Chapter 49
Hannah had spent the whole day in a bit of a muddled mess. She was equally nervous and yet excited about her date with Alex later on.
‘Where are you taking me?’ she asked him when he popped in for a coffee later in the morning.
But he shook his head in reply. ‘It’s a secret. But as it’s our first date, it’s also got to be special.’ He finished his coffee and stood up. ‘Anyway, I’ll see you later when I pick you up at four.’
Hannah was shocked. ‘Four o’clock in the afternoon?’ she asked, with a shocked laugh. ‘What kind of a date is it?’
He smiled at her. ‘A special one. I’ll see you then.’
‘Wait, what about the café?’ she asked. ‘We don’t shut until five o’clock today.’
He winked at her. ‘It’s all in hand,’ he told her with a mysterious smile before he left.
Hannah was then rushed off her feet for the remainder of the day until at half past three, Lily and Faye arrived.
‘What are you doing here?’ asked Hannah.
‘Taking over so that you can enjoy your hot date,’ said Lily, with a grin. ‘So quickly show us the ropes and then get out of here,’ she added.
Once the temporary staff had their orders, Faye gave her a daughter a huge hug and told her to enjoy herself.
Hannah then headed back to the lodge to quickly shower and get changed.
Not knowing where they were going, she decided on a knee-length skirt, T-shirt, small cardigan and wedge heels.
Hopefully it was just the right amount of smart and casual to cover whatever situation and setting she would find herself in.
When she headed downstairs at five minutes to four, she found Ben at the reception desk. He looked her up and down and told her, ‘You look nice.’
‘Thanks,’ she said.
They actually hadn’t spoken at all about her dating Alex and she glanced at him nervously.
‘For the record, I approve,’ said her big brother.
Hannah found herself smiling. ‘For the record, I don’t need your approval,’ she replied before reaching over to give him a kiss on the cheek. ‘But I’m happy to have it all the same, thanks, bro.’
Ben shot her a grin just as Alex appeared in the entrance hall.
‘You kids have fun,’ she heard Ben joke as they walked out of the hotel together.
‘So where are we going?’ asked Hannah once Alex was driving her through the forest and out to the main road.
It was a glorious summer’s afternoon and she wound down the window to let in the warm air.
‘We’re going to the Willow Tree Hall summer fete,’ he told her.
‘Oh, how lovely,’ said Hannah, in delight. ‘I went to one a couple of years ago, after it was renovated. What a great idea.’
He smiled. ‘Good. I’m glad you approve.’
Hannah found herself relaxing. Willow Tree Hall was a stately home on the other side of the village of Cranley. In recent years, they had resurrected the annual summer fete and she had completely forgotten that it was being held that day.
Thankfully the weather was glorious and it was the perfect day for an English summer fete.
She directed Alex the right way and soon they were turning into a long driveway.
Flanked by fields either side, in the distance was Willow Tree Hall.
It was only two storeys high but stretched wide instead.
She had always thought it looked like a miniature version of Buckingham Palace.
Large sash windows spread evenly across the pale brick front.
The centrepiece was a huge red double front door, framed by tall pillars of the same warm-coloured stone.
On the left-hand side, in one of the large fields that lay in front of the great house, was the setting for the fete.
Surrounding the large willow tree from which the hall had received its name were a number of small marquees and gazebos covered in pretty pastel-coloured bunting and a huge crowd of people. As they parked the car in an opposite field and got out, all Hannah could hear was conversation and laughter.
‘This was a great idea,’ she said, as they began to walk towards the entrance gate to pay their fee to go in.
‘Glad you think so,’ replied Alex.
She gave a start as she felt his hand slip into hers. For a second, she almost pulled away in a panic, but then she remembered that it was Alex and relaxed once more, giving his hand a squeeze.
They paid the small entrance fee and then wandered around the many stalls, enjoying the convivial atmosphere.
As she noticed a number of families enjoying a picnic in the shade of some nearby oak trees, Hannah groaned.
‘I should have brought a picnic,’ she complained.
But Alex shook his head. ‘As much as I love your baking,’ he told her, ‘there’s no cooking for you tonight. This is downtime. Our chance to relax.’
She smiled up at him. ‘OK,’ she replied. ‘But I’ll buy the ice creams.’
‘Deal,’ he said, drawing his arm around her.
Relishing the feel of his strong arm against her back, she leaned into him. She felt so relaxed and confident around Alex that she realised that there had been no need for nerves after all. With him she could just be herself.
‘This is the perfect date,’ she told him, leaning her head on his shoulder. ‘Thank you.’
‘It’s perfect because I’m here with you,’ he replied, dropping a kiss on her top of her head.
As they carried on walking across the grass, Hannah realised that over the course of the long hot summer, she had begun to fall in love with Alex. And where before that thought would have horrified her, now it only brought her the deepest joy as to what the future might hold for them both.
She couldn’t wait to find out.