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the cheese and putting on twice as much sauce. Anything so it doesn’t taste like the thousand pizzas I’ve eaten before.
    Gabie takes a deep breath. Then she says in a rush, “Besides, I like working with you.”
    I’m so surprised that for a moment I don’t say anything. When we work together, she has a cautious way of looking at me. Like she thinks I might be dangerous. If I make a joke, she waits a second before she laughs. It always makes me wonder if she is going to laugh.
    And then when she does, low and throaty, it’s the kind of laugh you want to hear again.
    “Would that really be cool with your insurance?”
    “I could check and see.” Gabie shrugs. “Besides, if you didn’t get into an accident, it wouldn’t matter. Nobody would know. And I’ll bet you’re a careful driver.”
    Is Gabie Klug flirting with me? With me, Drew Lyle?
    “You’ve never seen me drive. How do you know I’m careful?”
    “I can tell.” She looks up at me through her lashes.
    I can’t believe it. She is flirting. “Why would you do that for me?”
    And then she’s suddenly serious. “Because I’ve seen enough to know you deserve it.”

The Fourth Day
     
    Gabie
     
    DREW AND I have to wait to talk to Pete. Amber is talking to him, or more at him, waving her hands.
    Finally it’s our turn. “Can we talk to you about the schedule?” I ask.
    “Both of you?” Pete looks at me, then Drew, then back at me.
    “Yes,” I say firmly.
    “Come into my office.”
    Office is kind of an overstatement for a space that’s ten feet by ten. The desk is covered with receipts and a printing calculator. Boxes of pineapple and olives are stacked next to the walls. Since there’s only one chair and Pete sits in it, Drew and I lean against the boxes.
    I take a deep breath. “I think you should give Drew back the days you cut.”
    Pete shrugs. “Sorry, but he doesn’t have a car. And I’m not letting you or any girl make deliveries.” He pinches the bridge of his nose. “Not after what happened to Kayla.”
    “He can use my car.”
    Pete looks as surprised by this news as Drew did a few minutes ago.
    “I don’t know….”
    “Come on,” I say. “I don’t want to work with Miguel.”
    “Why not?’
    “Because I wouldn’t feel safe with him. If any bad guy came into the restaurant, I would have to be the one to protect Miguel.”
    It’s true, too. Miguel may look like an adult, but when Danny cut his thumb, Miguel almost passed out. And if it was a choice between protecting me and running away, Miguel would run so fast his shoes would smoke.
    Pete puts his hand up to his mouth, but not before I see the smile underneath his big black mustache.
    “Well, I can’t afford to have you decide you don’t want to work here, too. Amber just told me she’s not coming back.” He looks at Drew. “So obviously that schedule I passed out is already out the window. Would you be interested in extra hours?”
    “Sure.” Drew never says no to extra hours.
    “I appreciate you guys sticking it out. I can see how it might affect you. Both of you,” Pete says. His eyes, which turn down at the corners, make him look like a sad hound dog.
    “That’s all I think about,” Drew says softly. I don’t say anything, just nod.
    Pete leans closer. “I’ll tell you guys something, but you can’t tell anyone.”
    “Okay,” we both say. Drew shoots a glance at me, and I can tell he feels like I do. Like maybe he doesn’t really want to know.
    “They found a spot down by the river, not far from Kayla’s car. A place where the river bank was all torn up. Like there was a struggle. They also found a rock about the size of a fist with blood on it. They’re running tests on it now. They’re getting DNA from Kayla’s toothbrush or something to see if it matches. But if it is blood, it’s probably hers.”
    “A rock?” Drew echoes. “Next to the river?”
    Pete nods. I don’t know about them, but I’m thinking about the river, how