the color drain from his face.
“Thanks, but I really don’t need to see the church. I’ve already driven by it a few times,” he replied with forced calm.
“I don’t actually need to go to the church,” Ava explained. She waved a white envelope, the item she had just procured. “Joshua lives next door. I just wanted to drop this off for them. It’ll only take a second.” She noted Gabe’s tension and relented. “Never mind. I can do it tomorrow.”
“No, it’s okay. We’ll stop,” Gabe decided. “What is it that you’re doing?” He glanced at the envelope. He noticed “ JOSHUA and JILLIAN ” printed in neat script across the front.
“After we left the carnival I won this in the raffle. It’s a gift certificate for Pizzaro’s. Julia brought it to me today. I thought I’d give it to the kids. I babysat for them one day last summer when their daycare lady was sick and I took them to lunch at Pizzaro’s. They were so excited. They’d never been there before. They probably haven’t been back since.” She shrugged. “I thought they’d enjoy it way more than I would.”
Gabe pulled into the empty driveway and Ava darted out of the car. She had been hoping that no one would be home yet. She wasn’t sure if Joshua’s mom would agree to keep the gift. However, she lucked out and no one answered the door. She stuck the envelope in the screen door and then slid back into the car.
“Done. Thanks for stopping,” she told Gabe with a grateful smile.
“No problem,” he said as they set off again. “Any more errands to run? Do you have some drowning puppies to save? Do you need to heal the maimed? Feed the homeless and hungry?”
Ava slapped him across the chest. “Are you mocking me?”
Gabe burst out laughing. “Absolutely,” he admitted unapologetically. He glanced at her long enough to favor her with another flirty wink.
“Good,” Ava said, “because I only help with feeding the homeless on Tuesdays.”
Gabe turned to her with a surprised look.
“I’m kidding,” Ava couldn’t help but laugh. “So what exactly is it that you like to do in your free time, Mr. Castille?”
His gaze rested on her for a few moments before answering. “Hang out with you,” he finally replied as he gave her a heart melting grin.
Ava felt her body respond to that grin in a myriad of ways. Her cheeks became warm, her insides turned to goo once more and a smile flickered across her features even though she tried to give him a stern, no nonsense look.
She shook her head slightly, trying to regain her composure.
“So tell me where you’ve lived,” she demanded.
Gabe shrugged. “Here and there. All over,” he replied evasively. “Nowhere that really stands out. Nowhere that I’d really care to go back to. I’m just used to moving around.”
Ava spent the entire car ride to Granville trying to pull details of his life out of Gabe. He was an expert at deflecting the questions back to her. She wasn’t sure if she should be flattered by the attention—no one had ever seemed quite so interested in her before—or if she should be flustered by his subtle refusal to let her get to know him better.
By the end of the night, she had decided to go with “flattered”. Gabe had insisted on paying for their entire evening, just as he had done the night they’d gotten pizza. This time he purchased the tickets to the game and all of the ballpark fare that they could stand to eat.
With nothing else to do, they’d gotten to the ballpark early to watch the players practice. She had looked at him in wonder when he had—barehanded, of course—caught a line drive that flew through the gate someone had pansomeoneforgotten to close. She hadn’t been the only one to display her surprise. Everyone who had witnessed his amazing catch had commented on it in awe.
He’d smiled at her sheepishly when she’d lavished attention upon him. He insisted the ball wasn’t traveling nearly as fast as she had
“Thanks, but I really don’t need to see the church. I’ve already driven by it a few times,” he replied with forced calm.
“I don’t actually need to go to the church,” Ava explained. She waved a white envelope, the item she had just procured. “Joshua lives next door. I just wanted to drop this off for them. It’ll only take a second.” She noted Gabe’s tension and relented. “Never mind. I can do it tomorrow.”
“No, it’s okay. We’ll stop,” Gabe decided. “What is it that you’re doing?” He glanced at the envelope. He noticed “ JOSHUA and JILLIAN ” printed in neat script across the front.
“After we left the carnival I won this in the raffle. It’s a gift certificate for Pizzaro’s. Julia brought it to me today. I thought I’d give it to the kids. I babysat for them one day last summer when their daycare lady was sick and I took them to lunch at Pizzaro’s. They were so excited. They’d never been there before. They probably haven’t been back since.” She shrugged. “I thought they’d enjoy it way more than I would.”
Gabe pulled into the empty driveway and Ava darted out of the car. She had been hoping that no one would be home yet. She wasn’t sure if Joshua’s mom would agree to keep the gift. However, she lucked out and no one answered the door. She stuck the envelope in the screen door and then slid back into the car.
“Done. Thanks for stopping,” she told Gabe with a grateful smile.
“No problem,” he said as they set off again. “Any more errands to run? Do you have some drowning puppies to save? Do you need to heal the maimed? Feed the homeless and hungry?”
Ava slapped him across the chest. “Are you mocking me?”
Gabe burst out laughing. “Absolutely,” he admitted unapologetically. He glanced at her long enough to favor her with another flirty wink.
“Good,” Ava said, “because I only help with feeding the homeless on Tuesdays.”
Gabe turned to her with a surprised look.
“I’m kidding,” Ava couldn’t help but laugh. “So what exactly is it that you like to do in your free time, Mr. Castille?”
His gaze rested on her for a few moments before answering. “Hang out with you,” he finally replied as he gave her a heart melting grin.
Ava felt her body respond to that grin in a myriad of ways. Her cheeks became warm, her insides turned to goo once more and a smile flickered across her features even though she tried to give him a stern, no nonsense look.
She shook her head slightly, trying to regain her composure.
“So tell me where you’ve lived,” she demanded.
Gabe shrugged. “Here and there. All over,” he replied evasively. “Nowhere that really stands out. Nowhere that I’d really care to go back to. I’m just used to moving around.”
Ava spent the entire car ride to Granville trying to pull details of his life out of Gabe. He was an expert at deflecting the questions back to her. She wasn’t sure if she should be flattered by the attention—no one had ever seemed quite so interested in her before—or if she should be flustered by his subtle refusal to let her get to know him better.
By the end of the night, she had decided to go with “flattered”. Gabe had insisted on paying for their entire evening, just as he had done the night they’d gotten pizza. This time he purchased the tickets to the game and all of the ballpark fare that they could stand to eat.
With nothing else to do, they’d gotten to the ballpark early to watch the players practice. She had looked at him in wonder when he had—barehanded, of course—caught a line drive that flew through the gate someone had pansomeoneforgotten to close. She hadn’t been the only one to display her surprise. Everyone who had witnessed his amazing catch had commented on it in awe.
He’d smiled at her sheepishly when she’d lavished attention upon him. He insisted the ball wasn’t traveling nearly as fast as she had
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