Page 88 of Coming Home to Maple Tree Lodge

‘You,’ he murmured. ‘I never knew…’

His voice trailed off. But it didn’t matter. Lily knew what he was trying to say because she was feeling the same thing.

They both leant forward at the same time. However, the boat suddenly rocked a little, throwing them both off-balance so that Lily began to slip off her seat. Ben went to hold her and slipped off his own bench, causing them both to fall onto the bottom of the narrow rowing boat.

They both laughed.

‘Are you hurt?’ he asked.

She shook her head. ‘Just a bit damp,’ she said, feeling a puddle of lake water seeping into her jeans.

‘Everything OK over there?’ came Hannah’s voice a short while later from the walkie-talkie. ‘I can’t see you all of a sudden.’

Ben looked at Lily and smiled as he picked up his handset. ‘We’re just fine,’ he replied, his voice a little husky. ‘Just enjoying the view.’

She smiled back at him before they began to carefully get up from the wet bottom of the boat.

Some time later and back on dry land, Lily had managed to quickly get changed out of her wet jeans in time to help out with all the visitors. The hotel bar and lounge were full of people chatting and enjoying their evening. The bar till had been ringing all evening with the many orders for drinks.

Even better, where Lily was concerned, was the fact that Hannah had been persuaded to make some of her puff pastrycanapés in case the visitors were hungry. To nobody’s surprise, the Mediterranean pinwheels, sausage rolls and spinach puffs had gone down a storm with everyone and had quickly sold out. She had caught Hannah blushing when surrounded by the admiring guests but was delighted to see her friend chatting about her recipes and beginning to come out of her shell at last.

Finally, when the last of the visitors had gone home, the family gathered in the entrance hall.

‘That was a huge success,’ said Faye, smiling.

‘Of course it was,’ said Walter. ‘There was never any doubt.’

‘I shall have sweet dreams tonight of those pretty lights,’ said Dotty, wrapping her arm through Walter’s before they both wished the family goodnight.

‘I think I’ll tidy up the bar in the morning,’ said Frankie, with a yawn. ‘I’m dead on my feet.’

‘Me too,’ said Faye. ‘Goodnight, all.’

‘I’ll come up as well,’ said Hannah, her eyes flicking between her brother and Lily with a soft smile. ‘Sweet dreams,’ she added with a knowing smile before going upstairs.

Ben and Lily headed into the lounge to close up. They shut the French doors and switched off the lights but remained in the lounge to watch the dying embers in the fireplace.

As they sat down on the sofa, it was the most natural thing in the world for them both to move into each other’s arms and begin to kiss.

‘My sister’s not the only one who’ll be having sweet dreams tonight,’ he murmured against her lips.

Lily automatically drew back. ‘Just remember that I’m only here for a while. Everything is temporary,’ she told him. ‘It always is.’

‘Are you telling me that our kisses meant nothing to you?’ he asked, still holding her close. ‘That you feel nothing when we’re together?’

‘Of course not.’ The heat rose in her cheeks. ‘I can’t fake that. I never would with you.’

‘And I don’t want you to,’ he told her.

He brushed her lips with his thumb and Lily tried to stay focused but the fact was that she wanted to kiss him so much over and over. ‘But don’t you see that this can’t last?’ she told him, despite drawing near to him. ‘That it won’t last?’

‘Then we’d better make the most of the time we have, hadn’t we?’ he whispered.

‘Absolutely,’ she told him, closing the gap to kiss him once more.

As they lay on the sofa wrapped in each other’s arms, she had one thought. Despite all her protests, all of her trying not to get too close to him, she was beginning to fall in love with Ben.

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