Read Online Close to the Heel by Norah McClintock - Free Book Online Page B

something else you’d rather do,” I said.
    â€œYou’re proud of that, aren’t you?”
    Huh?
    â€œYou keep telling me you can look after yourself.” It seemed to irritate her.
    â€œWell, I can.”
    â€œMy father wants me to show you some of the sights, so that’s what I’m going to do. Just give me a chance to check my email and get changed.”
    I nodded and retreated to the kitchen to get myself some Icelandic yogurt. I wasn’t sure, but I didn’t think Brynja believed that I’d just been sending an email. I think she wanted to find out what sites I had been looking at. Well, good luck with that too.
    She was frowning when she went through the kitchen to go upstairs.
    â€œI’ll meet you outside,” she said. “I won’t be long.”
    I said okay and listened as she went up the stairs. I walked to the front door, opened it and closed it again, loudly. Then I crept upstairs and down the hallway to my left.
    â€œLooking for something?” I asked from the doorway to my room.
    It was Brynja’s turn to jump.
    She whirled around, red-faced.
    â€œAny particular reason you’re going through my duffel bag?” I asked.
    â€œI—I…”
    â€œI don’t know what you call it here, but back home it’s called snooping, and people don’t like it.”
    She didn’t say anything.
    â€œSo, are you going to change?” I said. “Or are you ready to go?”
    â€œI’m ready.”
    I followed her to her SUV . She didn’t say a word about me using the computer, and I didn’t say anything about her going through my stuff.
    I had no idea what she was like with her friends or her family, but with me she acted like an automated tour guide, complete with phony-perky voice and fake frozen smile. She took me to a couple of waterfalls and hiked me through a lava field that was filled with all kinds of weird rock formations. Then we went up the side of a dormant volcano, and finally she walked me down to a black sand beach that, according to her, had caused a lot of ships to run aground over the years. The sailors had mistaken the blackness of the sand for the blackness of deep water.
    â€œAre you hungry?” she asked me after we had hiked and viewed pretty much everything the area had to offer.
    The thing about me: I’m always hungry. My mom used to tease me about having a hollow leg. I felt something stab my heart. It happened all the time. I’d be cruising along, then something would remind me of my mom, and I’d feel the pain all over again.
    We got back into her vehicle and drove until we reached a cluster of buildings, including a restaurant. We went in and found a table.
    â€œThey have the same kind of food you’re used to back home,” she said. “Hamburgers, pizza, stuff like that. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous…” She paused and looked at me. “Never mind. They do an okay hamburger, not that I’ve ever had McDonald’s or anything.”
    â€œI never go to McDonald’s,” I said. “I prefer to eat healthy.” I picked up the menu and looked it over. Besides the burgers, fries and pizza she had mentioned, there were a lot of different kinds of fish and lamb.
    â€œDo you want me to order for you?” she asked.
    â€œI can manage.”
    A waitress approached. Brynja ordered in Icelandic. The waitress turned to me.
    I’d narrowed my choices down to lamb and shark, but I couldn’t decide which to order. So I asked the waitress. She glanced at Brynja. Maybe she didn’t understand English. Sure enough, she said something to Brynja in Icelandic.
    â€œYou can have shark as an appetizer,” Brynja said. “They have a dish called hakarl . You can have smoked lamb for your entrée.”
    Sounded good.
    Brynja ordered for me.
    My shark arrived first—little cubes of it on a plate.
    â€œGo ahead,” Brynja