In the House On Lakeside Drive Read Free

crap.”
    “Now you see why he got pissed?”
    “Man, I didn’t mean it like that! I mean, maybe they are…how do I know?”
    A ghost of an understanding smile flashed underneath Rachel’s bright green eyes, and a long hand flicked though a mass of flaming red curls. “Remember, Remy takes that hard. It’s not easy to lose your family suddenly, especially like his.”
    “I…I wasn’t thinkin’. I forgot.”
    “Happens a lot, Josh. For starters, you forgot to put the dishes away last night.”
    Josh grimaced. “I know. I was gonna put them away this morning, and then my alarm didn’t work, and then I was late in the shower…”
    “…and you complained that Sam and Remy used up all the hot water. I know. We’re lucky we made it to school on time.” The minivan circled the south end of the lake, heading for its original destination.
    “Well, they did! I mean, Remy spends like, half an hour in the shower.”
    “And Sam? He takes the other half hour?”
    A sheepish look crossed the young man’s face. “Well, no. He’s pretty quick, really.”
    “And Evan and I take showers at night. Think about it, Josh. Who’s using all the water?”
    Silence reigned inside the gray-blue interior of the vehicle. “Me. And Remy.”
    “Right. I’m beginning to think you two get on each other’s nerves because you’re so much alike.” The well-used conveyance turned down an eight-hundred-foot driveway, leading to the old Colonial-style house that had been passed down three generations. “Now, do you think you can go in there and bury the hatchet—and not in each other, for heaven’s sake?”
    Josh slid out of the passenger seat, opened the sliding door, and reached for the groceries lining the back seats. “I guess.” He glanced over toward the side of the house, seeing a familiar white work truck parked next to the well-worn wooden garage. “Evan’s home.”
    “Great. Hopefully he’s kicking Remy out of his likely foul mood and starting him on dinner.” Rachel grabbed the rest of the plastic-covered parcels and headed up the rickety stairs, the third step before the wraparound porch squeaking like an unwanted herald. The front door stood open, and before the young woman could get inside three bodies spilled out of it.
    “Hey, let me get those,” her boyfriend said, giving her a quick kiss as he took the burden from her hands. “I’ll take the keys too.”
    “What’s all this? There a fire sale I didn’t know about?”
    “We’re going to dinner,” Sam said.
    “We are?”
    “Let’s say someone had a good day at work,” Remy supplied. The skinny young man looked like a cattail swaying in the breeze, kept balanced only by a swaying dirty-blond ponytail set near the base of his skull and the fuzzy black fleece jacket that was a staple of his wardrobe. Patched jeans and one of his many printed t-shirts peeked out of the jacket, today’s reading “Speak up—I’m blind.”
    “Raiding Sam’s closet again?” Rachel asked with a grin, her eyes flicking through her charge’s attire. Next to him, Sam wore a plain gray long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans, both looking well-kept.
    “Nah. I bought one when he got his. It’s funny.”
    “Should have gotten one that says, “I’m with him” and an arrow pointing in a direction. I never seem to find the two of you apart except for class, said Rachel.”
    “Well, except for yours,” Sam pointed out.
    “True.” All three of the boys were in her Problem Solving class, and Josh was currently going with her to a jobsite at a local deli, Olive’s, where he and two other students cleaned tables and floors and washed down counters before opening. “So, where are we going?”
    “I wanted pizza,” Sam said.
    “I want chicken,” Remy said.
    “I want a sandwich,” Josh chimed in. He looked at Remy. “I’m sorry, man. I wasn’t thinking.”
    Remy’s eyes closed briefly, then he gave a small smile. “It’s okay. I know. Just try to think next time,