Page 5 of Daydreaming at the Boathouse Cafe

All around him, Alex saw some people in the crowd taking photos of him on their phones. He was too numb to be embarrassed. Too distraught to feel the mortification of failing so publicly and comically so close to the finishing line. All he knew was that he had failed.

‘Maybe not so funny after all,’ Ben told him, frowning. ‘Alex is injured.’

Jake’s wide smile immediately dropped. ‘What is it?’ he asked, his eyes sweeping over Alex. ‘What hurts?’

‘My foot,’ replied Alex, glancing at his muddy trainer from where the severe pain was emanating. ‘I think it’s broken.’

His best friends exchanged horrified looks before stepping forward to link their arms around his torso.

‘OK. Easy does it. On the count of three,’ said Jake, before they slowly lifted him up to a standing position.

Alex tried to put some weight on his foot before immediately pulling up his leg once more to hover above the ground. ‘Nope. It’s too painful. I can’t even stand on it.’

Jake swore. ‘Looks like our celebratory drinks will have to wait,’ he muttered.

Ben’s mum Faye had also rushed over and was looking at him in concern. ‘Bring him inside,’ she said in a hushed tone. ‘We need to get some ice on that as soon as possible.’

With the help of his two best friends, Alex made slow progress towards Maple Tree Lodge on one leg. He lived in one of his own flats but had never felt any inclination to add any homely features to it, apart from a huge television and a decent sofa. It was just a base to him, not home. Any time spent at his parents’ house resulted in talking competitions and training with his dad so it wasn’t a relaxing place to be.

In fact, the only place he had ever thought of as a true home was Maple Tree Lodge. He had met Ben at university and instantly bonded with him in the student digs, along with Jake. The three of them had quickly become best friends and met up as often as their busy diaries allowed once they all left university.

All three of the men had settled in London for their respective careers. Ben had been an architect and Jake was a chef. So the three young men enjoyed the bright lights of the city together most weekends.

But it was only whenever they met at Ben’s family home in Cranley that Alex suddenly found himself feeling settled and at home. Maple Tree Lodge was warm and welcoming, unlike his own empty soulless flat.

He glanced around the familiar entrance hall as his friends helped him inside. It was double height, full of warm oak wood and the decorative touches that made every guest feel instantly relaxed, such as aromatic candles and seasonal décor. On top of the long reception desk that weekend, there was a small white tree from which pastel coloured easter eggs had been hung as well as a couple of matching flower arrangements placed on nearby tables. Most of the decoration in the hotel was new, thanks to Lily’s skills, but the peaceful environment had always been there. It was a stark contrast to his own family home where there had always been constant pressure from his dad. Here at Maple Tree Lodge, he could relax. He could step away from competing and just be himself. Not an athlete, just Alex.

But it wasn’t just the peace which made Maple Tree Lodge so appealing to Alex. It was Hannah, Ben’s younger sister.

The first time he had ever visited Maple Tree Lodge after graduating from university, he had been entranced by the place. But where the magic of the beautiful setting soothed his soul, it was Hannah who had left him speechless.

He could still remember the first time he had ever seen her. She had been in the large family kitchen, baking a cake for everyone when they had been introduced. He could still see the smudge of flour on her soft rosy cheek, her blue eyes stunning as they lit up with a smile for him. As she had walked over to greet him, her blonde hair had swung around her shoulders in soft waves. A wave of desire had hit him so strongly that he had almost fallen to his knees to worship her.

He found himself tongue-tied around Hannah that weekend, when he had never had any trouble talking to women before. He had enjoyed many dates at university but Hannah touched something else inside him. They had had a little conversation that weekend, despite her shyness, and he had left dreaming of a future where he could work up the courage to ask her out.

But someone else beat him to it, he found out on his next visit to Maple Tree Lodge a couple of months later. Faye, Hannah’s mother, had been chatting away about how Hannah had moved in with her boyfriend Sean and Alex had had to stop himself sinking down into a chair in shock. Instead, he smiled and nodded, agreeing with Faye how lovely it was for her daughter. All the while, he felt his hopes and dreams dashed.

Trying to move on from his broken heart over Hannah, Alex had continued to date but had had only one significant relationship in those early years. He had asked out Claire from work almost immediately after his return from that fateful weekend at the hotel. It had begun as a knee-jerk reaction to Hannah moving in with Sean. But slowly, he had grown fond of Claire and begun to perhaps even see past his infatuation with Hannah. He had been young but he had thought that it might just be love and had proposed. Claire hadn’t felt the same way though, and he had discovered a few weeks into their engagement that she had cheated on him. All trust was broken and Alex went back to casual dating, never wanting to trust anyone ever again.

In the meantime, Hannah’s relationship with Sean had broken off after a year together and she had moved home. Initially Alex had let her mourn her failed romance but slowly over time, she seemed happy to settle at Maple Tree Lodge in her single life. As far as Alex knew, she had never dated anyone since.

His feelings for her grew stronger over time. Whenever they were together, he just wanted to be near to her. But, wary of upsetting his best friend, he only ever saw Hannah when they were all together at the hotel. However, with such a big family around they were never alone, there was never a chance to ask her out or declare his own feelings.

Even now, as his friends helped him into the kitchen, his concern for Hannah was greater than his own. She was in tears by the sink, held by Dotty, her grandmother.

‘He’ll be fine,’ Dotty was saying as she looked up when they came in.

Hannah too looked up, her cheeks shiny with tears, her eyes filling with even more.

‘Alex, it’s all my fault that you’re hurt,’ she told him, her voice breaking with emotion.

‘It’s fine,’ Alex replied quickly, anxious to quell her fears. ‘Please don’t be upset.’

But Hannah merely shook her head and her lips continued to tremble. Alex found that even worse than the actual pain he was already in.

His friends helped him to the huge oak table around which the family gathered for many meals and he gratefully sank down onto the nearest chair.

Faye crouched in front of Alex and, with immense care, she slowly and carefully began to slip off his trainer. Alex winced and tried not to cry out when his foot was released, such was the pain he was now in.