Page 22 of Coming Home to Maple Tree Lodge

Ben shook his head. ‘Absolutely not,’ he replied. ‘I’ve said that he can do a few of the odd jobs around here to save money on the main contractors but he’s not touching anything that compromises safety. With his track record? Definitely not.’

Ben glanced at his phone and saw that he had received a notification from the bank that morning. Funds were definitely beginning to run low.

The hotel had been an albatross around their necks all of their lives. Would the hotel survive another year? And the year after that as well? He just didn’t know.

But it was still home. Where they always returned to.

And where would he go to anyway? If he could get the hotel back up and running then surely he could design his own buildings for the future. He missed designing and building something with his own hands though.

But that all felt a very long way away. Frankie came back in, chatting about the phone call she’d just received which was from the local newsagents. She still needed a safe place to stay. Then there was his sister, who had declared that she was never moving away from Maple Tree Lodge ever again. His mum was still grieving, still trying to work out her place in the world without her beloved husband. She hadn’t worked out what to do with the rest of her life either. They had all just about managed to get through the first six months without Ben’s dad, but then what?

His grandparents had just lost their only son and they too were rudderless and uneasy about the future. Dotty spent her time knitting and worrying about Walter. Walter was just cross about everything and seemingly unhappy.

For Ben, the worst feeling was what if his business skills were actually rubbish? What if he couldn’t save the hotel for his family, what then?

So many people dependent on him and sometimes it felt overwhelming. Frankie had once referred to herself as a waif and stray. Now even Lily appeared to be joining them for a while. Another person to be responsible for.

They were all desperate for the security of Maple Tree Lodge but the trouble was, he couldn’t tell them that it wasn’t secure at all.

10

After her discussion with Ben, Lily had been holed up in her bedroom all day, working on the interior designs for the hotel.

First she updated the measurements that Ben had given her for the bedrooms so she could upload them into the software she always used. Instantly, she had a 3D scale of each bedroom, including the windows and doors, to work from.

She left her room briefly to wander into each bedroom, noting which way they were facing, whether into the forest or at the lake, which would affect the natural light. She also marked how many plastered walls each room had and how many were made up of the log timbers.

Finally, she had her blank canvas with which to start work. Going along with Ben’s wishes, she created a pale palette for each room. The log timbers were covered up with plasterboard and painted white, the floorboards were given a soft grey tint and all the furniture was pale ash. It was modern and stark, exactly what Ben had asked for.

But her heart sank as she flicked through each bedroom. It was wrong, so very wrong, she told herself. But it was what the client wanted, wasn’t it?

Feeling despondent, she wandered downstairs to make herself a coffee. For once, she found the kitchen empty and so, after making herself a drink, headed into the lounge. There were various wires hanging out of sockets, waiting for the electrician to fix them up, but it still felt like a room needing more.

It was just a little barren at the moment, thought Lily. She knew that Ben had enlisted her to decorate just the bedrooms but the rest of the place could certainly do with a makeover as well. For instance, the lounge wasn’t an inviting space to settle down in, despite the obvious amount of money that had been spent on the expensive sofas which were covered with clear plastic to save them from getting ruined. Even the stone chimney and oak mantelpiece were bare. It was crying out for some decoration and a little bit of magic.

As she turned to look at the glorious view outside, she spotted a door on the opposite wall which she hadn’t noticed before. She walked over and pulled it tentatively open.

‘That’s the snug,’ Frankie told her, suddenly appearing and making her jump.

‘What’s that?’ asked Lily.

‘Pretty much a dumping ground,’ said Frankie. ‘It used to be a bar from what I remember. But that was a long time ago.’

As Frankie joined her in the doorway, Lily peered into the space. It too had a French door that led onto the veranda but only the one, making it more cosy. But it was still a large space, if you could look beyond the plethora of goods piled up everywhere. There were coat racks and vases jostling for space alongside a snooker table and candlesticks, hurricane lanterns and piles of old books.

‘This lot was left over from when Walter and Dotty moved out into their lodge,’ said Frankie. ‘Dotty’s a known hoarder. She was always picking up trinkets and other stuff from car boot sales and charity shops. Then you’ve got Walter who has neverthrown anything out in his life. But the lodge was so much smaller that anything spare was left in here and has never been retrieved,’ Frankie told her.

‘Shame it’s not used,’ said Lily. ‘It’s a really good space for people to enjoy.’

‘Gotta clear it out first,’ said Frankie. ‘And find some guests too.’

As Frankie wandered away, Lily took one last look at the snug before turning to look out across the lake once more.

The trees were now tinged with pale yellow and orange as the greens of the summer began to turn with the imminent arrival of autumn. She turned her back on the view and looked at the room once more. That would be her choice of colours in this room, she thought. Soft yellows, taupe and some burnt umber would be perfect. Soft rugs, blankets and cushions. Fairy lights and soft candles in the evenings to mix with the firelight.

She took a sharp intake of breath. In that moment, she knew that she couldn’t follow Ben’s desire for the minimalistic design that he wanted. It was totally wrong for the place. She knew that with every fibre of her being.

She would have to be careful, she realised. This contract was make-or-break for her future career. So she decided to keep two different design portfolios going forward. One would be for Ben, showcasing his own ideas. But there would be another secret one for herself. The real one. The one that she knew was just right for the place.