The Little Theatre on the Seafront: The perfect uplifting and heartwarming read

Sid scratched his head, ruffling his fluffy hair. ‘You don’t have to thank me, Lottie. I liked your nan. She was a like a mum to me too sometimes, wasn’t she?’

‘I suppose she was.’ Lottie bit her lip. ‘Do you miss her too?’

‘Yeah, I do. A lot. Elsie looked after me when Mum and Dad died.’ He cleared his throat and Lottie saw a stab of pain cross his features. Though Sid tried to be cheerful Lottie knew he still felt their loss deeply. He never spoke about his parents so Lottie never asked but he knew she was here if he ever needed to talk.

It was almost seven years since they’d been involved in a terrible car crash, and with the money they left him he’d bought his lovely flat on the seafront. He hadn’t been able to bear being in the family home all alone whereas Lottie couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. Up until then Sid had been full of ambition but after the accident those thoughts had faded. He’d eventually regained his cheerfulness but never ventured further than London when they’d had days out together. He was now perfectly content to just take each day as it came and stay put and Lottie had never felt the need to challenge him.

‘Thanks again for doing this,’ said Lottie, giving his hand a squeeze.

He gave her a smile that didn’t reach his eyes and she knew that flash of pain was lingering somewhere in his mind, but his voice was, as usual, cheerful when he said, ‘That’s alright, I like it. It’s fun. Who’s going to judge the auditions? Can I?’

‘No. Firstly you have terrible taste.’

‘I do not.’

She pointed to his Megadeath T-shirt and raised an eyebrow.

‘Fair enough.’

‘Anyway, you’re writing the articles. You need to be impartial. A bit anyway.’

‘Oh,’ Sid moaned. ‘I thought I could have a big buzzer to press if they were rubbish.’

Lottie gave him her ‘Don’t be silly,’ look. ‘I guess the mayor will want to be on the panel.’

‘And how about David? As the boss of the newspaper, we should probably ask him.’

‘Great idea.’ Lottie surveyed the dilapidation and she gave a sigh as her face crumpled.

Sid rested a hand on her shoulder. ‘Don’t worry, Lots. Everything will be okay.’

‘I hope so,’ she replied. ‘I really, really hope so.’

Chapter 7 (#ulink_ff77b71a-a5cc-59ad-b398-b4ff32c9a073)

Just over three weeks later, the day of the auditions dawned and Lottie awoke to the melodic sound of birds singing, and the sun shining through the window. For once she was excited about life again, and sprang out of bed, dancing as she dressed. It was the first time she’d woken up in the house and not felt the sudden dread of reality approaching or a heaviness in her heart as she realised she was alone.

Grabbing her jeans and slipping them on over her thighs, she didn’t care about the cellulite on the backs of her legs or her rounded stomach as she zipped them up. Most of the time Lottie was reasonably content with herself, or if not content, then not quite so preoccupied. The little extra weight she carried was nothing a couple of weeks of healthy eating and few trips to the gym wouldn’t cure, if she could be bothered. But when she was upset she focused on the bits she didn’t like as a way of not thinking about everything else. That today she didn’t care quite as much meant the darkness was lifting. She tied her long hair up in a ponytail and was just spraying some perfume when she heard the front door open and a voice call her name.

‘Lots, are you there?’

‘I’m just getting dressed, Sid,’ she yelled back down the stairs. ‘Be down in a minute.’

She opened the curtains and stared out over the town. Being on top of the hill allowed her a view of the skyline of Greenley. It wasn’t London, Miami, or New York, but it was home and the higgledy-piggledy rooftops, leading out to a calm, grey-blue sea, were a familiar and comforting sight. The kettle whistled and she knew Sid was making them tea.

‘Morning,’ said Lottie as she met him in the living room. He’d made himself comfortable on the sofa.

He blinked as he watched her. ‘Morning. You look nice.’

‘Do I?’ She stared down at her usual jeans, noticing they were slightly grubby in places and rubbed at the spots with a wet finger.

‘Yeah, you do.’ His forehead wrinkled slightly. ‘What’s different?’

‘Nothing.’ Sid stared at her, one eyebrow raised, and she held out her hands. ‘Honestly, nothing.’

‘Really?’

‘Yes.’ Lottie laughed. ‘I promise, I’m not trying to catch you out.’

He narrowed his eyes. ‘You look very chipper this morning, though.’

‘I’m excited! Aren’t you? It’s am dram day,’ she sang, making jazz hands.

‘Have you been drinking?’

‘Ha ha.’ Lottie grabbed her bag and coat. ‘Oh, I asked a guy called Conner to come and play people’s music. He said he has some device on his laptop that’ll take the vocal track off for the singers. He emailed to say he’s studying film and media at university and thinks it’d be good for him and his budding career. I told him he’s in.’

‘What, into the Greenley Players?’ Sid sat forwards.

‘Yes,’ Lottie said slowly. ‘He wants to direct and do behind the scenes type stuff.’

‘Does the mayor know?’

Lottie shook her head. ‘No. Not yet.’

Sid sat back again, an incredulous look on his face.

‘What?’ asked Lottie. ‘I’m the chairman. I can do that if I want.’

‘It’s nice to see you taking charge,’ he said, smiling. ‘Have you got the list of auditionees? Or should I call them victims?’

‘I’ve got everything together already. Ta da!’ Lottie picked up a folder and waved it in the air. ‘But we need to get going. I’ve got some setting up to do before the rest of the panel get there.’

‘Right-o.’ Sid swallowed his tea and grabbed his leather jacket.

Lottie took a few quick mouthfuls of hers, leaving her cup half empty. She drew level with Sid at the end of the sofa, gave him a mischievous look. He read her mind, and they both raced to the front door. Lottie won.

‘Are you sure you’re alright?’ Sid asked, as he drove them to the theatre. ‘You seem a bit … odd.’

‘Odd?’ Lottie faked offence. ‘That’s charming. I’m fine, honestly, I’m just in a good mood.’

The outside of the theatre looked a mess. They’d need to come up with a way of fixing it at some point, but for now she had to concentrate on today. Lottie pushed the revolving door and they went inside. The musty damp air hit her nostrils and she grimaced.

Sid turned on the main lights then headed off to a small box at the side of the room that held the lighting and sound equipment. ‘Let there be light,’ he shouted and with the flick of a switch, the stage was illuminated. The lights flickered for a few seconds before fully committing to staying on and Lottie gave a silent prayer they’d last the whole day. She dropped her folder onto one of the seats before climbing up onto the stage to grab a broom and begin sweeping.

Sid came down and sat on the front row then checked his watch. ‘It’s eight-thirty, what time are the rest of the panel getting here?’

‘Nine o’clock,’ answered Lottie, sweeping with vigour. ‘The first audition is at nine-thirty.’