The Cosy Canal Boat Dream: A funny, feel-good romantic comedy you won’t be able to put down!

‘That would be nice.’

‘How’s that? Comfy?’ He rested his arm around her shoulder. It had been a while since she’d felt the comforting weight of an arm draped around her and she nestled into him as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Hearing the thump of his heart, ‘Perfect,’ she murmured, startled by her own feelings. The feeling of being close to someone again made her tingle all over as she wrapped her arm across his stomach and inhaled the gorgeous aroma of his aftershave. She could feel the intense heat radiating from his touch and wondered if he could feel it too as her heart skipped a beat.

‘So tell me about Guy Cornish,’ she asked. ‘Who is this Irish man who’s turned up at Little Rock?’

‘There’s not a lot to tell. I’m twenty-nine and owner of a scatty dog …’ he paused.

‘Job?’

Guy exhaled, ‘A suit, work in the city, dealing with financial stuff.’

‘You don’t sound too chuffed about that?’ Nell said, detecting the change in the tone of his voice.

‘It pays the bills.’

Nell lifted her head and gazed towards him, ‘Single?’ she asked calmly, even though her heart was hammering in anticipation of the answer.

For a brief second the question hung in the air and he rested his chin of the top of Nell’s head while she reminded herself to breathe normally.

‘I’m single,’ he replied.

Goose bumps prickled over every inch of her body, ‘That’s good, then,’ the words left her mouth before she could stop herself.

Looking Nell in the eyes, he smiled. She noticed the gentle lift of his mouth and for a brief moment she thought he was going to kiss her. She’d no idea what had come over her – she’d only just met the man. Her heart was beating wildly and it was then Nell had felt it: raw chemistry, an attraction, a feeling she’d not felt for a long time.

‘It’s the wine, makes me brave,’ she giggled, tearing her gaze away.

‘You’ve only had one sip,’ he laughed. He nudged her playfully with his elbow.

Nell felt the corners of her mouth lift, ‘When are you due back in Ireland?’

‘In a few weeks’ time when Ed is back up on his feet.’

Suddenly, Nell felt a tiny pang. It was daft really, she barely knew the man but there was something inside her that didn’t like the thought of him returning to Ireland anytime soon.

They sat in a peaceful silence, watching the snowflakes settling on the roofs of the pretty barges through the porthole of the ‘Nollie’. Smoke from neighbouring boats spiralled into the grey sky.

Guy turned towards Nell, there was a sudden brightness in his eyes, ‘Let’s raise a toast,’

‘What are we toasting?’

‘Ollie’s birthday, my grandparents and to life.’

‘That sounds like a great toast.’

They both clinked their glasses against each other’s. ‘Cheers, life.’

‘Life,’ Nell smiled, taking a sip of her wine.

Nell felt content and happy and even though Guy had only just come into her life, she didn’t like the thought of him disappearing out of it anytime soon.

Chapter 4

‘Aunty Nellie, Aunty Nellie, you are living in a floating igloo.’

Nell looked up to see Nathan pulling an excited Jacob along on a bright-red sledge towards her.

‘Daddy stop!’ Jacob shouted as he hurled himself out of the sledge and crunched through the snow towards Nell.

‘Those wellies came in handy.’

Jacob’s face beamed.

‘Does Aunty Nellie get a huge hug?’

‘Absolutely,’ Jacob flung his arms wide open.

Nell stooped to wrap her arms around him and planted a kiss on the tip of his cold nose. She smiled at Nathan, ‘Morning. Did you have a successful day yesterday and find the part for the motorbike you needed?’

He shook his head regretfully, ‘No, but I managed to purchase a whole lot of other junk that I’m not entirely sure I needed. Well, according to Bea anyway. The second she heard the key in the door she shooed me to the back of the house and demanded I deposit my scrap in the shed because she wasn’t having any more half-built motorbikes in her kitchen.’

‘And rightly so – boys and their toys,’ Nell grinned, turning back towards Jacob, who currently had a mischievous smile on his face while scooping up the snow and patting it into a ball.

‘I hope you aren’t …’ Too late! Jacob launched the snowball straight at Nell, who promptly chased him, squealing, towards the deli. As Jacob pushed open the door Nell bundled him into her arms and blew a raspberry on his neck as he tried to wriggle free.

‘What’s all this noise?’ Bea appeared from behind the counter, smiling at her son.

‘Aunty Nellie is chasing me,’ Jacob giggled as Nell lowered him to the ground.

Bea pecked Nathan on his cheek then touched Nell’s arm. Nell met her gaze. ‘You didn’t text me last night, everything okay? I was worried about you.’

Nell nodded. Last night she’d spoken to her mum soon after Guy had left. Her mum had understood with the heavy snowfall that she hadn’t wanted to walk out in the bitter chill of the February air.

‘Yes, I’m all good.’ Bea pressed a swift kiss to her cheek and gave her a quick hug.

‘So, young man.’ Bea crouched down in front of him. ‘You’ve had a quick play on your sledge before school.’

Jacob grinned.

‘Just remember to wrap up well at school today if you go outside to play,’ she pulled up the lapels of his coat and his bobble hat down over his eyes.

‘Mummy!’ he giggled, pushing his hat back up on his head.

Bea grasped his scarf and pulled Jacob towards her, then kissed his forehead.

‘Some of the supplies haven’t been delivered yet; they must be having some difficulties getting through the lanes with the weather. We’re low on milk so I’ve rung ahead to The Waterfront who are going to lend us a few pints. I’ll nip over and grab them now you’re here,’ she said, standing up and turning towards Nell.

‘No need, I’ll collect them. I’ve still got my coat on and it gives me a chance to pull my favourite godson on his sledge through the snow for five minutes.’

‘Aunty Nellie, I’m your only godson! You’re silly.’

‘But it doesn’t stop you from being my favourite, though, does it?’

‘When I pick Jacob up from school I’ll start the tea,’ Nathan smiled at Bea then gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

‘And that’s why I love you so much.’

The door to the deli swung open and a blast of cold air hit them, ‘Good morning,’ the postman chirped, handing Bea a handful of letters from his sack before disappearing as quickly as he appeared.

‘I won’t be long.’ Nell said, following the postman outside.

Nell and Nathan crunched through the snow in their boots, pulling a giggling Jacob behind them on his sledge. The Waterfront pub was situated at the far end of the marina and was a place Ollie and Nell would often frequent on a Friday night.

Nathan abruptly stopped outside the Old Picture House. He mustered a smile, ‘Well, that’s that, then. The place has finally gone up for sale.’ They both stared up at the for sale sign.

‘It’s so sad,’ Nell’s voice suddenly wobbled. ‘Guy mentioned it would probably be knocked down and no doubt houses built in its place.’

‘Guy?’

‘Ed’s brother, he’s come over from Ireland to help out at the Boathouse while Ed recovers from his operation.’

‘Ah, Bea did mention something about him yesterday, and you know what, unfortunately he’s probably right.’

Nell’s heart plummeted; she could still visualise herself as a child sat next to her dad in the bucket seats with her legs dangling towards the floor, then years later cuddled up with Ollie waiting for the lights to dim so she could pinch a fizzy cola bottle from his pick ‘n mix.

Nell drew in a deep breath and her heart twisted. ‘Ollie would be devastated to see this place demolished, especially for houses.’

Nathan draped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick squeeze before they carried on walking towards the pub, ‘I miss him too you know.’

Nell nodded, ‘I know.’

‘Especially yesterday. I knew what day it was and that’s why I took myself off to the motorbike convention. I wanted to do something that we enjoyed doing together. It made me feel a little bit closer to him. Does that sound daft?’

‘Not at all.’

‘How did you cope with yesterday?’

‘Actually, quite well. Time does make things a little easier. It’s nice to actually talk about him without bursting into tears. I’ve come a long way.’

‘I’m glad,’ Nathan smiled at her.

‘Right, here’s my stop.’

Nell swung around towards Jacob, ‘You have a good day at school, young man, and tell Mrs Smith I think it’s time I had a new painting for my fridge,’ she gave him the thumbs-up.

‘I’m on it, Aunty Nellie. I’ll draw you a picture of Oreo.’

Nell raised her eyebrow, then glanced towards Nathan, ‘Who’s Oreo?’

‘I’ve no idea … Jacob?’

‘One of Gilly’s kittens, but Mummy said I’ve got to keep it a secret from …’ Jacob cupped his hand to his mouth and gasped.

‘Daddy,’ Nathan interrupted.

‘Mummy said if we convinced you it was your idea, it was a no-brainer,’ he scratched his head, not quite understanding what the word meant, ‘We could have one of the kittens.’

‘Did she now?’

‘Am I in trouble?’

Nathan grinned, ‘No, not at all, but hopefully the name is negotiable.’

‘Good call,’ Nell whispered to Nathan before waving her hand in the air and disappearing up the steps of the pub to collect the milk.

Chapter 5

When Nell returned to The Melting Pot, Bea was huddled over the computer in the corner of the office, shuffling various bits of paper and staring at the screen.

‘Just checking the emails before we open up, and shifting through this post.’

‘Anything interesting?’

‘No, just the usual new suppliers offering deals of various produce, but I’d rather stick with the devils we know.’

‘Absolutely, Mark from The Waterfront said not to worry about the milk, no doubt one day you will return the favour.’

‘That’s lovely of him and, yes, of course I will.’

Nell shivered, ‘At least it’s warmer in here than out there today. She shrugged off her coat and hung it over the chair. ‘I’ve got a feeling we may be a little busy today. There won’t be many boats moving in that icy water.’

‘I think you may be right,’ Bea answered, flicking the cursor up and down the screen.

‘Erm, is that a bacon bap you’re secretly scoffing in the corner? What happened to let’s eat sensibly after Christmas?’ Nell mused, putting the milk in the fridge.

Bea grinned before taking another generous mouthful, the brown sauce oozing all over her plate.

‘Busted! But, my God, I needed that! I feel hungry all the time. I’m blaming the weather. How can anyone think about eating lettuce leaves and dieting at this time of year? I need comfort food, good old stodge.’

‘Summer bodies are made in winter you know,’ Nell laughed, ‘And where’s mine?’

‘Bottom oven and there’s a mug of tea for you over there.’

‘Superstar,’ Nell plonked herself in the chair opposite Bea and glanced up at the clock, ‘Another fifteen minutes until we open.’

‘Listen out for the oven timer, there’s sausage rolls in the bottom oven and scones in the top.’

Nell nodded and began to devour her sandwich. ‘You didn’t fill me in on yesterday, what happened to the dog?’ Bea said looking up from the computer and meeting Nell’s gaze.

‘Somehow, Sam managed to get himself all the way over to the boat moored right at the back of the marina.’

‘I noticed that boat the other day. It’s not a regular, is it? What’s its name?’

‘If I remember rightly, ‘Much Ado About Nothing,’ I’ve not seen it before and, come to think of it, haven’t seen any movement on it either. I’d say it’s been here a few days max.’

‘And it won’t be going anywhere soon in this weather. Did you manage to coax Sam back on to the rowing boat okay?’

‘After a little persuasion. It didn’t help with Guy, who happens to be scared stiff of water, being rooted to the spot.’

‘What’s the story there, then?’

‘A near-death experience with water when he was a kid. God knows how’s he’s going to manage the boatyard!’ Nell chuckled.

Hearing the tinkle of the bell above the shop door they both quickly glanced at the clock.

‘It’s not time yet, we’ve another five minutes.’ Nell said, taking another swift bite of her sandwich before standing up.

‘Shop.’ They heard a voice shout. ‘Anyone there?’

‘I recognise that voice,’ Nell whispered, ‘It’s Guy.’

‘Gorgeous Guy?’ Bea said, while Nell rolled her eyes at her.

‘I don’t mind dragging my weary body off the chair to serve him,’ Bea grinned, scraping her seat back.

‘You stay there, I’ll go!’

‘Not a chance!’

Bea noticed Nell taking a tentative look in the mirror before smoothing down her hair and following her on to the shop floor.

‘Good morning,’ Bea sang with Nell looking over her shoulder.

Guy’s face beamed back at them both. There was no denying he was looking very handsome standing on the other side of the counter with his tousled hair, slight stubble and dressed in a pair of olive-green overalls.

‘Tom Cruise eat your heart out – all that’s missing is the shades,’ Bea muttered under her breath.

‘Good morning to the pair of you.’

Guy’s eyes twinkled towards Nell. He gestured to his mouth then raised an eyebrow at her.

Nell smiled, ‘What?’ she asked, amused.

‘You’ve got brown …’ he pointed towards her mouth.

Nell couldn’t help but feel a teeny bit embarrassed as she quickly wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

‘Brown sauce,’ she rolled her eyes, ‘As you can see the diet didn’t start today!’

‘Wrong time of year for that dieting malarkey. I need something warm and stodgy before I take on the mammoth task of stripping out the inside of a boat.’

‘Bacon, sausage and egg barm?’ Nell suggested.

‘Sounds perfect and a coffee to take out.’

‘Give me two minutes,’ she said, disappearing into the kitchen, leaving Bea chatting to Guy.

‘How’s Ed?’ Bea asked, pressing the button on the coffee machine, which immediately began to whirl, quickly followed by a blast of steam, then complete silence. Bea looked at it, mystified, before wiping her flushed cheeks on her pinny.

‘I think it’s being a little temperamental this morning.’

‘Best have a cup of tea, I think,’ he grinned, leaning on the counter and staring at the array of cakes. ‘The operation went well and he’s recovering nicely.’

Nell could hear their conversation while she bustled about in the kitchen preparing his sandwich.

‘That’s good to hear. Are you staying with him up at Little End Cottage?’

‘Sort of, I’m in the annexe attached to the cottage, which gives me and Sam our own space, but I can keep a close eye on Ed too when he arrives back from hospital. The nurse said he shouldn’t be in too much pain, but it’s the usual no stretching and lots of rest and I’m not sure Ed is one for sitting still. I’ll be on hand to make his meals and generally be at his beck and call.’

‘He’ll love being waited on hand and foot,’ Bea said, ‘Pass on our best wishes and I’ll take him up his favourite steak and ale pie when he’s home.’

Guy smiled, ‘I hope there’ll be enough for two!’

‘Of course.’

Nell walked back into the shop and placed the sandwich down on the counter. ‘How’s Sam today?’

‘He slept like a baby last night after his little adventure but so did I after that bottle of wine.’

Nell could feel Bea’s stare burning into the side of her face.

‘Wine?’

‘Yes, you know the drink that comes in a bottle, usually with a cork.’ Nell replied with a sarcastic grin.

‘Mmm,’ Bea eyed Nell doubtfully as she turned back towards Guy, ‘I’m glad you both slept well. Here, have the sandwich on the house. I’m sure Bea won’t mind.’

‘Not at all,’ Bea answered with a look that said to Nell that this conversation was far from over.

Guy’s face lit up, ‘Thank you, that’s very generous of you both. I’ll see you every morning with this kind of service. Nell, you are the best and now I know why Ed raves about this place so much.’

Bea coughed and folded her arms.

‘And you too, dear Bea, you both are simply the best.’ Guy grinned cheekily before disappearing through the deli door.

As soon as the door was shut, Nell turned to Bea, ‘I can’t believe you let me come out here with brown sauce dripping from the corner of my mouth!’

Bea leaned in closer towards Nell, ‘Hmm, and I can’t believe you missed out the part about drinking wine with a handsome stranger,’ she teased.

‘Don’t be daft, I rescued his dog and he was very grateful,’ she answered, chewing her lip while watching Guy stroll towards the boat yard with Sam trotting at his side. He looked back over his shoulder and snagged Nell’s eye.

‘He likes you, mark my words.’ Bea pulled her I-know-best look while Nell kept her poker face.

‘You heard it here first, Nell Andrews, you just remember that.’

Nell flapped her hand at Bea, ‘Get back to work, Bea, you are driving me insane!’

As soon as Bea’s back was turned, Nell felt the corners of her mouth lift and her face blush. There was something about that Irish charmer that made her stomach instantly flutter.

Chapter 6

By mid-morning Nell and Bea had been run off their feet. The beef and horseradish rolls were a hit and had sold out in no time at all. There were a couple of loaves of bread left and Nell was already baking her third batch of scones.

‘I’d a feeling today was going to be busy,’ Nell said, wiping her hands on her pinny and exhaling sharply.

‘Where did all those people come from? You’d think there was going to be a food shortage with the amount everyone has bought,’ Bea exclaimed, leaning against the counter and taking a breather. ‘We’ve not even had a tea break yet.’

‘It’s the weather. It’s difficult for the boats to move so I think everyone is panic-buying, just in case the snow fall gets heavier.’

‘Let’s just hope our supplies get through okay, but I think we have enough ingredients in the pantry to keep us going for a few days at least.’

‘According to the weather,’ Nell flicked on to her phone, ‘It’s forecast rain from this afternoon, so hopefully the panic buying will settle down.’

‘Here’s hoping. Did you remember to take the last batch of scones out of the oven? I’m not sure I heard the timer buzz in the mad rush?’

‘Oh shoot,’ Nell replied, quickly grabbing the oven gloves before hurrying to the back of the kitchen and flinging open the oven door.

‘Double shoot,’ she pulled out the baking tray and stared. ‘Well and truly cremated,’ she looked aghast, ‘That’s my fault. I forgot to set the timer with it being so busy.’

‘Not to worry, it’s just one of those things,’ Bea answered, leaning against the door frame, ‘Pop them on the side and once they’ve cooled down I’ll throw them out to the birds. They are probably in need of a good feed in this weather.’

They both whipped their heads round as they heard the shop bell tinkle, ‘No rest for the wicked,’ Bea rolled her eyes.

They hurried back behind the counter to find the postman standing there for the second time today.

‘Sorry Nell, I missed this one before,’ he smiled, handing over an envelope to her. As soon as the postman left the shop Nell put the envelope down on the counter.

‘Anything important?’

‘Bank savings, annual statement. Ollie’s life insurance.’

Nell had had no idea that Ollie even had any life insurance until she’d had to sell the yard.

‘I’ll put the kettle on, come on. Oh and I’m putting the closed sign up for ten minutes, we deserve a break.’ Bea announced, walking towards the door and pulling the latch down.

‘Here comes the rain now too.’ Both of them looked up to see to see the sleety rain drumming against the glass and boat owners quickly pulling their windows shut.

Nell moved into the kitchen and clutched the bank statement while Bea switched on the kettle and ferreted around in the cupboard for a couple of mugs.

‘I never knew what to do with this money, it was just never important in the grand scheme of things.’

‘You did the right thing bunging it into a savings account, it’ll have gained a little interest,’ Bea said, perching on the table waiting for the kettle to boil. ‘Any ideas what to do with it now?’

‘Not got a clue,’ answered Nell, watching Bea make the drinks and settling in the chair opposite her. Nell hadn’t really given the money a second thought up until now. ‘I don’t particularly need anything, maybe in time I could invest it in property or a business.’

‘Are you going to open it?’

Nell nodded, then carefully opened the envelope. Her eyes flitted over the numbers on the page and exhaled, ‘Sixty-five thousand pounds.’

Bea gave a low whistle.

‘Why did I ever ask him to go out that night, Bea? If only …’

‘Oh Nell, I don’t know what to say, we all miss him and I know it’s not the same but we are always here for you.’

‘I know.’ Nell flashed Bea a grateful smile. ‘No amount of money will ever replace him.’

‘It won’t and look …’ Bea paused, ‘you don’t have to do anything with the money, leave it where it is for now.’

Both of them sipped on their tea before Nell pushed the letter to one side, then skimmed over the pages of the local newspaper.

‘What you need is a little company,’ Bea suggested, thinking that one of Gilly’s kittens might just be the thing for Nell.

‘Mmm, I believe you are going to have a new addition to the family very soon,’ Nell lifted an eyebrow and gave Bea a knowing look.

Bea sat up straight in her chair, ‘Wait, how do you know about that?’

‘Call it my psychic powers.’ Nell grinned, remembering Jacob’s little face when this morning he literally let the cat out of the bag.

‘You saw it, didn’t you?’

‘Saw what?’ Nell eyed Bea suspiciously.

They held each other’s gaze and no one spoke for a second.

‘Saw what?’ Nell repeated with a confused look on her face. She leaned forward and folded her arms on the newspaper and stared straight at Bea, who promptly blushed.

Bea opened her mouth and closed it again.

‘Spill Bea Green,’ Nell insisted, nodding encouragingly. ‘All eyes are on you!’

Bea looked suitably composed, ‘I think we may be talking about two different things.’

Nell lifted an eyebrow, ‘What are you talking about, then? Come on.’ Nell drummed her fingers on the desk in jest.

Bea swallowed and managed a nod, ‘At this moment in time I’m trying to ignore the queasiness in the pit of my stomach.’

It took a second for the penny to drop, ‘Sweet Jesus, you’re pregnant! You are, aren’t you?’

A huge beam spread across Bea’s face, ‘I am.’

Nell squealed, ‘Come here, let me give you a hug,’ she said as she squeezed her friend tight.

‘I thought you’d spotted the test I left in the toilet the other day.’

‘Ha no, but congratulations!’

‘Thank you, we are both delighted, but we’ve not told Jacob yet as it’s still early days.’

‘Mum’s the word!’ exclaimed Nell.

‘For the time being anyway,’ Bea grinned, ‘Now what was it you were on about?’ She sat back down on the chair.

‘Oreo!’

Bea gasped, ‘Has Gilly spilt the beans? I’ve not run it past Nathan yet.’ A worried look flashed over Bea’s face.

‘Don’t panic, Nathan took it all in his stride.’

‘Nathan? Oh God, how does he know?’

‘Well he’s about this big,’ Nell gestured with her hands, cute chubby cheeks, clomps around in the brightest pair of wellies and is not very good at keeping secrets!’