Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 8

you trying to make me crazy?"
    Trey gave him that familiar wry grin, the one that had been getting Josh in and out of trouble since they were both ten. "Only a little. Look, you walk around, help people search and keep an eye on the stuff. I'll take the register and do the actual selling."
    "You're a prince."
    "I know." Trey looked so good, smiling at Josh like he was enjoying having the upper hand for once. It had been like that when they were kids too. Mostly Josh was the one with the ideas and the ability to pull them off, but once in a while he'd hit one of his blocks. Then Trey would give him just that exact look as he took over. For a moment Josh was so homesick his breath caught and his vision blurred.
    "I'll open the door." He turned away, walking slowly toward the door to give himself a moment. What the hell was that? He hadn't been homesick like that since the first month his family had left L.A.. That had been bad. He'd spent a lot of nights curled up on his bed, eyes watering, missing his friends and his life and Trey most of all. But it was years since he'd been that seventeen-year-old kid, and anyway Trey was right here. That was almost like some kind of flashback. Stupid brain.
    Once the door was open, he didn't have any more time to think about it. Either Aunt Julie was a whiz at marketing or the big round barn looked really enticing from the main road, or both. There was a steady stream of customers. Josh walked around keeping an eye on things. He found he didn't mind helping people look for a coveted item. It was almost like a treasure hunt to wander through the rooms full of displays, trying to locate the case that had the World War I memorabilia, or the tin I-Love-Lucy lunchboxes.
    Around two, he realized that his feet were starting to hurt and his stomach was unhappy about working through the day on nothing more than yesterday's lunch. He headed for the front counter, intending to give Trey a break if the man would go and find takeout in town. But as he got close he heard Trey saying in a frazzled tone, "I'm sorry, ma'am. That rim was already chipped when the item was priced. I can't knock the price down more for you."
    Josh winced. He stepped up behind Trey and said quietly, "I'm going to go hunt down some food." Guilt made him ask, "Are you okay on your own for a bit?" Say yes.
    Trey ran a hand over his head and sighed, but nodded. "Just find me coffee, okay? A fu... freaking gallon of it."
    "Any particular type of food?"
    "Something I can eat and not drip bits of all over the merchandise?"
    "Sure."
    It was a relief to get out of the busy building and into the sunshine. Josh crossed the yard toward the house where his car was parked and then reconsidered. Driving into town to get food would mean leaving Trey alone with the store for at least thirty minutes. Not that Trey couldn't handle it, but it didn't seem fair. Josh unlocked the house and went into the kitchen.
    Aunt Julie had left the fridge pretty empty. Josh found some ham in an unopened package, a jar of mustard and some bread in the freezer. He started the coffee maker and began toasting the bread. The coffee hissed quietly in the sunny kitchen. Josh had a sudden memory of Aunt Julie showing him how to run the thing. Your uncle likes it pretty strong, so I add an extra scoop. This new kitchen was nothing like the old one on the farm of his childhood, but he could almost feel her presence. Yes, you and your friend can have some. Put plenty of milk in it though. You'll like it better that way. And him teasing Trey for years afterward about liking lait-au-cafe instead of the other way around.
    He dug through the shelves, found a couple of travel mugs, and filled them. He wondered if Trey still liked a ton of milk in his. If he did, the man was out of luck since milk was one of the perishables that had been cleaned out of the fridge. A quick search didn't find any adequate substitute. Trey would have to lump it.
    Josh crossed the yard carefully, two cups and two paper-towel wrapped sandwiches in hand. As he neared the door a woman came out and headed toward him. "It's just great!" she said enthusiastically. "The biggest selection I've ever seen. You'll love it."
    Realizing she'd taken him for a fellow customer, Josh just smiled.
    "I'm going to tell all my friends. Maybe we'll make a trip back up next weekend."
    "Great," Josh muttered, halfway between pleasure and sarcasm. It was nice if Aunt Julie's business was doing well, but according