Page 93 of Daydreaming at the Boathouse Cafe

As she noticed a number of families enjoying a picnic in the shade of some nearby oak trees, Hannah groaned.

‘I should have brought a picnic,’ she complained.

But Alex shook his head. ‘As much as I love your baking,’ he told her, ‘there’s no cooking for you tonight. This is downtime. Our chance to relax.’

She smiled up at him. ‘OK,’ she replied. ‘But I’ll buy the ice creams.’

‘Deal,’ he said, drawing his arm around her.

Relishing the feel of his strong arm against her back, she leaned into him. She felt so relaxed and confident around Alex that she realised that there had been no need for nerves after all. With him she could just be herself.

‘This is the perfect date,’ she told him, leaning her head on his shoulder. ‘Thank you.’

‘It’s perfect because I’m here with you,’ he replied, dropping a kiss on her top of her head.

As they carried on walking across the grass, Hannah realised that over the course of the long hot summer, she had begun to fall in love with Alex. And where before that thought would have horrified her, now it only brought her the deepest joy as to what the future might hold for them both.

She couldn’t wait to find out.

50

Alex was delighted that Hannah was enjoying their first date.

He had racked his brains to try and think of somewhere where she might feel at home and when Faye had suggested the fete, he thought that it would be a relaxed enough setting.

He knew she hadn’t dated much and perhaps might even be nervous. So they needed to do something fun and the fete fitted the bill perfectly. Even so, he had felt a little nervous when he had picked her up in the entrance hall, despite Ben’s mock-stern grin at him.

But now that it was just the two of them walking hand in hand amongst the stalls and small arena, he couldn’t imagine taking her anywhere else for their first date.

The huge front lawn was filled with people from every walk of life in the village. Everyone was either walking around like themselves, chatting, or lounging on picnic rugs.

There were plenty of stalls catering for children where they could enjoy having their faces painted or trying their luck at a raffle. The main arena hosted a number of competitions including tug of war, croquet, as well as a dog show where a dog named Dylan had just won Most Waggy Tail.

When they began to get hungry, Hannah led Alex over to the main stalls where home-made produce was piled high on checked tablecloths fluttering in a gentle breeze. There was so much choice but they eventually decided on a couple of glasses of Pimm’s, as well as a large quiche and side dishes such as a bowl of olives and a fresh baguette.

They took their goodies and sat down on the grass under the shade of a tree, enjoying the atmosphere.

‘This is delicious,’ said Hannah, looking down at her quiche. ‘I haven’t thought of using chorizo. I must remember this flavour.’

Alex was pleased to see her buzzing with ideas for future bakes, full of renewed faith in her abilities compared to the Hannah that he had always known. She had grown in confidence over the summer and he was pleased for her.

They had just finished a delicious elderflower ice cream when a glamorous-looking lady wandered over to where they lay.

‘Hannah? Is that you?’ she asked, in a very aristocratic tone of voice.

‘Rose!’ said Hannah, leaping up, to give her a hug. ‘How lovely to see you.’

‘I’m so glad you came to our little shindig,’ said Rose, turning to look at Alex as he stood up to greet the elderly lady. ‘My word. What a handsome fella you’ve found yourself.’

Hannah smiled. ‘Alex, this is Rose Harris. She’s the Earl of Cranley’s sister.’

‘Younger sister,’ said Rose, with a wicked grin. ‘Much younger, in fact.’

Alex had a feeling that Rose was a whole bundle of both fun and trouble.

Rose turned to look at Hannah. ‘Your Boathouse Café sounds marvellous, sweetheart. I will swing by soon, I promise. And Dotty has been telling me all about her swimming club,’ she said. ‘Such fun. I must come and see it in action.’

‘Alex is the lifeguard and he runs the swimming club too,’ said Hannah, with a proud tone in her voice which made Alex smile.