Page 14 of Coming Home to Maple Tree Lodge

He then headed over to the French doors to open them up and show Lily the view.

And what a view it was, he thought, especially on a night like this.

The rest of the place might feel like a building site with wires hanging out the walls and scaffolding in the hallway but the view from the lounge offered nothing but serenity and calm. The stars were magnified in the black sky above and, where the rain clouds had finally cleared, were mirrored on the still water. As his mother had promised, the full moon shone down onto the lake, its reflection rippled from the gentle breeze that came across from the hills beyond. Everything else, from the trees in the forest to the boathouse nearby, was in inky darkness.

For a moment, Ben and Lily remained silent as they looked at the view.

But when Lily went to step forward onto the veranda, Ben stuck out his arm to stop her.

‘Careful,’ he advised. ‘It’s pretty rotten down this end.’

She looked down and even in the semi-darkness, they could both see the gaps where the wood had disintegrated into the lapping water below.

‘Yet another job on my list to do,’ he said. Although his grandad was insisting that they replaced the long balcony in its original design of solid wood, whereas Ben’s instinct was to add some large glass panes to show off even more of the view from inside.

He felt Lily turn to look at him and, realising he was still holding on to her, quickly let go of her arm.

‘Have you always run the hotel?’ she asked.

He shook his head. ‘No, I became an architect instead,’ he replied.

She looked impressed but he knew that it hadn’t become the dream job he had been hoping for.

‘So you’re home for a while?’ she asked. ‘You’re taking a career break?’

He nodded. ‘The family needed me,’ he said simply.

‘Of course,’ she replied in a softer tone. ‘I’m sorry to hear you lost your dad this year.’

He nodded. ‘Thank you.’

The truth was that he hadn’t really had time to grieve for his dad. He had come home to support his family and that support, overwhelming as it felt at times, had given him no time for emotions or to show weakness. He had to stay strong for the rest of the family. But sometimes he just felt exhausted by it all.

The responsibility for the family home and the livelihoods of everyone who depended on Maple Tree Lodge was all-encompassing. He was trying to protect both the past and the future for everyone and he still wasn’t sure it was enough.

‘Erm, I couldn’t help but notice that I’m the only one staying here,’ she carried on.

‘We’ve been having some major renovations,’ he told her. ‘They’re almost done and when they are, hopefully the guests will begin to return pretty soon.’

He had decided a while ago that he needed to treat the hotel like a business. It was the only way to deal with the mess and insecurity hanging over his family. He remained detached from it all, businesslike in all matters.

There was no time for play, women or otherwise. Even his best friends had been moaning about not seeing him. He had met Jake and Alex at university and they had remained close ever since, despite their hectic schedules. Three months had now passed since he had seen them. But whilst his single friends talked about their busy lives, Ben’s own life felt as if it were on hold.

Ben glanced at Lily once more and as she looked up, her green eyes locked with his.

He found, to his surprise, that he felt a jolt deep within. A spark of something new and exciting. The romance of the stars and the lake obviously helped, he reminded himself. Besides, romance seemed like something from a long time ago in his life. Even his best friends teased him about his lack of dates these days. All work and no play makes Ben a dull boy. But he had no time for any of that.

He looked away as he stared down at the water once more. So Lily was attractive, so what? He’d met pretty women before without having this kind of effect on him. Besides, this was someone who was there in a professional capacity as well as her friendship with Hannah.

‘I have to confess that I don’t know much about interior design,’ he told her, dragging his mind back to business. ‘Can we have a chat tomorrow morning about your design ideas and where they might fit in with my own plans for the hotel?’ He looked back into the lounge as Hannah wandered in. ‘I’ll leave you and Hannah to catch up tonight.’

Lily nodded. ‘Of course,’ she said, giving him a smile before heading inside.

He glanced briefly at her long legs, shown off by her slim fitted jeans, before turning to close and lock the French doors.

As he crossed the lounge, he heard Hannah say, ‘Frankie’s made us a couple of her special cocktails. Cheers!’

Then he left the room and headed towards the office. His life suddenly felt very empty, devoid of dates and the life that had been full before he had returned home. He wanted that life back but with his partnership sold, there was nothing for him to return to.