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

Guy nodded, ‘You’re cold,’ he said, ruffling a hand through his hair before slipping off his scarf and handing it to her.

‘Thanks,’ she replied, wrapping it tightly around her neck. ‘It doesn’t look like he’s come this way. Let’s head back towards the marina.’

They both turned around and began to quickly walk back up the path, ‘I can’t help but ask,’ she said, curiosity getting the better of her, ‘about your accent.’

‘Irish.’

She nodded, ‘Ed doesn’t have an Irish accent.’

‘That’s very true. We have different fathers. He’s ten years older than me. My mum and his dad split up years ago and then she met my father, Niall.’

‘Whose name sounds very Irish!’

‘Yep, hence the accent. Ed moved across here some time ago after meeting a girl at work. She was on a short-term contract at a firm he used to be employed at over in Ireland, but she was from around these parts and when her contract was up, she moved back home and he followed her.’

‘I didn’t even know Ed had a girlfriend.’

‘He doesn’t now. They split up a couple of months later, but he liked the place that much he never came home and has been here ever since.’

‘What about you?’

‘Me?’

‘Yes, have you got any family of your own?’

His eyes seemed to harden for a moment, ‘Only my dog, who seems to have done a complete runner on me.’

‘Don’t worry, he can’t have gone far, we’ll find him.’

They hurried back towards the marina and the whole place looked deserted on this cold grey day except for a van parked up at the far end of the towpath. Then, out of the blue, all they could hear was a sudden continuous banging that seemed to echo all around them.

‘What’s that noise?’ Nell asked, glancing up the wharf.

‘That man over there. He’s hammering a sign on to the front of that building.’

She squinted ahead to see the man throw his tools into the back of the van, start the engine and drive off.

‘What’s that place?’ Guy asked as they carried on walking towards it.

Nell paused outside the building and a small wave of sadness washed over her. She was rooted to the spot and stared up at the sign. ‘For Sale,’ she murmured despondently.

‘It looks like it’s been empty for a while. Shame, it looks like it was a beautiful building.’

Nell had forgotten how much she adored this place. Some of her favourite memories were made right there, inside that building.

‘It was. It’s the Old Picture House.’

‘Picture house?’

She nodded, ‘A cinema with a difference. In it’s heyday, on a Friday night, it used to be packed to the rafters. It really was the place to go. Ollie and me had our very first date there, must be over twelve years ago now, and when I was a kid I’d spend my Sunday mornings here with my dad watching films. This place was the heart of the community for years.’

‘I bet you were a cute kid,’ he smiled at her.

Nell laughed, his words taking her a little by surprise. ‘Adorable my dad said, but he was biased.’

They both stared up at the building. The roof looked worn and the grimy bricks were streaked by the rainwater that had dripped from the broken gutters. Half of the windows had panes of glass missing and the other half were boarded up. Worn heavy velvet curtains still hung in the upstairs windows, but they looked as if they were clinging on for dear life. What was once a magical building was now badly in need of some tender loving care.

Out of every inch of Nell’s body poured the memories of her early dates with Ollie. They were good memories and magical moments she’d never forget. She could still remember the thousands of anxious fireflies dancing around in her stomach on their very first date, the smell of his aftershave and the feeling that surged through her body when he had held her hand for the very first time. That night he’d offered to pick her up from Bluebell Cottage and just before seven o’clock there’d been a rap on the door. Nell had waited a moment at the top of the stairs, not wanting to appear too keen, until her dad shouted ‘I’ll get the door.’

How embarrassing.

She’d sprinted down the stairs quicker than an Olympian and threw open the door to find Ollie standing on the doorstep, timidly smiling back at her. It was early autumn and the sun was still shining in the early evening sky. He’d stood shyly, with his hands in the back pocket of his jeans, and she couldn’t help but notice his tanned muscly arms on show.

‘Hi,’ he’d said, then nervously raked a hand through his unruly hair. They’d walked to the marina, and she could remember looking back over her shoulder as they wandered up the garden path, only to notice her mum and dad peeping from behind the curtain. At that time of year the walk to the marina was a pleasant one, along the towpath. Honeysuckle still festooned the hedgerows and the narrowboats slowly glided past them up the canal. They’d ambled side by side, their elbows banging against each other’s. Her heart was thumping and she forced herself to breathe calmly. Feeling his presence so close to her had made every ounce of her body tingle. His eyes sparkled and met hers, then, finally, he’d stretched out his hand and their fingers had entwined. They’d strolled hand in hand for the rest of the way.

At the end of the evening he’d walked her home. They’d lingered on the doorstep for what seemed like hours before he’d taken her hands in his. She’d shivered in anticipation as he tilted her chin up and lowered his head towards her and kissed her gently. Her heart had been beating so fast that she honestly thought it was going to explode and that was the moment she knew, she wanted to be Ollie Andrews’ girlfriend.

A sigh escaped her and she met Guy’s eyes.

‘Are you okay?’ he asked.

‘Sometimes I wish I could turn back time and have my life again,’ but Nell knew standing there looking up at the building she couldn’t turn back the clock. She’d lovely memories of the Old Picture House and ones she would cherish forever.

‘What happened to this place? Why did it close down?’

‘I’m assuming financial difficulty. I suppose these days people watch films online and less and less people began to use the place. It never really moved into the digital age, it continued to run exactly how it had done since the day it opened, with its projectors and ice-cream sellers in the foyer.’

‘There was a little place like that in Ireland. It kept going and going and soon it was all the rage again. The Vintage Cinema, you even had waitress service to your seat.’

‘That sounds just like this place. When you walked inside the foyer it felt like you were a Hollywood film actor. There was a beautiful chandelier and floor-to-ceiling posters of the latest films as well as the old classics. You should have seen it. Then there was … Gladys, I think that was her name. She was the woman who sat behind the wooden box taking your money. Oh and I can’t forget the plush velvet red bucket seats, once you sank into them there was no getting out, well not with much dignity, anyway. It was a very sad day when the doors closed for the final time.’

‘Such a shame the magic can’t live on.’ Guy added, ‘And now it’s up for sale.’

Nell felt saddened by the ‘for sale’ sign, but it was only a matter of time before the property was sold on. ‘I’m surprised it’s not been sold sooner.’

‘It’ll be more than likely snapped up by a builder, then flattened for houses.’

She felt a sudden pang in her heart at the mere mention of Guy’s words.

They stared for a moment longer until they were interrupted by a distant yelp, then a bark.

‘Sam,’ Guy shouted, ‘Sam, where are you, boy?’