Page 34 of Daydreaming at the Boathouse Cafe

Aimee then went on to ask Alex how long he was staying for and about his injury rehabilitation, recommending yoga for the stretching.

‘That’s a great idea,’ said Alex.

Aimee was looking up at him as if she were worshipping a god. He was smiling down at her too, especially when Hannah overheard Aimee suggest a one-to-one yoga session to help with his stretching.

As if Alex didn’t know all about stretching muscles, thought Hannah, suddenly feeling grumpy.

‘What’s the matter?’ asked Beth. ‘Are you worried about the café?’

‘No,’ replied Hannah quickly. ‘I’m fine.’

‘Look, I know you’re fretting but it’s going to be a great success,’ said Ella, guessing why Hannah might be in a bad mood. ‘You just need to create a buzz.’

Ella was now an influencer in her spare time and had a knack for generating publicity.

‘Producing footfall is key,’ she carried on. ‘Social media. Local marketing. It needs to be memorable. Who’s your target market?’

‘Anyone with money in their wallet,’ drawled Ben nearby, drawing an arm around Lily.

Hannah shot her big brother a glare but remained silent.

‘You look like you’re at a funeral, not a birthday party,’ said Frankie from behind the bar to Hannah, raising an eyebrow at her. ‘You need one of my specials.’

‘Then what am I drinking?’ asked Lily, staring down at her half-drunk cocktail.

‘That was one of my normal ones,’ Frankie told her. ‘Hannah looks like she needs a pick-me-up.’

‘I’m not miserable,’ muttered Hannah.

‘Tell that to your face,’ joked Ben.

Hannah tried to force herself to be more cheerful but found that she couldn’t stop glancing over at Alex and Aimee as they continued to chat.

‘When I was in Nepal,’ she could hear Aimee saying.

Hannah ground her teeth together in irritation. Aimee had pink hair and had travelled the world. Hannah had normal-coloured hair and hadn’t gone any further than London and even that had been a step too far from her beloved Maple Tree Lodge.

She had never felt more of a country mouse in all of her life.

‘I must ask her whether she can help me with my bad shoulders,’ said Frankie. ‘I need loosening up.’

Lily stared into her almost empty cocktail glass. ‘Just have one of your own drinks,’ she said, with a hiccup. ‘That’ll loosen anything up.’

‘Even Hannah?’ asked Frankie, pushing a cocktail across the bar top towards her.

‘For the last time, I’m fine,’ said Hannah, picking up the drink and taking a gulp. ‘Wow,’ she croaked. ‘That’s strong.’

‘Told you it was one of my specials,’ said Frankie with an evil grin. ‘And it is supposed to be a party, after all.’

Hannah took another sip of the strong drink. Why was it bothering her so much that Alex and Aimee were chatting? Except Aimee was most definitely flirting and not just chatting, Hannah decided. She kept putting her hand on his arm, Hannah noted, with a frown.

For some reason, she couldn’t bear the thought of them becoming even more than friends. So where did that leave her feelings for Alex? He was just lovely, handsome Alex. That was all, wasn’t it?

After a couple more of Frankie’s special cocktails, Hannah was feeling far more cheerful. Her grandmother’s birthday deserved to be celebrated, after all.

The only blot on the evening was when she checked her phone and read a text from an unknown number. It turned out to be Sean. She stared at the words on the screen, ever so slightly out of focus after all the cocktails she had drunk. But she understood the pretext. He wanted her back.

The alcohol gave her the strength to delete the text and block his new number too.