Searching

For the latest KSP writing exercise we were given 4 choices.  Each choice included the final line and the main character.  It was great fun.  Here is my attempt:

“Oh drat, not again!” Sam rechecked all his pockets for the fourth time.

Sam opened his battered faux leather briefcase up on the quilted bed spread.  How many order pads could one man lose.  And it was always at Mrs Beckett’s.  He re-searched the comfy little bedroom, his favourite that she always kept for him.

Then again he was quite a regular; 10 days every 2 months here at Mrs Beckett’s Rochdale, 10 days at Jeune Place Wittstable, 10 days that horrible hovel in Mt. Place and 10 each in caravan parks in St Leonards & Barnes.  He always looked forward to Rochdale.

Even though he only ever lost his order pads in Rochdale.  Over the past year he had lost 20, he’d lost 3 in just the last 2 days here.

But that last order pad wasn’t blank; it contained the sale of a lifetime.  A deal like this meant more business than all his other contacts combined.  If he could make that sale he had been promised the Rochdale branch; no more travelling.

That nice Miss Sheen from down the hall, passed his open door.  Sam thought she was gorgeous; brown hair like a mouse, he almost expected to see little twitchy whiskers under her tortoiseshell glasses.  He could stare for hours into those sad brown eyes.  She looked just like a librarian should, to his mind.

But Miss Sheen, Laura, was the only person Sam had ever met that was shyer than he was.  Oh yeah he had the salesman patter but that was different.

“Oh Mi…Laura!” stammered Sam.

“Yes Mr, I mean Sam,” said Laura with her eyes nervously fluttering.

“I’ve lost an important order pad, I could use some fresh eyes,” said Sam.  “Umm, how have you been?”

Laura looked confused , she’d just seen him 20 minutes ago.

“Ahh, fine,” she eventually replied. 

“Ummm, it’s really nice…” started Sam then paused as Laura looked at him, her eyebrows raised slightly, he stared straight ahead.

“Of you to help me!” he finished in a rush.

“Not at all, I like…” Laura stared at Sam for a few moments, then turned away to collect her thoughts.

 “What’s that scrap of paper?” Laura pointed to the hallway.

Sam rushed to the hall and picked up the scrap of paper.

“It’s a part of an order form,” he said looking around.

Between them they found scraps of paper leading all the way to Sam’s window.

“My window! said Sam looking confused.

“I think we’ve gone the wrong way,” suggested Laura quietly.

Sam grasped Laura’s hand as they back tracked to where they’d found the first scrap.

Then they followed another trail.  This one led to another window.

“My window?” Laura said looking confused at Sam.  “Let’s look in my room.”

Sam put his arm around Laura’s waist as he opened the door to re-enter the B&B.

Together they searched Laura’s room and found a cache under the bed.  And right on top…

“My big order!” shouted Sam grabbing Laura and planting a big kiss on her lips.  “Oh my God I’m so sorry!”

“That’s okay,” said Laura snuggling against his chest.

Laura’s best friend looked at his handiwork happily as he purred.

Laura giggled “The cat did it!“

If you couldn’t guess my choice was The cat did it!  and travelling salesman.  Alex picked And the bread won first prize and queen.  Any resemblance to any real place comes as a consequence of being in a small room with no resource material and a tight time constraint.  Thanks to Pixabay for the great pictures, I mixed some of them which I hope is okay.  

Please critique as I am really keen to improve my writing and I have no emotional attachment to this exercise.