Page 96 - Where the Dream Ends ebook

Marc Erdrich

“Well, keep in mind I’m only open another week,” Dave
said. “Make sure you stock up on dry goods or you’ll have to
take the ferry back and forth every day. That can get pretty
expensive.”

“As expensive as your prices?” Liam joked. It was a standing
routine. Everyone complained about Dave’s prices: raspberries
for nine ninety-nine a pint, three-dollar heads of lettuce, fifteen
-dollar a pound coffee. But they kept right on buying. A few
hearty weekenders carried bags of food with them from the
mainland, but in the end it was useless. You had to shop at the
village store if you spent any amount of time on the island.

Dave was a wealthy man. He worked five months a year
and spent the rest of the time in Florida, lying in the same sun
his customers abandoned in September.

“You’ll love my prices after next week,” Dave quipped with
a grin.

Just as Liam was about to leave, the young woman from his
dream came in.
“Oh, hello,” Liam said. She was as startled as he was. It
was like that when you ran into someone for the first time
off-season.

“Hello,” she said.

“I didn’t know you stayed on,” he said.

“Yes. This is my favorite time of year.”

“I’m staying a few extra weeks myself,” he said, not waiting
for her to ask.

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