Chapter 23
Once the boathouse had been decorated, Hannah felt as if opening day in a week’s time was charging towards her at full speed. The date had been set in stone because all the marketing that Ella had put together had stated the spring bank holiday as the opening weekend for the café.
Even with the fear deep inside, she was pleased with the turquoise touches that she had discussed with Lily.
The pop of coloured tiles along the bar separating the kitchen and the main room was just right and tied in perfectly with the new chairs in the same colour.
The rest of the room was cool and neutral pale blues and warm oak wood.
Once more, Hannah looked at the second-hand catering equipment that Ben had bought, with Jake’s recommendation, that was.
Although she had to admit that his taste was pretty similar to hers.
The large ovens were more than capable of holding quite a few cakes at a time.
The dishwasher was also a second-hand industrial unit and she loved the double butler sink which would make things far easier.
Plus the fridge freezer was enormous, which should make the storage of all the ingredients plentiful.
Not that she was sure that anyone would actually come.
The idea was that the café would be opened as a tea room in the afternoons. Between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. each day, it would be available for cream teas, as well as a few additional cakes and hot drinks.
Planning her own menu excited her. As the café only had a temporary licence for the summer, she had decided that it should be full of delicious sunny flavours.
Raspberry and lemon pie. Bundt cake with icing and edible flowers decorations.
A raspberry-topped Victoria sponge too would feature, as well as home-made scones and strawberry jam with clotted cream.
Everything was to be served on the pretty china which Dotty had hoarded over the years, the majority of which had been used to decorate the hotel.
But there had been a number of leftover items which hadn’t found a place, such as china cake stands, and so the boathouse was ideal for most of the tableware items. Dainty flowery china teapots would be used for the cream teas, along with different-patterned plates, cups and saucers.
Hannah had decided to order pastel-coloured paper napkins for the time being, as they could easily be recycled. But when the delivery came, she realised to her horror that she had made a mistake on the online order form.
‘Are you expecting a bit of a rush?’ teased Alex as he looked down at the large pallet of pale blue napkins that had just been delivered.
Hannah shook her head in dismay, feeling miserable. She thought that she had ordered a small amount as a trial but at least thirty boxes had arrived that morning.
She sighed heavily.
Alex’s face dropped. ‘What’s the matter?’ he asked.
Hannah sank down onto a nearby chair. ‘This was a crazy idea,’ she told him. ‘I can’t do this.’
‘It was just a mistake,’ he said, coming to sit opposite her.
‘But I make so many,’ she replied. ‘I’ll end up wasting so much money that we won’t make any profit at all. I mean, look at it!’ She picked up the delivery note placed on top of the pallet. ‘It’s random numbers,’ she carried on. ‘They all just look like squiggles to me.’
‘Because of your dyslexia,’ he reminded her.
She was surprised and turned her head to look at him. ‘You know about that?’ she asked.
He nodded. ‘Ben mentioned it a long time ago.’
She sighed. ‘I just get so muddled,’ she told him. ‘It’s awful. Ben’s so competent all the time and I’m… not.’
‘Everyone has their different strengths,’ he said.
‘And weaknesses,’ she said, with a grimace.
Alex shook his head. ‘Just focus on the positive. I’m good with numbers but I can’t bake a cake to save my life. Like I said. Everybody is good at something.’
‘But Ben wanted me to run the business and do all the paperwork,’ she told him, the anxiety rising inside. ‘I’m just not sure I’m up to it.’
Alex studied her for a moment before speaking. ‘Look, I know I’m supposed to be resting up but I need to keep using my brain as well. So let me help you.’
‘What do you mean?’ she asked.
He smiled at her. ‘Think of me as your accountant and temporarily lame admin assistant,’ he said. ‘It’s not like I’ve got anything else to do while this wretched foot is healing.’
She knew how frustrated he was at not being able to do anything whilst the bones were still broken.
‘To be honest, I could do with the distraction at the moment. I’m feeling a bit lost.’
‘Lost?’ she asked him.
‘I just feel at a crossroads,’ he told her. ‘As if everything has been turned upside down and I don’t know where to begin again.’
He looked so downhearted and dejected that Hannah found herself reaching out to take his hand.
He gave a start as he glanced down at them entwined. But as the embarrassment swept across her cheeks in a rosy blush and she tried to pull it away, he enclosed her hand in his.
‘My whole life was work, training and competitions,’ he said, still looking down at their hands. ‘I’m not sure what’s left without all of that.’
Hannah gave up with her embarrassment and gave his hand a squeeze.
‘What’s left?’ she repeated. ‘A good-hearted man who we all care for.’
He looked up into her face and she realised that she’d never noticed the colour of his eyes before now. They were the brightest blue that she’d ever seen. She’d only ever noticed the kindness that they carried.
‘Thank you,’ he told her. ‘I was feeling a bit low this morning.’
‘Do you want a napkin to mop up any tears?’ she said, with a small smile of irony. ‘I’ve got a few spare.’
He laughed and their hands let go. ‘See? If you can laugh at your mistakes, you’re halfway there.’
She felt relieved that they seemed able to move on from her drunken kiss at last and that any awkwardness had finally dissipated.
He stood up and looked down at her. ‘Come on.’
‘Where are we going?’ she asked.
‘You’re going to show me all your documentation,’ he told her. ‘And then I’ll start to transform myself into your glamorous assistant.’
She knew that Alex was being so kind, as usual. But she felt much better knowing that she wasn’t alone in the new business venture any more.