Page 96 of Daydreaming at the Boathouse Cafe

But after receiving a stern glance from his wife, he cleared his throat and finally spoke. ‘The race went well,’ he said. ‘Close finish.’

Alex nodded. ‘They’re pretty competitive when it comes to a small trophy,’ he said, with a grin. ‘But they’ve raised hundreds for a local charity today, which is good.’

‘And these are people that you’ve been teaching to swim apparently,’ said his dad.

‘Ben’s mother told us all about the swimming club,’ added his mum.

Alex went on to tell them about the various clubs and even found himself relaxing enough to laugh about his paddleboarding failure in the early days. Perhaps they could get through this first meeting after all, he thought.

During the conversation, Tiny headed over to slump next to his feet.

‘And who’s this?’ asked his mum.

‘He’s my dog,’ replied Alex. ‘He was a stray but I’m adopting him, officially. He’s one of my fellow lifeguards out here on the lake.’

He reached down to stroke the enormous head of Tiny.

‘So you’re staying here.’ It was a statement from his dad, not a question, Alex realised.

He nodded. ‘Yes. I am,’ he replied. ‘I like being part of something bigger than competitions. I like being part of a team, of a community. I’ve helped people that have been widowed, scared, depressed, all of which a small swimming club in the middle of nowhere has been able to help them face up to another day.’

‘We were told earlier that you saved someone’s life,’ said his dad.

Alex raised his eyebrows and guessed that it must have been Hannah. ‘It sounds more dramatic than it actually was,’ he replied, with a shrug of his shoulders. ‘Besides, Tiny here did most of the saving.’

‘Tiny?’ His parents both laughed.

Alex smiled, grateful to see their faces light up in amusement and break the awkward atmosphere. ‘Yeah, I know,’ he told them. ‘Not my choice of name. But he’s a good boy.’

Tiny looked up expectantly at the familiar words and was given a small piece of carrot cake which he looked extremely pleased about as he settled back down under the table.

His mum excused herself to pop to the bathroom, leaving Alex alone with his dad. He found himself nervous once more but forced himself to speak into the silence that had suddenly appeared.

‘How are you?’ he asked.

His dad turned to look at him. ‘Busy. I’ve joined a golf club and I’ve also been enjoying the garden this summer. I’ve grown some vegetables, which I’ve never had time to do before now. Your mother’s pleased. We’ve had a couple of lunches out and I’ve taken some time to just sit and literally watch the flowers, or rather the tomatoes, grow.’

Alex raised his eyebrows in surprise but couldn’t think what to say in reply.

His dad studied his son. ‘I understand it now,’ he carried on. ‘The pressure that I put on both of us. How unhealthy it had become.’ He hesitated before going on. ‘I’m proud of you. I never said that before and I reckon it’s long overdue. I’m proud of what you accomplished competing but also of what you’ve achieved here. You’re encouraging people to try out new things, help them, using exercise and fresh air. Nothing better, I reckon. This is a good thing you’ve done, son.’

‘Thank you,’ said Alex, feeling grateful and touched by his father’s unexpected words. ‘But I’m also so proud of allweachieved, Dad. All those medals. All those competitions.’

His dad grinned. ‘We were formidable, weren’t we, son?’

Alex nodded. ‘We were. Hopefully we still are!’

‘I reckon so.’

His mum returned to the table and looked surprised to see her husband and son smiling at each other.

‘Is everything OK?’ she asked, sitting down.

His dad looked at Alex. ‘Of course it is,’ he said. ‘Never better.’

She smiled. ‘So does this mean we can have some more delicious cake?’ she asked.

Alex nodded. ‘Absolutely,’ he replied. ‘Let me find Hannah. I want you to meet her properly.’ He hesitated before carrying on. ‘She’s someone very important to me.’