Carved in Stone: Monochrome Destiny by T L Blake Read Free Book Online

the sorrow in her friend’s words.
    “I’m
not interested in him.  I just used him as an example.  There’s
nothing between Andrew and I, nor will there ever be.  I’m sorry.  I
won’t stand in your way if you really like him.”  Robyn stood to take
Kat’s hand. 
    Kat
smiled.  “I think, after all the effort I’ve been putting in, that I
should move on anyway.”  Kat took Robyn in a hug before pulling back.
    “He
hasn’t fallen for your charms?”
    Kat
laughed but it wasn’t full and heady like normal.  She was embarrassed. 
“He hasn’t fallen for anything and I’ve really outdone myself.  In fact,
I’ve made myself look like a complete bloody idiot.”
    Robyn
smiled.  “He wouldn’t have thought you were an idiot.”
    Kat
groaned.  “Oh, you don’t know the half of it.  I think I might have
lost my mind a little.”
    She
wasn’t the only one who could lose her mind around Andrew Obursen .
    “So,
are we back to being friends again?”  Robyn asked
tentatively.
    Kat
put her arm around Robyn’s shoulder, emphasizing their height difference and
pulled her into a hug.  “Yeah, about that.”
    Robyn
stiffened.
    “You
recall that you owe me a favour for driving you everywhere for a week?”
    “Yes.”
    “Could
you drive me to the train station tomorrow and pick me up on Wednesday?  I
don’t want to leave the car there if I can help it.”
    Robyn’s
knotted stomach relaxed.  “Of course.  
That’s no problem at all.”
    “You
don’t mind?”
    Robyn
grinned.  “I don’t mind.”
     
    Robyn was awoken
by clattering noises emanating from downstairs.  Sauntering down the
narrow staircase, she found Kat packing in haste.  The woman was perhaps
the most disorganised person on the planet.
    “You
didn’t think to do that yesterday?”
    Kat
looked up and grinned.  “Nope, I like a challenge.”
    Kat
threw things into a large backpack and ran up the stairs as Robyn swept into
the kitchen.  She had time for a cup of tea.
    Before
long they were in the car on the journey to the station.  It took nearly
an hour to get there thanks to a combination of distance and the other traffic
on the narrow winding roads.  Half term and the unseasonably clear weather
had brought with it a deluge of tourists.  The slow cars clogging up the
roads frustrated Robyn, but the constant bends and high banks made overtaking
difficult if not impossible.
    They
got to the platform with about ten minutes to spare and Kat wandered off into
the ticket office to buy her ticket, never one to be organized and purchase it
online in advance to get the discount.
    As
Robyn waited patiently on the platform, she studied the other passengers as
they stood looking up the lines awaiting the train’s arrival.  Though not
busy, there were a few passengers about to start their journey, whether going
away or heading home.  She imagined herself popping up to London for the
weekend, seeing a show, going out, eating somewhere nice, shopping on Oxford
Street and thought about running the idea past Kat.
    Wondering
about each of the individuals destinations, Robyn noticed a man taking a bit
too much interest in her.  He was in his late thirties wearing tatty jeans
and a dark leather jacket that had deep, cracked creases along the
sleeves.  He was handsome in his own way, but he was unshaven and swarthy,
and the way he looked at her gave her the chills.  His eyes were dark and
there was something hollow about them and something possessive about his
stare.  She broke the eye contact and looked down at her shoes. 
    When
Kat reappeared with her ticket in hand, she picked up her stuffed pack and
despite its size and weight, deftly slung it onto one shoulder.
    “It’s
an open return, but I’ll be on the 3 o’clock Wednesday afternoon if you’re
still okay to pick me up? I can get a bus and taxi you know.”
    “No
it’s fine, I’ll be here.  A bus and taxi will cost you more than next
month’s rent.” Robyn smiled,