Maybe he felt left out of their clinic threesome? Or maybe he still felt some ridiculous rivalry with José? Maybe she had said or done something to engineer such a change, but she didn’t know what: surely that teasing comment before dinner about being a romantic wasn’t enough to bring on such a dark mood. She didn’t know what was up with him, but she didn’t like it. She wished he’d just tell her what was going on, but as they drove on in silence, the tension in the car ratcheted up to almost unbearable levels, she finally decided she’d had enough.
“Erik,” she said, trying to keep her voice level and calm, “what’s going on with you?”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t get what’s going on. Tonight started out really nice, and now you’re so quiet and moody, you’re—”
“I’m not moody.”
Yeah, not at all. “Erik, come on. What’s going on?”
“Nothing. Really.” He sighed, but he didn’t look at her, didn’t move to touch her or reassure her. Finally, he said, “Midsommardagen’s the weekend after next.”
“Is it? Wow. Time’s flying.”
“Are you planning to go home for it?”
“I hadn’t thought about it, really. I mean, I don’t know. You want to go?”
“Yeah. I’m going down. My family’s going to be there.”
“Mine too,” she answered. “Big gathering this year. My aunt and uncle—you know, Sam’s folks—are flying in from Chicago. I love it that Jenny and Sam invited everyone this year. Lindstroms, Kelleys and Svensons. It’ll be our first Midsommardagen all together.”
“Everyone’s staying at the Triple Peak,” he said in a clipped voice. “Together.”
The Triple Peak Lodge was an inn outside of Choteau that had been in Katrin’s family for years before it was sold to a hospitality group about ten years ago with the provision that they would still host annual Midsommardagen festivities into perpetuity.
“Of course,” she said, false cheer trying to best her wariness. “Best Midsummer party in Montana! If you’ve never been to the Triple Peak celebration, you’ve been missing out.”
Erik paused before changing course. “Are you worried? About Wade?”
Wade wouldn’t show up. He was in rehab. Besides, he wasn’t Scandinavian. He’d only attended Midsommardagen with her once, years ago, and proclaimed it “the gayest weekend” of his life.
“Not really. Triple Peak’s not even in Choteau. Not to mention, he’ll still be in rehab.”
Erik clenched his jaw once and his eyes narrowed.
What was going on with him? Was he worried about her? Worried Wade would try something?
“Yeah, but maybe you shouldn’t go,” he said without looking at her. “Remember, I told you I didn’t like the sloppy security at those places.”
She smiled, feeling relieved. Is that what his bad mood was all about? He was worried about her? Her heart swelled with the force of her feelings for him.
“Oh, Erik. Don’t worry. I’ll be safe. He’s not Scandinavian, and he never even liked it the one time he went. Plus, my brother will be there and Sam and you. Even if Wade wasn’t in rehab, even if he wanted to see me, I don’t think he’d risk it when I was surrounded by family. Don’t worry. I’m safe.”
She brushed his arm with her hand closest to him, but her eyebrows furrowed when he flinched. He did flinch, didn’t he? It was so slight, so subtle.
“Yeah, but…probably isn’t worth it to take the chance. I don’t think you should go, Kat.”
“Erik! What are you talking about? He’s in rehab, he’s not going to…”
She was confused. Wade wasn’t an issue.
Wait a second. Could it be…? Her brain was scrambling, putting pieces together. Maybe he wasn’t worried about her. Could it be that Erik didn’t want her there?
Her voice was small when she spoke again. “Erik, do you not want me to go to Midsommardagen?”
“I don’t care what you do, Kat. I mean, you can go if you want…”
“Wow, that’s a ringing endorsement.” Her chest started to feel uncomfortable, and her fingers and cheeks started tingling, like when she was a child and had done something bad, or when she realized something was wrong.
He glanced at her quickly then turned his eyes back to the road, jaw clenched again, his face hard and closed. “Well, let’s be honest, Kat. It might be easier if you didn’t go.”
“Easier? What do you mean? For whom?”
“Well, I just—if you’re there, and I’m there…I mean, I just don’t know what to tell them.”
“Tell them about what?” She stared at his profile as it finally dawned on her what he was saying. He didn’t know what to tell them about him and Katrin. This whole thing—all of it—was about him feeling uncomfortable with them as a couple. She took a deep breath, then let it go slowly. “Oh, my God. Oh, my God, I’m such an idiot. I thought you were worried about my safety. You’re not worried about me. You’re worried about us. You don’t know what to tell them about us.”
At her use of the word “us” his eyes narrowed again. “Throwing those words around a lot tonight, Kat. We this. Us that. I mean, there isn’t really an us, is there?”
She winced. It hurt her to hear him say that, and a massive lump that had started in her throat tripled in size. That crazy tingling feeling on her skin, all over her body, was getting stronger and she started
