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“Yeah, of course I trust you. I totally trust you, but excuse me if I’m being cautious. I hope you can understand where I’m coming from. I’m used to bad stuff happening to me. I have trust issues.” Abby tried to act a little like she was joking.
Charlie got up, went over to his dresser, opened a middle drawer and lifted up a folded pair of jeans. He took out a plain white envelope and set it on the bed. “It’s all inside,” he said.
Abby took a quick look inside. She didn’t insult him by counting it; it looked like plenty of money.
“Charlie, I’m sorry I asked. I can tell it’s all there.”
“It is all there.”
“Forgive me. Please?”
“Yeah, I forgive you,” he said very unconvincingly. He sat back down on the bed, hanging his head, refusing to lie down next to her.
She crawled behind him, wrapped her arm around his chest, and kissed his ear. “Turn around. Kiss me,” she said.
“Maybe you should go,” he said.
“Fine. Maybe I should.”
“Already?” He twisted to face her, giving her an exasperated look.
“You started it. Quit pouting.” She started getting dressed.
“Why are you putting your clothes on?”
“I feel like being dressed. So, do you want to tell me where this place is, or is it a surprise?”
“It’s not a surprise. It’s about forty-five minutes from here. Maybe an hour.”
“Okay.”
“It used to be a farm but the house burned down a few years back. What’s left of it is an old orange grove with a shed and a few small buildings and a pond. It’s almost all set up for you.”
“I’ll think about it,” she said.
“What do you mean you’ll think about it? It’s too late to think. This is the plan. There’s no thinking required.”
“Are there other houses nearby? What if someone sees me?”
“No one’s there anymore, so you’ll be all alone. There aren’t any neighbors for miles. You’ll be safe.”
“It sounds kind of creepy,” Abby said.
“It’s not. It’s a really nice place. I practically grew up there. Like I told you, I spent almost every summer there from the time I was ten or twelve until I graduated from high school.”
“But now it’s deserted?” Abby asked.
“Yeah. Totally deserted since the house burned down. But it’s still in my family and there are ‘no trespassing’ signs all around, so no one’s going to come sniffing around.”
“So, it’s not like repossessed or whatever they call it? Like, the government doesn’t technically own it or something, right?”
Charlie shrugged.
“And this uncle… Is he related to that cousin of yours from the flea market?”
“Yeah. That cousin you saw, this is his dad’s place.”
“Oh, really?”
