by Amity Hope
Ava felt herself flushing again at the odd way Gabe was looking at her.
“What?” she asked curiously.
“Nothing,” he answered. “I just…nothing.” He shook his head instead of saying anything.
“Are you sticking around?” she wondered.
“I hadn’t planned on it but if I can spend some time with you, sure.”
“Okay. My friends and I were on the first shift so I’m pretty much done. I just need to go turn in these raffle tickets. Do you want to walk with me?” she asked, not bothering to fight the pleased smile that broke out on her face.
He nodded and followed her through the clusters of people. They darted around wandering children as they worked their way through the gymnasium. Most of the booths were set up in here. A duck pond, a fishing booth, some type of bowling game and a face painting station seemed to be the biggest hits with the cacophonous children.
They exited the gym into another hallway. There was a line leading into one of the classrooms. Some horrific type of polka music wafted out of the open door. Ava knew it was the room set up for the cakewalk. The music stopped and kids squealed.
“Why does she stare like that?” a cruel, female voice asked from the other side of the doorframe. “Kinda reminds me of this lizard my brother used to have.”
Ava felt her spine prickle. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard a comment like that. She knew Grier was delivering boxes of cupcakes for the game. She stopped in front of the door. Gabe nearly slammed into her. She scanned over the groups of people, finding Grier, lost in thought near the cake table as the music played.
“Why do you pick on her like that?” Ava heard Molly growl back. “Kinda reminds me of this bully I beat up in the third grade.”
“You okay?” Gabe asked.
Ava forced a smile. She couldn’t see Molly, or the owner of the other voice. They must be standing against the wall next to the door. No need to step in, she decided. Molly had it handled.
“I’m fine,” she said as she forced a smile at Gabe and kept walking.
“Where are we going?” Gabe wanted to know.
“I need to find Principal McDaniel. These,” she said as she held up an ugly maroon money bag, “are the tickets and the money for the bike that’s being raffled.”
Ava heard a little gasp beside her.
“You have the tickets for that bike?” a little boy with scruffy red hair, freckles and big brown eyes asked.
“Hey, Joshua,” Ava said, flashing him a big smile. “I was wondering if you were here.”
“I was following you,” he admitted. “You dropped this back there.” He held out his palm to show her the tube of mostly depleted lip gloss.
“Oh, thank you, sweetie,” she said as she stuffed the tube back into her pocket. “So you like that bike? It’s pretty cool.”
He nodded. “I really want to win it.”
“Then I better get these tickets turned in so Mr. McDaniel can call your name,” she said as she reached over and messed up his hair.
“My name’s not in there,” he said shyly.
“No?” Ava asked, her heart pinching at the look on his face. “I’ll tell you what. Since you rescued my lip gloss and took the time to bring it back to me, I’ll buy you a packet of tickets as a thank you.”
His little face glowed with excitement even as he said, “You don’t have to.”
“Of course I do,” she told him. “When someone does a favor for you, it’s only polite to return it. The tickets are a dollar a piece. Or they give you a real deal,” she admitted in a conspiratorial tone. “If you spend five dollars, you get an extra ticket. We’ll do it that way.”
“Thank you, Ava!” Joshua cried as he threw his thin little arms around her.
“You’re very welcome,” she said as she tightly hugged him back. “Is your mom here?”
Joshua nodded. “She’s with Jillian at the duck pond waiting for me.”
“Tell her I said hello. And I wish you lots and lots of luck with the bike,” Ava told him.
She started rooting around in her purse for her wallet as soon as he left.
“Did you seriously just give that kid five bucks for like fifty cents worth of lip gloss?” Gabe asked incredulously. He was leaning up against the wall as Ava knelt down, bracing the tickets on her knee so she could write easier.
“No,” Ava replied giving him a peculiar look. “I just gave a really great kid a chance to win a bike that his family can’t afford.”
She told Gabe that Joshua’s family had recently lost everything in a fire. The family was not well off to begin with. His father had passed away from cancer shortly after his little sister was born. He left astronomical medical bills and little life insurance behind. His wife had been struggling to make ends meet ever since.
Ava adored Joshua and Jillian whom she thought were the sweetest, most well-behaved children she’d ever met. Their church had had a fundraiser for them but they were still struggling. For now, they were even living in the house that was next to the church. It was a small home that had been offered to Pastor St. Clair and his wife when they signed on with the parish. They had lived there for a few years but when their family of two unexpectedly expanded overnight to include Ava, they had chosen to buy a larger home a few ha home ablocks away. Now they used the small house to help people in emergency situations.
“Besides,” she said, “did you see that smile? That smile alone was worth five dollars.”
Gabe looked at her like she’d burst into a litany of Croatian.
“What?” Ava demanded as she stood back up, stuffing the tickets into the bag. “You’ve never done something for someone to make yourself feel good?”
“Not like that I haven’t,” he replied.
“Well you should try it,” Ava suggested. “Making someone else happy like that? It feels awesome.”
She took off down the hallway with a dumbfounded Gabe trailing behind her.
Fifteen minutes later, the bike raffle was over. It had come to a disappointing end. A little girl had won. She was asked to come up on stage so she could be presented with the grand prize. She’d spent the entire time on stage complaining that the bike wasn’t pink. Or asking, why wasn’t the bike pink?
Ava had seen Joshua’s little face cloud over with disappointment. She had desperately hoped he’d win. The loss seemed all the more bitter with the unappreciative child whining about the color choice. With a sigh and Gabe by her side, they’d set off again.
“Where have you been?” Molly demanded. She had just come out of the classroom that hosted the cake walk.
Ava immediately noticed that the music had stopped. People were streaming out of the room, talking excitedly.
“Why? What’s going on?” Ava peered past Molly into the classroom.
It was a complete disaster. The table was overturned and it looked as if a bakery had exploded. Frosting was splattered all over the floor and across the wall behind where the table had stood. Chunks of cake clung to the wall and sat in disastrous heaps on the floor. Parents were trying to escort their children out before they could start playing in the mess.
“She,” Molly said as she jabbed an angry finger toward Manda Simmons, “shoved Grier into the cake table!”
“Is Grier okay?” Ava asked as she eyed up Manda. It was then she realized that the voice from before, comparing Grier to a lizard had belonged to this same girl.
“Julia took her home to clean up,” Molly said.
“What is your problem with my sister?” Ava demanded as she stomped up to Manda.
“Everyone knows your sister has the mental capacity of a four-year old,” Manda sneered.
“Really? And yet you continue to torment her? That sure says a lot about you,” Ava huffed as she took a step closer. “If you really think that, I see a group of preschoolers over there. Why don’t you go steal their balloons and push them down?”
“I didn’t push that wackjob down! She tripped.”
>
“She tripped because your hands were firmly on her back,” Molly hissed.
“Don’t you dare call Grier a wackjob!” Ava fumed. “She’s not even here to defend herself. If you’re so bored with your life that the only fun you find is in tormenting others, why don’t you take a shot at me?”
“Ava? What’s going on here?” Mr. McDaniel asked as he came up behind them.
“She,” Ava said as she pointed to Manda, “thought it would be funny to push my sister into the cake table during the cake walk.”
“I-I didn’t push her,” Manda stuttered. “She tripped.”
Mr. McDaniel easily slipped into principal mode as he scanned the classroom, taking in the astronomical mess. Not to mention the ruination of the most popular game at the carnival. Frowning severely, he turned to Manda.
“I hope that’s true young lady. Because even though you’re not at the high school, you’re still on school district property, during a district endorsed event and bullying is not tolerated. Who saw this happen?” he asked.
“We did,” Molly admitted, stepping forward. Oliver stepped out of the crowd to join her. “And she owes me a box of cupcakes.”
“Come on, let’s go,” Ava said to Gabe. Mr. McDaniel could deal with Manda. “I hope Grier is really alright,” she said more to herself than him. “I don’t know why Manda always has to be so cruel. Grier doesn’t deserve to be treated like this.”
“Why are you so upset?” Gabe asked. “Didn’t your friend Molly call her a wackjob?”
“Wackadoodle. It’s Molly’s favorite word. She uses it all the time. And believe me, there’s a huge difference,” Ava explained as she continued to fume.
“Okay. But do you really think feeling pity for your sister is going to help her?”
Ava whirled around teatled aroo face him. “Pity? I don’t feel pity for Grier. I’m angry. No one has the right to treat anyone else that way. It’s basic human decency to treat people with respect. What is so hard about that?”
“Uh…nothing?” Gabe asked as he took a startled step away from her.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. It’s just…this is an ongoing thing. If people can’t be nice, fine. Whatever. But the least they could do is just leave her alone.”
Ava let out a sigh and looked around. The crowd hadn’t begun to dwindle and tickets were still being sold. But her duties were done. She and her group had turned up shortly after lunch to work on set-up. They’d had more than enough volunteers to cover their booths and Ava had spent most of her shift walking around seeing if anyone needed a break. The second shift was in full swing and again, all booths were covered.
Thanks to Grier and Julia, the booths were also well stocked. The carnival, with its droves of people, appeared to be a huge hit. She wasn’t on the clean up committee and she no longer needed to stick around to drive Grier home. Frankly, she was ready to get out of the place.
“You know,” she said to Gabe, almost shyly, “I’ve been here almost all day. I don’t need to help with packing up and my shift officially ended with dropping off those tickets.” Gabe smiled at her expectantly. “And to be honest, I am absolutely starving. Would you want to go get something to eat?”
“Yeah. That would be great. Like I was saying earlier, I’m glad I ran into you tonight. We forgot to exchange phone numbers last time. I mean, if you’re going to be showing me around, I need to be able to get a hold of you. But if you want to start showing me around now, that would be even better,” he said with a wink.
Ava wondered how the guy could make a wink look so smooth. It looked unpracticed but, she thought mentally sighing, he had probably practiced to make it look that way. If his desired effect was to make her insides go all gooey, it was working.
“What are you hungry for?” Gabe asked.
“Pizza,” Ava answered without hesitation. “I am absolutely dying for a slice of Pizarro’s Pizza.”
“Do they have a pool table?” Gabe asked with a challenging smirk.
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Chapter 5
“That’s completely disappointing,” Molly sadly admitted.
Ava just shook her head. “It wasn’t a date Molly. We just went out for pizza.”
“So is tonight a date?” Molly wanted to know.
“I don’t think so. Tonight I’m just showing him around.”
Classes had just gotten out for the day. The two of them were sitting on the lawn in front of the school, basking in the late afternoon sunshine. The flow of students had trickled down to almost nothing as Ava waited for Gabe to show up. Molly, not being in a hurry to do anything else until her tennis practice started, had volunteered to wait with her.
Ava was glad for her company. The day had crept by at an excruciatingly slow pace. Her heart did a lazy little tumble in her chest every time Gabe crossed her mind, which was approximately every few minutes. Despite her teasing, having Molly to chat with while she waited was a welcome distraction.
“Showing him around?” Molly snorted a contemptuous laugh. “That’s the lamest excuse I’ve ever heard. You can jog around town in less time than it takes Julia to properly scrub her hands after going to the germ-infested mall.”
It was true. Hunter Falls consisted of only a few blocks.
“Okay,” Ava conceded. “Maybe he doesn’t really need me to show him around. He’s probably just bored and wants someone to hang out with.”
“It’s practically sinful to spend time with someone that looks that heavenly and not have some scandalous details to share,” Molly pouted.
“And he’s fun too,” Ava admitted as she bumped her shoulder into Molly’s. “And he let me order the Pizarro Special.”
Molly’s nose crinkled in disgust. “Maybe his perfection just slipped a notch.”
Ava laughed. Gabe had not flinched when Ava suggested ordering the house special, a peanut butter, pepperoni and jalapeno pizza. Her friends always refused to share one with her. She and Gabe had ordered an extra large and he’d devoured all but the three slices Ava had eaten. He’d even agreed with her that the bizarre combination was oddly appetizing.
“Actually,” Molly said with a playful look on her face, “that’s probably why there were no details to share. Who orders jalapenos on something when they’re on a date? No wonder there were no delectable moments forordW you to report back to me with.”
“It wasn’t a date,” Ava reminded her. Molly was her best friend but there was no way she was going to admit to her how disappointed she’d been that Gabe had kept things so completely platonic. Nor was she willing to admit that she’d had the same thought—hope, actually—about the pesky jalapenos. She wanted them, and not Gabe’s lack of interest in her, to be to blame.
There had been one elated moment as she was getting out of the car when Gabe said her name and she’d slid back into the seat. He’d leaned toward her attentively but instead of giving her a kiss, he’d favored her with a request, asking if she’d be available Monday after school to spend some more time with him. That, Ava had decided, was possibly even better.
Molly’s eyes were narrowed at her friend. “But you wish it was a date.”
It wasn’t a question so Ava just made an impassive face.
Molly nudged her shoulder. “You do. Admit it.”
“Okay, yes,” Ava said with a smile.
“You are completely crushing on this guy,” Molly said with a great deal of satisfaction.
Ava sighed and tried to keep her smile in check. It didn’t work so well. “Completely,” she agreed.
Molly gave her a smug grin. “Speaking of Mr. Yummy—”
“Mr. what?” Ava snorted as an unladylike laugh slipped out.
Molly waved her hand dismissively. “Never mind. It sounded better in my head. Anyhow, he’s here.” She pointed to the curb as she appreciatively took in the silver sports car that had just pulled up. “And I am surely going to Hell,” Molly decided. “Because envy does not even begin to describe what I’m feeling r
ight now. If you decide he’s not your type, you can pass him along to me. I’d make a great tour guide.”
“Well, then you can show Oliver around because he’s heading this way,” Ava said with a satisfied smirk.
Molly tossed a look over her shoulder and waved at Oliver who grinned happily back at her.
“Alright but then you keep him,” she said as she motioned to Gabe”oned to. The look on her face was so serious Ava couldn’t help but laugh.
“And no spicy food!” Molly shot after her.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Ava called over her shoulder as she made her way down the sidewalk.
“Are you ready to get out of here?” Gabe asked. He had gotten out of the driver’s seat so he could open the door for her.
“Definitely,” Ava decided as she slid herself into the car.
Ten minutes later they were parked in front of The Sugar Shack eating a complimentary plate of truffles from Becky, Ava’s boss. She had grinned at Ava with raised eyebrows when she brought Gabe in to introduce him and show him around.
“This is the best place to work,” Ava told Gabe as she glanced up at the pale blue, Victorian-styled façade of The Sugar Shack. “I love to cook so being paid to make candy is so much fun. It’s like I’m being paid to do something that doesn’t even feel like work. And I get to sample everything. Sometimes I think I eat my weight in fudge during a shift,” she said with an embarrassed laugh.
“You sure don’t look it,” he said as he checked her over appreciatively.
She smiled as she felt her body tingle under his gaze. “I run with Hercules most nights so I figure if I want to sample new candy every day, I should be allowed.”
“Hercules?”
“He’s my neighbor’s dog. He’s the one I was running with when we met. Grier is walking him for me tonight though.” Ava explained the situation to Gabe.
“How did things turn out with Grier? After the carnival?”