Coming Home to Ottercombe Bay: The laugh out loud romantic comedy of the year. Bella Osborne

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СКАЧАТЬ wooden station sign saying ‘Ottercombe Bay’. Daisy was grinning as she plonked the box on the bench and created a cloud of dust that caught in her throat. She started to cough violently.

      ‘Who’s in there?’ A fierce male voice came from outside. ‘Come out now.’ Daisy couldn’t answer but she continued to cough. ‘Don’t make me drag you out!’ the voice shouted. Daisy didn’t like the tone and as she managed to get the coughing under control she grabbed up the small cast iron ‘Beware of the trains’ sign. It would be dark outside by now and she didn’t know if she may need it to defend herself.

      As Daisy pushed on the door into the main ticket office someone pulled on it and she lurched forward brandishing the sign.

      ‘Argh!’ the other person shouted and brought up their forearm quickly making Daisy react by giving them a swift whack with the sign.

      ‘You’re trespassing,’ she shouted lifting the sign ready to strike again if necessary.

      ‘Bloody hell. Daisy?’

      Daisy took a step back and tried to assess who she was blinding with the head torch. ‘Max? What the hell are you doing?’

      ‘Investigating who’s breaking into the railway building. And all I get for my trouble is a broken arm,’ he said, nursing his injury whilst muttering swear words.

      ‘I was defending myself because you lifted your arm to hit me.’

      ‘I lifted it to shield my eyes from your bloody light.’ He pointed with his good arm.

      ‘Oh, right,’ said Daisy, a little more conciliatory. She pulled off the head torch and it shone at a more comfortable level. ‘Let’s look at your arm.’ She didn’t wait for him to offer it she just took hold making him wince. She ran her fingers over his taut forearm carefully, noting the muscle definition. ‘It’s not broken.’

      ‘Are you sure?’ Max gave his arm a thorough inspection.

      ‘Fairly sure.’

      ‘You a doctor or nurse?’

      ‘Nope, but I worked in a specialist hospital once …’

      ‘Specialist?’

      ‘Actually, I cleaned out the cages at a vets near Nice.’

      ‘Bloody hell,’ said Max again but this time there was laughter in his voice and Daisy started to lighten up too. ‘If the police see you in here you’ll be the crime of the century. You’d best make a run for it.’

      Daisy gave him a quizzical look. ‘You think I’m stealing?’

      ‘Er, yeah. Why else would you break in here with a crow-bar?’

      ‘Good point,’ said Daisy, she would most likely have come to the same conclusion. ‘I was just having a look at my inheritance. Turns out there wasn’t much.’

      ‘Inheritance?’

      ‘Yep. This is all mine,’ she said her voice dripping with sarcasm. She retrieved the box and Max looked inside.

      ‘Did Reg own this place then?’

      ‘Apparently my grandfather bought it and then left it to his brother, Reg, and now he’s left it to me. Proper family white elephant. They’ve tried four times to get planning permission to build on the land and every time it’s been refused.’

      They heard the distant sound of a police siren and Max became uncomfortable. ‘Come on, we’d better get out of here. I don’t want to have to explain all this to the local constabulary,’ he said already heading for the door.

      Once outside Daisy put down the box and picked up the board that had covered part of the door.

      ‘Here, let me,’ said Max taking it from her. She passed him the biggest hammer from the toolbox and with a few swift knocks the board was back in place whilst she tried to ignore the sight of his muscular forearm.

      ‘Arm’s all right now then?’ asked Daisy with a smirk, noting how easily he hammered it back in place.

      ‘It was the other arm,’ said Max, returning the sneer.

      ‘Thanks for helping …’ Daisy paused. Max seemed to have grown up to be an okay sort of person despite her previous impression. ‘Let me buy you a pint.’

      ‘So I don’t put in a claim via a personal injury lawyer?’ said Max, looking serious.

      Daisy’s eyebrows knitted together. ‘You’d better be joking.’

      ‘I am. Come on, I’m dying for a pint.’ Max bent down, put the box with the railway items under his arm, picked up the toolbox and headed off across the platform. Daisy wasn’t keen on being dictated to but she was intrigued by Max and right now he was walking off with her stuff so she pulled herself together and followed.

       Chapter Four

      The Mariner’s Arms was very much a local pub and virtually everyone greeted Max by name as he walked through the bar.

      ‘You don’t come in here much then,’ remarked Daisy.

      ‘Nah, almost never,’ he said putting down the boxes when the barman approached.

      ‘Usual Max? You’re early tonight,’ said the barman, with a cursory nod in Daisy’s direction.

      ‘Please Monty, and I’ll have a whisky chaser seeing as the lady’s paying.’

      Daisy thrust her hands into her jeans pocket and was thankful to find her last two notes there and some change – it was all she had.

      ‘Everyone calls me Monty on account of my surname being Python,’ said Monty, offering his hand across the bar, which Daisy dutifully shook. ‘What can I get you?’ he asked.

      She would have liked a large gin and tonic but she needed to ration her cash and it looked like they only served the standard green bottled offering anyway. ‘Small Diet Coke, please.’

      Daisy paid for the drinks and they moved to the end of the bar with Max nudging the boxes along with his foot because both his hands were full.

      ‘I knew old Reg liked trains, not as much as Jason mind, but I knew they were an interest of his. He never mentioned owning the railway though, the dark horse.’

      ‘It’s not exactly something to shout about though, is it? You’ve seen inside it now. It’s a tip.’

      Max tilted his head. ‘Yeah, it’s been neglected but it’s not a wreck. It mainly needs repairing, cleaning and fitting out if you’re planning on living in it.’

      ‘Living in it?’ Daisy nearly spat her drink out. ‘I don’t think so.’

      ‘Why not?’ Max appeared genuinely puzzled, which made Daisy consider her answer.

      ‘It’s СКАЧАТЬ