Free Permanent (Indelibly Marked) (Volume 1) by Kim Carmichael

slammed a thermos down on the table.
    Carson and Ivan jumped.
    “Okay. Let’s eat lunch together, all nice.” Ivan grabbed his food, sat down across the table and shoved a napkin in his t-shirt collar.
    Shane glared at them and then opened the thermos. A warm sensation permeated through him at the contents.
    “Did you get soup?” Carson laughed. “Remember when mom tried that?”
    “Nope. Iced tea.” He made a huge deal out of pouring the liquid into the cup, straightening when a lemon wedge made its way into the plastic cup.
    “Dude, she wants you bad.” Carson shook his head.
    “Shut up.” He opened his sandwich.
    “Oh Shaney, let me know what it’s like to be with a man who wears more jewelry than I do, before I settle down with someone respectable.” Ivan spoke in a falsetto voice, picked up the circular lid and pressed it to his chest.
    “Jerk.” Before taking a bite, he ground his teeth together. No one at the shop could say they didn’t think exactly that when they thought about a mainstream girl.
    “Aww, did Shaney get his feelings hurt?” Ivan fanned himself with the lid.
    He lunged for the lid. “Give me that.”
    Ivan tossed it to Carson.
    “Die or give it.” He held his hand out to his brother.
    Ivan grinned as Carson tossed it back to him. “Maybe if we lose it she’ll give you a spanking.” He raised his eyebrows. “She could be a closet bad girl. She wears those tough business suits.”
    He stood. “I’m not joking.”
    When the lid soared above his head, Ivan stepped back.
    “You asked for it.” He took his cell phone out of his pocket.
    Ivan didn’t budge.
    “I’m calling Lindsay and telling her you lost her lid and she’ll get that look in her eye like when you teased her for eating pencils, especially after she finds out you ruined the lunch she worked so hard making me.”
    “I hate that look.” Ivan flipped the lid and it took flight.
    Shane jumped to catch it, but missed. It landed, slid across the floor and disappeared in the vent.
    “Uh oh.” Carson stood.
    Shane stomped to Ivan. “What did you do?”
    Ivan winced.
    “Get it.” He pointed.
    “It’s cool.” Ivan hurried to where the lid vanished. “It’s evil down there.”
    “I think this should make Lindsay happy.” With his jaw jutted out he went right to Ivan’s station and picked up the baseball signed by Dodger center fielder, Matt Kemp. “I think I should take it out of its protective case and wipe the signature off. I wouldn’t want her to think I gave her a used ball.”
    Ivan’s held his hands out. “Put the innocent ball down!”
    He tossed it in the air. “The lid for the ball.”
    “I’ll buy her new Tupperware!”
    “Nope.” He caught it and leaned back against the wall, threatening to twist the case apart.
    “I’ll get it.” Ivan got down on his knees.
    Shane sauntered back to his sandwich and prepared to take a bite when his phone rang. At Lindsay’s name on the screen, he scrambled to answer. “I didn’t lose any of your Tupperware.”
    Even through the phone, her laugh tickled his ear. “That’s okay. It’s the disposable kind. You can just throw it away. I didn’t want you to have to worry about it.”
    His best friend was on all fours in an attempt to free the lid from the underworld.
    “Cool, what’s up?”
    “Are you busy?”
    He smiled. That was her code for needing something. “Not for you.” His appetite reappeared and took a bite of the sandwich.
    “When you pick me up, would you mind coming up to my office and helping me with a few books I need for the shop?”
    Her muffled voice told him she had a pencil in her mouth, which meant she was nervous to ask him. Completely cute. “Consider it a done deal.” He took another bite studied the sandwich with the perfect combination of meat, bread and condiments.
    “Great.” Her voice perked up. “See you in a bit.”
    He polished off the rest of his lunch as Ivan returned and slammed the lid down in front of