Some Assembly Required by Bru Baker, Lex Chase Page B

up!”
     
     
    There was something peculiar about Benji. Agnes had been right. He definitely was a cute one. Sandy mop of hair, fresh face, and dark eyes like he’d waltzed out of a Disney movie. His shirt was a bit loose on him, but the way that his skinny jeans were one size too small might have contributed just a sliver of a percentage to the cute.
    But it wasn’t that. And Patrick wouldn’t admit it under penalty of death, as if that mattered anyway. Benji made his time in CASA seem easy and more tolerable. Maybe Agnes had been right. All Patrick had to do was to try on being a Guide for a new visitor for a while and see how that fit him.
    That curious sensation of camaraderie was fascinating. Now the literal sparks between them when Patrick attempted the slightest touch, that was the intriguing stuff. One could get high, horny, or both on that business if they abused it. The temptation was there, but when Patrick acknowledged it, the self-disappointment kicked in. He’d have to wait for Benji’s energy to taper off before Patrick decided to give it up and go for it.
    “Hey,” Benji said as they meandered through the herd of shoppers. “Hey!”
    Patrick blinked, his throat clenching. He covered for it by stretching out his hands and cracking his knuckles. “Yo, what up?”
    Benji smiled. “I asked about you.”
    “Yeah?”
    The shoppers sidestepped around them, permitting them to pass like fish through water.
    “How did you get here?” Benji asked.
    “Same as you,” Patrick said as he scanned the crowd. The howler monkey of a spirit was nearby. As soon as he got him out of the damned store, he could think without his head pounding. Even Tommy refused to go into the entertainment showroom. Poor weird, friendless kid.
    “Which we’ve already covered is something I don’t remember, so why not tell me and answer two questions in one?” Benji prodded.
    Patrick shrugged. “I was popped out of my mother’s womb, I grew up, drew the short straw, and whack , here I am? What more are you looking for, sweetheart?”
    Benji coughed into his fist and then cleared his throat.
    “You should really get that checked out.”
    “By you, good doctor? Open my mouth and say ah ?”
    It was Patrick’s turn to flush as he sharply turned away and faked a sneeze. Dammit. Benji was definitely stepping up to the plate. Patrick came to a halt and shut out the noise of customers chatting among themselves. The howler’s voice, carried over the expanse of the floor, was harder to ignore. Benji didn’t seem to notice, but his mind wasn’t fully wrapped around not being on a different plane as everything else.
    “Am I going to move on?” Benji asked as he stood at Patrick’s side.
    The customers slipped around them, unconsciously shifting just out of the way as they wandered the aisles. A woman stopped next to Benji as she checked the price on a ARDERE nightlight. She turned over the rubbery turquoise cat-shaped light and flicked the switch. She gasped at the changing colors and then dropped two boxes in her cart.
    Patrick arched a brow at Benji’s question and then sighed. “Couldn’t tell you, cupcake. CASA is a harsh mistress. She decides who leaves and who stays.”
    “But you said you help people leave.”
    Patrick pointed a finger. “Ah! Now you’re catching on.”
    “But you just said CASA decides. And… that CASA is a she?” Benji knitted his brows. The brow-knitting thing was quickly becoming Patrick’s kryptonite.
    “You just said it,” Patrick said and then headed off again toward entertainment.
    “Do you know how unhelpful you are?”
    “Unhelpful?” Patrick asked over his shoulder. “I’ll have you know I’m employee of the decade.” He patted his hip and snapped his fingers. “C’mon, pup. Let’s go.”
    Benji frowned and kept in step. “Unfortunately, I liked cupcake better.” He jogged to keep the pace. “Why don’t you move on?”
    It was an innocent question that crashed Patrick’s