Love is Always Write Anthology Bonus Volume

thinking I was her girlhood friend. Talked about all kinds of things a girl of my years oughtn't to have heard."
    "Mrs. Brooks," I said, "how would you feel about being interviewed on camera?"
    "Hey now, Mr. Hostile Takeover," Alan's voice jolted through me. He stood in the doorway, lemonade in one hand and half a cookie in the other, his shirt tossed back on over the suspenders and unbuttoned to hang around him. He was barefoot like he'd settled in. "Who's the director, again?" he asked.
    "Oh, like you'd pass up a chance at a story like this." Mallory tossed her hair. "Eat your cookie and stop being difficult, Alan."
    "Eat another cookie?" Tania asked. "He's going to roll home as it is. Have you budgeted for the new clothes you're going to need, Alan?"
    "Oh," Mallory reached out and tugged at the front of his pants. "I think he's got some room before he worries."
    "I need some lemonade," I said, and slipped past Alan into the kitchen, careful not to touch him as I passed.
    Had I thought this project would be a frustrating experience ? No. It was going to be a hellish one.
    Aunt Lilia tried to shoo me away from cleaning up, but it wasn't until Alan called me to stop "pouting" that I went back in the other room. Not because of his comment, but because if Alan failed, Mallory would be next, and I did not want to talk to her about what was bothering me. Even if she would think it was adorable.
    Lilia's friends had gone, so the dogs had come to keep the group company. T'Pau sat in the window seat, a book in one hand and a snoring Golden Retriever under the other. Mallory sat at the table but sideways so she could scratch Crikey's belly with her pink-painted toenails. Tania sat flipping through an old photo album, Javert beside her getting his ears scratched. Twiggy lay behind Alan's chair, her big eyes on his back. Warhol, of course, was still in the kitchen, getting under Lilia's feet as he watched for falling goodies.
    "So we're talking about jobs," Mallory said, overriding whatever snarky thing Alan was starting to say. "I told Alan that Tania's our researcher, and I'd love to do some preliminary interviews and find out what Aunt Lilia's friends know."
    "That leaves you," Alan said, sitting back to drape himself over the chair with his arm hanging down the back. "What are you good for, Lukas?"
    "Generally I direct," I snapped. "But I can do any job you set me."
    "Fine. You're the talent." Alan sat up and grabbed a pencil. "That Bible Belt accent of yours is perfect for narrating this."
    "Fine," I said, not bothering to argue that Indiana wasn't in the Bible Belt.
    "Lukas in front of the camera?" Mallory said. "Can the world take it?"
    "Till we're ready to film, you can be secretary." Alan shoved a piece of paper at me. It was the calendar I'd handed out. Under the rainbow, Alan had written The Gay Agenda and in various blocks he'd written work, class, indoctrinate school children, RHPS , destroy real marriages, disrupt faith of the faithful, contaminate water supply with Teh Gay .
    "If you tell him to fetch you coffee I hope he dumps it on you," Mallory said with a smile, handing me Tania's calendar and her own.
    "What if I tell him to sit on my lap and take dictation?" Alan asked. He tapped the paper in front of him. "So we're looking at interviews, some still shots, maybe some animation, and definite on-location, yes? What equipment do we have among us, and what are we going to have to borrow?"
    "Lukas' camcorder is better than anything the school lends out," Tania said without looking up. "And Mallory's computer can actually run the editor she has on it. Also better than you can get at the school."
    "Lights, mike…" I started listing things to reserve from the school lab. "Do we have a date we want to start filming?"
    "We haven't even started the T-script," Alan said.
    "Don't worry about that!" Mallory said. "Once we set a date we'll meet it, if Lukas has to carry us all to do it. Director or not." She winked at me. Alan grunted. Did Mallory think telling Alan how wonderful I was would make him like me? So far it had only had the opposite effect.
    On the other hand, if he did come around to liking me I'd have that much harder a time keeping my hands off him. So I didn't clue her in.
    In the kitchen Warhol yelped. That wasn't uncommon when he insisted on being underfoot, but the soft curse from Lilia was. I jumped up but Alan slipped past me. When I got there, Warhol was huddled in his corner, looking ashamed of