Page 63 of Coming Home to Maple Tree Lodge

‘Yes, but…’ he began.

However, Lily was on a roll and interrupted him. ‘Imagine all our guests coming in here before dinner, spending lots of lovely money on drinks and then relaxing. Think of all that extra profit coming into the hotel.’

‘You’re just trying to tempt me with the thought of more money,’ he said, laughing.

Then his smile faded and his look was replaced by something more searing as he carried on staring down at her. Their eyes still locked together, she held her breath, his eyes glinting in the overhead light as time began to stand still. Her pulse began to thump as she looked up at him.

Suddenly all the lights went out and they were left in the darkness.

‘Del!’ came the usual shout from the lounge as Frankie raged about the power being shorted out again.

‘I’m going to have to sort out some kind of electric car charging system as well,’ said Ben. ‘If only for Del when he keeps coming over.’

They smiled at each other in the semi-darkness then took a step backwards, but all the time his eyes were dark and probing, as if asking her the question as to what happened next.

Then the lights flickered back on as Walter flipped the switch in the electrics cupboard and the moment was lost.

‘So, a bar, eh?’ said Ben, still looking at her.

Lily tried to cool her racing pulse. ‘I think it’s a great idea,’ she said, in an overly bright tone, still trying to concentrate back on the hotel and not the thought of standing close to Ben.

‘Staff is a problem though,’ he reminded her. ‘I’m not sure until we’re up and running whether our funds will be able to stretch to a full-time barkeeper. And where on earth would we find one anyway?’

‘Luckily I have just the solution to that particular problem,’ she told him with a knowing smile.

32

Lily found that she had never worked so hard and yet never enjoyed any job quite as much before. Working on the hotel felt like the ultimate dream project.

Each day she would start early, fuelled by one of Faye’s delicious breakfasts, and then carry on working.

First on the list to be finished were the bedrooms. Ben had put in a rush order for some neutral-coloured carpets and they arrived and were fitted as soon as the painting was finished.

Slowly, with each new layer of colour, such as the new bed linen, the textures that she had been wanting came to life in front of her eyes. Each room felt comfortable but fresh too.

‘Everything’s washable,’ Lily told Ben when he looked at the large pile of cushion covers and blankets which had just been delivered. ‘So it’s not impractical.’

‘I’m trying to believe you,’ he told her, with a grin.

She was reminded once more how handsome he was when he relaxed and smiled.

‘The four-poster frames look amazing,’ she said. ‘Very romantic.’

She blushed as she reminded herself that she didn’t know too much about romance, given her love life in recent years.

‘Now for the fun bit,’ she said, swiftly changing the subject. ‘Those all-important finishing touches.’

‘And how much are they going to cost me?’ he asked, with a grimace.

Lily broke into a winning smile. ‘As it happens, almost nothing,’ she told him.

She had been inspired one day when she had asked Dotty to show her some of her souvenirs that she had collected over the years. As Lily began to look through the boxes, she had to agree with Dotty that they were indeed treasures. There were vases and ornaments, glassware and candle holders. There was a vast number of different patterns and themes but once she broke everything down by colour scheme, she realised that it was going to work.

She looked at Ben. ‘Follow me and I’ll show you,’ she said, leading him into the next bedroom.

She looked around at the room they were standing in. She had placed a distressed gold-framed mirror over the dressing table. Then she had added some leather-bound books she had found, alongside a small gold tray in the shape of a leaf, on top of which was a tall bud vase.

‘I was aiming for sophisticated country instead of rustic,’ she told him.