Page 76 of Daydreaming at the Boathouse Cafe

‘I can tell,’ he said. ‘Something’s changed this summer.’

She blushed once more.

‘Alex is so positive all the time, some of it must have rubbed off,’ she told him, with a shrug.

‘Glad to hear it,’ he said, grinning. ‘And let him help you with the numbers, if you want. He’s always liked all that boring number stuff.’

Hannah could describe Alex ad infinitum and yet the word she could never use for him was boring. He was clever, funny, kind and strong. All wrapped up in the most perfect face and body she had ever seen.

But he was dating Aimee so for now she would just have to be grateful for the success of the café, not her love life.

41

Towards the end of June, the heat began to ratchet up with the longer days.

‘Told you folks would want to cool off in our lovely lake,’ said Walter, as he stood next to Alex on the small beach.

Alex smiled his agreement but didn’t feel like reminding Walter of his objections to the water sports centre. In fact, the pensioner seemed to positively revel in the daily activities.

Walter was a secondary lifeguard in the mornings, keeping watch on the busiest swimming sessions from his position on the jetty. Then, in the afternoons, he would keep busy in his workshop.

More picnic tables and even a couple of benches had appeared over the past couple of weeks and all the swimmers were taking advantage of a sit down after their dip in the water.

‘I was thinking that perhaps we could add some sort of low shelving unit over there,’ carried on Walter, turning around to point at an empty spot near the water’s edge. ‘I’ve been watching and some people want a place to pop their bags and shoes in.’

‘That sounds great,’ replied Alex, grateful for both the fresh ideas and the support.

In fact, all the Jackson family were revelling in the success of the water sports. Faye and Frankie were taking turns to man the reception booth. Word had also spread about the snug and Frankie had been telling Alex the previous evening that the weekend had been their busiest nights since opening. Meanwhile, Ben and Lily had both mentioned the uptick in bookings as word had spread about the hotel from visitors.

Then there was the queen of the swim club, Dotty. She was a positive life force, always around during the swimming sessions to encourage any nervous newcomers, both young and old.

All in all, the water sports centre had turned out to be a huge success and it had given him a sense of fulfilment that he had never imagined. He found that he garnered the most pleasure from the more reluctant swimmers.

‘There’s no rush,’ he would tell them. ‘Go at your own pace. You can be as slow or as fast as you like. Just take your time and enjoy yourself.’

Over the days and weeks, Alex watched with pride as the hesitant swimmers’ confidence began to soar.

‘It’s my favourite part of the day,’ one elderly gentleman told him. ‘Gets me out of the house, to be honest.’

‘I’ve always felt a bit vulnerable because of my size,’ one larger lady had said. ‘Now I don’t give two hoots what I look like. I’m just enjoying it too much to care what other people think of me.’

‘Work is so stressful,’ a younger man told him. ‘This just takes me away from all that and I just focus on swimming and being in the here and now.’

Alex had been both amazed and thrilled with all the positive reactions. Everyone felt differently about their experiences in the water but the sense of satisfaction and overall well-being was the same for each person. He was beginning to realise just how much the swimming clubs meant to them and how much enjoyment that in turn gave him as well.

Alex placed the paddleboard in the water and looked down at Tiny.

‘So are you coming with me?’ he asked.

The puppy recognised the familiar words and threw himself at the paddleboard, landing far more gracefully than his bulky weight suggested or indeed Alex would have thought.

‘You’re getting better at this than I am,’ Alex told him.

But he couldn’t help but smile at the dog as he too climbed onto the paddleboard from the jetty. He was really enjoying having a dog. The company was nice but also the dog was benefitting from all the training and commands and was growing into a delightful companion. He was a gentle soon-to-be giant with both young and old. Children delighted him with their shrieks of laughter as he bounded in and out of the water and older, more cautious hotel guests found themselves unable to stop patting him or stroking his thick fur when he was sprawled out in the middle of the entrance hall.

‘Morning, Alex, morning, Tiny,’ said Maud, who had only just arrived for her second week of swimming club.

‘Morning, Maud,’ said Alex. ‘How are you today?’