‘Surprise!’ Alan bellowed. ‘You didn’t think we’d abandoned you, did you? This rain wouldn’t keep us away.’
‘I can’t believe that all these people turned up out of the blue. I was beginning to feel a little disappointed,’ Bea said, smiling happily.
‘You can thank Mum for that. She was on the phone to Alan first thing this morning organising the troops because of the weather,’ Nell replied.
Bea smiled, ‘Thanks so much, everyone. I’m honestly thrilled and feeling a little giddy.
‘And so you should.’
After Nell said hello to Lloyd and Ed, everyone began to gather around the tables at the back of the deli and Gilly and Fern were pushing through the crowd, carrying a tray of champagne flutes full to the brim.
Fern handed one to Bea, ‘This one is lemonade, but it still looks the same.’
‘Thanks, Fern.’
‘Here’s the press now,’ Tasha glanced over towards the door. In walked a tall man with a camera dangling around his neck. He pushed to the back of the deli and introduced himself to Bea.
He manoeuvred her next to Tasha and snapped a few shots before Alf clinked his glass with a spoon and the whole deli fell silent. All eyes were on Bea. ‘Today we are here to present Beatrice Green with the most prestigeous award we offer.’
Both Nathan and Nell stifled a giggle as they saw Bea squirm at the mention of her name, ‘I don’t know why she doesn’t like her name, it suits her,’ Nell whispered to Nathan.
‘Here at the DSA,’ Tasha continued, ‘The Deli Standards Association, the Michelin stars of all delis and coffee shops, me and Alf have what I consider to be the best job in the world. We travel up and down the country tasting the most delicious food, granted it’s not good for the waistline,’ she patted her stomach and everyone chuckled, ‘However, when you discover a place like this,’ she swept her arms outwards, ‘It makes it all worthwhile. The Melting Pot is not only exceptional in terms of customer service and ambience but it attracts a wide range of customers, from people living on barges to local families. The standard of food is excellent, reasonably priced and it gives me great pleasure to present the award of Deli of the Year to Beatrice Green of The Melting Pot.’ Tasha handed over the plaque and Bea shook hands with both her and Alf. The photographer snapped away while everyone else erupted in cheers and clapped. And not forgetting Sam, who thumped his tail on the floor.
Once the photographer had finished taking photographs, Nell moved forward and threw her arms around her best friend while she blinked back the tears.
‘Congratulations you!’
‘Thank you,’ Bea was grinning like the Cheshire Cat, ‘I couldn’t have done any of this without you.’
‘The dream team!’ Nell high-fived Bea and they both chuckled.
‘I have to ask, was it you?’
‘Was what me?’ Nell asked.
‘Who nominated me? Come on, you can tell me now.’
Nell shook her head, ‘Honestly, it wasn’t me. I’d told you before, I’d tell you if it was.’
‘Well, who was it then? Bea asked, perplexed, turning towards Alf, who was chatting with Nathan beside them.
‘Sorry to interrupt, but Alf, could I ask, and I’m not sure you can tell me, but who nominated me?’
Alf glanced towards Tasha before flicking back through some papers in his hand. His eyes scanned the page and he ran his finger across it.
‘You were nominated by a Dot and Fern Watson.’
Bea gasped.
‘Your mum and sister,’ Nell nodded, her approving eye ran over the names on the page before squeezing Bea’s arm, ‘See, she was proud of you.’
Bea swallowed a lump and bit down on her lip, trying to keep the tears from falling, but the emotion was too raw.
She turned towards Fern, who was chatting behind her with Alan and Lloyd, ‘It was you.’
She smiled warmly, ‘More like Mum. I just filled in the form. She spotted an article in a magazine and said you would be the perfect nomination and she was right.’
‘You don’t know how much this means to me,’ sobbed Bea, smiling through the tears.
‘I think I do, come on, group hug.’
Fern extended her arms and Bea, Nathan and Nell fell into them. Tears a-plenty.
Chapter 50
Despite the torrential rain everyone had a fantastic afternoon. Tasha and Alf left soon after the presentation, but not before Bea had put together a small food hamper for them both and Alf promised next time he was in the area with his wife he would visit for a cream tea.
The mood was jovial and after Nathan shushed the remaining guests he erected the plaque in the middle of the wall behind the counter and they all stood and admired it.
‘My face is actually aching. I don’t think I’ve smiled this much in ages,’ Bea laughed, pinching her cheeks with her fingers.
‘You must be tired,’ Nathan grabbed a chair, ‘Take that weight off your feet.’
‘Are you saying I’m fat?’
Everyone chuckled.
Finally, after a couple of hours the rain had begun to ease a little and Fern ushered Nell into the kitchen.
‘It will only take me fifteen minutes or so to nip back to Mum’s and grab the painting. But what’s the story if Bea asks where I’m going?’
Nell paused for a minute, ‘I’ve no idea, but I’ve got to nip to the Old Picture House in the next half an hour. The builder is meeting there to discuss something about the re-wiring.’
‘Sounds riveting,’ Fern laughed, snatching her coat from the back of the office chair.
‘It’s been a fantastic afternoon, hasn’t it?’
Nell agreed, ‘Yes, and made even more special knowing you and your mum nominated Bea for the award. That was definitely the icing on the cake.’
Fern smiled and touched Nell’s arm, ‘I’ll see you in a little while. I’m going to sneak out the back door.’
‘Good idea.’
Nell locked the door behind Fern and wandered back into the deli. Everyone was huddled around laughing and chatting. Gilly was standing with Lloyd in the corner and Sam was sitting at his side.
‘Looks like you’ve made a new friend there,’ Nell bent down and ruffled Sam’s fur.
‘What a fantastic day,’ Gilly turned towards Nell, ‘Will it be alright if Lloyd joins us at the pub for Bea’s celebratory meal this evening.’
‘Of course. I’m sure Bea won’t mind and neither do I. The more the merrier.’
‘Come and join us, you three. Don’t stand in the corner, grab a chair,’ Bea hollered, ‘And where’s that sister of mine disappeared to?’
Nell pulled up a chair alongside her friend, ‘She’ll be back in a minute. She’s just nipped out for a second.’
‘Where to?’
‘I didn’t ask and anyway where’s that lovely godson of mine? He must have finished school by now.’ Nell changed the subject, steering the conversation away from Fern.
‘He’s at a friend’s house for tea. That’s why we are taking advantage of some adult time in the pub for tea, which will finish off the day perfectly.’
‘Gushing-friend moment coming up,’ Nell warned Bea, ‘I’m so proud of what you’ve achieved here.’
‘Thank you.’
‘I’ve just got to nip out for a short while. I’m meeting the builder at the Old Picture House anytime now,’ she glanced at her watch, ‘I’ll see you in the pub when I’ve finished. It shouldn’t take too long.’
‘Make sure you do.’
Nell stood up and slipped her arms inside her coat before hurrying up the wharf towards the Old Picture House. Nell took a moment outside and smiled at the huge yellow skip outside, which was packed to the brim with rubble. She still had to pinch herself. She couldn’t quite believe this place was hers and already it was beginning to be transformed into something special. She willed the day to hurry when she could open the doors to the public and, with everything running so smoothly, hopefully it would soon
.
Nell turned the key in the lock and pushed open the door to the Old Picture House. She stood proudly inside the foyer. Already she could imagine how everything was going to look. The builders were already doing a fantastic job, the wallpaper had been stripped and the worn carpet ripped away. The windows were being replaced in the next few weeks and everything was on track. She knew, even though it was still a fair few months off completion, that it would all come together in the end and look magnificent.
Nell wandered around the place, the ladies’ and gents’ were an empty shell waiting to be tiled and painted, then the new toilets could be installed. This coming week the cinema chairs were going to be deep-cleaned and the new heavy red-velvet curtains that were to hang in each auditorium in front of the screen were on order.
She climbed the stairs to the projection room. The shelves of films had already been transferred to plastic boxes and labelled in alphabetical order. The walls had been painted in magnolia, which gave it a more airy, clean feel.
She sat on one of the chairs and glanced at her mobile. The builder was already fifteen minutes late. She sent a text asking how long he was going to be, knowing that he’d probably been caught up at another job.
Almost immediately the phone beeped and she swiped the screen.
‘Just caught in traffic. I’ll be there in ten minutes.’
Nell walked back down the magnificent staircase towards the foyer. She stood still for a second thinking she’d heard a door creak at the end of the hallway towards the small cinema room.
‘Don’t be daft,’ she murmured to herself, ‘It’ll just be the wind.’ For a second she loitered at the bottom of the stairs, when she heard it again. Her heart was thumping as she swung her head round and stared towards the door at the bottom of the hallway.
She hollered, ‘Hello, who’s there?’
But there was no answer.
She felt uneasy as she tiptoed along the floor and pressed her hand to the door. She took a deep breath and pushed it open.
The room was in complete darkness.
‘Stupid woman,’ she uttered, rolled her eyes and heaved a sigh of relief. ‘It’ll be a draught somewhere.’
She turned round and squealed. Placing her hand on her heart, Nell forced herself to breathe calmly.
Guy beamed back at her. ‘Fancy seeing you here.’ Nell stared in amazement, ‘You nearly gave me a heart attack! What the heck are you doing here?’
He looked gorgeous standing there in his ever-faithful Levi’s and converse. He nervously swept his fringe away from his eye, allowing his hazel eyes to lock with Nell’s.
‘You’re shaking.’
‘No bloody wonder, I thought there was an intruder.
Guy, you frightened the life out of me.’
‘It’s good to see you,’ his eyes sparkled at her.
Nell had to admit, it was good to see him too.
‘Any chance of a hug?’ he tilted his head to one side and slowly opened his arms.
‘Go on, then, if I must.’
He wrapped his arms around her and Nell almost melted, it felt so good.
After a few seconds Nell pulled away, ‘I’m meeting the builder in a minute. He wants to have a chat about the re-wiring. But what exactly are you doing here, Guy?’
‘There is no builder. I telephoned Mike and asked him to arrange the meeting.’
‘No meeting? It was you?’
‘Yes! I wanted to surprise you!’
‘Well, you did that all right!’
He smiled at her and Nell swiped his chest playfully, ‘Look at this place. It looks different already. You’ve worked really hard bringing everything together.’
‘I’m actually quite proud of myself, even if I do say so myself,’ she beamed.
He grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her in close once more, wrapping his arms around her and rested his chin on top of her head, ‘I have missed you, Nell Andrews.’
She closed her eyes, her heart clattered at his touch and he smelt divine. She’d missed him too but he wasn’t hers to miss. ‘Me too, but it’s too complicated. We shouldn’t be talking like this,’ her voice was barely a whisper.
‘We need to talk,’ he said firmly, pulling away and gripping her hand. ‘Back to the Nollie and I’m not taking no for an answer.’
Chapter 51
Guy was standing behind Nell while she fumbled with the keys in the lock to the ‘Nollie’. ‘You’re making me nervous,’ she laughed over her shoulder.
‘Is that a good thing?’
‘I’m not entirely sure.’ She finally held the door open so he could step inside.
‘I believe Bea’s had a good day,’ he said, slipping out of his coat and settling at the table, he folded his arms and shifted his gaze to Nell, who was standing smiling at him.
‘What are you smiling at?’
‘Nothing whatsoever, make yourself at home,’ she chuckled, ‘It’s like you’ve never been away. Drink?’
‘Cup of tea would be great.’
Nell made them both a drink and slipped on the seat next to him.
‘Bea was delighted with the award. Despite the weather, Alan rallied all the troops and the place was packed. I know I’m biased but it was well-deserved. She works hard.’
‘And I believe Sam looked dapper in his bow tie.’
Nell chuckled, ‘How do you know about any of this?’
‘Because when I dropped off my suitcase at Ed’s I wanted to know why my dog was suddenly sporting a bow tie.’
Nell had only focused on one word in that sentence, ‘Suitcase? Are you back for a while, then?’ she felt a nervous flutter in her stomach waiting for his answer.
‘Hopefully, Ed has offered me a job at the yard and I can stay in the annexe until the new lodgers move in.’
It took Nell a moment for all this to register, ‘You’re really back?’
‘Back for good.’
‘But, I don’t understand, what’s happened?’
She saw a sadness wash over him and he took a sip of his tea before turning towards her. He rested his face on his hands and exhaled.
‘Me and Kate, it was never going to work, was it? I’d lost all respect for her a long time ago and as far as love went …’ he paused and exhaled.
Waiting in anticipation, Nell came over all emotional, ‘She’s lost the baby, hasn’t she?’
Their eyes locked, ‘Not quite,’ he finally said, swallowing down a lump. He raked his hands through his hair and clearly looked distressed.
‘The only reason I went back was for the baby, you do know that don’t you.’
Nell nodded, ‘I believe you. You don’t have to explain yourself. You were putting your baby first. It takes a special kind of person to do that,’ she said softly.
‘When I got back to Ireland, it didn’t feel like home. I wanted to be anywhere but there. I felt so lonely, unhappy and I missed you dreadfully.’ He shifted his gaze to Nell, his expression was earnest.
‘I know it sounds overdramatic but all I thought about was you. I dreamt of this place. My dreams were so vivid I’d wake up and then reality hit, I wasn’t here. Kate and I barely spoke, everything felt forced and false. I went back to work and I hated every minute of it. My heart wasn’t in it. I didn’t want to be with Kate, there was no love there any more. Well, not from me, anyway. The more I thought about it, the more I resented being there. What life would it be for a child to be brought up in those circumstances?’
‘A difficult one,’ admitted Nell.
He nodded. ‘So I wrote my letter of resignation and they accepted it. Even though it hurt to go back, I had to give it a try, otherwise I would have always been wondering what if.’ Guy was now wearing his heart on his sleeve.
‘Especially for the baby’s sake.’
‘But I knew the moment I left you here, it was never going to work.’
Nell blushed. Guy was staring deep into her eyes. She leant forward and kissed him lightly on the cheek. He s
miled warmly at her and took a deep breath.
‘I decided to tell Kate I was coming back to England and if she made it difficult for me I’d fight for custody if I had to.’
‘How did she take that?’
‘She laughed in my face.’
Nell’s eyes widened. ‘Why would she do that?’
He took a deep breath, ‘She laughed because there is no baby.’
Nell sat up straight and stared at Guy. ‘No baby? What do you mean?’
‘There was never a baby. She made it up, said it out of spite, probably because she knew I’d feelings for you. It was a control thing, she just wanted me back in Ireland.’
Nell took a moment to digest the information. ‘She knows you are a decent guy and would do the right thing.’
‘Possibly so.’
‘But what a thing to do.’
‘What she did was unforgivable.’
They both sat quietly for a moment until Nell broke the silence.
‘You deserve so much more than that. I’m so sorry.’ Nell’s stomach lurched and she felt sickened by such a lie, ‘It’s such a terrible thing to lie about. What did she think was going to happen in seven to eight months’ time?’
‘I really have no idea.’ Guy took a moment to collect his thoughts, his body was trembling with anger and his eyes were bleary with tears.
‘After I packed my suitcase I gave her a few choice words and told her I was filing for divorce.’
Nell squeezed his hands tight. ‘I always admired you for putting your baby first. How do you feel now you know there isn’t one?’
‘Sad and relieved, if that makes any sense. Sad, I suppose, because I think I’d be a good dad and I love children and I’m relieved that I’m not tied to Kate for a lifetime. I want a family with someone I love, someone I respect, who feels the same about me. I know one day that could possibly happen.’
‘Any ideas who that person could possibly be?’
Guy turned towards her, ‘I’m not the best with all this sloppy stuff …’
‘You’re doing alright so far,’ her fingers entwined around his.
‘I’ve never missed anyone like I’ve missed you. I mean I really missed you. I want to be happy with you …’ he hooked a strand of hair around Nell’s ear then tilted her chin towards his face, ‘I love you, Nell Andrews, you make me happy and I feel alive again.’
The Cosy Canal Boat Dream: A funny, feel-good romantic comedy you won’t be able to put down! Page 29
