The Canal Boat Café Christmas by Cressida McLaughlin

Author:Cressida McLaughlin [Medina, Kate]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2020-08-24T17:00:00+00:00

They made their way gingerly down the steps, clutching onto handrails and each other, their chattering silenced in the wake of such an unexpected, trip-changing event.

‘The canal is frozen,’ Ralph said, shaking his head. ‘The canal is actually frozen. In London.’

‘Unprecedented,’ Doug agreed. ‘When’s the last time this happened?’

‘No idea,’ Jas said, testing the towpath for slipperiness, then taking one of Claire’s arms while Ralph took the other. ‘These shoes were not meant for ice, Claire.’

‘God, I know that now,’ she said, clinging onto the two men gratefully. ‘And if there was ever a time not to fall into the canal, this is it. I don’t want anyone here to test out how thick the ice is, OK?’

‘What do you take us for?’ Ryder murmured, helping Tania down the steps. Even he seemed shell-shocked by the discovery, one that would undoubtedly halt their journey out of Little Venice the following day, all of them at the mercy of the weather.

Breaking the ice, Summer remembered her mum telling her years ago, was a fool’s errand. It would damage the boats, as well as being hard work, dangerous and entirely pointless. The ice on the canal could continue for miles. The only thing to be done was to sit it out. And as long as they couldn’t vacate their visitor moorings, then nobody else could come and take their places, either.

‘It looks like we’ve at least one more day of trading,’ Claire said, as Jas and Ralph deposited her on the deck of Water Music. ‘I guess we make the most of it, and keep an eye on the weather forecast. Night.’

They all said their goodnights. Ryder stood on the towpath with Tania having a low, whispered conversation, and Summer and Mason left them to it, stepping carefully onto Madeleine’s bow deck. Summer felt more sober than she had five minutes ago, and a headache was thrumming behind her eyes, warning of tomorrow’s hangover. She rubbed her forehead, and Mason paused to kiss it before unlocking the door. He had to wrestle with it, the ice creeping into the lock and along the doorjamb, and his expression was pensive as they made their way through the darkened café. Summer stopped to cuddle Archie and Latte who were blinking up at them, disturbed from their slumber as she switched on the lights, and they took off their coats.

‘You OK?’ Mason asked. ‘Glass of water?’

‘I’ll get it. Why did I think trusting Ryder’s cocktails – or his choice of entertainment – would be a good idea?’

‘Hey, it was a good night, wasn’t it? We survived karaoke, and if you drink a pint of water now, tomorrow won’t feel so horrible.’

‘But it will still be frozen,’ Summer said, as Mason gently guided her through to the cabin, tickling Archie under the chin as he passed. ‘We’ll be trapped here.’

‘Trapped? Is that how you feel?’ He sounded confused, concerned, but when she didn’t answer he disappeared, and Summer cleaned her teeth, peeled off her clothes and climbed under the covers.

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