Christmas at Lilac Cottage: (#1 White Cliff Bay) (23 page)

‘Well, I hope it’s that she wants us to get together and she doesn’t feel awkward being a third wheel around us.’

Henry frowned. ‘I hope she doesn’t feel like that either. I certainly didn’t get that sense when she was pushing me out the door and telling me to have a good time but I’ll talk to her just in case.’

Amy, one of the girls who worked in the pub, came and took their drinks orders.

‘I was thinking about Christmas Day. Do you have any plans?’ Henry said after Amy had gone.

‘I’m not sure yet, I might go to my brother’s, but he doesn’t like Bernard in his house so if I did go I’d probably just go in the evening – I couldn’t leave Bernard alone all day. Jill always invites me round but I feel in the way of the big family dinners I know she has. I’m happy to stay in on my own, there’s always some gorgeously trashy Christmas movies to watch and lots of food to eat. Will you go to Anna’s?’

‘We’ve been invited but… I was thinking it’d be nice to spend Christmas on our own this year. We’re always at my mum and dad’s or at Anna’s. It would be lovely to spend it with just me and Daisy. It’s always a tradition that I make mince pies on Christmas Day and we eat them fresh from the oven. They taste awful as I can never get them right but we always do it. One year I suggested that I didn’t do it as my pie making skills were so bad, but Daisy insisted.’

Penny smiled at that lovely idea of it just being the two of them and their traditions.

‘When I suggested to Daisy that we stayed at home this year, she loved the idea and she also said it would be great to have one or two friends over for lunch and then maybe go to see Anna in the evening. I’m guessing she wants someone else to share the burden of the bad mince pies, but want to guess who she wanted to invite over for lunch?’

Penny felt her smile widen.

‘Well, Bernard was her first choice, but you were a close second.’

Penny laughed. ‘I would love to come for Christmas lunch and I know Bernard would too.’

‘Well, that’s settled then.’

They took a few moments to choose their food and Penny couldn’t help the huge smile spreading over her face as she stared at the choices. This night couldn’t have turned out any more perfect.

Suddenly Henry’s phone vibrated on the table between them. He glanced at the caller ID and he frowned and quickly answered.

‘Daisy, are you OK?’ Henry asked.

Penny couldn’t hear the words but after a few moments of her talking Henry was already out of his seat, yanking on his coat so Penny quickly followed suit.

‘OK, honey, don’t worry. We’re on our way home now, we’ll be with you in about ten or fifteen minutes.’

Penny threw some cash down on the table to cover the drinks and waved at Seb and Amy behind the bar to say they were leaving. Henry grabbed her hand and marched out, still talking to Daisy on the phone.

‘Hang on, Daisy.’ He held the phone away from his head and covered the mouthpiece so Daisy couldn’t hear him. ‘Do you have any candles?’

‘Yes, in the drawer to the left of the cooker. Why, what’s going on?’

‘There’s been a power cut and she’s freaking the fuck out. I’m sorry about our evening.’

‘Don’t apologise, it’s fine. If I was home alone when the power went out, I’d be freaking out too. Let me talk to her, you can drive,’ Penny said, sliding into his car.

Henry passed her the phone as he slammed the car into gear and sped out the car park.

‘Daisy, it’s me, are you OK?’

‘No.’

Penny cleared her throat. ‘Are you alone?’ Henry gave her an odd look but it was entirely possible Josh had come round while they were out, another reason why Daisy had pushed them out the door so hurriedly.

‘Yes. Josh couldn’t come. I’m in pitch darkness, all the lights went out and I’m really fucking scared… Don’t tell my dad I swore.’

‘I won’t. OK, what are you scared about, aliens, ghosts, mad axe murderers?’

‘Don’t give her ideas,’ Henry hissed.

‘Yes, all those things,’ Daisy cried.

‘OK, the house isn’t haunted, I promise you that. I’ve lived there my whole life and never seen a dodgy shadow or had anything moved or go missing. If there’s such a thing as ghosts they don’t live in my house. If aliens were going to come down and destroy the human race, I think they’d likely start with the White House or the Houses of Parliament or the cast of
The Only Way Is Essex
rather than a little house in the middle of nowhere with one girl and one lazy fat dog.’

Daisy giggled. ‘You have a fair point.’

‘And statistically you are more likely to be murdered by someone you know than by a stranger and as the only people you know in White Cliff Bay are racing along the roads to get to you as we speak and Anna, who is tucked up at home looking after her babies, I think you are safe from that too.’

‘What if it is a stranger and they’re in the house with me right now?’

‘Do you know what the crime rate in White Cliff Bay is? I do, because I had to sit and listen to the yearly crime figures at the White Cliff Bay town council annual meeting two weeks ago.’

Henry took a corner hard and Penny banged her head against the window. She placed a calming hand on his leg; the last thing Daisy needed right now was for them to end up in a ditch because of Henry’s erratic driving. She felt the car slow minutely.

‘So the crime figures. There were five crimes committed in White Cliff Bay this year. Two of them were kids playing music too loudly on Silver Cove beach in the summer, one was a cow getting out of a field and trampling over someone’s garden. Mrs Jacobs complained to the police when her neighbour came home drunk one night and accidentally trod on one of her gnomes and an umbrella was reported stolen from a pub. Apparently it had been left to dry in a rack by the door and when Mr Sampson came to collect it on his way home it had been taken. It was, however, returned to the pub a few days later so Mr Sampson was reunited with it and no further action was taken. That’s it as far as crime goes in White Cliff Bay. We don’t have axe murderers.’

‘What if the axe murderer is from out of town?’ Daisy said, obviously slightly mollified.

‘Well, that’s entirely possible. You are completely out the way though there. You know it takes a good two minutes to drive from the main road to our house, longer to walk with a heavy axe.’

Henry put his foot down and she was thrown back in her seat.

They reached part of the town that was in complete darkness and people were out on the streets with candles and lamps, obviously making a big party out of it all.

‘You can’t even see our house from the main road,’ Penny went on, trying to calm Henry down too. ‘I can’t see someone making that journey just to kill a stranger.’

‘I suppose not.’

In the background, Penny suddenly heard Bernard barking furiously, immediately undoing all Penny’s hard work to calm Daisy down. Daisy gave a little whimper of panic.

‘It’s rabbits, I promise you, Bernard hates them. There is no one in the house with you. Look, where are you?’

‘In my bedroom.’

‘OK, so you have that white chest of drawers right next to the door, can you push it in front of the door?’

‘Hang on.’

Penny listened as she heard a few grunts and the sound of furniture being dragged across the floor and then Daisy came back on the line.

‘Done it.’

‘OK, you’re safe now. No one is going to get through that door and we will be home in five minutes, well probably two with the rate your dad is driving.’

‘Is he scared?’

‘He knows you’re upset, he just wants to be there for you.’

‘Is he clenching his jaw?’

Penny glanced over him. He was scared, there was no doubt about that. His hands were gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were white. His jaw was clenched and his eyes were determinedly on the road. Perhaps all the talk of axe murderers had done more damage than good because he was clearly more upset than Daisy was.

‘No, he’s fine.’

Daisy laughed. ‘You’re such a liar.’ The laughter faded from her voice. ‘Dad doesn’t do scared very often.’

‘He does when it comes to you, honey.’

She somehow knew Daisy was smiling at that.

‘Bernard has stopped barking,’ Daisy said, there was an edge to her voice.

‘Because the daft sod has got tired of barking at the rabbits and probably fallen asleep again. Next time we go out you can have Bernard in your room with you, he’d protect you from any axe murderers.’

‘Is he a good guard dog?’

‘Is he heck but his farts are lethal, enough to scare away the bravest of men. Plus he’s really good at shagging anything that moves. Bernard could shag the axe murderer whilst you made your getaway, but the farts would probably kill the axe murderer before he came anywhere near your bedroom.’

Daisy laughed.

‘We’re pulling into the driveway now, we’ll be there in two minutes, just stay in your room until we get there.’

They bounced down the dirt track, slamming through pot holes in a way that couldn’t possibly be good for the car. She sort of expected this overreaction from Daisy, but not from Henry; it was clear to see that Daisy was his entire world.

The house loomed up over the edge of the hill and, shrouded in darkness, it did look slightly foreboding and sinister.

He skidded to a halt at the side of the house, narrowly missing the back of her freezer van.

They got out and he ran round the back before she could stop him. It’d be too dark round there to see the key hole, whereas at least she had the moon to help her get in the front door. She quickly let herself in and ran past Bernard who was snoring loudly on the sofa. She pushed through the connecting door and raced up the stairs. She wasn’t scared for Daisy’s safety, she just wanted to get to her as soon as possible.

‘Daisy, it’s me, open the door.’

There was a second’s hesitation and then she heard the drawers being dragged back away from the door. The door was flung open and in the limited light from the moon she saw a glint of blonde hair before Daisy’s body slammed into hers hard. Daisy wrapped her arms round her and Penny held her tight.

‘You’re OK, we’re here now.’

‘I’m so sorry, I’m such a tit. I should have grown out of being scared of the dark a long time ago.’

Penny heard a thunder of feet as Henry came rushing up the stairs.

‘Hey, it’s not silly to be scared of the dark. Trust me, if I was here in the house alone and the lights went out, I’d be shitting myself too. Don’t tell your dad I swore.’

Daisy giggled against her.

‘Too late, I already heard,’ Henry said, wrapping them both in a huge bear hug and squashing Daisy between them.

Oh god. It was beyond silly to attach anything to that hug but Penny couldn’t help smiling to herself. This was what it would feel like to be part of their family and it felt wonderful. It wasn’t so much having children that she had always missed, it was this feeling of togetherness and belonging that she had never had before. She released one of her arms and wrapped it round Henry and he shifted her and Daisy tighter against him.

‘I can’t breathe,’ Daisy protested from somewhere between them and after a few moments Henry reluctantly let them go.

Henry held Daisy at arm’s length as if checking her for injuries and Penny found herself smiling at how completely over-protective he was.

‘Why don’t we all go into my lounge and we can light a fire and some candles? I have some marshmallows we could toast too.’

Henry nodded and led the way down the stairs, holding Daisy’s hand. Daisy reached back and held Penny’s hand and they walked down the stairs in a chain and back into her lounge.

‘Henry, why don’t you build a fire and I’ll grab some candles?’ Penny suggested once she had turfed Bernard off the sofa and situated Daisy there.

Henry set about throwing in logs and twigs and Penny returned to the kitchen to grab some matches and candles. She lit all of the ones she had, attaching some of the taper candles to little dishes, and then positioned a few around the kitchen and brought the rest into the front room.

The fire was burning quite well by this point and coupled with the candles it sent a warm, golden glow around the room.

Henry sat down on the sofa and pulled Daisy into his arms, just as he had done with Penny the first night they had kissed. Penny sat down behind Daisy, leaning into her and stroking her back.

‘All that bloody talk of axe murderers scared the crap out of me,’ Henry muttered, kissing Daisy’s head and linking hands with Penny. He stared at her, his eyes filled with emotions Penny couldn’t comprehend.

‘It made me laugh,’ Daisy said, pressed against his chest, completely unaware of the staring competition going on over her head.

‘That was the general idea,’ Penny said, defensively, unsure if Henry was angry with her, although the way he was caressing her hand said otherwise.

Henry smiled slightly at her then returned his attention to his daughter, though he kept his hand entwined with Penny’s.

H
enry woke
up later with a crick in his neck and his two favourite girls in his arms. Penny had got up earlier to cook them all some food which they’d eaten in front of the fire and then they’d resumed their positions on the sofa in one big group hug. He knew that Daisy and Penny were mostly trying to reassure him rather than Daisy needing that reassurance. She had been laughing and joking with Penny over dinner whereas his heart refused to calm down.

It was ridiculous to react that way over a power cut, but knowing how scared Daisy had been had scared the crap out of him too. He’d always reacted badly whenever Daisy got hurt. He remembered when she had fallen off her bike as a kid and badly scraped her knee and he’d rushed her off to hospital. He’d nearly punched the dentist once when Henry had mistakenly taken Daisy’s scream of terror for one of pain and the dentist had barely even touched her. When it came to Daisy he knew he was completely over-protective and irrational and there was nothing he could do about it.

He looked down at Penny, her face tucked under Daisy’s armpit, her arm wrapped tightly round Daisy’s back. Their evening hadn’t gone anywhere near as planned but somehow this was miles better. Penny had accepted Daisy into their relationship as if it was the easiest thing in the world to suddenly have a teenage girl to factor into the equation. It would normally take weeks or sometimes months before he introduced his previous girlfriends to Daisy and there had always been an awkwardness between them. Even the ones who had faked liking Daisy to get on his good side had never had the ease that Penny and Daisy had with each other. Daisy adored Penny and the feeling was quite obviously completely mutual.