told you about last night.â
Matt had a mouthful of pizza and a gob of cheese running down his chin. He nodded but didnât raise his head.
Gabri made his way to the table and stood in the aisle, his dark eyes trained on April. âAre you okay? You ran away last night andââ
âIâm so sorry,â April said. âIâm really embarrassed. I acted so babyish, I know. But Iâm just terrified of bats.â She pushed Matt to get him to move closer to the wall and scooted over, gesturing for Gabri to squeeze in.
Gabri was dressed in baggy gray shorts and a white polo shirt. His dark eyes lit with pleasure at Aprilâs invitation, and he flashed her a warm smile as he slid in beside her.
âThis is Matt, and Todd, and Jessica,â she said, nodding in the direction of each. âDo you know Gabri?â she asked Jessica.
Jessica shook her head. âNo,â she said, her hand resting possessively on Toddâs shoulder. âAre you a townie?â
âYes,â Gabri told her. âIâve lived here all my life.â
âHave some pizza,â Matt said, pushing the tray toward Gabri.
âNo. Thanks,â Gabri said, smiling warmly at Matt. âI just ate.â
âGabri saved my life last night,â April gushed. âHe was so brave.â
Gabri raised his hands modestly, as if fending off her compliments. âNo. Really. Come on.â
âTell us what happened,â Jessica urged, glancing at Gabri.
âWell, if Matt hadnât been half an hour late, it wouldnât have happened,â April said, giving Matt a sharp poke with her elbow. He made a disgusted face.
âPleaseâdonât keep us in suspense,â Jessica said, holding Toddâs hand, squeezing it.
April told them what had happened on the beach the night before. She could tell that Matt wasnât enjoying the story at all. Heâs jealous, she decided. Jealous of how Gabri rescued me. Maybe heâs even jealous that I was walking with Gabri on the beach at night.
âThatâs so scary!â Jessica declared when April had finished. âIâm terrified of bats too!â
âNothing to be afraid of, really,â Gabri said, leaning across the table toward Jessica. âBats donât really bite. Thatâs just myth.â
âTheyâre just so creepy,â Jessica exclaimed, holding on to Todd, making it hard for him to finish his pizza slice.
Gabri told them that in a way, he was envious of bats. He talked about how heâd always wanted to be able to fly. âIt must be neat to have that freedom, to be able to spread your wings and soar,â he said.
Heâs really good-looking, April thought. He has the greatest smile. She pulled another slice of pizza onto her plate. âMatt, could you pass the garlic powder, please?â she asked.
âSure,â he said somewhat grumpily, obviously annoyed that April found Gabri so interesting.
She took the glass shaker from Matt and was about to sprinkle some garlic powder on her pizzaâwhen to her surprise, Gabri grabbed her wrist.
âPlease,â he said, immediately loosening his grip. âIâm sorry, April, but I just hate the smell of garlic. I think Iâm allergic to it or something.â He let go of her, his expression embarrassed.
âNo problem,â April said, reaching across Matt to set the garlic powder down at his end of the table. She turned to Gabri with a puzzled pout. âIâve never heard of anyone being allergic to garlic.â
He shrugged. âItâs no big deal.â
âIâm allergic to garlic too,â Matt interrupted, tapping Aprilâs shoulder to get her attention. âEspecially when itâs on your breath.â
Everyone laughed except Jessica.
âItâs so hot in here,â she said, fanning herself with her hand. She lowered her face to Toddâs. âAre you finished?
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