Once inside the cabin Nell placed some old towels on the rug in front of the fire. For a second, she watched Guy through the small porthole before placing the kettle on the gas and the cakes on the table.
A few minutes later, the latch lifted and his bright smile beamed around the door.
‘Is it okay to bring Sam inside?’
‘It is, come on in, he can sit by the fire.’
Guy stooped down and walked on to the boat with Sam following behind. He swung his head round and took in his surroundings. ‘Wow! Look at this place. It’s like a proper house inside,’ he said in amazement.
‘It is a proper house, just on the water!’ Nell exclaimed, laughing.
‘I have to admit, that’s the part I’m not keen on.’
‘Come on through, you’ll be surprised. There’s a kitchen and everything, all mod cons in here, you know.’
‘I’ve popped your life jacket back in the box.’
‘Great, thanks, and you know where it is if you ever need it again and thanks for the loan of your scarf,’ she said, handing it back to Guy.
‘I’ve no intention of ever needing a life jacket again in my lifetime, but thanks anyway,’ he grinned. ‘Do you know, this is the first time I’ve ever been inside a barge?’
‘I’m surprised you’ve taken over Ed’s job if you’re scared of water and never been inside a narrowboat,’ Nell mused, passing him a towel to dry off Sam, who was standing at Guy’s side and wafting his long snout in the air.
‘I surprised myself by accepting his offer but he promised me faithfully that all the boats that needed restoring and painting would be firmly on dry land inside the yard, but I am beginning to doubt he’s told me the whole truth.’ He rolled his eyes in jest.
Suddenly, Sam began to shake violently, spraying water everywhere.
‘Whoa! Sam stop,’ Guy commanded in a stern tone, quickly throwing a towel over his back and rubbing him down frantically. ‘I’m so sorry!’
Sam looked up with his dopey eyes, ‘How could anyone resist those puppy-dog eyes,’ Nell giggled, wiping away droplets from her face.
‘He has his moments. There, that’s better, he’s all done.’ Nell took the towel from Guy while they both watched Sam in amusement as he circled round and round, chasing his tail until he finally lay down in front of the burning embers of the fire.
‘Make yourself at home, why don’t you?’ Guy laughed.
‘He’s a gorgeous looking dog.’
‘But a bit scatty!’
Sam was now fully stretched out on the rug. ‘And definitely has bagged the best place on the boat.’
‘There’s something quite enchanting about a real fire,’ Guy said watching the flames crackle and burn.
‘There is. I do love this time of year. Take a seat,’ Nell gestured towards the bench, ‘Oh and welcome to the Nollie!’ she flung her arms open wide.
‘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.
Guy leant forward and wiped a tear from her cheek that had escaped.
‘I didn’t mean to make you cry,’ his voice faltered and he gave Nell a weak smile. ‘Here,’ he said, taking a tissue from his pocket.
‘Sorry I was lost in the moment there. That’s so sad and romantic.’
‘I was sure he was going to live forever and now they are no doubt rocking the heavens together. I miss them both dearly. Even though I knew Granddad had been ill for a while, his death was still like a kick in the stomach. It felt like my whole world had collapsed.’
This was a situation Nell could wholeheartedly relate to; first her dad and then Ollie.
‘Were your family supportive?’ Tears threatened again as Nell thought of her mum and Bea, her heart swelled with love for them both, she could never have got through the tough times without them.
Guy turned towards her, ‘Hey, I’m meant to be cheering you up and look at us getting all maudlin.’
For a split second his fingers entwined around hers, Nell squeezed them, then smiled up at him.
‘I know,’ she said, throwing caution to the wind while glancing down at her now-empty coffee mug, ‘I think we are both in need of something a little stronger, even if it’s a school night.’
‘Oh why not. You’ve talked me into it.’
‘It didn’t need much persuasion,’ she laughed, standing up and grasping a bottle of wine from the rack at the side of the fridge before pouring two large glasses.
The pair of them sipped at their wine thoughtfully, both tinged with sadness over the loss of their loved ones.
‘Hug?’ Guy asked softly, reaching towards her and taking her hand. The feel of his touch sent shivers downs Nell’s spine and her skin prickled with goose bumps. A feeling she had missed for such a long time.
‘That would be nice.’
‘How’s that? Comfy?’ He rested his arm around her shoulder. It had been a while since she’d felt the comforting weight of an arm draped around her and she nestled into him as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Hearing the thump of his heart, ‘Perfect,’ she murmured, startled by her own feelings. The feeling of being close to someone again made her tingle all over as she wrapped her arm across his stomach and inhaled the gorgeous aroma of his aftershave. She could feel the intense heat radiating from his touch and wondered if he could feel it too as her heart skipped a beat.
‘So tell me about Guy Cornish,’ she asked. ‘Who is this Irish man who’s turned up at Little Rock?’
‘There’s not a lot to tell. I’m twenty-nine and owner of a scatty dog …’ he paused.
‘Job?’
Guy exhaled, ‘A suit, work in the city, dealing with financial stuff.’
‘You don’t sound too chuffed about that?’ Nell said, detecting the change in the tone of his voice.
‘It pays the bills.’
Nell lifted her head and gazed towards him, ‘Single?’ she asked calmly, even though her heart was hammering in anticipation of the answer.
For a brief second the question hung in the air and he rested his chin of the top of Nell’s head while she reminded herself to breathe normally.
‘I’m single,’ he replied.
Goose bumps prickled over every inch of her body, ‘That’s good, then,’ the words left her mouth before she could stop herself.
Looking Nell in the eyes, he smiled. She noticed the gentle lift of his mouth and for a brief moment she thought he was going to kiss her. She’d no idea what had come over her – she’d only just met the man. Her heart was beating wildly and it was then Nell had felt it: raw chemistry, an attraction, a feeling she’d not felt for a long time.
‘It’s the wine, makes me brave,’ she giggled, tearing her gaze away.
‘You’ve only had one sip,’ he laughed. He nudged her playfully with his elbow.
Nell felt the corners of her mouth lift, ‘When are you due back in Ireland?’
‘In a few weeks’ time when Ed is back up on his feet.’
Suddenly, Nell felt a tiny pang. It was daft really, she barely knew the man but there was something inside her that didn’t like the thought of him returning to Ireland anytime soon.
They sat in a peaceful silence, watching the snowflakes settling on the roofs of the pretty barges through the porthole of the ‘Nollie’. Smoke from neighbouring boats spiralled into the grey sky.
Guy turned towards Nell, there was a sudden brightness in his eyes, ‘Let’s raise a toast,’
‘What are we toasting?’
‘Ollie’s birthday, my grandparents and to life.’
‘That sounds like a great toast.’
They both clinked their glasses against each other’s. ‘Cheers, life.’
‘Life,’ Nell smiled, taking a sip of her wine.
Nell felt content and happy and even though Guy had only just come into her life, she didn’t like the thought of him disappearing out of it anytime soon.