Chapter 41
The opening weekend for the hotel came around and after lunch everyone was to be found pacing nervously up and down the reception area, waiting for the arrival of their first guests.
Once Lily had bumped into Frankie for the third time, she found her path blocked.
‘Right,’ said Frankie, to the family. ‘Either we work out some kind of one-way system or most of you are going to have to leave.’
‘Why can’t you leave?’ asked Hannah, with a grin.
‘Because I’m the glue that binds this madness together,’ said Frankie.
‘Look,’ said Lily. ‘I’m the receptionist so I can’t leave.’
‘Yes, but everyone else can,’ said Ben. ‘It’ll look ridiculous if we’re all gathered in here when our first guests arrive.’
‘Then we’d better scarper because look out,’ muttered Frankie, nodding at the glass by the front door.
Lily could see a car pulling up and a young couple got out, looking across the lake and admiring the view.
‘Here we go,’ said Ben, looking nervous.
‘Maple Tree Lodge is open for business,’ said Lily in an overly bright tone of voice that she knew came from nerves.
Pretty soon, they were welcoming their first guests. About ten people were booked in for the weekend. Despite the lack of a chef, everyone seemed unconcerned that dinner wasn’t provided and that they could either receive takeaway pizzas from nearby Cranfield or go out to the many local restaurants.
Lily had made sure that there were snacks and nibbles in the bar though, just in case anyone was still hungry.
There was also Hannah’s delicious cake to share, displayed under a glass dome in the lounge.
It was an apple and cinnamon cake, the apples cut and spread out like rose petals around the cake.
‘It’s amazing. You’ve such a talent,’ Lily had told her when she saw it.
As always, Hannah brushed off any praise almost immediately.
But Lily could tell that she was pleased with the feedback.
Slowly she was beginning to come out of her shell and relish baking for people other than the family.
In fact, she had also made spiced biscuits shaped like leaves.
They were buttery with just a hint of nutmeg and mixed spice to make them autumnal.
Then there was the huge choice of breakfasts that Faye served up each morning over the weekend. All tastes and preferences were catered for, from healthy options to a fully cooked breakfast.
‘All the ingredients come from local farms,’ Faye told one couple. ‘We like to help out everyone in the local area.’
All the guests seemed extremely happy with their stay. Lily helped Frankie with the housekeeping and cleaning of the rooms and main area, whilst Ben ensured that the fires were permanently lit as the temperature outside began to cool down.
The forest looked spectacular that weekend, as if winter had been waiting for the first guests before bursting into a frosty winter wonderland. Everything outside sparkled under the deep blue sky.
Most guests took a walk around the lake before settling down on the comfortable sofas to relax. Lily’s idea for a help-yourself trolley in the corner, with a coffee and tea machine that also served hot chocolate, and some of Hannah’s delicious bakes, had worked out really well.
When Tuesday morning came, Lily showed Ben the guest book. All the guests had left glowing praise for the hotel and had told them that they were going to recommend the hotel to all their friends.
‘It looks as if we might have a success on our hands,’ said Lily, with a gleeful smile.
Ben’s face, though, didn’t look quite as certain.
He had told her that the hotel needed to be full for each weekend for them to meet their financial goals. But at least it had been a good start to their opening weekend.
‘And now we’ve got Christmas to look forward to,’ said Dotty later. ‘My favourite time of the year.’
Lily smiled at her in return but she had to admit that it had always been quite a lonely time for her.
In the past, sometimes she had flown out to join her parents wherever they were in the world at that time and celebrate Christmas together.
But the rest of the time, she had spent Christmas alone.
With each of her friends with their families, she hadn’t wanted to invade their special time together so had always made an excuse.
But this year, she wouldn’t be alone. She would be with the Jackson family at the hotel and secretly she couldn’t wait to celebrate with them.
Her parents, though, were still asking about her future, every time she spoke to them.
‘So when are you moving on from this place?’ asked her dad.
‘I mean, it looks lovely from everything that you’ve shown us,’ said her mum. ‘But we’re a little concerned about your current role as a hotel receptionist.’
‘Well, it’s a bit more than that,’ Lily tried to explain. ‘There’s always a new season for me to decorate the place. And we’re having a Christmas party as well so that will need totally new décor…’
‘Yes,’ interrupted her mum. ‘But this isn’t your chosen career. You’re an interior designer, aren’t you? Everything you’ve achieved and trained for has led you forward.’
‘It just seems as if you’ve taken a backward step,’ added her dad. ‘I mean, it’s nice that you’re spending time with Hannah but don’t you think you should be pushing yourself to actively seek out a new job?’
But the truth was that Lily didn’t want a new job for a while, she realised. The truth was that she was truly happy at Maple Tree Lodge and for the first time ever, she didn’t feel a great need to move on.
The Jackson family had welcomed her into their home and their hearts and it was wonderful to get closer to Hannah too.
However, she knew deep down that the main reason that she didn’t want to leave was Ben.
She regretted pushing him away after their first kiss. She flip-flopped between desperately wanting him and more of his kisses and the fear that he would eventually finish the relationship anyway.
There was a chemistry between them that she couldn’t deny and she knew that he felt something for her as well.
Her best friends had tried to urge her on but her trust issues kept getting in the way of speaking to him about any of this.
So she concentrated on work and tried hard not to think about Ben in that way.
It was also hard to stay settled when her parents were encouraging her to get back on her career path. She was still applying for interior design jobs and yet she wasn’t checking her phone every day, desperate for news about any offers.
The truth was that she felt settled at Maple Tree Lodge. And despite all of her inner reservations, she wanted to see where her relationship with Ben might go. It felt far too important to leave before it had even begun.
Soon she would move on, she told herself. But not yet.