I’m sorry, this is...” She trailed off and turned to Svala. “I’m afraid I don’t know your name, dear.”
Svala tore her gaze from Viggo and looked at their daughter. “Svala,” she said. “My name is Svala.”
Freja gestured a hand toward her, looking at Viggo, but quickly lowered it and turned her attention back to Svala, eyes narrowed. “That’s funny. Why do I recognize that name? It’s very unusual.”
Svala shrugged and shook her head. Viggo studied her with a crooked smile. She met his gaze again and couldn’t stop a smile from surfacing too. Freja picked up on their silent communication and bit her lower lip.
“So, Viggo, this is Svala,” she said. “She came into my store a while back. I believe it was the same day you came by, before we knew who you were.”
Viggo extended his hand to Svala, their eyes still locked. She accepted his strong hand shake and his energy surged through her, filling her with an immediate need to be with him. Judging from the longing in his eyes, he shared the emotion.
“Nice to meet you, Svala.” He held on to her hand, his eyes never leaving hers.
She swallowed hard and retrieved her hand, legs weakened. “Nice to meet you too,” she managed.
Chapter 2
1980
New York
Freja had grown into a straightforward and self-confident teenager with a direct approach to life. Instantly drawn to Svala, it didn’t take long before the two girls became close friends.
Viggo watched them from a distance, and Svala often caught him smiling as they passed him in the school hallway. He
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