When the hotel was full, he was Elle’s resident meeter and greeter. He didn’t seem to mind the vagueness of his job description and outside of his own business commitments was happy being general handyman, helping out in the kitchen and garden now and then, or working behind the bar at the bigger occasions. He was especially good at that, apart from his tendency to get involved in long discussions.

Ned watched Rob with pride. If only he himself had been that way when he and Anna started the hotel. So involved. His favourite moments were when they would all gather late at night in the dining room and chat for a while.

If only Anna could see them now. It was her hotel that had done it, that had brought them all together and Ned would never stop being thankful for it. She was here, though, he knew, looking at the faces of their two beautiful daughters.

And as long as the Bay Hotel still stood, his beloved Anna would live on.

Epilogue

Two short months after its successful re-opening, the Bay Hotel held its first wedding.

Elle was used to big events by now, but this particular bride was very exacting.

‘Are you quite sure that the cake will be here on time?’

‘For the thousandth time, yes. Also the peonies have arrived and they look wonderful. Not too white, but exactly the right shade of off-white. The bridesmaid has had a practice run in her new shoes and didn’t fall over, the food looks perfect and I’m fairly sure that the groom will show up.’

Penny laughed. ‘I’m being a bit over the top, aren’t I?’

‘Well, brides who own their own wedding venue are allowed to be extra demanding,’ Elle compromised, ‘but just for one day. And you look beautiful by the way.’ Despite herself, she was a little over-awed by her sister’s big day. It seemed the perfect antidote to all the stress and heartbreak their family had been through over the past while, and signalled a new beginning of sorts.

Penny had chosen the dress with the widest skirt she could find, her reasoning being: ‘Well, I’m only going to do this once, aren’t I?’ It was comprised of ten layers of tulle material, covered in vintage lace. She did look stunning, even if she couldn’t sit, could only perch and had to have two people holding the skirt up when she walked across the grass.

‘What about you and Rob?’ asked Penny, as they were waiting for the guests to fill the rows of seats in the garden. They were looking down from Penny’s bedroom window.

‘We might get married one day. After we’ve fought about it, misunderstood what the other one was trying to say and then made up all over again.’

‘And you’re happy, Elle?’