Chapter 44
The first visitors to the inaugural Dragonfly Lake Light Festival turned up at five o’clock. As it was the darkest time of the year, they had arranged for an earlier start as it meant that some preschoolers were able to come along on the Saturday night before their bedtime.
‘It really is a family event,’ said Lily, looking at the throng of families standing along the beach as she and Ben headed towards the boat underneath the boathouse.
She was so pleased that it was a good turnout.
‘I just hope they’re not disappointed,’ said Ben, looking nervous.
‘I just hope they don’t all drink Frankie’s newest cocktail,’ said Lily, shuddering in memory of the taste test. ‘I think it was the strongest one yet!’
Ben laughed and they climbed into the boat.
This time they had seventy or so candles to light up and so, once they were in the middle of the lake, they both brought out separate lighters.
‘Ready?’ said Ben, into his walkie-talkie, which they’d had to buy in deference to the complete lack of signal away from the hotel.
‘Ready,’ replied Hannah after a short pause.
They could both hear the soft music begin and that was their cue to get lighting the wicks of the candles. They then worked as quickly as they could, gently placing each light into the water and letting it drift away.
Just before Lily lit the last of the lanterns, she looked at Ben. ‘You know, they say that you should make a silent wish when you send one out across the water,’ she told him.
He glanced down at the lantern in his hand for a moment before nodding. ‘OK then,’ he said. ‘Together?’
‘Together,’ she agreed.
So they placed their lanterns on the water at the same time and gave them a gentle push away from the boat. In silence, they watched the steady stream of lights drifting across the lake. The only sound was the oohs and aahs as the audience enjoyed the view from the beach.
‘It’s so pretty,’ said Lily, with a smile, looking across at the baskets floating away.
The reflections of each coloured light appeared to double the effect which was very pleasing and added to the magic of the spectacle.
‘Hannah says she’ll take some photos from the beach for the website,’ said Ben.
‘You know,’ said Lily, looking at the lights drifting away, ‘we could use some different colours. Maybe even have themed nights.’
‘That’s an idea,’ said Ben.
As the lights floated away from them, they were enveloped back in the soft darkness of the winter evening.
The stars peeped down on them through the holes in the clouds as they drifted along on the water in the boat.
Lily looked across the water and thought it was like being in a dream, both of them surrounded by fireflies.
In the soft light of the inky black, she could just make out Ben sitting opposite her. He was watching and smiling at her.
‘What?’ she asked.
‘You,’ he murmured. ‘I never knew…’
His voice trailed off. But it didn’t matter. Lily knew what he was trying to say because she was feeling the same thing.
They both leant forward at the same time. However, the boat suddenly rocked a little, throwing them both off-balance so that Lily began to slip off her seat. Ben went to hold her and slipped off his own bench, causing them both to fall onto the bottom of the narrow rowing boat.
They both laughed.
‘Are you hurt?’ he asked.
She shook her head. ‘Just a bit damp,’ she said, feeling a puddle of lake water seeping into her jeans.
‘Everything OK over there?’ came Hannah’s voice a short while later from the walkie-talkie. ‘I can’t see you all of a sudden.’
Ben looked at Lily and smiled as he picked up his handset. ‘We’re just fine,’ he replied, his voice a little husky. ‘Just enjoying the view.’
She smiled back at him before they began to carefully get up from the wet bottom of the boat.
Some time later and back on dry land, Lily had managed to quickly get changed out of her wet jeans in time to help out with all the visitors. The hotel bar and lounge were full of people chatting and enjoying their evening. The bar till had been ringing all evening with the many orders for drinks.
Even better, where Lily was concerned, was the fact that Hannah had been persuaded to make some of her puff pastry canapés in case the visitors were hungry.
To nobody’s surprise, the Mediterranean pinwheels, sausage rolls and spinach puffs had gone down a storm with everyone and had quickly sold out.
She had caught Hannah blushing when surrounded by the admiring guests but was delighted to see her friend chatting about her recipes and beginning to come out of her shell at last.
Finally, when the last of the visitors had gone home, the family gathered in the entrance hall.
‘That was a huge success,’ said Faye, smiling.
‘Of course it was,’ said Walter. ‘There was never any doubt.’
‘I shall have sweet dreams tonight of those pretty lights,’ said Dotty, wrapping her arm through Walter’s before they both wished the family goodnight.
‘I think I’ll tidy up the bar in the morning,’ said Frankie, with a yawn. ‘I’m dead on my feet.’
‘Me too,’ said Faye. ‘Goodnight, all.’
‘I’ll come up as well,’ said Hannah, her eyes flicking between her brother and Lily with a soft smile. ‘Sweet dreams,’ she added with a knowing smile before going upstairs.
Ben and Lily headed into the lounge to close up. They shut the French doors and switched off the lights but remained in the lounge to watch the dying embers in the fireplace.
As they sat down on the sofa, it was the most natural thing in the world for them both to move into each other’s arms and begin to kiss.
‘My sister’s not the only one who’ll be having sweet dreams tonight,’ he murmured against her lips.
Lily automatically drew back. ‘Just remember that I’m only here for a while. Everything is temporary,’ she told him. ‘It always is.’
‘Are you telling me that our kisses meant nothing to you?’ he asked, still holding her close. ‘That you feel nothing when we’re together?’
‘Of course not.’ The heat rose in her cheeks. ‘I can’t fake that. I never would with you.’
‘And I don’t want you to,’ he told her.
He brushed her lips with his thumb and Lily tried to stay focused but the fact was that she wanted to kiss him so much over and over. ‘But don’t you see that this can’t last?’ she told him, despite drawing near to him. ‘That it won’t last?’
‘Then we’d better make the most of the time we have, hadn’t we?’ he whispered.
‘Absolutely,’ she told him, closing the gap to kiss him once more.
As they lay on the sofa wrapped in each other’s arms, she had one thought. Despite all her protests, all of her trying not to get too close to him, she was beginning to fall in love with Ben.