Page 43 of Coming Home to Maple Tree Lodge

So Lily had to carry on. ‘The trouble is,’ she began once more, deciding to be brave, ‘I’m rubbish at friends. I never really told you how lonely my childhood was growing up. Until I movedinto that house and met the three of you, I had no friends at all. Not through school. Nobody.’

Hannah gasped. ‘Truly?’ she asked. ‘You never said!’

Lily nodded. ‘We moved around so much that we were never anywhere long enough for me to make friends. And since then I’ve been so busy concentrating on my career, trying to prove my parents wrong actually. I wanted to show them that I had chosen the right job. And it became all-encompassing, the need to be right.’ Her throat became thick as she tried to hold back the tears. ‘And that was wrong of me. Because you and Beth and Ella are more important than my job. Than anything. I love having you all as my friends. Truly, I do.’

Lily was about to carry on, when she found herself smothered by one of Hannah’s warm hugs. She let herself lean against her friend briefly before taking a step backwards.

‘We’ve always known that you’re ambitious,’ said Hannah. ‘That’s not a crime.’

‘Yes, but I let it get bigger than everything else in my life,’ said Lily, a tear escaping to roll down her cheek. ‘I started concentrating on my deadlines and cancelling seeing you all. I even missed your birthday party!’

‘It doesn’t matter now,’ said Hannah, reaching out to squeeze her hand. ‘We can start again.’

Lily nodded. Perhaps it was time to start over. ‘I want to stay, if that’s OK with you. To help wherever I can.’

Hannah smiled. ‘Of course it’s OK. It’s the best news I’ve heard for a long time. I want you here. And so do my family. They need you,’ she carried on. ‘We all do. If the hotel is going to be a success.’

‘It will be,’ said Lily, with a firm nod.

Because it turned out that she needed this job. This hotel. This family. Perhaps even more than they needed her.

21

Sitting down by the fireplace in the lounge, Ben could feel Frankie’s strong cocktail seeping through his veins, relaxing him until the stress of the past few weeks and months finally went away.

At least temporarily, he thought, glancing at his grandad who was sitting opposite him. There was still no guarantee that Walter would agree to Lily’s ideas for the whole hotel. Stress was replaced with nerves as to how he would react.

But the alcohol also gave him the strength to bring up the subject, especially when Lily came to sit down on the sofa next to Walter. Safety in numbers, he told himself.

‘So Lily had some different ideas as to decorating the rest of the hotel,’ began Ben. ‘Not just the bedrooms.’

‘I see.’ Walter’s grey eyebrows joined together in a frown.

Ben was a little pleased to see Lily take a nervous sip of her own cocktail before turning to face his grandad. ‘You see, Walter,’ she began. ‘I’ve been thinking that it’s all about adding textures. The wood is beautiful and natural, of course. But on the floor, it feels a bit cold and noisy, to be honest. I know rugs would work downstairs here, for instance in front of thefireplace, but upstairs in the bedrooms, we need carpets. You want it to feel soft and relaxing. Especially under bare feet.’

‘Carpets?’ repeated Walter, looking surprised.

‘It’s a bedroom,’ she reminded him. ‘And it would be a good noise excluder as well. On top of that, each room needs some texture and colour to make it more warm and inviting. Working with what we’ve got, for example. I mean, think of that amazing view of the lake. Plus the forest all around us. It’s just enhancing what Mother Nature has already given us.’

There was a long silence before Walter finally gave a nod of his head. ‘Sounds good. You know, those people you used to work for must be idiots to let you go.’

‘Thanks,’ said Lily.

Ben was flabbergasted. ‘I’ve been trying to get you to agree to carpets for months!’ he spluttered.

‘Yes, but she said it better,’ said Walter, giving Lily a nudge with his elbow. ‘Besides, she understands about this place, don’t you?’

‘Well, I understand it a bit more having been actually in the lake this afternoon,’ she replied, laughing.

‘You wait until next summer,’ Walter told her. ‘When there’s a heatwave and that water is cool, clear and delicious. There’s nothing like it.’

‘It can’t have been any colder than today,’ said Lily, still smiling.

‘Come and join us, Lily,’ called over Dotty, who was sitting at the table where a large jigsaw was spread out. ‘We need all the help we can get over here.’

Ben watched her as she walked away, those long legs encased in slim jeans, her red hair swinging around her shoulders. She really was one of the most attractive women he had ever met. He dragged his attention back to his grandad now it was just the two of them.

‘So how bad is it?’ asked Walter softly.