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

‘Nollie?’ She met Guy’s gaze as he raised an eyebrow.

‘Nell and Ollie: Nollie.’

‘Aw I see!’ he exclaimed, loosening his coat and sliding between the table and the seat, he settled next to the window.

‘It was Ollie’s idea,’ said Nell proudly of their little floating home.

‘And a very good one.’

‘Coffee?’ she asked, reaching for the mugs just as the kettle began to whistle.

‘Perfect,’ he answered rubbing his fingers together, ‘I think I’m finally beginning to thaw out. It’s bitter out there today.’

A flutter of white caught Nell’s eye and she peered towards the tiny porthole, ‘Look, it’s beginning to snow. I could watch the flakes fall for hours.’

Guy turned towards the window and Nell slid into the space next to him. They both watched the tiny snowflakes flurrying to the ground from the grey sky.

For a moment there was comfortable silence until Nell jumped, ‘I’ve forgotten your drink, what a rubbish host I am,’ she said, standing up, ‘and these are courtesy of Bea,’ she slid the cream cakes towards him.’

‘They look divine.’

‘I’m lucky to have first dibs on all the leftovers each day but it’s no good for the figure.’ She patted her tummy in jest.

‘You look fine to me.’

Nell quickly turned away to make the coffee, a perfect excuse to the hide the corners of her mouth that had lifted. She could feel his solid warm gaze watching her before she settled back down next to him.

‘This is the first time it’s snowed in over a year,’ Guy said, his gaze turned back to the window.

‘It is,’ Nell answered softly, with a sudden memory of Ollie flooding her mind. It was their first Christmas on the ‘Nollie’ and they had spent Christmas Eve entwined in each other’s arms in front of the fire sipping mulled wine while watching Scrooge when Nell had uttered the words: ‘I wish it would snow, that would complete Christmas.’ She remembered Ollie’s mischievous wink, ‘You never know,’ he replied. The next morning, Ollie had woken her up from her slumber by kissing her tenderly on the lips, ‘Merry Christmas, Nell,’ he’d whispered, as he took her by her hand. A trail of paper snowflakes led her to the door of the ‘Nollie’. ‘Go on, open the door,’ he pressed, kissing the tip of her nose.

‘What are you up to, Ollie Andrews?’ His eyes twinkled, ‘Close your eyes, Nell.’ Ollie flicked the latch, grasped her hand, then led her carefully up the steps on to the deck of the boat. ‘You can open your eyes now.’

The second Nell had opened her eyes she gasped: the whole ‘Nollie’ had been covered in pretend snow, just like a magical winter wonderland. Their first Christmas had been perfect: dinner at the ‘Nollie’ and the evening spent at Bluebell Cottage with her parents.

Nell turned towards Guy and smiled. There was something about Guy she was easily drawn to and she felt at ease talking to him. ‘There’s something hypnotic about watching the snow fall.’

‘I agree,’ he said, ‘Even better when you’re with beautiful company.’ His eyes sparkled and Nell’s pulse began to race.

‘I’ll take that compliment,’ she smiled shyly at him, knowing it had been a long while since anyone had paid her a compliment and she liked it.

‘Thanks for rescuing Sam today,’ he flashed Nell a grateful smile before cupping his hands around the mug of steaming coffee and taking a sip.

‘It was my pleasure.’

Guy and Nell turned towards Sam, who was whimpering in his sleep while his front paw twitched.

‘He’s exhausted and dreaming. I think his little adventure has tired him out.’

‘And me!’ Nell laughed, stretching her arms, ‘Rowing that boat has certainly given my arm muscles a workout.’

‘I was useless, pathetic in fact. I’m sorry.’

‘You were! You can make it up to me, but no apology needed,’ she teased.

Guy laughed. ‘We will never know how he got out there, but everything happens for a reason.’

‘A reason?’

‘Yes, a reason.’ Guy stretched out his legs under the table and Nell felt them brushing against hers.

‘I wouldn’t be sat here now with you if it wasn’t for Sam. I’m a strong believer in fate.’

Nell smiled up at him.

‘How are you bearing up?’ He asked cautiously.

‘My arms are fine.’

‘I didn’t mean your arms,’ he laughed, bumping his shoulder playfully against hers, ‘I meant with your husband’s birthday.’

She swallowed hard and held his gaze, ‘I’ve learnt to take one day at a time but those days are certainly getting easier.’

‘There’s a brightness in your eyes, time to start living again,’ he observed.

She nodded, ‘Time to start living again.’

Guy leant across the table and covered Nell’s hand; he squeezed it tight, she felt her body tremble a little.

‘That fire is making me feel sleepy,’ she murmured, ‘and the snow is coming down thick and fast.’

‘Have you any plans for tonight?’ he asked.

‘Mum’s expecting me for tea, but with the weather like this she’d understand if I didn’t venture out.’

‘Do you fancy some company?’

Nell’s face flushed as she glanced upwards at him and all of a sudden felt a little shy, ‘Are you sure?’

‘There’s nowhere else I’d rather be’ and he was surprised just how much he meant it after everything he’d been through recently.

‘Well, in that case. That’ll be lovely.’

‘Have you ever lost anyone close?’ Nell asked, suddenly curious about the man sitting next to her.

‘Not in the sense you have but …’ he paused.

Nell could tell by the sudden glistening of his eyes that he’d lost someone who had meant the world to him.

‘My granddad, Hector.’ His mood dipped a little, swallowing down a lump in his throat. ‘Look at me getting all emotional, it always happens when I speak about him.’

‘He must have been very special,’ said Nell softly.

He gathered himself together and lifted his eyes towards her. A smile spread across Guy’s face as he remembered his granddad. ‘Without a doubt, he was my rock and taught me everything I know.’

‘Sounds ominous,’ Nell said lightening the mood a little.

‘Ha, not at all, great memories. He bought me the best present ever when I was a kid.’

‘Which was?’

‘A box of Lego.’

‘I think Bea would disagree with you there – if she stands on one more bit of Lego,’ Nell chuckled while picturing Bea hobbling across the floor holding her foot and swearing profusely, ‘She’s threatened to throw Jacob’s in the bin.’

Guy laughed, ‘My mum used to moan when it jammed the Hoover.’

‘So why was a box of Lego the best present in the world?’

‘Because Granddad showed me how to build everything from a bog-standard house to the Empire State Building and when I was older he let me go onto the site with him and taught me how to lay bricks, plaster and get my hands really dirty.’

‘So he was a builder?’

‘Yes, even though Granny wasn’t impressed when he came home covered head to toe in dust every night. She used to shoo him straight upstairs into the shower. He died a while ago now but he and Granny clocked up over fifty years of marriage.’

‘That’s fantastic!’

Guy shook his head, ‘She’s no longer with us, sadly passed away six months after him. I know it sounds daft, but I honestly believe she died of a broken heart. She couldn’t bear to be apart from him.’ He closed his eyes for a brief moment and Nell noticed the sadness in his voice.

‘It’s not daft at all.’ Her own eyes brimmed with tears at the thought of his grandma too sad to carry on.