Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 8

Getting things loaded into her SUV seemed to involve a lot of random body contact. On another day, Josh might have been flattered, even interested. She was all the things he used to go for; long gold hair, pert nose, great smile, big tits and anything but shy. Today Josh just wanted her out of there.
    Finally her purchases were all fitted in. She tossed her hair out of her eyes and grinned at him. "Thanks. I'd never have managed loading all that on my own. This is a great place and I spent way too much, most of it on things I can hardly lift." She gave a little laugh.
    "Do you have someone at home to help you unload?" Not that Josh cared.
    "I'll find someone. Or I could hang around until you get off work. You could come help me out and I could buy you dinner to repay you. Or something." She ran a hand down his arm.
    Josh stepped away. "You've already paid us for the stuff. No other payment's necessary."
    She pouted prettily and then shrugged. "Hey, what about the other guy? Is he single? Maybe he'd like to help me out."
    "He's not single," Josh snapped before he could stop himself.
    The woman's eyes widened. "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't realize you two were together. I should have guessed. The really cute ones are always gay. Well, good luck with the store. You two have a great place here." She got into the SUV and pulled out, leaving Josh standing there with his mouth open.
    For a moment he had the impulse to run after her and make sure she knew Trey wasn't gay. But he was pinned in place by the incredible rush of wanting that came over him. God, he wished it were true. He wished that he and Trey were together and running a business and having a life together . Teasing and laughing and talking about stuff like they used to. A life that would also include sex, because he could no longer deny that one look at the hot man his best friend had become had just flat-out done it for him. Josh turned, took five steps toward the side of the barn, and softly, repeatedly, banged his head against the newly-painted boards.
    A small hand tugged on his pant leg and he looked down at the worried face of a little girl. Her mother behind her had paused, arms full of vintage clothes. The girl said, "Are you okay?"
    From somewhere Josh dredged up a smile. "Sure, honey. I did something stupid, you know, but I'm fine."
    She smiled. "Oh good." The kid skipped off towards her mom's car with the woman hurrying behind.
    Josh stared after her bemusedly. That had to be one of the biggest damned lies of his life. He wasn't fine. He was totally, completely and absolutely fucked.
    ****
    Trey finally rang up the last sale of the day and escorted the woman to the door with her purchases. If she'd changed her mind one more time, he might have had to strangle her or fake an epileptic fit or something. Josh stood there waiting to let them out. They'd already been closed for twenty minutes but short of picking her up and carrying her, there'd been no way to get the woman out until she'd made up her mind between the cow milk pitcher and the rabbit.
    Josh gave the woman an insincere smile, held the door for all of them and then set the alarm, shut, and relocked it behind them. The woman walked across the gravel and got in her car. As she pulled out of the lot, Trey and Josh both heaved a deep sigh at the same moment. Trey laughed.
    "Yeah, I feel like I ran a marathon and I was just standing at the counter."
    Josh muttered, "My feet are killing me. And here I thought I was in good shape."
    Trey barely managed to hold back a quip about the shape Josh was in. Damn. He was going to have to be so careful. That was one of the reasons he'd let his conversations with Josh move to email and IM. In writing you could always do a quick check before you hit send. Face to face was going to be like walking in a minefield. He could only hope that Josh was still as oblivious to gay innuendo as he had been as a teen. There had been a dozen times when they were young that Trey thought he'd inadvertently outed himself to Josh, but each time Josh hadn't caught the reference. Hopefully his luck would continue to hold.
    "I want a shower, beer, and food," Trey said. "Not necessarily in that order."
    "I think we have beer and I know there's a shower. Food may be a problem. That grocery run might have to be tonight."
    "After the shower. But yeah, I want milk for my morning coffee."
    Josh had been heading for the house but he stopped so abruptly that Trey ran into him.
    "What?"
    "The