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

by Martin, Holly

  ‘That was a rash statement and you know that. You can’t expect me to not have a relationship ever again because I made one terrible mistake with Emily.’

  ‘I can expect you not to get involved with the type of person who lets you shag them across the breakfast table in the middle of the day.’

  Penny let out a bark of a laugh and Henry looked down at her in confusion.

  ‘I’m sorry, but I’m not worthy enough for him because we were about to have sex on the kitchen table? In my own home? That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. You have no idea what kind of relationship me and Henry have—’

  ‘I don’t care about what kind of relationship you and my brother have. I care about Daisy and how this will affect her.’

  ‘I care about her too,’ Penny said indignantly.

  If Henry had thought that Penny was going to be shy when she met Anna for the first time, he had clearly been mistaken. He tried to suppress a smile; he liked this fiery side to her. He hadn’t seen it very often but she certainly knew how to stand up for herself.

  ‘Bullshit. You’re clearly using her to get to Henry. She adores you, you’re all she’s spoken about for the last week, and when all this comes to an end, which it undoubtedly will, you will drop her like a hot potato. Do you have any idea how much that will hurt her?’

  ‘I have no intention of ever doing anything to hurt Daisy. I really like her and if this thing between me and Henry comes to an end, that absolutely won’t affect my relationship with her. If Henry moves out and never wants to speak to me again, she can still come up here every day and practise her ice carving. I like working with her, she’s brilliant and funny and I thought that long before I was involved with Henry. I’ve already offered her a job, I have way too many carving jobs for me to do alone and she shows a real talent for this kind of thing.’

  ‘What sort of person befriends a sixteen-year-old girl?’

  Penny went very still next to him. ‘What are you suggesting, that I’m some kind of pervert?’

  Anna quickly back-pedalled. ‘No, I didn’t mean that, I just meant that it’s a bit weird.’

  ‘Why is it weird?’ Henry said, angrily.

  ‘Well…’

  ‘You’ve made a snap judgement based on the fact that you saw me and Henry about to have sex and you’ve come into my house and accused me of the most disgusting things. How dare you, you don’t even know me. Now I suggest you get out of my house now because you’re certainly not welcome any more.’

  ‘Legally darling, you don’t have a leg to stand on there. You can’t dictate which visitors Henry has in his home.’

  ‘Penny’s right,’ Henry said. ‘I would never presume to tell you how to live your life and I don’t expect you to come in here and try to tell me how to live mine. Get out and don’t come back here unless you’re ready to apologise to Penny.’

  Anna stared at him in shock for a moment, before she turned and grabbed her bag and stormed out.

  ‘I’m so sorry,’ Penny said, after she had gone.

  ‘What? No, you have nothing to be sorry for. She is very over-protective of Daisy, we both are, and she’s seen it go wrong for Daisy quite a few times before. But don’t apologise for her issues and her bloody judgemental attitude.’

  Penny sighed. ‘I suck at first impressions.’

  ‘I don’t know about that, you pretty much captured me from the moment you opened the door with that huge endearing smile on your face.’

  She smiled.

  ‘Come on, why don’t you bake a cake, that’ll make you feel better and I can help.’

  ‘I thought you wanted sex on my table.’

  ‘We can do that too.’

  She laughed and she walked off back towards her kitchen. He sighed with relief as he watched her go.

  She hadn’t seemed bothered by Anna saying it wouldn’t last between them. He just hoped with all his heart that she knew how much she meant to him.

  * * *

  ‘She’s late,’ Henry said, looking at his watch for the seventeenth time in the last ten minutes.

  Penny smiled with love for him and how protective he was of Daisy as he wore a hole in her kitchen floor with all his pacing.

  ‘She’s not late.’

  ‘School finished at half past three. It can’t be more than a half hour walk from there.’

  ‘Firstly, she’s probably talking to all the new friends she’s made and making plans to meet up with them all over the holiday. Secondly, it might take you half hour to walk from the town to our house, but it takes us lesser mortals a good forty-five minutes or more – we haven’t all got freakishly long legs like you. It’s twenty past four, I hardly think we need to call out the search and rescue just yet.’

  ‘It’s getting dark.’

  She frowned with confusion.

  ‘Why are you worried? It’s not about her being out on her own, she’s done that tons of times before.’

  He sighed and sat down at the table. ‘I just want to know that she got on OK today. What if she hated it? What if the kids were mean to her? I want this move to work for her. I don’t want her to regret her decision to move here.’

  ‘She is one of the most bubbly, friendliest girls I know, the other kids will love her, how can they not? Plus her hero, Mr Cartwright, is her form teacher, she is going to be over the moon about that for at least the next six months.’

  ‘You’re right, I know, there’s just a lot riding on her loving her new school. I want her to be happy here.’

  ‘She is and she will be, stop fretting.’

  Henry nodded and then looked at his watch again.

  The timer went off on the oven and Henry jumped.

  Penny shook her head fondly as she went to the oven and pulled out the chicken and pepper mix needed to make fajitas. She gave it a good stir, covered it with foil and put it back in the oven, turning the temperature down low just to keep it warm. It hadn’t been discussed that they would have dinner together but that seemed to be the norm now. They had become domesticated very quickly and Penny loved it. But the doubt that was in her head, that doubt that had been gnawing away at her since she had seen Anna earlier that day, kept telling her not to get too involved too quickly because it would hurt all the more if it came to an end.

  What if Daisy was miserable at school? Penny had known that something wasn’t right at Henry’s work after he had come home in a terrible state and she’d overheard him telling Daniel that he didn’t know if he would have a job after Christmas and he might not be able to stay in White Cliff Bay. What if they left? He certainly wouldn’t stay just for her, he hadn’t known her long enough for that. Where would that leave them?

  She turned round and watched him as he tried to read the paper and surreptitiously look at his watch and the door every few moments. He wanted it to work too.

  She passed Henry a block of cheese and a grater. ‘Grate this, it will keep you busy for a few minutes. And when she comes in don’t pounce on her, ask her but not as if it’s a matter of life and death.’

  Henry nodded solemnly.

  Almost right on cue, Daisy strolled through the back door as if it was the most natural thing in the world to pitch up in Penny’s kitchen after a day at school. Penny loved the ease Daisy had around her. She was smiling broadly, something which Penny saw Henry notice straightaway. He returned his attention to the cheese, sighing quietly with relief.

  ‘Hey honey, did you have a good day?’ Henry said, taking extra care not to let any worry or panic into his voice.

  ‘I had the best day ever, everyone was so nice. I made friends with two girls, Rebecca and Maisie, and we’re going to meet up between Christmas and New Year and Mr Cartwright is the coolest man ever and… I didn’t realise White Cliff Senior School and White Cliff College were on the same campus.’

  Penny put the fajita chicken mix on the table with the tortillas and watched Daisy get very excited about the college, which seemed an odd thing to warrant so mu
ch excitement.

  Penny sat down next to Daisy. ‘I’m so pleased you had a good day.’

  ‘I did,’ Daisy said, looking like she was about to burst from the excitement of it all. Henry was watching her with confusion too.

  Daisy helped herself to a large portion of the chicken and suddenly leaned over and whispered in Penny’s ear. ‘I saw Josh again.’

  Penny tried and failed to suppress a smile.

  ‘What?’ Henry asked.

  ‘Nothing,’ Daisy said at the same time as Penny.

  Henry scowled as he looked between them.

  Daisy leaned over again to whisper some more. ‘He asked me to the ball.’

  Ah, the reason for the giddy excitement had been explained.

  Penny whispered in her ear. ‘That’s so cool, how exciting.’

  ‘I know,’ Daisy whispered back. ‘I think I love him.’

  Oh lord. How was she supposed to explain this one to Henry?

  ‘What?’ Henry said again, trying not to smile as he scowled at their secrets.

  ‘Nothing,’ Daisy giggled.

  ‘We’ll go shopping for a dress then,’ Penny whispered. ‘Sunday?’

  Daisy nodded gleefully.

  Penny tucked into her own fajita and glanced across at Henry who was pretending to glare across the table. That glare might turn out to be a real one once he found out his daughter was going out with the tattooed, shaven-headed boy he had mistaken for a burglar a few days before.

  Josh was a sensitive, sweet boy but Penny doubted Henry would see it like that.

  She would have to break it to him gently when he was in a good mood.

  * * *

  ‘I’m going out for a bit, I won’t be long, I’m just popping up to Rebecca’s house,’ Daisy said, getting up from the kitchen table. Penny saw the grin that she had been suppressing for most of the dinner.

  Henry frowned as he looked at the darkening skies outside. ‘Its nearly dark out and we were going to go tree shopping.’

  ‘We will, I’ll only be half hour, Rebecca only lives up the hill.’ Daisy gestured vaguely and Penny frowned. There was no house up the hill. Lilac Cottage was the last house on the very outskirts of White Cliff Bay. The next house was a good half hour drive away on the edge of Apple Hill. Daisy was lying, she could see it in her eyes. It seemed like Daisy had secrets of her own. Henry looked at her suspiciously too.

  Before Henry could protest any further, Daisy threw her coat on and with a cheery wave she raced out the door.

  ‘She’s up to something,’ Henry said, as the door almost slammed back into its frame.

  ‘Maybe she’s just gone off to buy your Christmas present,’ Penny suggested, knowing that wasn’t it at all.

  Henry scowled as he moved round the table towards her. ‘Talking of that, I need to go and finish her tree decoration. Will you be OK for half an hour?’

  Penny nodded and he kissed her briefly before disappearing out the back door.

  Doubt niggling in her mind, she opened the front door and stepped out onto the drive. At the bottom of the driveway stood the observation hut which was used by birdwatchers to keep an eye on the nesting cliff-dwelling birds, especially in the spring and summer months. It was also the place where some of the teenagers of the town used to hang out, especially teenage couples. She had used it herself in her youth to meet up with one or two boys. They’d sit, talk and listen to music. For her nothing further than a few kisses had happened in that hut but, with a small gas fire, gas lamps, a soft bench to lie on, it had been the place where several of her peers had lost their virginity. It was silhouetted against the pale twilight sky and, as she watched, flickering lights suddenly came on inside.

  That’s where Daisy had gone. It was entirely possible that Daisy had gone there to meet up with her new friends Maisie and Rebecca. But that didn’t explain the two plates of cake crumbs and two glasses the night before. Her guess would be that Daisy was meeting up with Josh. Now, should she go down there and catch them in the act of doing lord knows what? Should she go and tell Henry that his daughter was currently lying in the aptly named ‘Love Shack’ with a seventeen-year-old tattooed thug, at least in his mind, or should she just pretend she knew nothing? Daisy was a sensible girl and any bridges that Penny had built with her would be destroyed if she marched straight into that hut now acting like an over-protective mum. Henry’s relationship with Daisy would be strained too if he found out and reacted in the way that Penny thought he would. And knowing Josh and his shy, sweet nature, they probably weren’t doing anything beyond holding hands. It was probably best to do nothing for now and get Daisy on her own later and maybe have a little word.

  * * *

  ‘Come on, hurry, up, all the best trees will be gone,’ Daisy said as Penny tried to find a parking space at the tree farm that was big enough to hold her freezer van. Henry had had to help her deliver two ice carvings after dinner and it didn’t make sense to go back to the house to drop the van off. Plus as the van was so big it meant they could use it to stick the tree in the back.

  ‘I can’t just stick the van anywhere, plus they have hundreds of trees, I think there’ll be plenty of choice.’

  ‘There’ll only be little ones left.’

  ‘You can only really get a little one, the annexe is quite small.’

  ‘We always get the biggest, fattest tree we can find.’ Daisy bounced up and down in her seat like a small child. Penny loved her enthusiasm for life. ‘Will you get a tree?’

  ‘I’ll probably get a small one too.’

  ‘Noooo, you have all that space in front of the window. Or behind the sofa, you could get a massive one. I know, why don’t we get a shared one and we can all decorate it together.’

  Penny parked the car and tried to dispel the huge lump of emotion that had lodged in her throat with that simple statement of togetherness from Daisy. She had accepted Penny into their little family so easily and readily.

  Penny nodded. ‘OK.’

  ‘Yayyyy!’ Daisy bounced out the van and set off at a sprint towards the plethora of trees.

  As soon as she was out of sight, Henry leaned across and kissed her sweetly.

  ‘She adores you,’ he whispered. ‘And I do too.’

  He got out and lumbered across the grass after his daughter. Penny smiled as she watched him go. This was turning out to be the best Christmas ever.

  She got out and walked across the grass. It was snowing lightly again and she looked up at the occasional star that shone through the cloud-filled sky as the soft flakes dusted her cheeks.

  She caught up with Henry and had to shove her hands in her pockets so she wasn’t tempted to hold his hand.

  The trees were stacked in size order and she watched as Daisy walked past the smaller ones and headed straight for the big ones at the end of the farm.

  They reached the part that sold the biggest trees and, although all of these were way too big for the house, she didn’t have the heart to say anything, not when she had been inducted into their little decorating team. Daisy was going from tree to tree, feeling the needles, smelling them, looking at the labels. Penny had never bothered to look at the trees before, she had just bought the first smallest one she had seen and that was it.

  ‘Surely all the trees are the same,’ Penny said.

  ‘No, definitely not,’ Daisy said. ‘There’s three main types: a pine, a fir or a spruce. The spruce is generally rubbish. There are several different types of fir and pine trees and we want one that has a good needle retention, even without water. You want soft needles too and something that smells good. Generally we are looking for a Nordman or a Noble fir but I’d settle for a White Pine.’

  Penny glanced at Henry as Daisy disappeared round the back of the tree. ‘She knows her trees?’

  He nodded. ‘She takes this part very seriously, and the fact that you’ve been invited to join us shows how much she likes you.’

  Penny smiled.

  ‘OK, this is the one
,’ Daisy said, triumphantly, lovingly stroking the winning tree.

  Penny looked up and up. It had to be at least twelve feet high.

  ‘Daisy, that’s never going to fit in my house, let alone yours.’

  ‘It will if we stick it under the stairs, you have that space going up to the second floor – and so what if the top sticks through the bannister a bit, or rests on the ceiling? This is going to look fab.’

  Henry was already moving off to tell one of the staff which tree he wanted, clearly knowing that Daisy wasn’t to be talked out of it.

  Before Penny could protest any further, the tree was bagged up into a big net and between the three of them, Henry carrying most of the weight, they just about managed to get the tree into the van, with the top three feet sticking out the back.

  Henry secured the doors to make sure they weren’t going to swing open and Penny drove them home.

  They struggled to get the tree in as Bernard, showing the most life she’d ever seen from him, ran around barking at them as they brought the invader into his home.

  They stuck it in the corner so the top of the tree protruded up somewhere on the second floor at the top of the stairs.

  There were never going to be enough decorations in the world to fill this thing. Penny guessed they’d have to go for a minimalist look.

  ‘I’ll get the decorations,’ Daisy said, running off to the shed where lots of their boxes were stored.

  ‘We should probably just stick to one colour, I have lots of silver baubles upstairs, we could have a silver theme…’ She trailed off as Henry was looking at her incredulously.

  ‘A silver theme? Erm, our decorations are an eclectic mix, there certainly isn’t a theme to them.’

  ‘But it will look really busy.’

  He grinned. ‘We like busy. Why don’t you put some Christmas music on and heat up some of your wonderful mince pies and I’ll go and help Daisy with the decorations.’

  She frowned slightly as she watched him go. She couldn’t pick holes in their tradition, not after she had been accepted so easily into the inner sanctum of the tree decorating team. A multi-coloured tree certainly wouldn’t go with her rather tasteful green and white light garlands and decorations but she would just have to let it go.