Page 10 of The Holiday Cottage

“It will wash.” Iris moved the pizza base closer to her sister so that less food fell on the table. “I put it to soak in the bathroom. She was crying, but I told her you’d get it clean again. You always manage to get things clean.”

Sara smiled at her. She was pleased she hadn’t booked a babysitter. Tonight was family time, and later—later, when the girls were in bed, she’d have time alone with Patrick. “You are so kind to your sister.”

“Here’s your pizza.” Patrick put it in front of her and she blinked.

“Wow. That is a lot of olives.”

“Is it too many?” Iris looked at her anxiously. “We know you love olives so I gave you my share. But maybe it’s too many.”

“It’s the perfect amount. And that’s so generous of you.” Sara duly admired the pizza. “I don’t know how you got it so exactly right.”

Iris flushed with pride and returned happily to her own pizza.

The pizzas said everything about the personalities of her girls, Sara thought.

Iris’s pizza was neat and symmetrical, divided into quarters with strips of ham, each quarter decorated with the same precision.

“Your pizza is a work of art,” she said as she admired it and Ava pushed hers forward.

“How about mine? Is mine a work of art?”

“Modern art,” Patrick said, winking at Sara.

Ava’s pizza looked as if all the ingredients had been dropped from a helicopter.

“It looks delicious.” Sara slid the pizzas into the oven and sat down at the table.

“Long week? Have a glass of our best Winterbury White.” He put the tall long-stemmed glass in front of her and Sara studied it.

“It’s a good color.”

“The taste is better.” He sat down next to her and gave her hand a squeeze. “This has been our best year at the vineyard. Incredible. For once, the weather was our friend. Thanks for your update email, by the way. Sounds as if your meeting with the buyer went well.”

“Really well. He’s knowledgeable about the low-and no-alcohol sector. Sees it as a massive growth area for them.” Sara picked up her glass. “I’m hopeful.”

Ava covered her ears. “Stop talking about work. Work is boring.”

Sara put her glass down. “You’re right. No more work.”

“And the weather can’t be your friend, Daddy, that’s silly.” Ava picked up her crayons. “You can’t do a sleepover with the weather.”

“You might if you were camping,” Iris said. “Remember that storm the night we camped out in the vineyard? We were almost blown away. Daddy had to come and rescue us.”

“I don’t remember.” Ava covered the paper with green crayon. “I’m drawing a Christmas tree.”

Iris glanced across. “That’s pretty. You need to give it some decorations.”

“When can we have our real tree?” Ava added random pink splodges to the tree.

“Not yet,” Iris said. “Or the needles fall off. But soon.”

“I love having a tree,” Ava said. “I wish we could have a Christmas tree all year.”

“Me too.” Iris leaned across and mopped up a splash of paint that had landed on the table. “Do you want to share my room on Christmas Eve?”

“At Nanna’s house?” Ava’s face lit up. “Yes!” She glanced at Sara. “Can I? Please?”

“Of course you can, if it’s all right with Iris.”

---