Page 11 of Daydreaming at the Boathouse Cafe

It was true. The forest that hugged the land and hotel had always felt like a protective shield against the outside world for her. As soon as she had come home to live after her disastrous relationship with Sean had ended, she knew that she was safe. Secure. Loved. No wonder she had never wanted to leave it ever since.

Lily came into the kitchen. ‘I need another coffee,’ she said, coming to stand next to Ben. ‘I’m dead on my feet this afternoon. Anyone else want one?’

But Ben was staring across the table at his sister with a strange look on his face. Lily followed his gaze, looking a little confused.

‘What?’ snapped Hannah, at her big brother, shuffling awkwardly under his gaze. She hated anyone looking at her for too long, uncomfortable under any kind of scrutiny.

‘You could do it,’ he said.

Hannah was baffled. ‘Do what?’ she asked.

‘Run the Boathouse Café,’ he told her.

Hannah immediately shook her head. ‘No!’ she told him. ‘No, no, no!’ She looked at her best friend for support but Lily was smiling instead.

‘Oh, that’s a brilliant idea!’ she declared. ‘Hannah, you’d be amazing! Just think…’

But Hannah didn’t want to think about the responsibility. About serving her own cakes to strangers who were likely to be negative about them.

She would find other ways to help out the hotel and, along with her income from the pub, they would all muddle through somehow, wouldn’t they?

She had only just begun to have the confidence to place her cakes on a tea trolley for the hotel guests in the lounge. But that was different. The hotel was still Ben and Lily’s responsibility. They were in charge. Not her. Never her.

‘I’ve got to sort out my clothes for work,’ she said, walking out of the kitchen as quick as she could and leaving her brother and best friend behind to exchange worried looks.

6

After a much-needed shower, Alex sank gratefully onto the comfortable bed. The bedroom had been renovated by Lily and Ben about six months ago and was now a cosy but extremely stylish place to stay.

There were five bedrooms in the private family quarters at the end of the top-floor west wing. Away from the twenty guest bedrooms, there was space for Faye, Frankie, Hannah, Ben and, until a few months ago, Lily as well to have their own rooms. Since Lily had moved into Ben’s room, the spare bedroom was left to be used by their friends whenever they stayed.

Alex and Jake were happy to share the room, despite its somewhat romantic theming, thanks to Lily’s artistic skills. The room mirrored the guest bedrooms and so had a handcrafted four-poster bed made out of oak from the surrounding forest and thick expensive bed linen making it feel luxurious.

There was even some lavender spray on the bedside stand, filling the air with its romantic, relaxing scent. Not that Alex was feeling particularly relaxed. His foot was extremely painful and he had to keep the weight off for at least a few days, trying to rest as much as he could.

He was grateful to the Jackson family for offering the room to him for as long as he wanted, even after Jake left to head back to London the following day. By way of thanks for their many stays throughout the year which included free accommodation, Alex and Jake would try to repay the family wherever they could. Jake’s skills as a chef were often utilised in the kitchen, mucking in to help cook the breakfasts, as well as finding them Jason, the part-time chef.

For his part, Alex had tried to help Ben with the accounts, even sorting out a large tax rebate on his dad’s estate. From time to time, he had also given Walter a hand in the workshop whenever there was any heavy lifting to be done. Not that he would be much use for the foreseeable future, he thought to himself.

But he couldn’t relax or even begin to think about his recovery until he had made the phone call that he had been putting off ever since his accident that morning.

He took a deep breath and then brought out his phone to video chat his parents.

After three rings, his dad answered.

‘I’ve been trying to get hold of you all day,’ his dad said, by way of greeting and looking cross. ‘The flight to Sydney on Tuesday has been changed. It’s three hours earlier so you’d better come here tomorrow night so we can get to the airport on time.’

Alex took a deep breath. ‘Happy Easter to you too, Dad.’ He paused before carrying on. ‘How’s Mum?’

‘I’m fine, love,’ said his mum somewhere in the background. ‘Happy Easter.’

Alex braced himself before continuing. ‘But I’m afraid I won’t be able to make the flight on Tuesday, Dad.’

‘What are you talking about?’ his dad began. ‘This has been booked for weeks. Is this about staying with your friends? You know how important the training schedule is. We’ve got everything mapped out for the next sixteen weeks.’

‘Well, the schedule is going to have to change.’ Alex found himself gulping. ‘I hurt myself this morning at the race.’

There was a short silence before his dad exploded. ‘I knew it! I knew something would happen when you’re dealing with amateurs. What were you thinking? I told you not to take part in that ridiculous fun run! You should have been training, not messing about with your mates in the mud.’