Chapter 42
The heatwave rolled on. And so did the success of the water sports centre which meant that the whole family were busy as July arrived and the heat showed no signs of abating.
Hannah found that her days were getting busier and busier. The delivery of takeout cups meant that the swimmers could have their drinks outside on Walter’s picnic benches and were able to enjoy their cakes and treats too.
After Alex had rescued Maud, word of her asthma attack whilst in the water had spread and even brought the local newspaper to write up the story, which in turn had meant even more free marketing for both the swimming club and the café.
With the upsurge in customers, Hannah had realised that not everyone wanted cake, some customers wanted savoury items on the menu as well so she had begun to experiment once more with the summer flavours, now confident in her abilities to choose her own bakes.
So to the menu she added frittata with feta cheese and red peppers.
Salads full of fresh ingredients, with the addition of fresh basil and chicken, or pasta with olives.
Tasty crudites and a salmon quiche. Even cold cucumber soup and gazpacho, both of which were easily made, flew off the menu, along with freshly baked crusty bread.
She’d even begun to make home-made ice cream lollies full of fresh summer flavours which were a huge hit in the intense heat. Furthermore, she had another idea.
‘We need to order some doggy ice cream,’ she told Ben, before glancing down at a panting Tiny one hot afternoon as she placed a water bowl next to him.
‘Seriously?’ Ben’s eyebrows shot up as he leant against the bar. ‘I’m not sure.’
‘I am.’ Hannah was enthused with assertiveness about the business now. ‘Trust me.’
Thankfully he did and the ice cream for dogs was a huge success with everyone who brought their canine family members with them to cool off in the lake.
Life began to slow down under the intense heat of the day and everyone was eager to escape the heat of the towns and cities to the cool waters of Dragonfly Lake.
That included Beth and Ella, who joined them one weekend in early July.
As it had been her busiest day so far that summer, Hannah felt weary but pleased with the success.
She just wanted a quiet drink with her friends that evening to relax. However, the snug was packed with all the people who had been enjoying the beach and lake throughout the day and had decided to prolong their journeys home and enjoy one of Frankie’s delicious cocktails first.
It meant that when the four friends arrived, there wasn’t a single seat left either in the bar or outside on the veranda.
‘I thought we would have got some kind of reserved seating as we’re pretty much family,’ said Ella, frowning as she stared down at the picnic blanket that Hannah had just brought out to lay on the grass. ‘Do I have to go on that? I’m wearing white shorts.’
‘You’ll survive,’ said Lily, carefully sinking to the rug so as not to spill her drink.
‘Enjoy being outdoors,’ said Beth. ‘I spent all day yesterday in a room without air conditioning and then a packed train where I had to stand up the whole way. Right now I’m thinking about stripping off and running straight into the lake.’
‘Well, that would get the customers out of the snug,’ said Ella. ‘Maybe I’ll let you do it so we can grab a seat whilst they’re ogling you.’
Beth rolled her eyes. ‘Cocktail first,’ she said, taking a sip. ‘Mmm, that’s amazing.’
‘Frankie’s latest creation,’ said Lily. ‘Summer Dream, I think she’s called it.’
Hannah took a sip. The fresh mango and strawberries plus a hint of rum made it feel as if she were on holiday.
‘I needed this,’ she said, before taking another sip. She could feel the rum relaxing her shoulders and sank back on the rug.
‘It’s great that everyone’s so busy,’ said Ella.
‘You’re doing so well,’ said Beth to Hannah.
‘Isn’t she?’ said Lily. ‘The café’s been a huge success.’
‘Absolutely,’ said Ella, before looking at Beth. ‘Go on. I’ll let you streak into the lake in just your underwear. Maybe that’ll bring in even more customers.’
They all laughed and continued to enjoy their cocktail and gossip as they lay by the beach until the sun had gone down, watching the bright blue dragonflies making the most of the long, warm rays as they fizzed above the water like fairy aeroplanes.
Much later on, and feeling relaxed due to Frankie’s delicious cocktails, the girls were finally able to find a comfortable sofa in the snug after all the customers had left and it was only the family in the bar.
‘What a day,’ said Frankie, with a sigh.
Faye, who was sitting on a barstool nearby, looked at her, concerned. ‘Is it getting too much for you?’ she asked.
‘You know me, I like to keep busy,’ replied Frankie. ‘But some customers left without even ordering a drink because there weren’t any spare seats.’
‘Such a shame,’ said Dotty. ‘Can we put some extra chairs out? On the beach perhaps.’
Alex grimaced. ‘That might be a bit risky with any early swimmers, especially if they’re taking glass out there.’
‘I agree,’ added Faye. ‘The beach should be kept clear.’
‘Well, we can’t go on like this,’ said Dotty. ‘This run of good weather is set to last so it’s only going to get busier, not quieter.’
‘Excellent,’ said Walter. ‘It’s doing wonders for our profits!’
Frankie, who was massaging her feet, shot him a look. ‘Good. You can pay for my spa treatment when this rush is over.’
‘We just need to spread the customers out a bit,’ said Lily, who suddenly began to smile as if she had had a brilliant idea. ‘They need to go somewhere that’s already set up for catering so nobody ends up with any extra work.’
‘Somewhere with a kitchen,’ said Ben, looking at his girlfriend as he too broke into a smile.
‘And an amazing view,’ added Lily, grinning back at him.
‘Where are you two talking about?’ asked Faye, looking bemused.
‘The Boathouse Café, of course!’ said Ben.
Everyone turned to look at Hannah.
‘But we’re closed in the evenings,’ she told them.
‘So?’ laughed Frankie. ‘Keep the café open instead! Oh, it’s perfect.’
‘It is!’ said Beth. ‘It can be a cocktail bar in the evening at the weekends. Just imagine a few fairy lights twinkling and the view over there at sunset. You’ll be inundated with customers.’
Hannah bit her lip. It would mean a lot of extra work, if only for a short while. But could she do it? She wasn’t sure.
But for once, as everyone looked at her, and knowing that Frankie desperately needed some kind of break with all the customers, she decided to take heart from everything she had achieved so far and found herself saying, ‘Oh, why not?’ instead.
As a whoop of approval ran around her family and friends, she found herself looking at Alex for reassurance. But he was smiling and nodding at her as well. And if he thought it was a good idea then it must be, she told herself.