Cressida McLaughlin - The Canal Boat Café Christmas - Starboard Home

Published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

The News Building

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published in Great Britain in ebook format in 2017 by HarperCollins Publishers

Copyright © Cressida McLaughlin 2017

Cover design © HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 2017

Cover illustration © Alice Stevenson

Cressida McLaughlin asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Ebook Edition © December 2017 ISBN: 9780008273361

Version: 2018-09-24

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright Published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd The News Building 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF www.harpercollins.co.uk First published in Great Britain in ebook format in 2017 by HarperCollins Publishers Copyright © Cressida McLaughlin 2017 Cover design © HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 2017 Cover illustration © Alice Stevenson Cressida McLaughlin asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library. This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins. Ebook Edition © December 2017 ISBN: 9780008273361 Version: 2018-09-24

Part Two: Starboard Home Part Two

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

About the Author

Keep Reading …

Also by Cressida McLaughlin

About the Publisher

The atmosphere at the table inside the Riverside Inn was almost as frosty as the early December night. Summer sipped her pint, trying to stay calm, feeling the tension radiating off Claire, sitting beside her. As much as she tried, she couldn’t help glancing at her phone, calculating the minutes that Mason and Tania had been gone.

Mason and Tania.

Summer had never expected Tania to come back into Mason’s life. Until today, she had been a figure rooted firmly in the past, a woman of almost mythical status. She forced herself to move her phone away from her, unable to stop the sigh from escaping.

Claire put her hand over Summer’s. Summer felt a flash of anger but pushed it back down.

‘I am so, so sorry, Sum,’ Claire said. ‘I didn’t realize she’d be here. She assured me, when she organized the moorings for us, that she would be gone for the whole month. She said specifically that she didn’t want to cause an atmosphere, so I have no idea what she’s playing at!’

The remorse on Claire’s usually cheerful face changed it completely, and Summer’s anger began to fade, replaced by worry at the thought that Tania had misled Claire on purpose. ‘I know it’s not your fault,’ she said quietly. ‘But that doesn’t make it any easier.’

Claire took a sip of wine. ‘Of course it doesn’t. God, I had such high hopes for this trip. When I found out we had the opportunity to come to Little Venice for a week, so close to Christmas, and that there would be enough visitor moorings for all of us, I jumped at the chance. And I couldn’t imagine being here without you and the canal boat café. I know it’s been over a year since we were roving together, and that I manage fine with my band of brothers, but this was too special to miss. And I was going to tell you that Tania had sorted out the moorings for us, but as she’d promised she wouldn’t be here, I didn’t think it mattered. Especially when you told me Mason was reluctant to come – I didn’t want to put him off either.’

They’d spent the last fortnight travelling the British waterways from Willowbeck, Summer and Mason’s picturesque fenland village home, after Claire had invited them to join in with the impromptu festive market in London, three weeks before Christmas. Mason had been thrown by the short notice, but after a day or so he’d relented, and Summer had been delighted that she’d have him, and their dogs Latte and Archie, on board her café boat Madeleine for five whole weeks. Their excitement upon arriving in Little Venice earlier that day had turned to shock when Tania had been waiting to greet them in the pub.

‘I’m sure they won’t be gone long,’ Summer said, trying to reassure herself more than anyone. Mason had told Tania he was happy to speak to her, and Tania had suggested a late-night coffee shop around the corner. They’d been gone fourteen minutes. ‘When did you catch up with her again?’

Claire sighed. ‘We lost touch, years ago, after the whole Mason thing happened. But we were down here this spring, just for an overnight, and she came on my boat. She’d recognized it from before, of course, told me she was living here now, had a permanent mooring in Little Venice – I remember thinking she must have sold her soul to be able to afford it. It was a shock to see her, I can tell you.’

‘You and me both,’ Summer murmured, taking a slow sip of her beer.

‘We went for a drink in this very pub,’ Claire continued. ‘I said that I knew where Mason was, and I told her what he’d told me, that when they met he hadn’t long been a liveaboard, and was grieving for his wife; he’d lost everything and was starting again from scratch. I explained that he’d come to realize it was far too soon for him to be in a new relationship, and that he’d decided the best thing for both of them was to walk away. She knows how sorry he is, about how he treated her. I also told her that he was happy now, that he was with you.’

Summer swallowed. ‘What did she say?’

‘She took it all in, she said she could understand the circumstances, and that it was a relief to know the real reason he’d left.’ Claire shook her head. ‘I know Mason wanted to get in touch with her, to clear the air between them, but when I mentioned the possibility to Tania she said she needed more time, that when she’d had a chance to mull it over she’d decide whether she wanted to speak to him. I was only in Little Venice that one night, I left the next day and normal life resumed. It was a while before I heard from Tania again, a few text messages, but she didn’t mention Mason and I didn’t want to push it. I thought when she was ready, she’d ask for his number – whatever. And then she let me know about the moorings, and I realized there was space for all of us. She told me she’d be going away, and I thought that was because she wasn’t ready to see him again. Somewhere in the last few weeks she’s changed her mind and hasn’t bothered to update me.’