Page 33 of Daydreaming at the Boathouse Cafe

Beth’s soft heart needed protecting, thought Hannah. What if she fell for someone really bad, like Sean? She couldn’t bear it if her friend was hurt so badly. It had been almost a decade since she had split up from Sean and she still wasn’t sure her own heart had recovered.

‘Anyway,’ carried on Beth, as ever finding the positive amongst her heartbreak. ‘What about canoes or boats for two out on the lake? Can you imagine? A soft sunset. Serenaded by their partner as they drift across the water, he’s saying poetry and words of love.’

‘To the sound of the ducks and frogs,’ added Lily in a wry tone.

But Beth was still dreamy eyed and just nodded. ‘How lovely.’

‘And if you can hear yourself above the croaking and quacking?’ Ella rolled her eyes. ‘Let me think, what else would be heard? The sound of a big splash as she falls in, screaming, oars drifting away. Wet, cold and miserable.’

Beth blinked back to life. ‘You have no romance in your soul,’ she said, with a sad shake of her head.

‘Thank goodness!’ said Ella, with a hearty nod. ‘Apart from Lily here, the rest of us are right to keep that rubbish out of our hearts.’

Hannah glanced over through the window to where Alex was now watching Tiny play with a stick. ‘He seems to be recovering day by day,’ she said.

‘But he’s going to have to use that boot for at least another month,’ said Lily.

‘You know what this place needs marketing-wise?’ asked Ella, with a wicked smile on her face. ‘Alex cooking in just an apron!’

They all laughed, except Hannah, who found she was shaking her head.

‘What?’ said Ella, still laughing. ‘You don’t think he can bake?’

As her friends carried on laughing, Hannah realised that it wasn’t the joke that made her uncomfortable. She just didn’t want to think of Alex that way at all.

But she still stole one more glance across the lake before swiftly dismissing the thought of an undressed Alex and carried on decorating, her cheeks warm from what she hoped was the sun streaming through the windows.

17

Dotty’s birthday party that evening was a lively affair. After the dinner service and with only a handful of hotel guests around, most of the family were able to join in with the celebrations. Especially when those guests headed out to a local pub and the family could relax.

‘That leaves us a couple of hours by ourselves before they return,’ said Lily, taking a martini glass full of a colourful cocktail from Frankie early in the evening. ‘Cheers!’

Hannah was pleased that so many people had turned out to celebrate her grandmother’s birthday. Even Jake had come along for the evening, although there was one person less than happy about that. Jake and Ella didn’t get on and merely suffered each other’s company with barbed comments.

‘So are you going to join us swimming at some point?’ asked Dotty.

Ella shook her head. ‘I’m afraid not,’ she replied.

‘I’m not surprised,’ interjected Jake. ‘Your ancestors suffered so much with the dunking of the witches, I imagine.’

Ella scowled at him. ‘And what’s your excuse for not going in?’ asked Ella. ‘It must be time for your monthly bath after so long.’

Jake merely laughed off her comments and went to stand next to Hannah. ‘How your sweet nature ever got stuck with a friend like that is beyond me,’ he said, before shooting Ella a grin.

Hannah rolled her eyes. ‘Can you two just get along for one evening?’ she told them.

‘I doubt that very much,’ said Jake, at the same time as Ella shook her head furiously.

Hannah smiled at them, thinking that it was a good job that Jake and Ella didn’t stay at the hotel at the same time too often. She looked around, pleased to see that all of Dotty’s friends were there. However, Mavis had brought a plus one.

‘This is my great-niece Aimee,’ she was saying to Alex and Dotty.

Hannah watched as Alex stood up from his stool to greet the pretty petite woman with the bright pink hair.

‘So you must be the yoga instructor?’ said Dotty. ‘Mavis has told me how popular your classes are becoming.’

Aimee nodded. ‘I’m so thankful,’ she said, with a wide grin. ‘Not that the village hall is anywhere near as beautiful as the surroundings here.’