Katie Ginger - The Little Theatre on the Seafront - The perfect uplifting and heartwarming read

KATIE GINGERlives in the South East of England, by the sea, and apart from holidays to very hot places where you can sit by a pool and drink cocktails as big your head, she wouldn’t really want to be anywhere else. This is Katie’s debut novel but she is also the author of some cosy mystery short stories. She loves making her characters either fall in love, or killing them off – it depends on her mood!

When she’s not writing, Katie spends her time drinking gin, or with her husband, trying to keep alive her two children: Ellie, who believes everything in life should be done as a musical number from a West End show; and Sam, who is basically a monkey with a boy’s face. And there’s also their adorable King Charles Spaniel, Wotsit (yes, he is named after the crisps!).

For more about Katie you can visit her website: www.keginger.com, find her on Facebook: www.facebook.com/KatieGAuthor, or follow her on Twitter: @KatieGAuthor

HQ

An imprint of HarperColl‌insPublishers Ltd.

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2018

Copyright © Katie Ginger 2018

Katie Ginger asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue record for 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, downloaded, 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.

E-book Edition © September 2018 ISBN: 9780008308674

Version: 2018-08-22

Table of Contents

Cover

About Katie Ginger

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Acknowledgements

Coming Soon

Hello!

Dear Reader,

Keep Reading

About the Publisher

To all my supportive family and friends.

Thank you!

To my dearest girl,

What a wonderful life we’ve had together, my darling Lottie. I’m so sorry that I’ll miss so many things, such as seeing you get married and have children, but my time has come and I’m off to see your granddad. It’s been a long time since we last saw each other so we should have a lot to talk about, which will be a pleasant change from our married life together.

With all this death business I’ve been thinking about you and what you’ll do after I’m gone, and I’ve decided something – you need a shake up, my girl!

I love you, dear, but all you do is go to work, come home again, and that’s it. You’re thirty years old and you should be doing more with your life than spending your evenings with a little old lady like me.

If you remember, I have tried to get you enjoying life a bit more, but to no avail. Last year I set you up with that lovely handsome window cleaner, but you didn’t bat an eyelid. In fact, I’m not entirely sure you even knew what was happening. And then there was that time at Christmas, when I tried to get you to go to your school reunion … but you stubbornly refuse to enjoy anything that takes you out of yourself and out into the world. To be frank, dear, it’s no way to live.

So, I’ve decided that a bit of emotional blackmail is in order. And as spending your evenings fussing over me won’t be an option anymore, you’re going to take over my place as chairman of Greenley Theatre and carry on my, dare I say it, good work, on the ‘Save Greenley Theatre’ campaign.

Think of it as one of those New Year, New You, type things!

Good luck, my dear. I know you’ll make me proud.

Lots of love ,

Nan

P.S. I haven’t actually arranged this with the committee yet so that will be your first job. Have fun!

Lottie waited outside her house for Sid, her colleague and best friend, to pick her up. She checked her watch and rolled her eyes. He was late, as usual. In all the years she’d known him he’d never been able to get anywhere on time – even primary school. After five more minutes of shuffling to stay warm she saw his battered old car round the corner and hid the box behind her back.

‘Here you go,’ she said as she climbed in.

‘You got me an Easter egg,’ Sid replied, smiling. It was an Incredible Hulk one.

‘I couldn’t resist.’

‘Me neither.’ He handed over a large posh box.

Lottie giggled and had a quick look at the huge milk chocolate egg covered in a white chocolate drizzle. Her mouth began to water. ‘You’re the best.’ Sid’s grin grew wider. Lottie tucked the egg down by her feet while Sid tossed his onto the backseat where it was cushioned by a mound of rubbish and they headed to the first job of the day.

Lottie leaned forward and peeked at the picture on his top. ‘Don’t you think that T-shirt’s a bit off for meeting an old lady?’

Sid pulled it to his nose and sniffed ‘What’s wrong with it?’

‘I don’t mean it’s skanky. It’s the picture.’

‘What’s wrong with the picture? Dragon Slaying Vampires are a great band.’

She raised her eyebrows. ‘I’m not sure a half-naked woman with enormous breasticles, standing on top of a dragon’s severed head in a giant pool of blood, is really appropriate for an octogenarian. Do you?’

‘Oh,’ said Sid. ‘I suppose not.’ He shrugged. ‘I’ll keep my jacket on.’

‘Yeah, good luck with that.’

Sid was the reporter on the Greenley Gazette and Lottie was his photographer. Over the years they had covered every sort of local issue from the first day at school to hardcore crime and had learnt that old ladies over the age of seventy love to have the heating on. And it was already turning into a surprisingly sunny February day.

Lottie peered up at the clear blue sky and soft white clouds overhead. She loved living in Greenley-On-Sea, especially on days like this. The sun shone brightly, and the air was crisp and clean carrying a hint of salt from the sea. The streets were full of children on their way to school, laughing and giggling at what the day might hold in store.

‘You were late again,’ she said, teasingly.

Sid pointed to two takeaway cups in the cup holders. ‘I stopped to get coffee.’