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

by Christie Barlow

  ‘What do you mean?’ Nell asked, running the hot water and piling the dirty cups and saucers in the sink because the dishwasher was full.

  ‘Delicatessen of the year competition. It’s not as though we’d probably spot the judge either. It could be anyone and they won’t be making themselves known.’

  ‘So the judge will be posing as a normal customer and marking us for our presentation, customer service and baking?’ Nell said, plunging her hands in the sink and washing up the dishes before hanging the sodden tea towel over the rail of the stainless steel oven. ‘So we just need to ensure we are brilliant in every area!’

  ‘Yes,’ Bea answered, painting a smile on her face, ‘We can do this.’

  ‘We can indeed. For the next week or so we will smile wider than ever before and be extra polite to everyone who walks through that door, even if they are demanding or impolite.’

  ‘Do you think I should become a little more adventurous with the take-away menu?’

  Nell shook her head, ‘Why fix something that isn’t broken? We have a tempting selection of cakes, savouries and bakes. We offer, salads, soup, jacket potatoes, sandwiches, baguettes and deli bowls and not forgetting hot chocolate to die for and homemade lemonade. Need I go on?’ she laughed, taking a breath.

  ‘I think you’ve just about covered everything,’ laughed Bea.

  ‘And not forgetting a warm, friendly service every time. Just do what you normally do and you will shine brightly.’

  ‘Yes, you’re right, I was panicking there a little. Who do you think nominated me? Was it you?’ she narrowed her eyes at Nell while icing the tray of cupcakes in front of her.

  ‘I didn’t, but if I’d have known about it I would have one hundred per cent. Maybe it’s a happy customer who thought you deserved a little recognition for all your hard work?’ Nell smiled warmly at her friend. ‘You’ll always get my vote.’

  ‘And that’s why you are my best friend, no matter how low and tired I feel, you always say the right things.’

  ‘Ditto.’

  Bea and Nell smoothed down their pinnies as they heard the bell tinkle over the shop door. ‘Right let’s get this show on the road,’ Nell said, her face breaking into a huge smile while she high-fived Bea. ‘Let’s win this competition.’

  ‘Absolutely. Oh and Nell, I’m sorry if I was in a bad mood just now.’

  ‘Nothing to forgive,’ said Nell, noticing that her friend was looking tired. Maybe she could offer to do some of the early mornings in the meantime, to lighten Bea’s load, Nell thought to herself. It wasn’t as though she’d even won the Old Picture House yet.

  Chapter 15

  It was one o’clock when Nell glanced up at the clock. Her stomach flipped when she saw Guy locking up the boat shed and ambling over towards the deli with Sam by his side. It was nearly time to view the Old Picture House and she felt a sudden surge of excitement rise inside her, knowing, in a few minutes time, she would be back inside the building once more.

  Bea had been glazing the pastries before she wandered back behind the counter, ‘You’re smiling,’ she teased, noticing Nell watching Guy’s every move. ‘There seems to be a little spark of excitement in the air.’

  ‘Guy’s on his way over.’

  ‘So I can see and you seem to have gone all doe-eyed.’

  ‘I have not,’ Nell protested.

  ‘Are you sure about that? You two seem to be spending a lot of time together – Chinese take-aways and bottles of wine.’

  ‘One Chinese take-away and maybe three bottles of wine,’ Nell quickly counted in her head. ‘We were talking shop and then yesterday there was the dramatic rescue too,’ Nell stated.

  ‘Very convenient,’ Bea joked, piling up a batch of freshly baked sausage rolls on the tray inside the counter. ‘But I don’t blame you, you know. If I were single and not pregnant,’ she patted her stomach, ‘Cover your ears little baby – then I’d be having a little flirt myself.’

  ‘You wouldn’t?’ Nell asked suddenly, feeling a little put out, which was silly because she knew Bea was only joking.

  ‘I would.’

  ‘Sshh, he’s going to hear you,’ Nell shushed her friend as the door of the deli burst open and Guy smiled at them both.

  ‘You two look like you’re up to mischief.’

  ‘Who? Us?’ Bea grinned, placing her hand on her chest in mock outrage. ‘The most mischief I’ve been up to this morning is pinching a cupcake. What about you Nell?’

  ‘Me? My halo always shines.’

  ‘Mmm, why am I not convinced?’ Guy teased, ‘Are you ready?’

  Nell looked across at Bea. ‘Are you going to be alright on your own for ten minutes or so?’

  ‘Yes, you two go. For some reason it’s very quiet today and I want to hear all about it when you get back.’

  Feeling nervous and excited Nell grabbed her coat and was soon walking towards the old cinema building with Guy and Sam at her side.

  ‘Oh no,’ Nell muttered under her breath.

  ‘What’s up with you? Second thoughts?’ asked Guy, stopping in his tracks.

  Nell nodded towards the towpath.

  ‘Hi, Mum,’ chirped Nell, as Gilly pulled on the brakes and halted the bike right in front of them.

  ‘I’m coming to check you are okay.’ Her voice sounded worried.

  ‘Me, yes, why wouldn’t I be?’

  ‘Because I’ve just been to the butcher’s and Alan tells me you’ve been involved in some dramatic rescue.’

  ‘The joys of living in a small village. Rumours circulate quickly. Have you met Guy? This is Ed’s brother.’

  ‘Pleased to meet you,’ they both said in unison.

  ‘It was actually Guy who rescued the old man. It was that boat there – Much Ado about Nothing.’ Nell gesticulated with her arm in the right direction, ‘Very apt name – you should have seen inside the boat.’

  ‘Did you see the man?’

  ‘Yes, but he was barely conscious.’

  ‘Do you know his name?’

  Nell shook her head, ‘No, the paramedics arrived and took over.’

  ‘The inside of his boat was quite an eye opener, definitely a huge film fanatic. His walls were covered with memorabilia spanning forty years, from what I could see,’ chipped in Guy.

  ‘When he’s out of hospital we should go across and see how he is?’ Nell turned towards Guy.

  ‘You keep wanting to get me on that water, don’t you?’ He rolled his eyes at Nell.

  ‘It’s probably best not to go bothering the poor man when he’s only just come out of hospital,’ said Gilly in a very firm tone.

  ‘Why? He’ll probably like to see a friendly face and anyway it would be nice to see how he is.’

  ‘If he recovers at all?’ Guy added. ‘He looked in a very bad way to me.’

  ‘At least he’s in the best possible hands. Anyway, where are you off to now, Mum?’

  Gilly looked ahead and didn’t make eye contact with Nell, ‘Just some errands,’ she said, putting her foot on the pedal and riding off towards the shops.

  Nell waited till her mum was safely out of earshot, ‘She is acting stranger by the minute. Did you ring the hospital to see how the man was?’ asked Nell, spotting the estate agent milling about outside the entrance to the Old Picture House looking at her clipboard.

  Guy shook his head, ‘Yes, but they wouldn’t give me any details because I’m not a relative.’

  ‘Hopefully, he’s on the road to recovery. Despite what Mum says I think I will go and say hello when he’s back on the boat. I’m intrigued about all that film paraphernalia, especially with opening up this place.’

  ‘That’s very confident, you’ve not even won the auction yet!’

  ‘It’s only a matter of time,’ she grinned.

  They looked up to see the estate agent walking towards them, checking her paperwork she thrust her hand forward, ‘Mr and Mrs Cornish?’ she smiled.

  Nell flicked a curious glance at Gu
y who grinned, ‘I should be so lucky,’ he joked.

  Nell felt herself blush and smiled.

  ‘I’m Guy Cornish and this is my …’

  ‘Friend,’ Nell interrupted shaking the estate agent’s hand, ‘Nell Andrews.’

  ‘And I’m Jennifer, Jennifer Chambers,’ she said, handing each of them a business card.

  ‘Are you both from the area?’

  ‘I am,’ Nell answered, ‘I live on the Nollie,’ she glanced over her shoulder towards her floating home.

  ‘Wow, that’s cool! How do you cope in winter?’ she asked, making polite conversation.

  ‘As long as I remember to fill up the water tank and heat the water, I cope.’

  ‘Do you live on a boat too?’ She turned towards Guy.

  He shook his head, ‘I’m over from Ireland visiting my brother. He owns the boatyard here.’

  For a moment, all three of them stood and stared at the Old Picture House. The pretty plot was in definite need of some tender loving care and Nell was hoping she was the woman to do this.

  ‘Are you ready for a look around?’ Jennifer asked.

  ‘I’ll just tie Sam up here,’ said Guy, clipping a lead to the dog, who immediately sat down and whimpered in their direction.

  ‘We won’t be long,’ Guy ruffled the top of his head.

  ‘Do we need hard hats?’ Nell turned towards Jennifer.

  ‘Yes, there’s a couple inside for you,’ she said, ‘Even though, on the whole, the place is actually structurally sound, it’s more cosmetic restoration. A few broken windows, damp patches etc. What are your plans for this place? Are you looking for planning permission to build a couple of houses?’ Jennifer asked, placing the key in the lock and pushing open the old heavy oak door.

  Nell grimaced, ‘I am not.’

  ‘I think that was a definite no,’ Guy said, laughing at Nell’s disgust.

  Before Nell divulged her plans they both followed Jennifer into an impressive foyer, ‘Wow! Look at this place,’ Guy exclaimed, spinning his head around, ‘Just wow. It’s like something out of the 1960s.’

  It was as if time had stood still.

  Huge framed posters of the old classic films adorned the walls and a crystal chandelier still hung on for dear life from the high ceiling. The worn red carpet stretched through the foyer to a regally arching balcony. Even though the wallpaper was torn, damp and flapping in the draft of the broken windows, it was still completely awe-inspiring.

  Nell shivered, ‘I knew it was magnificent but I’d completely forgotten how magnificent.’

  ‘I think I’ll have to agree with you there.’ Guy exclaimed, taking in his surroundings.

  ‘I’ve had some fantastic times in here,’ she said, reminiscing before crouching down to the floor and picking up a small pink ticket, ‘Look at this.’ She held up the paper stub, ‘Here’s one of the old tickets.’

  ‘There is certainly a magical feel about the place.’

  ‘The owner kept all the original features.’

  ‘Where do those stairs go to?’ Guy asked.

  Jennifer rustled through her paperwork searching for the floor plan.

  ‘Up there was the big screen,’ Nell remembered, glancing up towards the staircase, where glistening cobwebs decked the broken windows, which were in need of some major repair.

  ‘The big screen?’

  ‘Yes, that’s where the latest films were always shown, the hot new releases. Once you bought your ticket from over there …’ everyone glanced towards the dated wooden booth, which still had a list of prices attached to the wall behind the glass. ‘That’s where Gladys used to sit. She was part of the furniture, and then you would purchase your ice-cream from an usherette, who was standing at the bottom of those stairs, before queuing up to see the film. Then downstairs, through that door and along the ramp, was the smaller screen, which either showed black and white movies or older films.’

  ‘It’s all very lights, camera, action.’ Guy said, ‘I can see why it was busy in its day.’

  ‘Shall we carry on?’ Jennifer asked, glancing at her watch, ‘I do have a developer coming to look around this place shortly after you.’

  Nell and Guy nodded.

  ‘There must be quite a lot of interest in this place,’ Nell probed, walking through the foyer towards the grand staircase.

  ‘I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t. I’ve never known such interest in a building before, but it’s a prime location here at the marina, fantastic views across the water, fabulous facilities and we knew as soon as the owner wanted to sell the property that the phone wouldn’t stop ringing.’

  ‘Why sell it now when it’s been stood still for so long?’ Guy queried.

  ‘The owner was originally an actor. He retired abroad a good few years back. He’d bought it when the Old Picture House had actually closed its doors for the last time. He’d had visions of turning it into a film museum or even opening it up again as a cinema but I think his health isn’t the best now and as far as we know he has no family, as such, to pass it on to. What is it you want to do with it? I don’t think you said.’

  ‘Exactly that.’

  ‘Come again?’ asked Jennifer.

  ‘I too have visions of turning it back into a working picture house.’

  Jennifer nodded with approval, ‘I think you and the owner would get on like a house on fire, then.’

  ‘Why an auction, though?’ Guy queried as they walked through the foyer towards the door with a sign hanging off it, ‘Little Screen,’ Nell read. Guy held the door open and they walked into the old film room.

  ‘The owner decided on an auction so everything is all over and done with quickly. He’d had sales in the past that had fallen through and this way whoever wins the auction has fourteen days to complete the transaction and then it’s off his hands.’

  ‘It’s obviously not been in use for some time.’ Guy held the door wide open so a little light could seep into the room. It was another glorious room but in need of a major re-vamp. There were rows and rows of old plush red-velvet bucket seats.

  Nell sank down into one of them, ‘I can remember sitting here, just like it was yesterday.’

  ‘Let me show you the rest of the building,’ Jennifer said, giving Nell a helping hand out of the chair.

  They spent the next ten minutes wandering around and found a popcorn machine, cans of fizzy pop and sweets that were years out of date and a room full of cinema memorabilia.

  ‘What’s behind that door?’ Guy probed.

  ‘I’ve no idea, this part was always out of bounds to the public,’ Nell answered as Jennifer propped open the door and a faint musty smell seeped out, ‘This looks like the old projector room.’

  Nell glanced out of the window on to the cinema room below before flitting her eyes around the room, ‘What are those?’ she asked, pointing to shelves and shelves of boxes at the back of the room. Guy wandered over towards them and flipped open one of the boxes. ‘Oh my God, they are the old film reels. There are rows and rows of them. I bet they are worth a small fortune.’

  ‘Do you think it’s still working?’ Nell asked, staring towards the huge black contraption standing in the middle of the room, which had a seat either side of it.

  ‘Maybe, but at the minute there’s no electricity,’ Jennifer answered.

  Nell sat in one of the chairs at the side of the projector, ‘I can picture them sat here, loading up the film. It’s amazing to think how it all worked before the days of digital and, whoa, look at that!’ Nell shrieked, jumping out of the chair, ‘I remember this,’ she held up the hinged clapstick, ‘Ladies and gentleman, please take your seats. The film will begin in one, two, and three.’ Nell then snapped it shut and giggled.

  ‘You’re kidding me, clapperboards! Gosh they haven’t been around for donkey’s years except in Hollywood,’ Guy said in amazement.

  ‘Is there anything you’d like to see again?’ Jennifer asked nervously, glancing at her watch, knowing that th
e developer would be arriving anytime soon.

  ‘I think we’ve seen everything we need to. Have you got an idea of costings?’ Nell looked hopeful towards Guy.

  ‘Yes, I’ve got a fair idea of how much this would cost to restore it to its former glory. It’s not too bad, mainly cosmetic.’

  Nell gave Guy an upbeat smile before turning towards Jennifer, ‘What do you think my chances are of winning the auction?’

  She flicked through a list on her clipboard and gave Nell a weary smile, ‘You will be up against some tough competition. I really wouldn’t like to say.’

  Nell’s heart sank but she wasn’t going to be beaten. As Jennifer walked them back through the tattered but stunning foyer they shook her hand and thanked her for her time.

  Once they were outside and the estate agent was out of sight, a sensation of excitement fizzed in Nell’s stomach.

  ‘I’m going to bid for this and I’m going to win,’ she squealed, turning towards Guy and grabbing both of his hands, taking him by surprise and squeezing them tight.

  Sam began to bark and thump his tail on the ground, excited by Nell’s sudden outburst.

  They both laughed. ‘Glad to see you’re still here Sam and not off swimming the English Channel,’ Guy joked, untying his lead before turning back towards Nell. She beamed into his eyes and Guy smiled at her enthusiasm. Suddenly, Nell launched herself at him, pressing a swift kiss to his cheek she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight.

  Guy could see the look of determination in her eyes. He had no doubt whatsoever that Nell was going to do everything in her power to win that auction. And he was going to help her …

  Chapter 16

  ‘Aunty Nellie, Aunty Nellie are you home?’

  Nell heard footsteps and spotted Jacob through the porthole clomping up the jetty towards the ‘Nollie’, quickly followed by Nathan and her mum. She loved how he called her Aunty Nellie and hoped he’d never grow out of it.

  Nell shouted. ‘I’m home, come on in Captain Green.’

  The door swung open and she was greeted by Jacobs’s huge beam. He kicked off his boots and slid on to the seat next to her.