Page 37 of Daydreaming at the Boathouse Cafe

Her grandmother’s birthday party, she reminded herself. Frankie’s infamous cocktails, of course. But there was something else, said her conscience, nagging at her. What was it?

She glanced over to where she saw the clothes she had been wearing the previous night folded up neatly on a chair. And when she looked down she saw someone had also placed a bucket next to the bed in case she had been ill.

Someone practical, she realised. Who?

And then she remembered stripping off in front of Alex on the beach. Was there anything worse? Presumably not as she realised that she was still wearing her underwear. So what? Then the memories came flooding back. She had kissed Alex. And then promptly been sick.

She groaned and drew the duvet over her head, praying for some kind of imminent death rather than having to face him.

What had she been thinking of? Kissing Alex? Of course, he was handsome, funny, kind, built like the athlete he was. But still, Alex?

She hadn’t kissed anyone since Sean. Getting close to a man was complicated. Caused pain, as she knew only too well. Of course, Alex was nothing like Sean. He was better in every way. But the shame rushed over her all the same. She had leapt on him and kissed him. She didn’t think she would ever recover from the embarrassment.

There was a knock on the door and as it opened, she prayed it wasn’t Alex.

Thankfully it was her best friends, all looking equally hungover. As the hotel hadn’t been full, Beth and Ella had slept in one of the guest bedrooms the previous evening. Not that it looked as if it had a particularly refreshing stay, given their grey faces.

‘What did Frankie put in those cocktails?’ asked Ella, sinking down onto the bed with a groan.

‘Please don’t mention the cocktails,’ moaned Beth, clutching her head.

Lily placed a tray on the bed, laden with mugs full of coffee, glasses of water and a pile of toast.

‘I’m not sure I can face food,’ muttered Hannah.

‘You were pretty bad,’ said Ella, with a nod as she picked up a mug.

‘Yeah, I haven’t seen you that bad in, like, forever,’ said Beth thoughtfully.

‘Where did you disappear to?’ asked Lily. ‘One moment you were in the snug, the next you went off.’

‘Alex said that you wanted a swim,’ said Ella, shaking her head. ‘Good job he was there to stop you.’

Hannah groaned and put her head in her hands.

‘What?’ asked Lily.

Hannah sighed. ‘I may or may not have decided to go skinny dipping in my drunken state,’ she told them.

Shocked laughter rang around the bed.

‘Nooo!’ said Ella, laughing. ‘That’s too funny!’

‘No, it’s not,’ replied Hannah. ‘It’s mortifying.’

‘So you stripped naked in front of Alex?’ Beth’s eyes were on stalks as she stared at her friend.

Hannah shook her head which made everything go a bit swimmy so she sank back against the pillows. ‘Just down to my underwear,’ she told them, trying to keep the duvet from showing that was all she was still wearing, but her friends were putting two and two together.

‘Did you walk back through the hotel in your underwear?’ asked Lily, shocked.

‘From what I remember, Alex had to walk me back,’ said Hannah, frowning. ‘How utterly mortifying.’

‘Rubbish,’ Ella told her. ‘So what? You should be thanking him. Alcohol and swimming never ends well.’

Hannah stayed silent.

‘Unless there’s something else,’ said Lily, studying her with narrow eyes. ‘There is, isn’t there?’