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‘I’m not going to hurt her. I’m not sure what will happen between us. I’d like to be her friend more than anything. Maybe in time that friendship will turn into something more, and maybe not, but I have no intention of ever hurting her.’
Jill nodded seriously and then blushed. ‘My apologies, it was wrong of me to talk to you about her like this, I’m sure she won’t thank me for it. But if you spend any length of time in her company you will see what a truly wonderful person she is. I love her like she was my own daughter and I only want the best for her.’
‘I want that too.’
‘Oh, let’s change the subject, she’ll kill me if she knows I’ve said all this. Do you want tomatoes on your sandwich?’
Henry nodded and watched as Jill busied herself with making the food. The truth was he had already seen what kind of person Pe
‘Come on.’ Pe
Pe
‘I would love that!’ Daisy almost shouted and Pe
‘Well, we’ll chat to your dad, if he’s OK with it then you could help out at weekends, providing it didn’t interfere with any homework. I can help you with any tricky bits and I’d pay you of course.’
Daisy had the hugest grin on her face as Pe
Pe
Henry looked up and flashed her a huge smile and she hated that something as simple as that warmed her from the inside.
‘Jill made us all lunch. She just left and she didn’t want to disturb you by saying goodbye. She’s a gem that one, isn’t she, where did you find her?’
‘She was our live-in housekeeper, cook and na
‘Maybe she needs the money.’
‘Her husband is probably one of the richest people in the area so I doubt that. He owns the White Cliff Bay Furniture Company.’
Henry paled significantly, clearly backtracking over every comment he had made to Jill to make sure he hadn’t said anything untoward.
‘Oh, don’t worry, he has nothing to do with the company any more. He took early retirement from being CEO many years ago. He still has shares in the company and he’s on the board of directors but he leaves all the management side of things to his son and daughter.’
Pe
‘I got the impression that Jill didn’t have any children?’
‘She doesn’t; Clara and Edward are her step-children, from Thomas’s previous marriage. She was housekeeper for them too which is how she and Thomas met. When his wife died she was there for him a lot. A year later he married her and they’ve been happily married ever since.’
‘I think I met Edward at the interview,’ Henry said, thoughtfully.
‘I’m sure you did, he is very hands-on. He knows everyone’s name at the factory and oversees everything that happens. He seems a lovely man.’
‘Don’t think I met Clara, though.’
‘You probably didn’t. I don’t think she gets involved in that side of the business at all. She’s joint CEO but I think her role is more design or publicity or something like that. Well, her team is in charge of that. I’ve never met her but by all accounts she isn’t a nice person.’
Pe
He nodded. ‘I popped by to see if Daisy had finished about half an hour ago and she insisted I stayed for lunch. Sorry, we’ll be eating you out of house and home at this rate. But you can come for di
Pe
‘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 Pe
Henry hesitated before speaking just long enough for Pe
‘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.
Pe
‘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.’