Chapter 25
When Friday lunchtime arrived, it turned out to be a momentous occasion.
Ben puffed out a sigh of relief. ‘We’ve finished painting the bedrooms!’ he said, looking around the kitchen table.
A cheer went up and the buzz of excited conversation swept over him. He sagged back in the kitchen chair. It had been a rush to get all the four-poster beds done as well but, along with the carpets being fitted that week, the bedrooms had been transformed.
‘Just all the finishing touches to go,’ added Lily.
‘So the rooms aren’t quite ready for our first visitors this afternoon?’ asked Faye, with a smile. ‘Not that I’m sure they’ll mind too much.’
‘Visitors?’ asked Lily, looking a little alarmed. ‘We’ve got our first guests already?’
Ben laughed and shook his head. ‘Definitely not,’ he told her. ‘My best friends are coming down for the weekend. Maple Tree Lodge has still got another month until 1 December when we finally open.’
‘Thank goodness for that,’ she said, leaning back in her chair and looking relieved.
He was relieved too because they would need the whole month to finish all the communal areas, such as the entrance hall, lounge and dining room.
Plus the website needed updating and then there was the big marketing campaign which they so desperately needed but couldn’t afford.
There was still a lot to do and he was grateful that his best friends were arriving later that day.
He listened in as Hannah explained to Lily who they were.
‘Jake and Alex went to college with Ben,’ said Hannah. ‘And they’ve been best buddies ever since.’
‘Are they architects as well?’ asked Lily, looking across the table at Ben.
He laughed. ‘Absolutely not,’ he told her. ‘Jake is a chef and Alex is an accountant.’
‘Alex is also a triathlete,’ added Hannah. ‘That’s how he spends nearly all of his spare time. He’s won all sorts of competitions.’
‘And next spring he’s aiming really high,’ said Ben. ‘He texted me last weekend to say that he’s been entered into the Commonwealth Games.’
‘How exciting,’ said Faye.
Ben nodded. Only he and Jake knew how much pressure their friend was under to achieve a gold medal. Alex’s father was relentless in his training and Ben was grateful that Alex had managed to find time in his hectic schedule to stay for the weekend.
In fact, he was eager to see both of his best friends’ reactions to the makeover and found himself pacing up and down outside until they finally arrived in Jake’s car later that afternoon.
They greeted each other with a hearty hug.
Ever since they had met in the college bar in freshers’ week, there had been an instant connection between the three men. Which, given how different their circumstances were, was remarkable in itself.
‘You’re looking wrecked, mate,’ said Jake, ever the jokey charmer as he clapped Ben on the back.
As usual, Jake was full of laid-back style, from his soft but ever so expensive leather jacket to his dark hair gelled into place.
‘Cheers,’ said Ben, rolling his eyes. ‘And there was me thinking I looked OK.’
‘You look great,’ Alex told him.
Where Jake was the joker, Alex was the quiet, thoughtful one of the group. He was a gentle giant, over six feet tall with defined muscles from years of training and competing.
They all walked towards the new front door, now framed with two large bay trees dotted with fairy lights. In the darkening light of a November evening, they looked very pretty.
As they headed inside, Hannah rushed out of the kitchen to greet them.
‘Hello!’ she said, heading towards them.
‘Hannah! Sweetheart, you’re looking even more gorgeous than ever,’ said Jake, always the charmer, as he gave her a hug.
Jake had spent most of his summer holidays during college hiding from his parents’ vicious divorce.
Ever since then, whenever he had any free time from his busy work life as a chef, he would spend it at Maple Tree Lodge and had grown to love Hannah as his little sister.
He flirted with her, just like he flirted with everyone, but it didn’t mean anything to him or to her.
Ben wasn’t sure if Jake would ever fall in love with anyone at all, given the toxic nature of his parents’ divorce.
Contrary to Jake’s huge hug and flirtatious manner, Alex was more refined in his manner. Years of athletic toning and conditioning meant that he was rarely out of control or even showed emotion. But he was equally fond of Hannah, giving her an awkward hug in greeting as he said, ‘Hey.’
‘Hey yourself,’ she told him, with a warm smile.
‘Don’t remember the old place looking quite this, well, stylish,’ said Jake, blowing out a low whistle as he looked around. ‘No offence. I mean, it was always my favourite place in the world but now, it’s even better.’
‘I agree,’ said Alex, nodding his head enthusiastically. ‘You’ve done an amazing job.’
‘And this is just the start of it,’ said Hannah. ‘Wait until you see the bedrooms.’
‘I only did the rough stuff,’ said Ben, not wanting to do Lily a disservice. ‘Electrics, plumbing, all the boring bits. It was Lily’s designs that made it work. It wasn’t all me.’
‘Some of it was,’ said Hannah, as ever being fair. ‘But yeah, you two make a good team.’
Ben was surprised. ‘You think so?’ he asked.
‘I know so, dummy,’ she said, nudging him with her elbow.
‘Then I can’t wait to meet her,’ said Jake, with a waggle of his eyebrows.
Ben and Alex locked eyes as Jake wandered over to peer into the lounge.
‘I hope she’s got her sunglasses on so she won’t be dazzled by our resident playboy,’ said Alex, with a grin.
Ben smiled but found it grew rictus hard on his face. He was desperately hoping so too. The last thing he wanted was for Lily to fall for Jake’s handsome charms. But why was the question that he didn’t want to answer at that precise moment.
‘When are you due to reopen?’ asked Jake, wandering back to them.
‘First of December,’ Ben told him. ‘Although I had an idea that we could have a preview evening to show the place off to the locals. Then we’ll open up properly the following day.’
Jake made a face. ‘You do realise that it’s only a month away, right?’
‘Why do you think I invited you both down here this weekend to give us a hand?’ Ben told him, with a grin.
His friends rolled their eyes but he knew that they were happy to help.
‘Come and see the family,’ said Hannah, taking Jake’s hand and leading him away. ‘They’re desperate to see you both.’
As his friends headed into the kitchen, Ben looked around the entrance hall once more. There was still so much to do. But he had to admit that it felt like a tiny break in the relentless pressure to have his friends home once more.
However, as he went into the kitchen he was somewhat unsettled to find Jake already doing his best to flirt with Lily. She was smiling back at him, her usual dazzling smile lighting up her pretty face.
Ben found his good mood had instantly evaporated. Surely she wouldn’t be interested in such a flirt like Jake? And why would it matter if she was?
Could it mean that he was beginning to care for Lily? He didn’t want to admit that to himself.
They had grown closer day by day and they had opened up to each other when they had gone out to the restaurant for dinner. He enjoyed her company. But just as friends, he told himself.
But even so, he couldn’t stop himself hoping that she didn’t succumb to Jake’s obvious charms. So where did that leave their own friendship?