Page 59 of Daydreaming at the Boathouse Cafe

‘Listen, we all know that you can be overly sensitive at times,’ said Lily, interrupting her. ‘It makes you a great friend with empathy and compassion. You’re loving and loyal.’

‘But you take things too personally,’ added Ella. ‘Make some practical goals for yourself. Look at what you’ve achieved so far.’ She held up her hand. ‘And before you say that the business might fail, the summer season is only just beginning.’

‘Exactly,’ said Beth, nodding in agreement. ‘This could be your best summer ever.’

‘In the meantime, we’ve got your back and your front too,’ said Lily, as they all came forward as one unit.

Enveloped in a group hug, Hannah found herself grateful for the support of her best friends, whatever happened in the future. She just hoped that they were right and that the café would be the success that everyone was hoping for.

32

‘And so I declare this Boathouse Café open!’

With a flourish, Ben popped open the champagne and the group of family and friends all gathered around so that their empty glass flutes could be topped up.

Hannah looked around, enveloped in the warmth and support of everyone she loved. But there was no denying the nerves still rattled inside of her.

In actual fact, she was almost relieved to finally have the café ready and the wait was hopefully going to be worse than the actual opening. Or so she was really hoping.

‘Cheers!’ said Alex, clinking his glass against hers.

‘Do we really need all this fuss?’ she murmured, so that only he could hear.

‘Yes,’ he told her. ‘Because it’s an amazing thing that you’re doing and it needs to be honoured.’

So Hannah fixed a smile on her face and let her loved ones celebrate the moment. She knew it was a big deal for the hotel to have an extra source of income and so everyone was in a hopeful mood.

‘How many have you got booked in for afternoon tea later?’ asked Ben, coming to join them.

‘Four.’ Hannah gave a shrug. ‘It’s not many but at least that’ll help me iron out any kinks before it gets busier, I guess.’ She was hoping that, with Lily’s prompting from behind the reception desk, a full hotel at the weekend might mean they received a few more customers.

‘I’m sure it’ll go brilliantly,’ said Alex, ever supportive.

As usual, Alex was right. The afternoon tea was a success and Hannah was pleased with the feedback from the hotel guests. They raved about the pretty chinaware and declared her cakes delicious. The relief she felt was immense and she actually went to sleep with a smile on her face that evening. Maybe she could do this after all, she told herself.

Her positive mood continued through the long weekend as a steady stream of guests popped in for coffee, enjoying the view and, from their feedback, all of her food as well.

The only trouble was that apart from the hotel guests, and the members of Dotty’s swim club coming along to support her, the café stayed quiet for the rest of the weekend.

‘I’m sorry we’re leaving,’ Ella told her on the bank holiday Monday as she and Beth came to say their goodbyes. ‘We were hoping to help out with the rush.’

‘What rush?’ joked Hannah, forcing herself to sound more jolly than she felt. ‘I dream of having a rush.’

‘Things will pick up, I’m sure,’ said Beth, giving her a hug.

‘In the meantime, I’ve got a parting gift for you both,’ Hannah told them.

So she packed off her friends with a box of leftover cakes which they were thrilled with.

‘We get to take a little of Hannah home with us,’ said Beth, with a smile.

‘Don’t worry,’ murmured Ella, as she said goodbye. ‘Business is always slow to begin with.’

The trouble was, thought Hannah, that it wasn’t just slow. It was glacially slow. By Monday evening, many of the weekend hotel guests had left and so it was an extremely quiet day. So much for a successful business, she thought, beginning to get worried.

At least Tuesday would see some customers, she reminded herself. Because the swimming club was set for the morning and, to her amazement, four hotel guests had booked an afternoon tea as well.

So on Tuesday, she tried to find some positivity from somewhere. She looked around. At least it was all ready to go.