Page 10 of Coming Home to Maple Tree Lodge

Because there was no money, he added in his head. But he didn’t need to say it out loud. Everyone around the table knew just how dire things were. Even his grandad and yet, for somereason, the eternal struggle with trying to change things went on and on.

His temper died as quickly as it had flared up as he saw the pain in his grandad’s eyes. Walter was a tough man but he was still grieving for his son. It was as if changing the hotel meant eradicating Tony’s memory and that wasn’t Ben’s idea at all. But if nothing changed then they would lose their home.

At that moment, Frankie walked into the kitchen and Ben was grateful for the interruption. ‘Our very VIP is all settled in,’ she said.

Frankie had moved into the hotel soon after Faye was widowed. She had just split up from her husband and needed a place to stay. Frankie and Faye were old friends and she had helped them get through their grief with her wry humour and plain speaking. And on days like today, it was much needed.

‘Is it all right if I get these beans on?’ asked Faye, looking across the table to her son. ‘Otherwise the pie will burn.’

He nodded, suppressing the heavy sigh deep within.

It looked as if the marketing plan was going to have to wait for another day. Or at least until Lily had given them her plan for the interior design.

He just hoped whatever she came up with, it would be good enough to entice some new bookings and save the hotel.

5

After a much-needed shower, Lily headed downstairs, grateful to be wearing the spare pair of trainers that she had packed, along with clean jeans and a jumper.

At some point she was going to have to figure out what to do with the hire car and face up to the loss of her deposit and possibly worse. She also needed to retrieve her favourite trainers, now stuck in the mud next to the car. But, for that evening, she decided to focus on the positive and that was seeing one of her best friends.

She had just reached the bottom of the staircase when Hannah appeared at a nearby doorway, just off the hall.

‘There you are,’ she said, with a wide smile. ‘No more mud?’

‘Nope,’ said Lily, shaking her head. ‘That power shower is amazing.’

Hannah studied her before saying, ‘Wow, your hair is so much longer now I’ve seen it properly.’

Lily touched a strand of red hair which she’d just washed. She hadn’t had it cut for almost six months so it now hung right past her shoulders. ‘No, it’s been this long for ages.’

‘Yeah but I haven’t seen you for three months.’

Lily gave a start. ‘I didn’t think it was as long as that,’ she replied, feeling surprised. Hannah must have got her dates wrong.

But Hannah shook her head. ‘I last saw you in July when I went into London for Beth’s talk at the Greenwich planetarium. We had lunch by the river.’

‘What about Ella’s birthday meal?’ Lily reminded her. ‘That fancy place with the awful food.’

‘You were only with Beth and Ella, remember?’ Hannah told her. ‘I couldn’t get away because there was some solicitors’ stuff that needed going through because of my dad…’

Her voice trailed off and Lily took a sharp intake of breath. How stupid of her to forget, she told herself, stepping forward to give her friend a huge hug. The texts and calls had worried her enough about Hannah so it was good to finally be there to support her face to face.

‘How are you doing?’ she asked softly.

Hannah shrugged her shoulders under her friend’s embrace. ‘You know,’ she muttered, leaning into her briefly. ‘It’s been pretty awful around here.’ She gave herself a little shake as she stepped away. ‘Thank goodness you’re here at last. Come on. Come and meet everyone properly. Dinner’s almost ready.’

Lily felt her friend’s grief and pain and was glad that she was around that weekend to finally lend some support.

She followed Hannah into a large kitchen and was pleasantly surprised. In contrast to the empty interiors in the rest of the hotel, the kitchen felt warm and welcoming.

The cupboards along one side of the wall were all oak, weathered and used over many years, she suspected. Open shelves were filled with every conceivable dish and bowl required, all mismatched and well used. Stainless-steel pots and pans hung from a cast-iron rail in the ceiling. Herbs filled small terracotta pots along the windowsill and the view of the treesoutside made it feel as if the woods were inside instead. It was a busy room but instantly Lily felt relaxed.

Walter gave her a wave from the end of a long oak table.

‘This is my mum, Faye,’ said Hannah, introducing the woman in her late fifties who was wearing an apron and stirring a pot of some kind of delicious-smelling sauce on the stove.

Faye turned around and smiled as she headed across the tiled floor, wiping her hands on her apron as she came over.