Christmas at Lilac Cottage - Holly Martin Page 0,91

saw Henry notice straightaway. He returned his attention to the cheese, sighing quietly with relief.

‘Hey honey, did you have a good day?’ Henry said, taking extra care not to let any worry or panic into his voice.

‘I had the best day ever, everyone was so nice. I made friends with two girls, Rebecca and Maisie, and we’re going to meet up between Christmas and New Year and Mr Cartwright is the coolest man ever and… I didn’t realise White Cliff Senior School and White Cliff College were on the same campus.’

Penny put the fajita chicken mix on the table with the tortillas and watched Daisy get very excited about the college, which seemed an odd thing to warrant so much excitement.

Penny sat down next to Daisy. ‘I’m so pleased you had a good day.’

‘I did,’ Daisy said, looking like she was about to burst from the excitement of it all. Henry was watching her with confusion too.

Daisy helped herself to a large portion of the chicken and suddenly leaned over and whispered in Penny’s ear. ‘I saw Josh again.’

Penny tried and failed to suppress a smile.

‘What?’ Henry asked.

‘Nothing,’ Daisy said at the same time as Penny.

Henry scowled as he looked between them.

Daisy leaned over again to whisper some more. ‘He asked me to the ball.’

Ah, the reason for the giddy excitement had been explained.

Penny whispered in her ear. ‘That’s so cool, how exciting.’

‘I know,’ Daisy whispered back. ‘I think I love him.’

Oh lord. How was she supposed to explain this one to Henry?

‘What?’ Henry said again, trying not to smile as he scowled at their secrets.

‘Nothing,’ Daisy giggled.

‘We’ll go shopping for a dress then,’ Penny whispered. ‘Sunday?’

Daisy nodded gleefully.

Penny tucked into her own fajita and glanced across at Henry who was pretending to glare across the table. That glare might turn out to be a real one once he found out his daughter was going out with the tattooed, shaven-headed boy he had mistaken for a burglar a few days before.

Josh was a sensitive, sweet boy but Penny doubted Henry would see it like that.

She would have to break it to him gently when he was in a good mood.

* * *

‘I’m going out for a bit, I won’t be long, I’m just popping up to Rebecca’s house,’ Daisy said, getting up from the kitchen table. Penny saw the grin that she had been suppressing for most of the dinner.

Henry frowned as he looked at the darkening skies outside. ‘Its nearly dark out and we were going to go tree shopping.’

‘We will, I’ll only be half hour, Rebecca only lives up the hill.’ Daisy gestured vaguely and Penny frowned. There was no house up the hill. Lilac Cottage was the last house on the very outskirts of White Cliff Bay. The next house was a good half hour drive away on the edge of Apple Hill. Daisy was lying, she could see it in her eyes. It seemed like Daisy had secrets of her own. Henry looked at her suspiciously too.

Before Henry could protest any further, Daisy threw her coat on and with a cheery wave she raced out the door.

‘She’s up to something,’ Henry said, as the door almost slammed back into its frame.

‘Maybe she’s just gone off to buy your Christmas present,’ Penny suggested, knowing that wasn’t it at all.

Henry scowled as he moved round the table towards her. ‘Talking of that, I need to go and finish her tree decoration. Will you be OK for half an hour?’

Penny nodded and he kissed her briefly before disappearing out the back door.

Doubt niggling in her mind, she opened the front door and stepped out onto the drive. At the bottom of the driveway stood the observation hut which was used by birdwatchers to keep an eye on the nesting cliff-dwelling birds, especially in the spring and summer months. It was also the place where some of the teenagers of the town used to hang out, especially teenage couples. She had used it herself in her youth to meet up with one or two boys. They’d sit, talk and listen to music. For her nothing further than a few kisses had happened in that hut but, with a small gas fire, gas lamps, a soft bench to lie on, it had been the place where several of her peers had lost their virginity. It was silhouetted against the pale twilight sky and, as she watched, flickering lights suddenly came on inside.

That’s where Daisy had gone. It was entirely possible that