Christmas at Lilac Cottage - Holly Martin Page 0,47

You scare me too.’

Henry blinked at this new revelation. ‘You’re scared of me?’

‘Oh, there’s a million things that scare me about you. Josh, get in the van, we need to go.’

Penny handed her bag back to Josh and walked back round the side of the house towards her kitchen. Josh didn’t move for a moment but Henry ran round the house after Penny, catching her arm just as she was about to open his back door.

‘Why are you scared of me? I would never do anything to hurt you.’

Her face softened slightly and she ran her hand over his stubble. Her touch was like fire on his skin and he instinctively moved his hands to her waist.

‘I’m not scared of you physically hurting me, though I suspect the end result will be the same.’

‘What does that mean?’

‘Why did you kiss me last night?’

‘You know why.’

‘But you told me you’re not looking for anything serious, and I get that, I totally do. Daisy is your number one priority and I never want to get in the way of that, but we agreed we would just stay as friends. I know I kissed you, I know it’s my fault. I really like you and I suspect that the discrepancies in what we want will be the thing that hurts the most.’ She sighed. ‘I have to go.’

She opened his back door and stuck her head inside. ‘Daisy, we need to leave now, are you ready?’

He heard the thunder of feet as his daughter came down the stairs and he quickly dropped his hands from Penny’s waist.

Penny looked at him pointedly as she stepped away.

Daisy ran outside, stepping between them as she shoved her feet into her Converse and dragged a coat on. He was surprised to see she had done her hair in curls and even put some make-up on.

‘I’d like her back by ten,’ Henry said, trying to distract himself from what Penny had just said.

‘Dad!’

‘Half ten then.’

Penny nodded. ‘We shouldn’t be too late.’

He watched Daisy link arms with Penny and they disappeared round the side of the house.

He went back inside, a little bit annoyed that his daughter was allowed to go out with Penny but he wasn’t.

* * *

After setting up Penny’s competition piece on the stand, Josh went back for Daisy’s piece while Penny went to pay and register for her and Daisy. She hadn’t even looked at the other competitors’ pieces yet as they were so late getting there.

She moved back into the village hall and found Daisy pressed against the back wall, seemingly too nervous to mingle or look around. The room was dark, lit up only by the spotlights arranged underneath the sculptures, making them look ethereal and magical in silvery puddles of light. Penny watched Josh carry the small snowflake across the room as if he was carrying a newborn baby and unwrap it with the same care.

‘Everyone will laugh at my snowflake when they see it, I shouldn’t have entered.’

‘Of course you should. You have a real talent. In all honesty I don’t think either of us will win tonight. I’ve just seen the list of competitors and there’re at least three other entrants who always enter something that is truly magnificent. Fabio is from Italy and apparently he has won some big international championship in America this year so I don’t think we can compete with that, but it’s fantastic to see other people’s work and skills.’

‘I just don’t want to come last, that would be so embarrassing.’

‘There’s nothing wrong with coming last. But as it happens these competitions choose first, second and third place so there is no last. If you don’t come in the top three you can say you came joint fourth.’

Daisy grinned up at her.

‘I’ve come joint fourth on many occasions.’

‘Have you ever won?’

‘Once, last year, which is why the big competition is being hosted in White Cliff Bay this year, at the ball – the winner’s town hosts it. I’ve come second once and third a few times, but, as I said, some of these guys pull out all the stops. One year Octavia had a tiny village with moving people, cars and lights that went on and off, all made from ice, with some kind of radio-controlled pieces inside. The Ice Carving Federation had to create a ruling that only ice was allowed in competitions from now on because people were going crazy with flashing lights and other things they had frozen inside the ice. Those