Page 15 of Starry Nights over Dragonfly Lake

Still, his mind raced with possibilities. In his mind’s eye, he could see it finished, sleek and polished, racing across the sea somewhere out on the coast with him at the helm. But it was an impossible dream, wasn’t it?

He followed Walter and, to his surprise, they set off away from the hotel and around the further point of the lake.

They walked past the Boathouse Café where Walter told him of the success during the past summer. Noah was impressed by the set-up but more interested in the wood cladding and majestic rise of the building over the water.

‘Did Ben work on it?’ he couldn’t stop himself from asking. What a marvellous summer that would have been, working on such a project by the water.

To his surprise, Walter shook his head. ‘He lends a hand, of course. And he’s all right with a hammer but it’s not quite in his bones as much as the layout and structure of a place. Shame but I’ve come to appreciatehis other talents.’

‘Such as?’ prompted Noah, wondering what his cousin’s adult life had been like.

‘He had a successful architect firm in London,’ Walter told him, a proud note creeping into his voice. ‘Gave up the whole shebang when we lost Tony and came back here. I’m so proud of him for that. My grandson put his very heart into Maple Tree Lodge and now look at it. It was in a pretty poor state over a year ago and now it’s going to be standing for another hundred years at least.’

They stopped on a bridge to look across the length of the lake back at the hotel. From a distance, Noah couldn’t help but admire the shape and build of the place.

It was a beautiful building. No wonder Ben had rushed back there to take over the running of the hotel.

Noah hadn’t inherited anything from his dad. His father had spent every penny he had ever earned and the remaining personal items had been taken by his current girlfriend who had then disappeared shortly after his death. But that was just fine. Noah didn’t want or need anything from his dad and knew that he had nothing of sentimental value anyway. But still, he missed the sense that his dad was out there somewhere, laughing that hearty laugh of his over a beer in a pub somewhere. He had told himself that he didn’t care. But he did.

‘That veranda looks new,’ he said, commenting on the glass balcony that ran the width of the hotel.

‘It is,’ said Walter. ‘Ben had a bit of a battle with me on that one. I wanted things to remain the same but of course they can’t. Life has to move on, doesn’t it? And I have to confess that it looks pretty nice too.’ He looked at Noah. ‘Don’t tell him that he was right, though,’ he added with a chuckle.

‘Your secret’s safe with me,’ Noah told him.

They moved on along the stony path with Noah appreciatingthe autumnal beauty that surrounded him. It was peaceful there, he thought, with just the birdsong and the breeze rustling the leaves on the many trees. Across the water, ripples spread out as the wind swept across the body of water as well.

‘Talk of a bad storm coming in this week,’ said Walter, zipping up his coat a little bit higher. ‘Don’t need another power cut. Not when the hotel is just starting to get back on its feet. But we’ve got one eye on the future as well.’ He stopped to look at a clearing. ‘This was Ben’s idea as well and I reckon it could be a winner.’

Noah looked at the empty ground, which appeared to have been recently cleared of trees, if the large pile of newly sawn logs nearby was anything to go by.

‘What are you planning to put here?’ he asked, as they moved on and he could see three further clearings in the near distance.

‘You’ll see,’ said Walter, with a mysterious smile.

Finally, as the path turned a corner, Noah stopped to look at the wooden structure in front of him.

It was the open frame of a small, single-floor dwelling from the looks of it, made out of large lengths of oak. On top of the rectangle shape were some pointed roof struts.

‘They’re going to be our brand-new lodges,’ Walter told him. ‘We want to build four of them over here.’

‘I can only see three,’ said Noah, looking around.

‘One of them is more private, up and over there,’ replied Walter, pointing into the distance.

He brought out his phone and scrolled through the photos before holding out his mobile for Noah to take from him.

There were pictures of the architect’s drawings but more interestingly as far as Noah was concerned were the coloured mock-ups of how the lodges would look when they were finally finished. With their logs making up the sides, they replicated the style and feel of the mainhotel building.

‘They’ll look great,’ he had to concede. ‘They fit in well with the landscape.’

Walter nodded. ‘That’s the idea,’ he replied. ‘How did Lily say it?’ He tapped in chin in thought. ‘Some folks like a bit of privacy and they’ll pay extra for the privilege, I think she said. They can still have their meals over in the hotel, and there’s the bar there as well. But when they want some real privacy and peace, this is the place.’

Noah walked forward, heading in through the gap in between two posts and stepping inside the open structure.

‘Plumbing’s already been put in so that’s a start,’ said Walter, pointing to the pipes leading up from the floor in one corner. ‘That was pretty expensive, by all accounts. Anyway, there’ll be a small bathroom, bed, living area and a tiny kitchen too.’

Noah spun around to look down the small incline towards the lake. ‘The view’s amazing,’ he said.