She had to make it up to him.
It was just starting to get dark, the twilight sky filled with clouds of blueberry and plum.
As she bumped up the tiny dirt track that traversed across the hills towards her home, she saw Daisy walking back towards the house. She stopped and buzzed down the van window.
‘It’s not far, but do you want a lift?’ Penny asked and Daisy climbed in keenly.
‘That hill is steep, eh, I’m sure going to get fit climbing up and down that all day,’ Daisy said, shutting the door behind her.
‘You’ll get used to it.’
‘Dad’s really mad at you, he very rarely gets angry. I mean, he can be grumpy sometimes, but never angry.’
‘I called him a pervert, which would upset the calmest of souls.’
Daisy giggled. ‘I can’t believe you thought we were together. I mean, he’s so old.’
Penny smiled at her. ‘I’m glad you found it funny, I wish Henry could see the funny side.’
‘He will. Come for dinner tonight, he won’t be angry with you when I’m there. I won’t let him.’
‘I really don’t think he wants to see me right now, let alone eat with me.’
‘Come on, what’s the worst that can happen? He can’t possibly be angrier than he is now.’
Penny conceded this as she pulled up next to Henry’s Range Rover.
‘I bought him some flowers,’ she said lamely, as she got out the van, holding the bunch of bright orange and purple blooms aloft.
Daisy laughed. ‘You bought him flowers, that’s hilarious.’
Penny cringed inside – it was a terrible idea, but as he had bought her flowers to apologise the night before she thought he might get a laugh out of her doing the same for him.
Daisy encouraged Penny to follow her to the door and then told her to hold back a second. This was ridiculous, he was going to take one look at her and slam the door in her face.
‘Hi Daddy,’ Daisy sang.
‘I was just about to come looking for you. I said to get home before it’s dark.’
Although Henry was keeping it light, Penny noticed the protectiveness to his voice.
‘That hill took a lot longer to walk up than I thought, besides it’s not dark, it’s twilight, dusk at best. I’ve brought a friend with me, can she stay for dinner?’
‘You’ve made a friend already? Of course she can stay for dinner, where is she?’
‘She’s outside, she’s a bit scared of you,’ Daisy giggled.
‘That’s ridiculous, I don’t bite.’
Penny saw the huge shadow of Henry looming towards the door, then he poked his head out. His face fell when he saw Penny.
‘She’s my friend, and you said she could come for dinner, so you have to let her in,’ Daisy laughed with the confidence of someone who knew she had her dad wrapped round her little finger.
Henry sighed heavily and stepped back to let her in.
‘I, erm, bought you some flowers to apologise.’ Penny proffered the small bouquet.
Henry stared at them in confusion. ‘No one has ever bought me flowers before. That’s normally a woman thing.’
‘Why should it be though, Dad, they don’t come with labels saying for women only,’ Daisy protested. ‘I think it’s a fantastic idea.’
Penny stepped into the warmth of the kitchen, eyeing Daisy who obviously thought the whole thing was hilarious.
Henry took the flowers, holding them like they were an unexploded bomb. He found a pint glass, filled it with water and shoved the stems into the glass, the flowers still wrapped in their plastic.
He turned back to face her, folding his arms across his chest, his eyebrows slashing down across his eyes.
‘I really am very sorry.’
‘You said that.’
Wow, he really wasn’t going to make this easy on her.
‘I’m just going to send an email,’ Daisy said. ‘How long until dinner?’
‘About five minutes,’ Henry said, not taking his eyes off Penny.
Daisy turned from the room and Penny heard her race upstairs.
He stared at her for a moment, the awkward tension hanging over them like a black cloud.
‘It’s OK, I don’t have to stay for dinner. I just wanted to apologise and I’ve done that. I certainly don’t want to make you uncomfortable in your own home. Tell Daisy I’m really sorry I couldn’t stay, but something came up.’
She moved to the door and he didn’t even try to stop her.
She stepped outside, let herself into her own kitchen and switched on all the lights. Bernard popped his head over the arm of the sofa, but seeing it was her and not a burglar he went back to sleep again. Even if she had been a burglar she was pretty sure she’d get the same reaction from him.
She sat down at the kitchen table with her head in her hands. Life was going to be pretty unbearable between them. If there had been a fledgling friendship developing between her and Henry, it was well and truly gone now.
The connecting door suddenly opened and when she looked up Henry was leaning on the door frame.
‘Are you coming for dinner or what?’
Penny stared at him. She knew the tension would be excruciating and she didn’t think she could face it. ‘No, I’m fine, I’m just going to get a sandwich.’
‘Putting up with my grumpy face has surely got to be better than sitting in here on your own. Daisy will talk to you even if I don’t.’
It was hardly the best offer she’d ever had but it didn’t seem there was any room for arguments as he disappeared back into his own home again.
She stood up and followed him in. He was already dishing up three plates of a cheesy tomato pasta bake.
‘Daisy, get your arse down here,’ Henry called, but it was said in good humour and she heard Daisy laughing from upstairs.
Henry put the plate down on the table in front of Penny. ‘Help yourself to salad and garlic bread,’ he said, gruffly. He sat down opposite her and turned his attention to his own dinner, not looking up again. Penny sat at the table and tried to force some pasta down. Really, eating a sandwich on her own was going to be better than this.
Daisy came running into the kitchen and sat between them. She tucked into her pasta and grabbed three slices of garlic bread and was halfway through the first slice when she realised that the atmosphere hanging between Penny and Henry was intense and unbearably awkward.
‘Dad, don’t be an arse,’ Daisy said.
Henry sighed and put down his knife and fork. Penny focussed on her food; there was no way she was going to apologise again.
Suddenly a piece of pasta splatted against the side of Penny’s face, sliding down her chin and landing with a plop against her shirt.
Penny looked up in shock and Daisy burst out laughing. She was surprised to see Henry fighting with a smirk.
‘Don’t ever call me a pervert again.’
‘Did you just throw your pasta at me?’ Penny said, still unable to believe that the evening had taken this bizarre turn.
‘He and his sister do it all the time, you’d wouldn’t believe they were grown adults,’ Daisy said.
Henry shrugged. ‘I think we’re even.’
Penny scooped up a piece of pasta and weighed it in her hand, taunting him.
‘No, don’t you dare,’ Henry laughed.
Penny launched it across the table and it hit Henry in the middle of his forehead. A laugh erupted from Penny’s throat, a huge genuine laugh that she hadn’t heard from herself for a very long time. Another one joined it, followed by a snort.
Henry’s face lit up at hearing it. ‘Did you just snort?’
Penny shook her head, unable to stop laughing, and just to call her a liar another snort escaped.
Henry’s big booming laugh filled the kitchen and he picked up his knife and fork and carried on eating. The atmosphere between them had vanished.