Christmas at Lilac Cottage: (#1 White Cliff Bay) (25 page)

There were three girls in their early twenties who had come together and were giggling about what they were going to carve. Penny smiled, knowing that they at least would be producing willies.

She walked past Daisy, stopping briefly to examine what she was drawing on the side of her block.

‘Don’t worry, it’s not going to be a willy,’ Daisy said.

‘Nothing else dodgy either, if you don’t mind. Your dad will never forgive me.’

Daisy smiled and carried on with her carving. Penny left her to it. A quick circuit of the tables proved that seven of the ten members of the group were in fact doing willies and finding themselves very original and funny for having thought of it. Libby was using the template to make a square boxed cracker and one man was trying his hand, not very successfully, on a tree.

She stopped in the middle, watching her students immersed in their work and smiled at what a lovely feeling it was to see her tuition in progress, to see them enjoying themselves because of what she had shown them. Maybe she really would take Jackson Cartwright up on his offer to come in and teach his students.

But it
was
too cold and although her students were having fun with the new challenge, she could see many of them were having to stop to blow on their hands. Working at low temperatures was never fun. She had sometimes been forced, for one reason or another, to carve inside her walk-in freezer, but she could only stand it for short periods before her hands and feet got too cold to work, despite wearing gloves and steel-toecapped fur boots. Even Daisy, who was used to working in the cool room with her, was having to stop momentarily to put her tools down and rub her hands together. She had rolled her sleeves up, as she did every time she worked, and her bare forearms were exposing her to the cold more than was necessary.

Outside snow was falling in big fat flakes. Though the ground was too wet for it to be able to settle, it certainly proved how cold it was.

Suddenly there was a cry of pain and Penny whirled round to see Daisy cradling her arm. Penny rushed over to see that she had cut her arm. It wasn’t bad but it had obviously come about from her hands being too cold and numb to hold the tools properly. The gloves Daisy had been wearing were too big for her to grip the tools and they were letting cold through the gaps too.

‘Are you OK?’ Penny asked, wrapping a comforting arm round her shoulders.

Daisy nodded, giving her a weak smile. ‘It bloody hurts. Don’t tell Dad I swore.’

Penny laughed. If Daisy could joke about that then she was fine. She looked around at the group. Henry should be back soon with their drinks to warm them up but Penny wondered whether she should call a halt to the workshop. For some of these guys who weren’t used to working in cold temperatures, they could end up hurting themselves just as Daisy had done.

Penny turned to grab the first aid kit just as Henry walked back into the marquee. His face fell as he saw Daisy holding her arm.

‘Oh crap,’ Daisy muttered. ‘I’ll make a distraction, while you run away.’

‘What?’ Penny said, but the angry look on Henry’s face told her everything she needed to know. This was not going to go down well. She focussed her attention on pulling out a large plaster from the first aid box and managed to use an antiseptic wipe to clean up the excess blood before Henry could get there. But he was suddenly by her side.

His breath was accelerated, fearful as he stared at the cut, which could only have been an inch in length.

‘What the hell happened?’ he said through gritted teeth.

‘Dad, it was just an accident, it was my own stupid fault.’

Henry’s gaze turned accusingly towards Penny. ‘I thought you said it was safe.’

‘It’s too cold in here, I’m sorry,’ Penny said, returning her attention to the cut as she carefully and gently applied the plaster to the wound.

‘I’m going to take Daisy home,’ Henry said, clearly trying to keep his temper in check.

Daisy’s shoulders slumped.

‘I think you’re overreacting slightly.’

‘I’m overreacting?’ Henry said, incredulously.

‘Yes, you’re being an over-bearing, over-protective ass. It’s a tiny scratch and I don’t appreciate you looking at me as if I’m an evil monster,’ Penny said, snapping the lid closed on the first aid box. After a second or two, she was surprised to see a smile pull at his lips.

Daisy stared at them in shock.

Penny smirked, sensing the tension had gone. She took the first aid kit back to where the rest of her stuff was and he followed her.

‘An ass?’

Confident that they were out of earshot from everyone else, she turned round to talk to him. ‘Yes and why don’t you take that gorgeous ass of yours and deliver the hot drinks for me and then sit over here out the way? Let Daisy get on with her ice carving, she will learn from her mistakes and be more careful about how she uses the tools. Plus I’ll keep an eye on her.’

Henry nodded, suddenly a whole lot calmer. ‘I’m sorry.’

She smiled. ‘It’s OK.’

Penny went back over to Daisy. ‘Are you OK to carry on? You can sit out if you want to?’

Daisy shook her head. ‘No, I’m fine.’ She glanced over at Henry who was doing as he had been told and dishing out the drinks. ‘No one has ever stood up to him like that before. I expected him to go ballistic. As I said, you’re good for him.’

Penny looked over at him. She had never stood up for herself before either, preferring to keep her head down in an argument. He had taught her that she should never accept being treated badly by anyone. She smiled. He was good for her too.

P
enny was
up in her bedroom later that afternoon, fighting with changing the duvet cover on her bed when there was a tentative knock on the bedroom door. Henry had stayed down in the town when she and Daisy had returned home, needing to do some Christmas shopping, and he probably wouldn’t knock anyway, he had already seen her in all her glory.

She opened the door and was surprised to see Daisy, her hair and make-up done flawlessly. Daisy grinned at her, though it didn’t quite meet her eyes.

‘I’m meeting up with Josh. Can you tell Dad that I’ve gone to see Rebecca or something?’

‘Daisy, that’s not fair, asking me to lie and cover for you. I feel bad enough as it is not telling him what I know without adding lies to my list of crimes too. You need to…’ Penny trailed off, seeing the worry on her face. ‘What’s wrong?’

Daisy came in and sat on Penny’s bed. ‘I told Rebecca that you called the old hut the Love Shack and Rebecca said that everyone knows it as that. She said a lot of the teenage boys take their girlfriends there to have sex. Josh suggested we hang out there. What if he wants to sleep with me?’

Penny sat down heavily on the bed next to her. There was no manual for dealing with this kind of thing. She wished Henry was here but she knew he wouldn’t deal with it in the best way, which was probably why Daisy had come to her.

‘How many times have you seen Josh now, since the ice carving competition?’

‘How many dates? Three. I think I love him.’

Penny suppressed a smile at the simplicity of teenage love, although it was never simple at the time.

‘I’m not ready to sleep with him yet.’

‘Then you tell him that.’

‘What if he dumps me because of it? I’ve never had a boyfriend before. No boy has ever paid attention to me before as if I’m not worth even talking to. And maybe I’m not if my mum left me when I was only two months old. Josh doesn’t think I’m worthless or ugly. He loves me exactly as I am and I couldn’t bear it if he rejected me too.’

Penny’s heart ached for Daisy. The damage her mum had done was far reaching and was something it would take Daisy a large part of her life to get over.

‘You are beautiful and intelligent and kind and funny and Henry loves you so much. He doesn’t think you are worthless, you are the single most important person in his life. If Henry and I ever get together and get married, I will be proud to have you as my step-daughter. Your mum missed out big time when she walked out on you but that is a reflection on her, not you. If Josh can’t see how incredible you are then that is his loss, not yours.’

Daisy stared at her for a moment and then threw her arms round her neck and hugged her tight. Penny wrapped her arms round her too, stroking her back. Finally Daisy pulled away.

‘Tell me, has Josh mentioned that he wants to sleep with you at all?’

Daisy shook her head. Penny knew how painfully shy Josh was, it probably hadn’t even crossed his mind to take it any further.

‘Have you guys done anything other than kiss?’

Daisy blushed. ‘No, we generally just talk and listen to music. We’ve kissed a bit but he is so sweet and respectful. Rebecca says that Lucas, her boyfriend, always gropes her boobs, but Josh hasn’t touched my boobs at all.’

Penny noticed the look of disappointment on Daisy’s face. ‘Do you want him to?’

‘Yes. Maybe. I don’t know. They’re a bit small.’ Daisy looked down at her chest. ‘Rebecca says it feels nice.’

Oh lord. What would Henry’s reaction be to this conversation? He would probably ground Daisy for life and stop her from seeing Josh and Rebecca ever again.

‘Does it feel nice?’

Shit. Penny had a brief flashback to Friday night, Henry kissing her breasts, taking her nipple into his mouth. ‘Yes it does but that’s not something you should do unless you feel completely comfortable with it.’

‘Sometimes I want to do more than kissing with him but I’m scared. I don’t know what I’m doing and I certainly don’t want to get it wrong. And I just don’t know whether I’m ready for all that yet. But he is so lovely and he hasn’t had a girlfriend before. I want to share my first time with him.’

‘My first time I was a lot older than you are now. I was twenty years old and it was a very quick and mostly uncomfortable fumble in my boyfriend’s bedroom before he ran downstairs to have dinner with his mum and dad. But the first time with… my second boyfriend was beautiful and sweet and far more pleasurable. I was nervous but he was so kind and gentle. He made the whole experience about me and what I wanted and needed. In many ways I wish I had waited to share my first time with him instead. Your first time should be wonderful and it should be somewhere romantic, not some wooden shack where countless other couples have lost their virginity. But most importantly it needs to be with someone you love and trust completely.’

‘I do love and trust him.’

‘OK, but you’ve only been dating for a few days. Just take your time to really get to know him and when you are ready, if you trust him, maybe you can talk to him about your fears. But never ever do anything that you aren’t comfortable with or not ready to do. If he truly loves you, he will wait until you are ready.’

Daisy nodded solemnly. ‘I should go, he’s probably waiting for me.’

Daisy stood up and Penny experienced a brief moment of panic, of wanting to take her up to the loft and lock her up there until she was at least twenty-five. Should she stop her going, get her to stay at home until Henry came back and then he could deal with this in whatever way he saw fit? He was her dad after all. Penny was just the landlady.

Daisy moved to the door. ‘Thanks for this. You won’t tell my dad, will you?’

Penny swallowed and shook her head. ‘Look, wait a second.’ She moved to the drawer near her bed and pulled out a small handful of condoms. ‘I really don’t think you should sleep with Josh, not for a few weeks or months yet, not until you’re ready. But if you do sleep with him in the future, just be safe, OK?’

Daisy stared at the condoms, her pale skin blushing bright red, telling Penny that Daisy was nowhere near ready to make that commitment yet. Daisy grabbed the condoms and shoved them in her bag.

‘Just tell him you’re not ready, I’m sure he will understand.’

Daisy nodded and with a small smile, she walked out.

Penny stood in the doorway of her bedroom, watching Daisy disappear down the stairs. A few seconds later she heard the back door close. What the hell had she done?

H
enry was walking back
up the hill towards his home, whistling happily to himself. Life was pretty damned perfect right now. He had sorted out his problems with Clara at work, and while Edward had been in the office sacking his sister he had stumbled across Henry’s designs and had just phoned him to say he had taken them home to look at and really liked them. He was going to set up a meeting with one of the designers after Christmas and this time Edward would sit in on the meeting too. Daisy was really happy here in White Cliff Bay and he had the most wonderful girlfriend who he knew he was falling in love with. With only two days until the Christmas Eve ball, it couldn’t get any better.

He was taking a short cut over the grass, passing by the wooden shack at the end of the drive to his house, when he saw Penny a hundred yards away, walking Bernard. He waved at her and she stared at him as if he had three heads.

There was soft music coming from inside the shack and giggling. He smiled to himself; there was obviously a couple in there making the most of this secluded spot. He heard the giggle again as he passed the front door and stopped dead.

He recognised that giggle. He had heard that giggle every day for the last sixteen years. He doubled back a few paces and yanked open the door. His heart dropped into his stomach. Daisy was lying on the bench with Josh lying entirely on top of her as they kissed.

They broke apart and Daisy paled when she saw him. His eyes turned to Josh as he scrambled up off his daughter. He was momentarily relieved to see they both still had their clothes on.

‘What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing with my daughter?’ he spat, unable to control the rage that was boiling through him.

‘Dad, we were just kissing.’ Daisy sat up. Her t-shirt had fallen off her shoulder revealing her pale skin and a black lacy bra strap had also slid down her arm too. Had his hands been on her? The thought of this boy mauling her made him sick.

Suddenly Penny arrived in the hut, out of breath. ‘Henry, calm down, please.’

He barely heard her, his eyes snapping back to Josh as he wrapped his arm round Daisy’s shoulders. ‘Get your hands off my daughter before I break them.’

‘Henry!’ Penny said, incredulously. ‘He’s a child.’

‘Dad, don’t talk to him like that. Josh, just go, please. I don’t want you to get hurt.’

Josh stood up. The boy was huge and Henry’s stomach rolled with the thought of Josh and Daisy together.

Inexplicably Josh moved to stand between Henry and Daisy. ‘I’m not leaving you with him when he’s this angry. I’m not going to let you hurt her.’

Henry was staggered by this. The thought that he could hurt his own daughter was laughable. Sure, he wanted to punch or kick something but he could never do anything to hurt Daisy. But what was even more disturbing was Josh’s protective attitude towards her. Henry expected him to run away as soon as he had stepped foot in the hut but Josh clearly really cared about Daisy and that threw him even more.

Penny placed a hand on his arm. ‘Henry, they were just kissing.’

He ignored her and turned his attention back to Daisy. ‘Get up, we’re going home and you’re never going to see him again.’ Somewhere at the back of his head he knew he was being unreasonable but he couldn’t engage with the rational part of his brain right now.

‘Dad! We’re in love.’

‘In love? It’s been a week!’

‘So?’

His sixteen-year-old daughter was in love. How had this happened? It seemed like only yesterday he’d been putting her hair in pigtails and taking her off for her first day in school. He had to calm down, he was reacting really badly to this. It had just shocked him to find his daughter in that position. Penny was right, they were just kissing. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Daisy looked at Penny. ‘I can’t believe you told him, you promised to keep it a secret.’

‘I didn’t tell him, I swear.’

Rage exploded in his gut again as he rounded on Penny. ‘You knew? You knew she was seeing Josh and you never told me?’

Penny paled guiltily. ‘I… I wanted to but…’

Henry turned away and snatched up Daisy’s bag. ‘We’re going home.’

The bag caught on the leg of a chair and the contents spilled out on the floor, including three condoms.

Everyone stared at the condoms in shock.

Finally Henry found his voice. ‘Just kissing, eh?’

‘I gave them to her,’ Penny said, quickly.

‘You gave my daughter fucking condoms? You knew she was dating Josh and not only did you let her come down here to see him, but you pushed her out the door with a handful of condoms and told her to have a good time. Who the hell do you think you are?’

Penny took a step back away from him, wounded by his words.

‘I wasn’t going to sleep with him,’ Daisy said. ‘I talked to Penny about it and she told me how wonderful her first time was with her second boyfriend, how special it was and how important it was that I waited until I was ready. I wanted my first time to be beautiful like that, I didn’t want to be like you that had a drunken fumble at a party which you regretted for the rest of your life.’

Daisy ran out and Henry went to follow her but Penny snagged his arm. ‘Wait a second.’

He removed his arm from his grasp, her betrayal burning in his gut. She should never have kept it secret. If he had known about this he could have had a civilised conversation with his daughter about sex. He should never have found out like this. His eyes strayed to the condoms again and the anger bubbled back to the surface. ‘Stay away from my daughter and stay away from me. I never want to see you again.’

He stormed out the hut, ignoring the devastation on Penny’s face.

I
t was
hours later by the time Penny went home. Not wanting to face Henry, she had walked the cliffs with Bernard until hours after it had gone dark. She had also cried every tear she had. Finally, when the tears had subsided and only a numb pain remained, Penny made her way back home.

It was ridiculous to fall so hard, so quickly for Henry, it shouldn’t hurt this badly after only knowing him for a week, but even knowing how silly it was to have these feelings there was nothing she could do to stop it.

She let herself in through the back door and her eyes immediately glanced over to the connecting door. Their lights were off and the house was silent. Henry’s car was still parked outside so they hadn’t gone out or, even worse, packed up and left.

She grabbed her keys for her freezer van so she could unload the remaining smaller blocks that hadn’t been used at the workshop earlier back into her walk-in freezer. Luckily she had cut the normal-sized big blocks up into smaller pieces for the workshop so she could carry them on her own, even if they were still heavy.

She carried them into the cool room one at a time and then opened the freezer door. Weirdly, the door stuck but she gave it several big yanks and eventually it came away from the frame.

Inside, a large pool of water had frozen on the floor, creating a mini ice skating rink inside her freezer.

She stared in horror as the reality of the situation settled in. Not only had several large blocks of ice for future carvings melted away to nothing but so had a carving for a corporate party the following night, her competition piece for the Christmas Eve ball and a carving ordered by a man who was going to propose to his girlfriend on Tuesday night. She felt sick. Out of the three carvings that had gone, the proposal one was the worst because she knew her oversized diamond ring was the finale in a whole trail of romantic gestures the man had organised. She couldn’t let him down. If these had melted due to the power cut the night before, then the ice in the block maker machines would have melted too. And they would take three days to refreeze. They might be ready by Tuesday night but not in time for her to carve before the proposal.