Christmas at Lilac Cottage - Holly Martin Page 0,31

I stayed for lunch. Sorry, we’ll be eating you out of house and home at this rate. But you can come for dinner tonight before we go ice skating. We have that Italian that Jade kindly brought round.’

Penny bit into her sandwich, her stomach twisting with a sudden unease. What had he and Jill been talking about for half an hour? Jill was a wonderful friend and she’d never say anything bad about her, but she did wonder how far Jill’s over-protective streak for her might stretch in her conversation with Henry.

‘We had a lovely chat about the cruise she and Thomas went on this year,’ Henry said, as if reading her mind.

She tried to relax a little bit, but the way that he was staring at her left her in no doubt that she probably came up in conversation at some point.

‘I’ve invited Penny to come ice skating with us tonight,’ Daisy said before she stuffed the last piece of sandwich in her mouth.

Henry hesitated before speaking just long enough for Penny to think he didn’t really want her to come.

‘Of course you should come with us.’

‘Oh no, it’s fine. I have work to do here and there’s a movie I really wanted to see on TV…’ It sounded lame and pathetic even to her ears.

‘Come on, it’ll be fun. It’s Christmas, you have to enjoy the festivities,’ Daisy insisted.

‘No, I don’t want to intrude, I think it’s lovely that you two are going together. But I’m very happy staying here.’

‘But—’ Daisy started.

‘Daisy, if she doesn’t want to come then we’re not going to force her,’ Henry said.

Penny frowned as she sipped her tea. Although she couldn’t think of anything worse than going with Henry because his daughter had forced Penny on him, she was a bit sad how quickly Henry had closed down the topic of her going. He was clearly relieved that Penny had said she wouldn’t come.

‘But she’s only saying no because she can’t skate. Of course she doesn’t want to be sitting up here on her own, while the rest of the town is enjoying the festivities.’

‘Is that true, you can’t skate?’ Henry asked, his soft grey eyes watching her intensely.

‘I know, it’s kind of ironic, isn’t it, being an ice carver and all, but no I can’t.’

‘Well, I can teach you, if that’s the reason.’

‘No really, I don’t want to be in the way.’

Henry leaned across the table towards her, his eyes focussed only on her. When he spoke his voice was low. ‘If you want to come then come, if you don’t then don’t, but don’t not come because of any other weird reason floating around in your head about me not wanting you there, because I do.’

Daisy stared between them as if she was watching a tennis match.

‘OK,’ Penny said, quietly. She wasn’t entirely sure what the right answer was. She did want to go but she didn’t want Henry to be forced into taking her.

‘OK, you’ll come?’

Penny nodded, feeling suddenly very silly for making such a fuss.

‘Good,’ Henry said. Putting his mug down, he got up and walked out.

‘I’m sorry about him, he has no patience at all. But if he didn’t want you to come, he would say so, look how he was with Jade the other night,’ Daisy said.

‘Daisy, get your arse in here and let Penny have some peace for a few hours,’ Henry called through the open door and Daisy smiled with love for her dad.

‘I’ll see you later,’ she said and ran quickly after him. After a few moments Henry appeared in the doorway, flashing Penny a brief tiny smile before closing the door.

Penny sat staring at the door in confusion. What the hell had just happened?

Chapter Seven

Penny could see Henry in the shed, moving around and looking completely at ease as he worked.

Feeling the need to repair their tentative friendship, though she wasn’t sure why, she cut a big slice of Christmas cake, made a mug of tea and carried it out to the shed.

He didn’t notice her at first. A small foot-long piece of wood was clamped to the table and he was chipping into it with a small chisel. It looked like the beginnings of a small reindeer.

She watched him run his hands lovingly over the wood, brushing away the sawdust. His hands were big and strong and very capable. He had a huge smile on his face as he worked, evidently loving the creativity of what he was doing. He was obviously