Chapter 46
Lily was delighted that the idea for the Dragonfly Dance had taken hold and many of the local people who had seen the light festival on a Saturday night were equally excited about the event.
‘I remember it from many moons ago,’ said one elderly lady to Lily one evening after the light show. ‘My late husband proposed to me at the dance.’
Not only did the original partygoers book their places but also newcomers to the event as well. And once the momentum had taken hold, the whole event had become the place to be in Cranley on Valentine’s Day.
‘We’re fully booked!’ announced Ben, rushing out of the office a few days before the dance.
Lily looked at him in astonishment and delight. ‘We are?’
He picked her up in his excitement and swung her round. ‘We are!’ he shouted. ‘Every single bedroom is booked! Wheee!’
Once he had settled her back down on the floor, he bent his head towards hers but they were interrupted by Dotty coming into the entrance hall.
‘What’s all the commotion?’ asked Dotty.
‘We’re fully booked, Grandma!’ shouted Ben, picking Dotty and carefully spinning her around once.
‘Hurrah!’ she said, laughing.
Lily was equally excited. Success was finally coming to Maple Tree Lodge and the whole family was buzzing with excitement for the Dragonfly Dance.
Not only was the hotel fully booked, every party ticket was sold too. Which begged the question, what on earth were they going to feed them all?
Once more, Jake came up trumps by creating a fork buffet menu that allowed people to wander around and see the lights without the rigidity of timings for a sit-down meal.
‘And we won’t need too many servers who will want paying either,’ said Ben, looking relieved.
‘But we’ll still need candles on all the tables in here, as well as fairy lights to make it romantic,’ said Lily, looking around the dining room.
‘Hearts,’ added Hannah, with a nod. ‘Lots of hearts.’
‘Definitely,’ replied Lily.
So tiny paper hearts were scattered all over the tables, along with rose petals and the odd string of red heart fairy lights as well. Only a third of the dining room had been laid out though. The remainder of the floor was to be left free for a dance floor.
Meanwhile, Frankie was busy experimenting with new cocktail ideas, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.
‘This is delicious,’ Lily told her, after tasting one such new red concoction. ‘What’s it called again?’
‘Love Heart,’ said Frankie, rolling her eyes. ‘What has happened to cynical old me?’
‘It’s definitely my new favourite,’ said Hannah, who was sitting next to her at the bar and licking her lips.
Frankie leaned on the counter. ‘So who are you both bringing as a date to the dance?’ she asked.
‘Are you kidding?’ laughed Hannah. ‘I’m helping Jake in the kitchen and making sure that the food doesn’t run out.’
‘We’ll be working flat out all night,’ said Lily.
‘I’m sure Ben will find five minutes to dance with you,’ said Hannah, with a knowing smile.
‘Maybe even ten minutes if you’re lucky,’ added Frankie, with a wink.
Lily blushed and giggled.
‘After all, it is supposed to be a dance,’ Frankie reminded them. ‘Now what about music?’
‘It’s all sorted,’ said Lily. ‘We’ve got a local band coming in. They play everything to cater for all tastes.’
‘I’m hoping for a spin around the dance floor as well,’ announced Walter, as he came into the room.
They all laughed as he tried to teach Hannah how to do the Hustle. Admitting defeat after a while, Walter shook his head and declared that there was no hope for the younger generations.
‘Your grandma and I will show you how it’s done on the night,’ he told them.
Later on, when Lily had finished her cocktail and was about to head out of the room, Walter caught her arm. ‘By the way, young lady,’ he said in a soft tone that only she could hear. ‘If my grandson asks you to dance on Saturday night, please just say yes, will you?’
Lily looked at him with a smile. ‘Are you meddling, Walter?’ she asked him, giving his hand a squeeze.
He laughed. ‘Of course I am, my dear. But I love you both and just want to see you happy.’
So much for Ben thinking that their relationship was secret, she thought with a smile.
She was trying not to get swept up in the romance of the evening. After all, it was a major event for the hotel and the most important thing was that it would run smoothly and be a huge advertisement for the hotel and bring in more bookings.
But even so, the thought of dancing in Ben’s arms was certainly appealing.
She knew that she wasn’t being fair on Ben by letting the relationship continue.
She told him over and over that she must leave eventually and yet as soon as he took her in his arms, she lost her train of thought.
He said he didn’t care but she knew that he did.
And she hated herself all the more for it.
She would still leave when she got another job, something which she was beginning to look for with more eagerness these days. The stronger her feelings for him grew, the more she felt the need to run away. That way she wouldn’t get hurt and more importantly nor would he.
But perhaps there would be time for just one dance before she left, she thought, unable to deny herself the feelings in her heart.