Pure Redemption (Tainted Legacy) (24 page)

“It’s definitely okay!” Ava exclaimed. “Oh, come on! Don’t look at me like that. We broke up the middle of junior year. It’s fine. More than fine. I think you two would be perfect!”

Molly sighed theatrically. “Look at you Julia. You’ve suddenly turned into a man-magnet. And I’d be willing to bet t
hat if you ever bothered to ask
,
given his proven inability to stay upright
,
that
Mitch would trip over his own two feet getting in line to date you.”

“Thanks,” Julia said, looking totally overwhelmed by the conversation. “But I just need to get through tonight. Just the thought of being alone with him all night…”

“Gabe and I will be there,” Ava reminded her as Julia shuddered. Granville was hosting a city-wide carnival of sorts with businesses doing drawings for giveaways, the streets were going to be closed down for a parade and there was going to be a carnival set up down by the waterfront.

“Oliver and I will be there
,
too,” Molly said. “Except not until later because he has to work the closing shift. But we’ll be there eventually. And if you need anything, just call one of us.” She hesitated. “I really hate to bring this up. Honestly, I am so proud of you for even agreeing to go because I know this is really far out of your comfort zone, but…how well do you know this guy?”

“You mean, am I sure he’s not a felon or something?” Julia asked.

Molly
gave her an apologetic look as she
nodded.

Julia immediately looked concerned. “I don’t really know him all that well. But Ava didn’t know Gabe all that well and look at them now. At least, that’s what I keep trying to tell myself because…oh, this is really a horrible idea! What was I thinking?! I could never stop thinking about Mitch Allard from sophomore year on
. B
ut I couldn’t even get up the nerve to talk to him. Nice, safe Mitch! He was president of the chess club and he kept an economy sized bottle of hand sanitizer in his locker
. It was the kind with a pump
for crying out loud!”

“I thought hand sanitizer was on your list of things to avoid? Too full of toxic chemicals or something?” Molly pointed out.

Julia shrugged. “Sometimes it’s the thought that counts. At least he’s prepared to deal with contamination and sometimes you need to choose the lesser of two evils.”

“Yes,” Molly somberly
admitted
, “I could see how you could easily mistake that for true love.”

Julia ignored her. “And now I’m going out with a complete, total stranger who could be some crazed
bank robber
for all I know.”

Ava sat down on the bed next to Julia and
pulled her into a sideways hug
. “I’m sure he’s a perfectly nice guy. Also, you’ll be in a very crowded place.”

“I know,” Julia said, taking a deep breath. Ava could see her trying to keep herself from having a meltdown. “It’s the drive there and back I’m worried about. Because it’s out of town, it seemed silly to insist that I drive myself and meet him there. But, I mean,
what if we never make it there?
”

“You’ll make it there,” Ava calmly told her.

Julia nodded. “Okay, but if I don’t,” she solemnly told her friends as she plucked her purse up off the floor where it has been resting by her feet, “this might be useful.”

“Useful for what?” Ava asked as Julia rooted around in her purse until she found a small, folded up sheet of paper. She handed it to Molly who unfolded it.

“What is this?” Molly demanded. Her eyebrows had shot straight up.

“
It’s his license plate number
,” Julia said without embarrassment. “I watched out the window when he was leaving. In case, you know, I disappear or something. That ought to help with the search for my body.”

Ava frowned but Molly grinned as she messed up Julia’s hair. “Now there’s the overly dramatic, chronic worrier that we know and love!”

***

“I’m thinking I shouldn’t have given
all
the money away,” Gabe grumbled.

“Stop being a baby,” Ava told him.

“I’m not!”

“You kind of are,” she said as she handed him a jumbo hotdog. “You’ve been whining the whole night,” she teased. “But you should know that the entire time we were together before you never let me pay for a single thing. It’s perfectly justifiable that you let me pay for everything tonight. Or the next few nights, or weeks, whatever it ends up being. It’s pretty typical that your first paycheck is going to be a few weeks behind.”

“It just doesn’t seem right,” Gabe told her as he took a giant bite. He followed Ava through the crowd to an empty bench. “I’ll pay you back.”

Ava rolled her eyes at him. “It’s a hotdog Gabe, not a
Harley
. I think I can handle it. And if you think you need to eat again in fifteen minutes, I’ll be more than happy to buy you those cheese curds you were eyeing up.”

Gabe settled onto the bench with Ava next to him. She was constantly scanning the crowd.

“How is the job going?” she finally asked.

He shrugged. “Okay. I guess. It’s definitely more work that I thought it would be.”

“I’m pretty sure you never had to do something as mundane as actually
work
before,” Ava admitted. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I think you were kind of spoiled.” She
immediately frowned. “Never mind. I shouldn’t have said that. Your life was hell before. Yeah, you had a nice car and stuff but there is no way that was worth everything your family put you through.”

Gabe didn’t have much to say to that. He finished eating as he watched the hordes of people milling about. They’d been looking for Julia but hadn’t seen her yet. Ava was tempted to send her a text but then thought maybe it would be best if she didn’t interrupt. Julia would get a hold of her if she needed to.

“Now what do you want to do?” he asked as he finished off his food.

“Maybe a few rides?” she suggested. The parade was over and the sun was setting. She thought for sure she’d run into her friends by now. But the crowd was also bigger than she’d thought it would be. Apparently, everyone for a hundred mile radius appeared to be looking for something to do and Granville’s 2nd Centennial Celebration was the place to be.

“Sure,” he said as he got to his feet and pulled Ava up with him. He held her hand firmly in his as he led the way through the crowd.

The closer they got, the noisier it became. Carnies began calling out to them as well as every other person walking by. Gabe offered to win her something but she declined
. She knew that with his enhanced abilities he’d soon decide it felt like cheating and she didn’t want him to feel guilty
.
Instead, the
y
continued to walk around.
The sound of the games and the roar of the rides rippled through the air. The blinking lights were more noticeable now that it was getting darker out.

“Maybe just a ride or two and then I’ll give Julia a call,” Ava decided as she pulled Gabe out of the way of a stream of kids.

“Okay,” he agreed. “Which one first?”

She glanced around. All of the lines were a lot longer than they’d been earlier in the day.

“Why is the line for the Ferris wheel so long?” he wondered.

She noted all of the couples lined up. “Probably because it’s such a romantic ride.”

“That’s a romantic ride?” Gabe asked in bewilderment. “Why? I don’t get it. You just go round and round. It looks pretty boring.”

“Well, when you put it that way,” she admitted, “it does sound kind of dull.”

“Now
that
is a romantic ride,” he proclaimed as he pointed to The Scrambler.

Ava couldn’t help but laugh. “How so?”

“What’s not romantic about two bodies being indelibly brought together by centrifugal force for the entire duration?”

Ava batted her eyes at him. “You are such a romantic.”

“So, The Scrambler?” Gabe asked with a hopeful grin.

“The Scrambler,” she agreed.

She soon decided he was right. Gabe had his arm across the back of her seat so he could brace himself and not squish her too badly. But he just grinned when it was her body that was flung into his.

“There’s Julia!” Ava pointed into the crowd as the ride began slowing down. It was her coral sundress that had caught her attention. “She’s talking to Tammy, a girl we know from school.” She frowned. “I didn’t see anyone else with them, though.”

When the ride came to a halt and the bar was swung off of them, Gabe stepped down and then lifted Ava to the gro
und. “So chivalrous,” she said.

“Consider it payback for the hotdog,” he replied. “Now, which
way
is your friend?”

“This way,” Ava said as she started leading him through the crowd. She came to an abrupt halt when she came
eye to eye
with an unfortunately familiar face.

“Kara,” Ava said as she forced herself to smile.

“I have a message for you,” Kara cooed to Gabe as she ignored Ava and leane
d in close. “Rafe says welcome back.” B
efore Gabe could stop her she leaned in and pressed a kiss onto his lips.

He immediately grabbed her by the elbows and pulled her away. “Don’t ever do that again!” he snapped
as
he pushed her aside.

She smiled and winked before saying, “You
just might change
your mind about that pretty soon.”

Gabe was about to protest but she disappeared into the crowd. “What was that about?!” he demanded of Ava.

“You’re asking me?” she wondered with a grimace. “I’m actually a little more concerned about the Rafe comment than I am about the kiss. Do you think he’s here?”

“I haven’t—,” he started to say but Julia bu
rst through a cluster of people
. She
smacked him across the chest with as much strength as her tiny body could muster.

“What was that about?” she
also demanded of Ava
.

“It wasn’t his fault,” Ava pointed out. “This random girl just came up and kissed him.”

Julia glowered
, clearly not convinced.

“What are you doing all alone?” Ava wanted to know.

“I wasn’t alone. I ran into Tammy and we started chatting. Cam offered to go get me some cotton candy. He’ll be right back. But I saw Gabe with someone else’s lips on his and I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

“I’m fine. It was just…I don’t even know what that was. Other than it’s nothing for you to worry about.”

“You two are good?” Julia asked, needing to be sure.

“We’re perfect,” Gabe said as he pulled Ava into a hug and kissed the top of her head. She wrapped her arms around his waist in return.

“There you are!” an unfamiliar voice said as someone appeared beside Julia.
He slid his arm around her
as he handed her a puffy pink and blue cloud.

Ava’s heart took off in an erratic beat at the sight of him. She felt Gabe tense under her embrace. She slowly let her arms slide free so she could face her friend.

“I’m Cam,” he said as he held out his hand for Gabe to shake. Gabe grimaced and refused to take it. “Alright then,” Cam said as he let his hand drop back to his side. “I know you two are Gabe and Ava, I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Julia was glaring at Gabe, infuriated by his rudeness.

“Julia,” Ava cautiously said, “maybe you should come with us.”

“What?” Julia asked, clearly stunned by the offer. “No. I’m having a great time.”

Cam towered over Julia, much as Gabe did. Like Gabe, his features were a little too perfect. His hair was an unusual caramel color; a little too unusual to miss. His eyes were just a tad too brilliantly green. He was breathtaking, really. When he saw Ava looking him over, he treated her to a lecherous wink even as he pulled Julia in closer to him. She beamed up at him and Ava thought for sure she was going to be sick.

“
It is
getting late,” Gabe calmly said. “Why don’t you catch a ride home with us?”

“And what would be the point of that?” Cam challenged. “I’m perfectly capable of getting my girl home safe and sound.” At the declaration of being his girl, Julia seemed to glow.

Ava was tempted to rip her from his grip.

Gabe seemed to realize that’s what she was thinking. He looped
his
arm around her waist
again
and drew her into his chest. She looked up at him, her face full of fear.

“We’ll see you later,” Julia said, clearly hurt by what she perceived as her friends’ rude behavior.

“Wait Julia! I really do think it’s better if you came home with us.” Ava’s voice sounded desperate. She knew it. Cam knew it too and it caused his grin to widen.