And as Elle brought her hands to Rob’s face, and his face moved down to kiss her mouth, suddenly everything became perfectly clear and there were no misunderstandings between them, no misunderstandings at all.

On the car journey back to the hotel, they finally got to have the discussion Rob had wanted.

‘But you said I was cold . . .’

‘You never even looked at me on the roof . . .’

‘I thought you were in love with Celeste . . .’

And so on, until their throats were dry from talking so much. The truth was, they both enjoyed it. It was a relief to each to know that the past couple of months had been a result of mix-ups and confusion.

They had cared about each other the whole time.

‘It’s silly, really, when you think about it. How much time we’ve wasted.’

Rob agreed that it was, but he was way too happy to wish that it had happened any other way.

It was lucky that Elle and Rob had had that conversation, because over the next few weeks there was no time for it. The hotel was so busy that they were run off their feet.

All the things that Elle had thought would be a success were: the new entrance and reception rooms, the mix of home cooked and locally sourced cuisine, the garden, the stunning views.

There were a few other things, as well. Ned decided to host a barbecue on the beach every Friday night for the rest of the summer, and guests and townspeople alike loved it. A bonfire could often be seen, and the sounds of Beatles music heard from the Bay Hotel on Friday nights.

Colin, who had since moved in with Penny, began to give lessons on both writing and gardening, sometimes one directly after the other, to the bemusement of guests wanting to learn the art of the novel, when he appeared in his overalls.

There were picnics, garden parties, afternoon teas, birthdays and proposals. All of these things contributed to the feeling once again that the Bay Hotel was more than just a place, it was somewhere where people’s dreams were made a reality, as though there was someone especially skilled at bringing fantasy to life between her walls.

Elle didn’t have a minute to second-guess her skills as a hostess; she was just thrown right in. She worked so hard, and talked to people so much, that one day she was surprised to find that she was not only enjoying herself, but also, she was good at it. Just like Rob had said.