‘Yeah, it’s a bit rubbish. The shed is a good place or about twenty metres down the drive. I get very sporadic access in the kitchen. Weirdly I get excellent reception in the freezer.’
‘So if I want to make a call to my friends, I need to freeze my ass… bum off to do it,’ Daisy laughed, ignoring the pointed look from Henry over her use of the word ‘ass’.
‘The shed is actually quite warm, so feel free to use that whenever you want – there’s a heater in there too. You might get some reception from the very back of Henry’s bedroom. Wi-Fi is good though, so you can always Skype or WhatsApp your friends instead.’
‘Oh, that’s a good idea. WhatsApp is pretty much the only social media thing I’m allowed on; Dad doesn’t like the prospect of me talking to strangers on Twitter or Facebook.’ Daisy glanced at him and then whispered to Penny loud enough for Henry to hear, ‘He’s a bit over-protective.’
‘I am not, I just don’t like the idea of you chatting to bloody perverts, that’s all.’
Penny could see this was a bone of contention between the two of them so decided to change the subject.
‘What are you up to today?’ Penny asked Daisy.
‘Not a lot, probably just play some video games or read,’ Daisy shrugged.
‘Or unpack all your junk,’ Henry said.
‘Well, if you want to, maybe after you’ve unpacked a few boxes you can come and watch me carve, I can show you how it’s done. I have two to do today. December is such a busy month.’
‘I’d love that, is that OK, Dad?’
‘You unpack that big box at the top of the stairs, then yes.’
Daisy frowned.
‘Well, I’ll be at it most of the day so pop by any time. I’ll be in my cool room, so just come on in.’ Penny indicated the room off the kitchen.
‘Is it like a freezer?’
‘No, it’s just cooler than the house because the heating is either on low in there or not on at all. The doors to the walk-in freezer are in there too. You should dress quite warmly, but nothing too cumbersome.’
‘Here you go,’ Jill said, handing out two more plates of bacon sandwiches.
‘Thank you, this looks delicious. Dad normally burns the bacon so I end up doing it for us,’ Daisy said, nudging Henry playfully in the ribs.
Henry smirked. ‘Thanks Jill, this is very kind.’
Penny watched them both smother their sandwiches in a thick layer of ketchup and smiled.
‘There’s an open air ice skating rink in town, can we go?’ Daisy asked, before wolfing down almost half her sandwich in one big bite.
‘Sure, we can go tonight,’ Henry said, mirroring her actions with his own sandwich.
Penny focussed on the crumbs on her plate, arranging them into some kind of pattern. They were so close, so familiar with each other, she could never be a part of that. They had sixteen years of history together. Henry might flirt with her and they might share the odd dinner or breakfast, but she would never be part of their world, not really.
‘Well, I’ve got a box to unpack. I’ll see you later, Penny, thanks for the sandwich,’ Daisy said waving at Jill and she disappeared with a thunder of feet going upstairs in the annexe a moment later.
Penny could see Henry staring at her out the corner of her eye, but he didn’t say anything, so she didn’t either.
Eventually, he stood up and wrapped the robe around himself, tying it at his waist just as he’d done to her the night before. He moved round the table towards Jill who was deliberately reading the paper and trying to pretend she wasn’t there.
‘Jill, it was a pleasure meeting you and thank you so much for breakfast,’ Henry said, placing a kiss on her cheek. ‘I’ll see you guys later, I’m sure.’
He walked back round the table towards Penny and she wondered for one brief brilliant moment whether she would get a kiss too, but she didn’t. He gave her a small smile and then disappeared back into his home, closing the door softly behind him.
Jill surveyed Penny over her mug of tea with a smile. ‘Well, he’s easy on the eye, isn’t he?’
Penny couldn’t even deny it.
‘And he’s keen on you.’
Penny shook her head. ‘No, I really just think he’s like that with everyone. He was flirting with you, I think it’s the way he is.’
‘There was a huge difference between how he treated me and how he treated you. The sexual tension between you two is blazing hot.’
Penny didn’t have anything she could say to that. She had noticed it too but she didn’t think it was anything Henry was going to act on any time soon.
‘What are you afraid of?’
‘Having my heart broken again.’
Jill’s face softened and she moved around the table, enveloping Penny in a big hug. ‘Honey, you deserve to be happy and loved, but you’re never ever going to have that unless you take a risk. Henry seems like a good man – take a chance with him and just see what happens.’
Penny nodded. For the first time in over eight years she was attracted to someone and in ways she had never felt before. She would be a fool to throw that away before even giving it a go. She just had to hope that Henry was willing to give her a chance too.
Henry leaned against the bedroom door, watching Daisy move around the room, putting glittery picture frames of her friends on shelves, soft toys on her bed, and rearranging her CDs. There just wasn’t enough room for all her stuff in here; there wouldn’t be enough room for all her stuff in the whole annexe, let alone in the tiny bedroom. Most of it was going to have to stay in boxes in the shed that Penny said they could use until they moved out.
Daisy caught him watching and smiled up at him.
‘Are you OK about moving here? I know you’ll miss your friends but…’
‘It’s fine. I will miss them, of course I will, but I’ve always wanted to live near the sea and this place is beautiful. Besides, this is a fantastic opportunity for you to work for a company like White Cliff Bay Furniture Company. It means more money, regular hours. Plus we can be here to help Anna with the baby when she needs it too. I really think we did the right thing in coming here.’
Henry smiled. Through her endless, almost innocent, enthusiasm for everything, especially Christmas, there was a very wise young lady underneath her childlike exterior.
‘I really like it here in Lilac Cottage. Can we stay? I know you wanted to move into the town and you wanted somewhere a bit bigger for us but… this feels like home. I know that’s a weird thing to say after being here for such a short time but we’ve moved around so much over the last few years and this is the first place that I’ve really wanted to stay. I don’t know if it’s that incredible view from my bedroom window or having Penny and Bernard next door, but it feels good here.’
‘I like it here too.’
‘Penny is good company, I like her. She might be the only friend I make down here so…’ she trailed off, awkwardly.
Henry felt a kick to the stomach, hating that Daisy felt that way. ‘You’re going to make a ton of friends, you’re bright, funny, sweet, kind. What’s not to like?’
Daisy shrugged and looked away and Henry wondered if the fear of making friends and settling in was at the root of the nightmare.
‘What were you doing in Penny’s house last night? She came to get me because you were having a nightmare on her sofa.’
Although it was inappropriate for Daisy to go in Penny’s house, it was the nightmare that troubled him more than anything. Daisy only normally had nightmares when something was bothering her.
‘Oh god, I’m sorry. I was in our lounge and the door was open and I thought I’d just go and see Bernard for a while. I must have fallen asleep.’