by Amity Hope
“You’re so lucky,” Molly insisted. “If this place were just a tiny bit bigger, I’d be begging you to let me be your roommate this summer. Or,” she said, favoring Ava with a conniving grin, “you could get rid of that queen size bed d. and put in bunk beds.”
“And feel like I’m living at summer camp?” Ava said with a laugh. “I think I’ll pass.”
She would be turning eighteen shortly after graduation. Molly assumed she would move in the day after her birthday, because that’s what she would do, if she had the opportunity. Ava wasn’t so sure. She was close to her parents and would be going away to college soon enough. Whether she moved into the cabin for the summer was still debatable.
“Wouldn’t you be scared out here all alone?” Julia asked. “It’s so secluded.”
This was true. The cabin was almost half an hour from town, nestled back into a thick pine forest. But Ava, like her grandpa, enjoyed the solitude. It was the daily drive she wouldn’t enjoy. And she planned on working at The Sugar Shack as much as her boss would allow over the summer.
“Oh, sweet Julia,” Molly chided. “If it were in town you’d worry about peeping Toms. Or a car crashing through the dining room.”
Julia gave Molly a grumpy look but didn’t try to protest.
“So, Ava, who is this strange boy Grier was telling us about?” Molly asked as she squirmed into a sitting position.
“Grier didn’t like him,” Julia interjected.
“Of course she didn’t. Grier doesn’t like boys. Or anyone else for that matter,” Molly decided.
“She’s just cautious around people she doesn’t know,” Ava said in her defense. She didn’t know Grier’s background well because of the simple fact that Grier refused to discuss it. Grier had been appearing at the Sunday service for months before Daniel and Leah St. Clair realized she was homeless. After convincing Grier to meet with a social worker with them, and after it was determined that they were not going to be able to find Grier’s mom, they had agreed to take Grier into their home. That had been several years ago. Grier was welcomed there for as long as she needed.
She was a year younger than Ava. As much as Ava wanted to form a close bond with Grier, it was difficult. This was not for lack of trying on Ava’s part. Ava often had to wonder if Grier suffered from some sort of social ineptitude or if she chose to be socially repellant as some sort of self-preservation mechanism.
Today she had insisted on coming to the cabin with Ava and her friends. Once inside the cabin, Grier had looked around in annoyance, as if remembering how loud three other girls could be. When Ava pulled out the blender and her friends crowded into the small kitchen, Grier had insisted they all leave. Immediately.
“‘Cautious’ my pleasantly plump derriere,” Molly scoffed and Ava smiled. Molly was curvy and proud of it. She was also just as defensive of Grier as Ava was. She enjoyed teasing Grier but was viciously protective if anyone outside of their tight little group dared to try. Not that it mattered. Grier did not seem to be wired si to be to notice, let alone care what anyone else thought of her. “That girl has the social grace of a toddler.”
“Grier!” Julia pleasantly called out, alerting Molly to her arrival.
“Here are your drinks,” Grier said as she trudged down the path that led from the cabin to the lake. She held out freshly blended tropical smoothies to Ava and her friends.
“You remembered to add rum to mine, right?” Molly asked.
Grier stared at her, uncomprehending.
“It was a joke,” Molly told her.
“It was?” Grier asked. “It was not amusing.”
“No, it was not,” Julia agreed, giving Molly a sour look.
“Thanks, Grier,” Ava told her. “Are you sure you don’t want to sit out here with us? It’s not too bad if you find a spot of sunshine.”
“Will you be engaging in the same insignificant chatter as always?”
“Absolutely,” Molly told her with a grin.
“Then no,” Grier decided, retreating back to the empty cabin.
“Tell me again, why was she so adamant about coming along?” Molly asked, not really expecting an answer. Grier was always insistent on being part of the crowd. She just never wanted to actually be in the crowd.
“Because she’s Grier,” Julia reminded her with a smile. Grier was Grier and to those who knew her, that was often explanation enough.
“So, this boy who showed up at your house last week?” Molly asked. “Which, by the way, I am hurt that I had to hear about it from Grier on the way up here. This is the kind of thing that I expect you, as my friend, to share with me.”
“It wasn’t a big deal,” Ava assured her. “I didn’t think it was worth mentioning.”
Molly ignored her comment. “The way Grier described him he sounds dangerous. Was he dangerously attractive?”
“Oh, please,” Julia moaned. “The poor guy got beat up on Ava’s front lawn. And all you care about is whether or not he’s cute?”
“Well…yes,” Molly unabashedly admitted. “If I don’t ask about that, then what am I supposed to ask about?”
“Oh, gosh,” Julia huffed, “how about the fact that some strange guy was creeping around Ava’s house!? What if he comes back? What if he robs the place? Or worse? What if he comes back and attacks Ava…or Grier?”
“Whoa! Rein it in, Nervous Nellie!” Molly cajoled.
“Don’t you think it’s odd that not one but two strangers were hovering around the St. Clair’s?” Julia wondered.
“No, it’s not odd. It’s a public street. People we’ve never met pass by all the time. Probably dozens of them, maybe even hundreds of them every week. So, that means possibly thousands of strangers pass by every year. They just aren’t usually confronted with a reason to stop.” Molly feigned a bored yawn. “Do you know what I do find odd? Grape flavored bubble gum.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Julia sputtered.
“It doesn’t even freshen your breath. Therefore, it’s pointless. Just like the turn you took in the conversation. Now, back to the boy,” Molly insisted, relentless as ever.
“His name was Gabe. He saw the guy lurking. He tried to chase him off but they got into a scuffle. I came along, Hercules started sniffing, Mrs. Fitz started yelling and that was the end of it,” Ava told Molly.
“Did you call the police?” Julia demanded.
“No. Gabe didn’t want me to. The other guy was long gone. Grier thought we should but by that time, Gabe was gone too. I would’ve been the only witness. I convinced Grier that it seemed pointless because I didn’t see the guy lurking, I just saw them fighting.”
“That would’ve been the perfect excuse to get his contact info! Please, tell me you got something from him?” Molly moaned. “Last name? Phone number?”
“He was fending off some lurker, not signing up for speed dating!” Julia scoffed.
“Speaking of speed dating,” Ava said to Molly with a knowing smile. “Oliver asked me if you were going to be in charge of the kissing booth at the school carnival.”
“Oh, nice. Real nice segue,” Molly pouted. “I get it. You don’t want to talk about Gabe.”
Ava laughed. “There is nothing else to say about him.”
“Fine,” she said with a sigh. “It’s just that new blood in this town is such a novelty. I can’t help but be curious. So,” she said, breaking into a grin, “what exactly did Oliver say?”
“Is there really going to be a kissing booth?” Julia asked in alarm.
“Noooo,” he“Nooo Molly told her. “You don’t have to worry about a germ-a-palooza.”
“So why is he asking about a kissing booth?” Julia wondered.
“I think it was his not very subtle way of saying he’s interested in Molly,” Ava explained.
“Julia, you are so preciously naïve,” Molly said as she reached over and tousled her friend’s hair. “Maybe you should run along and see if you can play Barbies with Grier.”
/> Julia, used to Molly’s banter, stuck out her tongue. “You are so mean!”
“And Oliver is so adorable. What did he say? Exactly?” she asked as she leaned forward, waiting for Ava’s response.
“Well, I had to tell him that even though a kissing booth was in the suggestion box more than once, Principal McDaniel didn’t think it was an appropriate station for an elementary school fundraiser. But I saw how disappointed he looked so I just gave him your phone number and told him he better use it.” Ava smiled wickedly. Molly, for once, was speechless.
“Oh, no, you didn’t,” she said when she finally rediscovered her voice.
“Oh, yes, I did,” Ava admitted. “That was this morning. So you should probably be expecting a phone call before the weekend.” For all of Molly’s brazen talk, when it came to Oliver, she was unusually shy. They had been flirting back and forth all year but that was as far as it ever got.
Julia cleared her throat and grabbed her notebook. “This girl talk has been fun and all but we did agree to discuss the carnival. Ideas? Anyone, anyone?” she asked as she poised her pen over a blank page.
“Oh, right, the carnival. I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” Molly complained to Ava as she plastered a grumpy look on her face. “I am perfectly happy with a C+.”
Ava didn’t know what, exactly, it was about Civics. It was just so boring. She was having a terrible time keeping up a decent grade in the class. Her only saving grace was that Mr. Risland was a huge advocate of community service. He generously handed out extra credit to those who reached out to help in the small, close knit community of Hunter Falls. However, he did make you work for it. Volunteering for a few hours at the fundraiser wouldn’t cut it. You had to be on the planning committee. Then you would be graded by your peers on your level of participation.
In an effort to keep up her grade in that class, Ava had found herself involved in a variety of community events throughout the past year. She’d volunteered at the senior center, the soup kitchen and the animal shelter. Somehow, she had even found herself heading up a committee that raised donations of peanut butter for the local food shelf.
This was above and beyond her participation in her father’s parisSheer’s h, which was something that was expected of her. Not that she minded her responsibilities in her father’s church. She enjoyed singing in the choir and she adored the preschoolers that were in the Sunday School class that she taught. The problem was that all of these activities kept her extraordinarily busy.
Pastor St. Clair assured her it was good for her soul. Her mother advised her it was good for her college applications. Her friends—meaning mostly Molly—reminded her it was good for social ostracism. Between her job, her Civics volunteering and her work at the parish, she hadn’t had much time for anything else.
The carnival was the last community service project of the year. Hunter Falls Elementary was in desperate need of a new playground. All of the money raised would be donated to the cause. Once the carnival was behind her, she might actually have some free time to live her life a little bit.
Molly let out a little sigh of defeat. “Okay, girlies, the carnival is next weekend. We’ve decided on fifteen different booths. The school’s Parent Teacher Association will pick up and deliver all of the donations to the school. We don’t need to worry about decorating or set up because Jenna and Kira’s group is taking care of that.”
“We just need to find a few more volunteers,” Ava reminded them. “I think everything else on our list is done.” The planning committee had been divided into five subcommittees, with each taking three of the booths to arrange staffing for. “The two of you are still doing the face painting, right?”
They both nodded.
“We have the other booths tentatively covered, as long as no one backs out,” Julia told them. “But a few more volunteers would be nice so we can give them shorter shifts.”
“And I’ll be back-up,” Ava said. “In case…What are you doing?”
Molly was looking toward the cabin, blowing kisses. Ava turned to look over her shoulder. Grier was peering out of the window. When she realized what Molly was doing, she scowled and let the curtain fall back into place.
“Please tell me you didn’t ask Grier to cover a booth?” Molly begged.
“She volunteered to make sure all of the stations stay stocked with prizes,” Ava admitted.
“Good. Hopefully that way she won’t manage to scare the children.”
n>
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Chapter 3
Julia neatly snapped her own, personal darts back into their case before sliding into the booth across from Ava. They were at Cheaters, their favorite hangout. It was actually everyone’s favorite hangout in Hunter Falls because really, it was the only one.
It was a family style bar and grill attached to an enormous arcade and game room. The décor was bland, at best. The tabletops were covered in an ugly, faux wood grain laminate. The chrome chairs had brown vinyl seat pads. On a lucky night, you could find one that wasn’t ripped. The booths weren’t in much better repair but they did offer some privacy. Two things that Cheaters excelled at were keeping on top of its cleanliness and serving good food. Good food that was fast and cheap. And regardless of the complete lack of ambience, when boredom set in, Cheaters usually filled up.
“So what are we getting?” Ava asked.
“I don’t know. A big dose of defeat with a side of humiliation?” Julia suggested.
Ava chased the words away with a laugh. “Come on, you’re getting better.”
“I’m not. But thanks,” Julia said with a knowing smile. “I’ll probably just have a giant pretzel.” Julia always ordered a giant pretzel.
Ava began needlessly perusing the menu board that hung over the counter. They’d memorized it years ago. As far as Ava could tell, not a single thing on it ever changed. “I think I’ll have the chicken strip basket,” she decided.
Julia frowned and Ava braced herself for the typical barrage of disgusting facts revolving around the inhumane and filthy care that went into raising chickens for human consumption. Julia didn’t eat meat or a plethora of other things that she’d determined hazardous to her health. Although her friends had never been swayed by her arguments, she never gave up trying to save them from their unhealthy choices.
This time, however, it wasn’t the chicken that had snapped up Julia’s attention.
“Um, that guy over there is staring at you,” Julia informed her. “No, don’t turn around!” she hissed.
“It’s probably someone who recognizes me from church,” Ava assured her.
Julia shook her head, pretending to look up at the menu but actually taking surreptitious glances off to the side to check out whoever it was that was standing at the counter.
“No, he’s not old. It’s a young guy. Our age. Whatever,” she said, frowning.
“Not everyone who goes to church is old,” Ava informed her with a smile.
“He doesn’t look like the type to go to church,” Julia said, her jaw-line hardening. “He looks like trouble. And he’s heading over here,” she warned, clearly distraught.
Curiosity won out. Ava glanced over her shoulder. Butterflies magically appeared to take up residence in her stomach. Ava’s lips twitched up at the fluttery sensation that the sight of Gabe had elicited.
Convinced she’d never see him again, she’d tried not to waste her time thinking about him. But he had crept into her thoughts. Quite frequently, actually. She had wondered if he’d been okay. Wondered where he had come from and wondered what he was doing in Hunter Falls. She didn’t recognize him from school. Hunter Falls High was small enough that she knew most of the kids that had graduated the past few years. This led her to wonder if maybe he was from Granville, the next, much bigger, town over. All of this wondering meant he had filled up a little too much space in her brain.
“It’s okay, you can relax. I know him,” she told Julia in what she hoped was a reassuring voi
ce.
Gabe did look like trouble. Not because of the ripped up jeans, or long sleeved black t-shirt that clung to him in an enchanting way, or even the well-worn motorcycle boots, but because of the look he wore on his face. It was a look that proclaimed he was waiting for something interesting to happen. It was a look that would make most girls’ knees go wobbly. But not Julia, who found danger in everything from the trans fat in French fries to the hazardous chemicals in hand sanitizer.
“How? From where?” she managed to squeeze out before Gabe reached their table.
“Ava, I thought that was you,” Gabe said giving her a smile that made Julia frown.
The first thing Ava noticed was how his face had healed. “Hey, how are you? You look good,” she told him. Gabe quirked an eyebrow at her even as he smirked and Julia’s frown deepened. “I mean, you know, compared to the last time I saw you,” she quickly amended.
“Oh, right,” Gabe replied, clearly amused.
He did look good, Ava realized. She had been too flustered to pay attention when they met but he was, without a doubt, what Molly would consider swoon-worthy. And then some. He was quite possibly as close to perfection as Ava had ever seen. Typically she didn’t care for blonds but the way his slightly overgrown, almost curly but not quite, golden-blond hair was tousled just right and the way it set off his insanely blue eyes made her butterflies take off in full flight.
“So,” she finally said as she tried to stop herself from openly appraising him. “We were just getting ready to order something. Do you want to sit with us? Or were you meeting someone?” She could ask that, couldn’t she? It was the polite thing to do.
“No, I’m not meeting anyone. Seriously? You wouldn’t mind if I joined you?” Gabe asked.
“Not at all,” Ava said as she slid over. She motioned to a slightly uncomfortable Julia who had been warily eyeing Gabe’s attire. “This is my friend Julia. Julia, this is Gabe.”
Gabe nodded a greeting.
“Oh, you’re the strange guy Grier was talking about?” The little snippet of knowledge did not seem to put Julia at ease.