Page 82 of Coming Home to Maple Tree Lodge

Most guests took a walk around the lake before settling down on the comfortable sofas to relax. Lily’s idea for a help-yourself trolley in the corner, with a coffee and tea machine that also served hot chocolate, and some of Hannah’s delicious bakes, had worked out really well.

When Tuesday morning came, Lily showed Ben the guest book. All the guests had left glowing praise for the hotel and had told them that they were going to recommend the hotel to all their friends.

‘It looks as if we might have a success on our hands,’ said Lily, with a gleeful smile.

Ben’s face, though, didn’t look quite as certain.

He had told her that the hotel needed to be full for each weekend for them to meet their financial goals. But at least it had been a good start to their opening weekend.

‘And now we’ve got Christmas to look forward to,’ said Dotty later. ‘My favourite time of the year.’

Lily smiled at her in return but she had to admit that it had always been quite a lonely time for her. In the past, sometimes she had flown out to join her parents wherever they were in the world at that time and celebrate Christmas together. But the rest of the time, she had spent Christmas alone. With each of her friends with their families, she hadn’t wanted to invade their special time together so had always made an excuse.

But this year, she wouldn’t be alone. She would be with the Jackson family at the hotel and secretly she couldn’t wait to celebrate with them.

Her parents, though, were still asking about her future, every time she spoke to them.

‘So when are you moving on from this place?’ asked her dad.

‘I mean, it looks lovely from everything that you’ve shown us,’ said her mum. ‘But we’re a little concerned about your current role as a hotel receptionist.’

‘Well, it’s a bit more than that,’ Lily tried to explain. ‘There’s always a new season for me to decorate the place. And we’re having a Christmas party as well so that will need totally new décor…’

‘Yes,’ interrupted her mum. ‘But this isn’t your chosen career. You’re an interior designer, aren’t you? Everything you’ve achieved and trained for has led you forward.’

‘It just seems as if you’ve taken a backward step,’ added her dad. ‘I mean, it’s nice that you’re spending time with Hannah but don’t you think you should be pushing yourself to actively seek out a new job?’

But the truth was that Lily didn’t want a new job for a while, she realised. The truth was that she was truly happy at Maple Tree Lodge and for the first time ever, she didn’t feel a great need to move on.

The Jackson family had welcomed her into their home and their hearts and it was wonderful to get closer to Hannah too.

However, she knew deep down that the main reason that she didn’t want to leave was Ben.

She regretted pushing him away after their first kiss. She flip-flopped between desperately wanting him and more of his kisses and the fear that he would eventually finish the relationship anyway.

There was a chemistry between them that she couldn’t deny and she knew that he felt something for her as well.

Her best friends had tried to urge her on but her trust issues kept getting in the way of speaking to him about any of this.

So she concentrated on work and tried hard not to think about Ben in that way.

It was also hard to stay settled when her parents were encouraging her to get back on her career path. She was still applying for interior design jobs and yet she wasn’t checking her phone every day, desperate for news about any offers.

The truth was that she felt settled at Maple Tree Lodge. And despite all of her inner reservations, she wanted to see where her relationship with Ben might go. It felt far too important to leave before it had even begun.

Soon she would move on, she told herself. But not yet.

42

As December whirled by in a flurry of festive cheer, Lily found she was waking up each morning with a new sense of purpose. She would bound downstairs to join the family for breakfast, eager to discover what the day ahead would bring.

The bookings had begun to trickle in for the hotel and day by day they were all getting in their routine of the hotel being open to guests once more.

December also brought about the need for further decorations around the hotel. Ben had cut down a large Christmas tree which had been erected in the hallway, ably assisted by Walter and Del. It was then decorated with many fairy lights and decorations until Ben announced it would keel over if they added anything else to it.

Faye created some lovely Christmas wreaths for all the doors and windows, along with mini pots of poinsettias that had been placed in each room to bring a splash of red to every corner.

Lily strung wreaths of holly and ivy swags across the many mantelpieces, as well as hanging stockings either side of the large fireplace in the lounge.