Outside snow was falling in big fat flakes. Though the ground was too wet for it to be able to settle, it certainly proved how cold it was.

Suddenly there was a cry of pain and Penny whirled round to see Daisy cradling her arm. Penny rushed over to see that she had cut her arm. It wasn’t bad but it had obviously come about from her hands being too cold and numb to hold the tools properly. The gloves Daisy had been wearing were too big for her to grip the tools and they were letting cold through the gaps too.

‘Are you OK?’ Penny asked, wrapping a comforting arm round her shoulders.

Daisy nodded, giving her a weak smile. ‘It bloody hurts. Don’t tell Dad I swore.’

Penny laughed. If Daisy could joke about that then she was fine. She looked around at the group. Henry should be back soon with their drinks to warm them up but Penny wondered whether she should call a halt to the workshop. For some of these guys who weren’t used to working in cold temperatures, they could end up hurting themselves just as Daisy had done.

Penny turned to grab the first aid kit just as Henry walked back into the marquee. His face fell as he saw Daisy holding her arm.

‘Oh crap,’ Daisy muttered. ‘I’ll make a distraction, while you run away.’

‘What?’ Penny said, but the angry look on Henry’s face told her everything she needed to know. This was not going to go down well. She focussed her attention on pulling out a large plaster from the first aid box and managed to use an antiseptic wipe to clean up the excess blood before Henry could get there. But he was suddenly by her side.

His breath was accelerated, fearful as he stared at the cut, which could only have been an inch in length.

‘What the hell happened?’ he said through gritted teeth.

‘Dad, it was just an accident, it was my own stupid fault.’

Henry’s gaze turned accusingly towards Penny. ‘I thought you said it was safe.’

‘It’s too cold in here, I’m sorry,’ Penny said, returning her attention to the cut as she carefully and gently applied the plaster to the wound.

‘I’m going to take Daisy home,’ Henry said, clearly trying to keep his temper in check.

Daisy’s shoulders slumped.

‘I think you’re overreacting slightly.’

‘I’m overreacting?’ Henry said, incredulously.

‘Yes, you’re being an over-bearing, over-protective ass. It’s a tiny scratch and I don’t appreciate you looking at me as if I’m an evil monster,’ Penny said, snapping the lid closed on the first aid box. After a second or two, she was surprised to see a smile pull at his lips.

Daisy stared at them in shock.

Penny smirked, sensing the tension had gone. She took the first aid kit back to where the rest of her stuff was and he followed her.

‘An ass?’

Confident that they were out of earshot from everyone else, she turned round to talk to him. ‘Yes and why don’t you take that gorgeous ass of yours and deliver the hot drinks for me and then sit over here out the way? Let Daisy get on with her ice carving, she will learn from her mistakes and be more careful about how she uses the tools. Plus I’ll keep an eye on her.’

Henry nodded, suddenly a whole lot calmer. ‘I’m sorry.’

She smiled. ‘It’s OK.’

Penny went back over to Daisy. ‘Are you OK to carry on? You can sit out if you want to?’

Daisy shook her head. ‘No, I’m fine.’ She glanced over at Henry who was doing as he had been told and dishing out the drinks. ‘No one has ever stood up to him like that before. I expected him to go ballistic. As I said, you’re good for him.’

Penny looked over at him. She had never stood up for herself before either, preferring to keep her head down in an argument. He had taught her that she should never accept being treated badly by anyone. She smiled. He was good for her too.

Chapter Twenty-two

Penny was up in her bedroom later that afternoon, fighting with changing the duvet cover on her bed when there was a tentative knock on the bedroom door. Henry had stayed down in the town when she and Daisy had returned home, needing to do some Christmas shopping, and he probably wouldn’t knock anyway, he had already seen her in all her glory.

She opened the door and was surprised to see Daisy, her hair and make-up done flawlessly. Daisy grinned at her, though it didn’t quite meet her eyes.

‘I’m meeting up with Josh. Can you tell Dad that I’ve gone to see Rebecca or something?’

‘Daisy, that’s not fair, asking me to lie and cover for you. I feel bad enough as it is not telling him what I know without adding lies to my list of crimes too. You need to…’ Penny trailed off, seeing the worry on her face. ‘What’s wrong?’

Daisy came in and sat on Penny’s bed. ‘I told Rebecca that you called the old hut the Love Shack and Rebecca said that everyone knows it as that. She said a lot of the teenage boys take their girlfriends there to have sex. Josh suggested we hang out there. What if he wants to sleep with me?’

Penny sat down heavily on the bed next to her. There was no manual for dealing with this kind of thing. She wished Henry was here but she knew he wouldn’t deal with it in the best way, which was probably why Daisy had come to her.

‘How many times have you seen Josh now, since the ice carving competition?’

‘How many dates? Three. I think I love him.’

Penny suppressed a smile at the simplicity of teenage love, although it was never simple at the time.

‘I’m not ready to sleep with him yet.’

‘Then you tell him that.’

‘What if he dumps me because of it? I’ve never had a boyfriend before. No boy has ever paid attention to me before as if I’m not worth even talking to. And maybe I’m not if my mum left me when I was only two months old. Josh doesn’t think I’m worthless or ugly. He loves me exactly as I am and I couldn’t bear it if he rejected me too.’

Penny’s heart ached for Daisy. The damage her mum had done was far reaching and was something it would take Daisy a large part of her life to get over.

‘You are beautiful and intelligent and kind and funny and Henry loves you so much. He doesn’t think you are worthless, you are the single most important person in his life. If Henry and I ever get together and get married, I will be proud to have you as my step-daughter. Your mum missed out big time when she walked out on you but that is a reflection on her, not you. If Josh can’t see how incredible you are then that is his loss, not yours.’

Daisy stared at her for a moment and then threw her arms round her neck and hugged her tight. Penny wrapped her arms round her too, stroking her back. Finally Daisy pulled away.

‘Tell me, has Josh mentioned that he wants to sleep with you at all?’

Daisy shook her head. Penny knew how painfully shy Josh was, it probably hadn’t even crossed his mind to take it any further.

‘Have you guys done anything other than kiss?’

Daisy blushed. ‘No, we generally just talk and listen to music. We’ve kissed a bit but he is so sweet and respectful. Rebecca says that Lucas, her boyfriend, always gropes her boobs, but Josh hasn’t touched my boobs at all.’

Penny noticed the look of disappointment on Daisy’s face. ‘Do you want him to?’

‘Yes. Maybe. I don’t know. They’re a bit small.’ Daisy looked down at her chest. ‘Rebecca says it feels nice.’

Oh lord. What would Henry’s reaction be to this conversation? He would probably ground Daisy for life and stop her from seeing Josh and Rebecca ever again.

‘Does it feel nice?’

Shit. Penny had a brief flashback to Friday night, Henry kissing her breasts, taking her nipple into his mouth. ‘Yes it does but that’s not something you should do unless you feel completely comfortable with it.’