quid?"
"A pound. And I think we're going to need a few more."
"I'm sorry I lost it. I'm glad you're here doing this. Thank you."
Mark looked into Abby's eyes deeply but said nothing. He slid the gear lever into drive and accelerated out of the dusty opening and back down the road.
"It's getting late and you're tired."
"You're right, I am tired," she said as she made herself comfy in the leather seat.
Joining the A30 dual carriageway to Exeter, Mark eased into a steady 90mph as Abby drifted off to sleep. The carriageway was always quiet at this time of night and Mark knew every twist and turn he could drive it blindfolded. But he wasn't used to having a passenger sat next to him. Especially a passenger this attractive. He struggled to keep his wondering eyes on the road ahead, sneaking in glances as he passed under carriageway lights.
Abby's silky eyelashes subtly twitched over her closed eyes, all the time threatening to open and catch him paying more attention to her than the road. Her naturally unblemished skin with a peaches and cream complexion, Mark could only imagine what it would feel like kissing those sorbet-pink lips. Biting his bottom lip and taking a deep breath through his nose, Mark drew in the faint smell of her perfume filling his soul.
Just over an hour later Abby was woken by a gentle brush of Marks fingers stroking her hair as he softly repeated her name. "Abby... Abby... you're nearly home," he said as they approached Hope Cove.
Abby slowly opened her eyes, quietly sitting in a sleepy daze as she watched Mark drive the final dark mile, the light from the dashboard dimly illuminating his face. He pulled up outside the lighthouse cottage and glanced over to meet Abby's eyes.
"Do you want to come in?" she asked in an affectionate voice.
"I should probably head back…," his voice trailing off.
"There's a sofa if you want to stay over. It's late and I'm sure there are some blankets."
"There's a spare quilt in one of the bed drawers. I've stayed before when I was working with Gene on projects."
"Well, we're working on one now. So stay." Mark pushed the red button on the center console shutting off the engine.
"I have something that will earn my trust with you. What if I put up some of the money?" Mark asked.
"You don't need to earn my trust. I already trust you."
"Well, we're going to need money for the deposit which has to be paid within twenty four hours of the auction ending."
"Mark, that's ten percent. Where would we find that amount of money so fast?"
"I have an idea. But I might need your help tomorrow getting it," Mark said.
"Are we going to rob a bank?" Abby asked playfully.
Mark turned to face her squarely and spoke in a hushed tone. "No, we're going to hold up a train, bandit style. You can ride a horse, right?"
Abby smiled and said, "Well you wear the right boots for it, I wouldn't be surprised if you had a cowboy hat too!"
"Enough about my boots lady! It's not in a bank. Well, not a traditional bank. But it might be useful to have your eyes and ears while I get it."
"It is your money though? Tell me, we were just joking then, right?"
"Yes, it's my money. Well, it's not money as such, but it does belong to me. It should be fairly quick and easy though. It just means we have to pop the other side of Exeter towards Tiverton."
"To get your secret stash?"
"Yep. My stash."
"Let me guess... in the hollow of a tree?"
"Nope. In a graveyard."
10
The Secret Stash
Abby woke early again, her body clock still not fully adjusted. She took the urn off the dressing room table and crept out of the cottage, making her way over the drive to the lighthouse.
Fumbling around at the back of the closet, her fingers found the hook and with her face pressed against her Grandpa's smelly waders she pulled up the hook releasing the hidden door. Walking along the tunnel by herself should have felt unsettling. Maybe it was because she knew Grandpa had spent so much time down here, or
"A pound. And I think we're going to need a few more."
"I'm sorry I lost it. I'm glad you're here doing this. Thank you."
Mark looked into Abby's eyes deeply but said nothing. He slid the gear lever into drive and accelerated out of the dusty opening and back down the road.
"It's getting late and you're tired."
"You're right, I am tired," she said as she made herself comfy in the leather seat.
Joining the A30 dual carriageway to Exeter, Mark eased into a steady 90mph as Abby drifted off to sleep. The carriageway was always quiet at this time of night and Mark knew every twist and turn he could drive it blindfolded. But he wasn't used to having a passenger sat next to him. Especially a passenger this attractive. He struggled to keep his wondering eyes on the road ahead, sneaking in glances as he passed under carriageway lights.
Abby's silky eyelashes subtly twitched over her closed eyes, all the time threatening to open and catch him paying more attention to her than the road. Her naturally unblemished skin with a peaches and cream complexion, Mark could only imagine what it would feel like kissing those sorbet-pink lips. Biting his bottom lip and taking a deep breath through his nose, Mark drew in the faint smell of her perfume filling his soul.
Just over an hour later Abby was woken by a gentle brush of Marks fingers stroking her hair as he softly repeated her name. "Abby... Abby... you're nearly home," he said as they approached Hope Cove.
Abby slowly opened her eyes, quietly sitting in a sleepy daze as she watched Mark drive the final dark mile, the light from the dashboard dimly illuminating his face. He pulled up outside the lighthouse cottage and glanced over to meet Abby's eyes.
"Do you want to come in?" she asked in an affectionate voice.
"I should probably head back…," his voice trailing off.
"There's a sofa if you want to stay over. It's late and I'm sure there are some blankets."
"There's a spare quilt in one of the bed drawers. I've stayed before when I was working with Gene on projects."
"Well, we're working on one now. So stay." Mark pushed the red button on the center console shutting off the engine.
"I have something that will earn my trust with you. What if I put up some of the money?" Mark asked.
"You don't need to earn my trust. I already trust you."
"Well, we're going to need money for the deposit which has to be paid within twenty four hours of the auction ending."
"Mark, that's ten percent. Where would we find that amount of money so fast?"
"I have an idea. But I might need your help tomorrow getting it," Mark said.
"Are we going to rob a bank?" Abby asked playfully.
Mark turned to face her squarely and spoke in a hushed tone. "No, we're going to hold up a train, bandit style. You can ride a horse, right?"
Abby smiled and said, "Well you wear the right boots for it, I wouldn't be surprised if you had a cowboy hat too!"
"Enough about my boots lady! It's not in a bank. Well, not a traditional bank. But it might be useful to have your eyes and ears while I get it."
"It is your money though? Tell me, we were just joking then, right?"
"Yes, it's my money. Well, it's not money as such, but it does belong to me. It should be fairly quick and easy though. It just means we have to pop the other side of Exeter towards Tiverton."
"To get your secret stash?"
"Yep. My stash."
"Let me guess... in the hollow of a tree?"
"Nope. In a graveyard."
10
The Secret Stash
Abby woke early again, her body clock still not fully adjusted. She took the urn off the dressing room table and crept out of the cottage, making her way over the drive to the lighthouse.
Fumbling around at the back of the closet, her fingers found the hook and with her face pressed against her Grandpa's smelly waders she pulled up the hook releasing the hidden door. Walking along the tunnel by herself should have felt unsettling. Maybe it was because she knew Grandpa had spent so much time down here, or
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