The Gruffs and the Ice Cream Princess

Part Two

Lance filled his brothers in on the mysterious patron, and they celebrated by using some precious butter on their noodles. After, they gathered together at the kitchen table and did some research on Greenville real estate. "But Mom and Dad opened the store here," Sam pointed out. "I hate to turn our backs on their plan."

They sat wordlessly. "Except, maybe they had changed their plans already," Mason offered. "Maybe that's why they went to Greenville that day."

And there it was. It was the road to Greenville where their parents were attacked and killed, leaving their boys orphans.

"Yeah, maybe they already had the same thought- that the store would do better in Greenville!" Sam was getting excited. "Then, if we moved the store there, we'd be doing exactly what they planned!"

Lance held up his hand, "Whoa. Even if they did want to move the store there, how could we possibly afford it? I mean look at these lease prices! They may as well be asking for a golden egg to be laid into their hands every month."

"What about this one?" Mason pointed at the newspaper, front and center, the very newspaper Lance had been scouring all evening. On Main St., between a regal looking bank, and a cutesy ice cream parlor was a short brick building, the perfect size and shape for Gruff's General. Lance looked at the dollar sign, then shot his eyes back to his brothers. "$850. That's exactly how much we got from that guy."

"It's a sign!" Sam jumped onto the kitchen chair, which Mason steadied nonchalantly.

"Say we do have the first month's rent, that's one month! What about the following months? What about everything here? What about... the trip there?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it! I bet people in Greenville will swarm to our store and we'll make plenty for the next month. And what about everything here? No offense, guys? But nobody is going to miss us." He was right, of course. Lance knew that. Still. He was scared.

"And Bridge Street?" he pointed out the scariest thing of all. Their parents were killed on that road by the notorious Darwin Trolman and his gang. It was done in cold blood, and he was more than a little nervous to take the only people in the world that he cared about down the same road. Mason gave his shoulder a shake. "The trip will be a little nerve-wracking," he answered. "But look at us. We can do better than this."

Lance knew it wasn't a dig on him, but his heart was hot with shame anyway. His brothers deserved more than noodles every night.

"Okay," he agreed. "Okay, I'll call in the morning and if this place is still available," he gave the paper a little shake, "we'll give it a try. What do we have to lose?" Besides our livelihood and our actual lives? Sam cheered and karate chopped a hole in the wall. Even stoic Mason shook his fist triumphantly. Lance was thankful for their confidence, because his was as paper thin as the wall Sam just punched through.

**