Page 9 of Daydreaming at the Boathouse Cafe

‘What?’ said Frankie, with a shrug at the chorus of negativity she had just received. ‘I was talking for medicinal purposes, of course!’

Faye smiled but shook her head at her best friend. ‘How about a coffee or a cup of tea instead?’ she asked.

Alex nodded. ‘Thanks. Tea would be great.’

Finally he looked across at Hannah as she walked towards him. She was studying him with those deep blue eyes, as if she could feel the pain that was just bubbling under the surface.

He was surprised but pleased when she came across to give him a hug.

She didn’t say anything reassuring. What could she say that would make any difference? But the extra squeeze she gave him before stepping back made all the difference and he felt better, despite the whole wretched day.

As she stepped back, she pointed at the pastries on the cooling rack.

‘They’re your favourite,’ she told him. ‘Maple pecan plaits.’

‘You remembered?’ he said, surprised and pleased that she knew him so well.

‘Just in case the hospital food was bad,’ she told him with a soft smile.

‘It was,’ he replied. ‘Truly dreadful.’

‘Sit down and I’ll bring them over,’ she said.

Jake was already making jokes about the pretty nurse who had helped them at the hospital. Alex rolled his eyes. He knew that Jake’s revolving door on his love life was in direct response to the wretched divorce that his parents had suffered, and ensured that everyone else had suffered as well. He was a loyal friend though, and for that Alex was grateful.

Ben, on the other hand, was happy and settled after a difficult year when he had lost his dad so quickly. Ben was happy, both in love and in life too.

How Alex longed for that happiness, he thought. Even Jake’s love life had made him envious in his more lonely moments. But it was Alex’s decision not to get too involved with anyone, despite encouragement from both of his best friends. As an athlete constantly training and competing, having a long-term relationship had been near-on impossible and the spectre of Claire’s cheating had made him suspicious of getting close to anyone new.

As the family fussed over him, Alex checked his phone once more and grimaced as he saw there was another missed call. At some point he would have to face his dad and tell him the worst of news.

Later, he told himself, as Hannah brought over the pastries with a soft smile. She placed one on a plate and handed it over to him.

There was still so much that needed to be decided upon. He needed to think about where he was going to work and earn a living. His foot ached inside the boot and he desperately needed a shower. He had always done the right thing by his family, worked hard and yet he was still utterly exhausted. His whole future was a mystery to him in that moment.

For now though, as the Jackson family chatted around the table, he was happy to sit with them where there was no pressure to be anything but himself.

5

After he’d eaten a couple of the pastries that she’d made for him, Alex had left the kitchen to go and have a shower. Despite his assurances that he was fine, Hannah was still worried about him.

‘Was he OK at the hospital?’ she asked Jake. ‘He’s pretty quiet.’

‘Can’t blame the lad for that,’ said Walter from the head of the table. ‘It’s been a bit of a shock for him breaking his foot and all that.’

‘I think he’s in a lot of pain but not letting on,’ said Jake, reaching out to give Hannah’s hand a reassuring squeeze. ‘Don’t fret. We’ll dose him up on painkillers and he’ll be back to his old self very soon.’

‘Poor Alex,’ said Dotty, shaking her head. ‘And he was so close to winning as well.’

‘He must feel so disappointed,’ said Faye, coming to stand next to the table.

‘Disappointed is a bit of an understatement, Mum,’ Ben told her. ‘More like devastated, I reckon.’

Lily, who had been scrolling through her phone, looked up with a grimace. ‘And he’s trending at number one on the local news as well,’ she said.

Ben frowned. ‘What are they saying?’ he asked.

‘That the triathlon was a success and the hotel is heavily mentioned.’ Despite the good news, however, Lily looked downcast. ‘But the comments online about Alex aren’t funny. People can be very mean.’