you’ve done that you can go over the lines with a die grinder, which makes the outline a bit deeper, like this.’ She fired up the die grinder and very carefully used the short drill bit to go over one of the lines. She saw Daisy watching her intently the whole time, watching the angle at which she held the power tool, how much pressure was used, taking it all in. ‘I can then use the chainsaw to cut out the bits you don’t want.’
‘Can I use the chainsaw?’ Daisy said, keenly.
Penny smiled at her enthusiasm. ‘Not today. It’s very powerful and one slip and your whole hand would come off. I don’t think your dad will thank me for that. But I will show you how to use the other tools, safely. Once I’ve used the chainsaw, you can use this v-shaped chisel to scrape away the bits you don’t want. Once you’ve done that, I can show you which tools to use depending on what effect you want or what design you are making. There’s different techniques to create feathers or clothes or fur so I can show you those, depending on what you’re making. I’d go for something simple first like a bell or a Christmas tree or…’
‘An angel,’ Daisy said, staring at Penny’s piece in awe.
‘Yes, if you want to, but that’s quite a tricky piece to do, especially on a small scale. But go for it, if that’s what you want.’ Penny handed her a pair of goggles.
Daisy picked up the chisel and held it in her hand and then started chipping away, very carefully, onto the flat face of one of the smaller ice blocks Penny had laid out for her. Penny watched her for a moment, so she could improve her technique if she needed to, but Daisy was an absolute natural. She was taking her time, each mark she made considered and thoughtful, not going too deep. Penny smiled as what appeared to be an intricate snowflake started to appear. The girl had high hopes, but she liked that about her; Daisy obviously liked a challenge too.
‘Give me a shout when you want to use the die grinder and I’ll start you off,’ Penny said, moving back to her angel.
Daisy chipped away silently for a few minutes. It was nice for Penny to have someone to work alongside for a change. Even though they weren’t talking, it was still good to have the company.
‘So do you like my dad?’ Daisy said, without taking her eyes off the block of ice.
That wasn’t really a conversation Penny was willing to have with anyone, least of all Henry’s daughter.
‘All the women like him,’ Daisy went on. ‘I can’t see the attraction myself.’
‘Well, you’re not supposed to.’
‘Ha. No, I suppose not. But women fall over themselves to be with him. I guess he must be nice to look at.’
‘So he has a lot of girlfriends?’ Penny asked, still trying to avoid saying whether she found him attractive.
‘Yes. I mean, not girlfriends, just women that he sort of sees on a casual basis, the ones I’m not supposed to know about. They never last long though, a few dates here or there before he moves on to the next. I don’t think he has any interest in anything serious. There’ve only been two semi-serious girlfriends over the years. Rosie was lovely, but the other one was awful. He generally tries to avoid relationships because of me, which I feel really bad about. He thinks he can’t do both – be a dad and a boyfriend – but he can. He’d make someone a wonderful husband one day and I’m sure he’d like more kids, he’s so good with Bea and Oliver.’ Daisy continued to work on her block, making gentle taps here and there.
Penny bent down to smooth off some of the scratch marks from the angel’s dress. ‘How would you feel if he got married, had another baby?’
‘Honestly, I’d love it. He’s been stuck with me ever since he was sixteen, he deserves to be happy.’
‘Your dad adores you. I don’t think he would consider raising you as being stuck with you.’
‘Oh, I know he loves me, I see that every day, but I’ve obviously put a dent in the life he would have led. I want him to find someone he loves, who loves him. I always try to be understanding about him dating women as he should have a life outside of being a