Chapter Twenty-Three
Fern
‘Stop tugging the end, I’m cold,’ Fern moaned. It was Christmas Eve and after the dramas of the quilt turning up at the shop so unexpectedly and Daisy sharing the story Anton had told her, none of them wanted to let the quilt out of their sight. As such they were all beneath it watchingSanta Claus: The Movieand fighting over their special movie quilt when it wasn’tpositioned exactly the way they liked.
‘You’d be even colder if you were still wearing those inappropriate pyjamas, Fern,’ Ginny quipped, sharing a giggle with Daisy.
They watched the rest of the movie as the sun came up. It reminded Fern of when she was little, when Ginny was a baby and Daisy wasn’t even a twinkle in their parents’ eyes. She’d always got up early on Christmas Eve and helpedLoretta with the baking, because come Christmas Day it would be mayhem with the lunch being prepared and there wouldn’t be room to make anything fancy like truffles or biscuits or brownies. And it had always been nice to have the baked goods ready for the big day, tucked away in tins and containers and there to snatch whenever it took your fancy.
When the movie finished Daisy took a deliveryat the front door and made her sisters promise they’d wait there until she came back.
‘What’s she up to?’ Ginny wondered.
‘I’ve no idea.’ But Daisy soon appeared in the sitting room again and this time handed a small box to each of her sisters.
‘I hate to tell you but we usually open gifts on Christmas Day,’ said Ginny. ‘It’s how Christmas works.’
Daisy rolled her eyes. ‘Just open them.’
Fern prized open the small box and inside nestled on a bed of white satin was a silver bell almost identical to the one she’d once hidden outside for Daisy to find. The sleigh bell Daisy had thought their dad had put there for her. ‘Daisy, these are beautiful.’ Ginny had one too.
‘I didn’t think they’d come in time for Christmas, I only ordered them a few days ago.’
Not only had Daisy grown upa lot, she’d matured in ways that meant she could share her feelings more easily, it seemed. Or perhaps it was because Fern had changed too. Over the last few days, with Everett’s arrival imminent, family secrets aired and Carrie coming into their lives, Fern had done a lot of thinking about her marriage. And she knew now more than ever that she desperately wanted to make it work.
Daisy smiled.‘I must admit I kept thinking in some ways the bell connected me to Dad even though he was gone, because he’d been the one to leave it out for me to find. I guess I could throw it out now, knowing it was from you.’
Fern gave her a playful shove. She was holding her own silver bell. ‘Thank you for this, Daisy.’ It wasn’t just a beautiful bell, it was what it represented – sisterhood, friendship,a fresh start for all of them at long last.
Ginny pulled Daisy in for a hug. ‘I will treasure this.’
Fern was the first to pick up the ends of the quilt ready to refold it. ‘Hadn’t you better be getting ready for work, Ginny?’
Ginny checked the clock. ‘I should. I’m out of practice! I’ll jump in the shower, but not before I grab another gingerbread man.’ She took one from the plate before Ferntook it out to the kitchen.
‘Any word from Carrie?’ Fern asked Daisy.
Daisy shook her head. ‘I think she’s giving us and herself time to get used to the idea. Mum said that when it was just the two of them, they talked easily, Carrie opened up. I guess three of us is a lot scarier than just Mum on her own.’
‘She might prefer to be with her auntie, but did Mum invite her for Christmas?’ Fernasked. ‘It might be nice to give her the option, let her know she’s welcome.’
‘Mum did invite her, so fingers crossed,’ said Daisy as she plucked another gingerbread man from the plate and began to devour it, cupping her hand beneath as they left the lounge so she didn’t spill any crumbs. Still in her pyjamas she seemed determined to make the most of not having to be at the shop today, beingable to sit around and really think about her next step. Fern was doing her best not to interfere because it was Daisy’s choice as to where she went from here, which was exactly what she’d said when her younger sister asked for advice.
When Ginny went off to the shower, Fern put the lid back on the container of gingerbread. Yesterday she’d baked five batches, trying to get close to the tasteof the gingerbread she’d found all those years ago and she was sure she’d managed it. Now there were plenty of gingerbread men here for Everett and the boys too and with them due to arrive in a couple of hours Fern was restless, nervous, and excited all at once.
Daisy’s phone rang and Fern passed it to her from the counter, doing her utmost not to listen.
But Daisy was almost bursting by thetime she hung up the call. ‘That was Sally from the newspaper,’ she gushed.
‘And?’ Fern calmly wiped the crumbs from the kitchen worktop, but sensing her sister wanted an audience this time, wanted the focus on her and what she was doing, she put the cloth down and turned to face Daisy, whose smile was as big as it had been when she was little and came down to see that Father Christmas had leftshiny and carefully wrapped presents beside the tree and that her stocking was bulging as it dangled from its hook above the fireplace.
‘She loved my photographs of the yarn bombing, she’s going to edit my write-up, and both will be in the newspaper in a couple of days.’ Her words came out in a rush.
Fern hugged her sister tightly. Not just because of her news but because it was long overdue,and Daisy reciprocated, although she pulled away first, clearly not finished.
‘She’s asked me in for a discussion about getting regular work with the newspaper.’
‘Daisy, that’s amazing!’
