Devoted to Her (Dream Date Book 2) (22 page)

Amanda said nothing, staring at the TV.

“This doesn’t make sense. Why would Nathan send you a
bunch of romantic gifts, just to later tell you that he wants to break up?”

“Guys’ minds are hard to decode, friend. Maybe he was
just trying to put me in a happy mood so that when he dropped the bomb, it
would hurt less.”

“That didn’t work, right?”

“Not even close.”

Emmy was looking at Amanda with concern.

“Are you sure you did the right thing?”

“Yes. I could see the guilt in Nathan’s eyes. He
had
been seeing that woman for some time. And he didn’t deny when I insinuated
that it was stressful to have me as a girlfriend.”

“Nathan loves you.”

“Not enough to overcome those obstacles. Come to think
of it, I guess Nathan got cold feet when the time came to propose to me. He
realized how hard it would be to make us work, and left me for someone else.”

“Friend, all relationships take work.”

“Ours was never ordinary. He will be much better off
with someone else. I wish it had been Kayla, but at least that woman seems
serious enough about him.”

“Will you be fine?”

“Yes. Deep down, I always thought this would happen sooner
or later. Nathan and I are worlds apart.”

Amanda remained silent for the rest of the movie. Emmy
wasn’t sure her friend was paying much attention. She was truly distraught.

The next morning, Amanda woke up late. She was still
so sad that she preferred not to get out of bed. Emmy went to Amanda’s room to
wake her up.

“Come on, friend!” said Emmy, shaking Amanda. “You
need to have breakfast like, now. Jonathan said he’s coming at twelve for your
workout.”

Amanda yawned, covering her mouth.

“Huh? What time is it?”

“It’s almost ten.”

Amanda hastily pushed the bedcover from on top of her.
She stood up, looking at the clock on the wall.

“Shit. I can’t work out with a full stomach. Guess
I’ll have to eat light.”

Emmy pursed her lips. Amanda went to her closet to get
some clothes for the day.

As soon as Amanda was ready, she walked to the
kitchen. Emmy had made breakfast that morning…which happened to be store-bought
chocolate muffins and milk.

“You don’t mind, right?” Emmy asked. “I’m not great at
cooking.”

Amanda wasn’t feeling well enough to even laugh.

“No. A little sugar would go great right now.”

Kellan walked in just as Amanda was unwrapping her
muffin. She looked up at him.

“Yes, Kellan?”

“I wanted to let you know that Nathan arrived to see
you earlier.”

Amanda froze. She closed her eyes.

“We didn’t let him in, as you requested. Caldwell and
I are outside making sure no one bothers you.”

“Thanks, Kellan. You’re awesome.”

Kellan flashed a faint smile. He then excused himself
and walked back outside. Amanda tried to enjoy her muffin. Despite the
intensity of the chocolate flavor, she barely showed any sign she was enjoying
it.

“You don’t want milk?” asked Emmy.

“No. Bad idea to drink that before a workout.”

“It’s not the end of the world,” Emmy said. She was
clearly enjoying her own muffin. “Anyone who steps on your heart doesn’t
deserve you beating yourself up over it.”

“I loved him!” Amanda said. “I still do. And it hurts
like I just want to curl up and sleep until I forget who he is.”

“I still have a hard time believing Nathan was capable
of cheating on you.”

“Emmy, for God’s sake. Kellan and Caldwell have
already told you how things went. You haven’t seen this Erika he’s dating, have
you?”

“No.”

“She’s attractive, but she has this stuck-up vibe
about her. And she looks sort of older. No wonder he never introduced her to
his friends.”

“I’m just saying, Amanda. The last time we thought
Nathan was messing with you, we were wrong.”

“Not this time, sweetie. I. Saw. Him. They couldn’t
have been any closer.”

Emmy didn’t say anything else after that.

As expected, Jonathan arrived for their workout
session at a few minutes before twelve. Emmy had left to see Judith by then.

“Good morning, Amanda,” Jonathan greeted. At her
halfhearted reply back, he frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“I’d rather not talk about it.”

Jonathan nodded. He helped Amanda move the coffee
table as usual. Then they began with the stretches. After the warm-up, Amanda
asked Jonathan if he’d brought a punching bag.

“No, I didn’t bring one. Those get in the way when you
go through airport security.”

Amanda gave her all to the workout. She needed it to
vent. At one point, she asked Jonathan to let her aim punches at his palms. He
put on a pair of padded gloves for that.

“You must be pretty mad. With the force behind these
punches of yours, you could rearrange someone’s face.”

“I feel like beating the shit out of a Jeep.”

Jonathan was curious to find out why Amanda was in
such a bad mood, but he didn’t press her. After the workout, she was winded and
sweaty.

“Not bad, but remember: it’s not a wise idea to
overexert yourself.”

“Cut me some slack. I had a craptastic weekend.”

“It was just a little reminder. We’ll see each other
again next Thursday.”

Amanda nodded. She tried to smile at him.

“Thanks.”

“Always an honor to
exercise with you,” said Jonathan. He walked out of the apartment. Amanda sat
down on the sofa. She rested for a bit before showering.

In his apartment, Nathan sat at his desk. He was
tapping his foot on the floor. He couldn’t think of any way to get Amanda back.

This has to be a bad dream. How can things have gone
horribly wrong?

Amanda was supposed to be his fiancée now. Nathan
stared at the little black box on his desk. It sat in front of his open laptop.
The ring Amanda hadn’t gotten to see was inside it. Nathan didn’t want to open
the box. He felt that it might jinx things further. That ring wouldn’t see the
light again until Amanda was back with him.

Taking a deep sigh, Nathan stood up. He grabbed the
black box and walked to his closet. He put it away in the darkest corner at the
top. At least there, the box would be safe.

Nathan sat at the foot of his bed. Lately, he wasn’t
in the mood for anything. He had messed up big time. It would take Herculean
effort to regain Amanda’s trust.

Maybe I should ask Marissa for help.

Marissa still believed that Nathan’s idea had gone
well. By now, she most likely was wondering why Nathan hadn’t called her yet to
give her the big news. Had Amanda said yes, or had she not?

As an unfortunate consequence, Nathan had told Cam
that the gig was postponed. The singer said it would be no problem. Nathan
hoped he wouldn’t take too long to win Amanda’s trust back.

Feeling a bit suffocated after spending a lot of time
inside his room, Nathan stood up. He grabbed a jacket and stepped outside. He
needed fresh air.

On the yard behind his building, Nathan found some
bushes and sat under them. He sighed, looking around. For a winter day, the
weather was inviting. Too bad that the situation was dreadful in contrast.

Nathan opened a book that he had brought with himself.
Kayla had often said that she would read whenever she felt gloomy. Losing
herself in another world made her forget any troubles. Nathan wanted to see if
that was true.

The novel Nathan was
reading was one that people raved about lately. It was supposedly a gripping
mystery. Nathan started reading, hoping that he would wake up and see that
everything is okay.

Determined not to show weakness, Amanda tried to make
things seem normal. She woke up early and got ready for school. Amanda donned a
hooded jacket. Besides the cold weather, she didn’t want Nathan to recognize
her. It would be better for them both.

When she walked into the living room, Amanda felt
surprised to see Christopher there. He and Emmy were talking.

“Good morning, home girl. I’m glad to see that you
woke up early.”

“I agree,” Emmy said. “I thought that I’d have to drag
you out of bed, friend.”

Amanda walked toward the table.

“What are you doing here?”

“Relax. I just thought you’d like good company.”

Emmy stood up.

“He’s inviting us to breakfast. We should get going.”

“All right.”

Outside, Kellan was waiting in the hallway. He looked
at Amanda, Emmy, and Christopher.

“Should we go now, Amanda?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll take my own car,” Christopher said. “See you at
school,” he told Amanda. Then he turned and left.

“How’s your injury doing?” Kellan asked Emmy.

“Still hurts, but I’m much better.”

Emmy had had her sutures removed last Saturday. The
doctor told her that stab wound had closed enough to allow Emmy to do light
exercise. She just couldn’t stretch. It hurt to try.

At school, Amanda started to panic. She remembered
that she still shared a few classes with Nathan. What was she going to do? It
was already too late to move to the same courses with a different instructor.
Could Amanda just ignore him? She wasn’t sure she could do it.

“Emmy,” Amanda asked when the two of them were walking
through a hallway. They were heading for their lockers. “How am I going to
hide? I stand out.”

“From Nathan? I don’t know. You could always sit at
the far back during class.”

“Would glasses change my appearance enough?”

“Jeez, Amanda. Don’t be such a chicken. Just ignore
him. If Nathan tries to talk to you, shoot him a death glare. He must learn to
leave you alone.”

Amanda had to admit that she felt scared. She’d never
had to deal with such a situation.

At that moment, Christopher walked up to her.

“Don’t worry, home girl. I’ve got your back.”

Amanda felt safe with Christopher. She gave him credit
for not coming onto her as soon as she was free. If he tried to seduce her too
quickly, Amanda would tell him to butt off.

To buy herself some time, Amanda didn’t head to class
until she had to. When she got there, Amanda found that the instructor had
barely opened the door. She looked at Christopher.

“I wish you could come with me.”

Christopher took Amanda’s hands, cupping them with his
own.

“Me, too. Just keep your head high and ignore that
jerk. You’ll be fine.”

Amanda nodded, feeling her heart beating at a rapid
pace.

“Okay.”

Christopher embraced Amanda. She placed her arms
around him, feeling like she might break.

“You don’t have to go if you really don’t want to.”

Amanda shook her head.

“I’ve never missed a class in my life. I won’t start
that now.”

They broke from their embrace. Christopher gave Amanda
a kiss on the cheek.

“Good luck.”

Amanda almost smiled. She turned around and walked
into class. By the time she walked in, Amanda’s expression had become neutral.
She forced herself not to scan the room.

Against Emmy’s advice, Amanda sat at the front row.
She sensed Nathan behind her. It gave her a sense of power. With her back
turned to Nathan, Amanda didn’t have to deal with him. It was as if he wasn’t
there.

By lunchtime, Nathan felt almost desperate. Amanda
hadn’t even taken a glance his way all day. They only shared a couple of
classes before noon, though. Nathan didn’t know how to convince Amanda that he
hadn’t cheated on her.

Finding a private spot behind a building, Nathan
pulled out his smartphone. He’d spent a little over half of his lunch hour
trying to find Amanda. Nathan dialed Marissa. Her lunch hour had already
started for a few minutes. Nathan knew her schedule.

“Hi, Nathan. About time you call!”

“Hey, Marissa,” Nathan replied halfheartedly.

“Why do you sound upset? Aren’t you and Amanda engaged
by now?”

Nathan rubbed his head. He felt a headache coming.

“I wish that were true. Everything’s gone to hell.”

“What? Nathan, what happened? Did she panic, did she
think it was too early for marriage?”

“No. It was something worse. Much worse.”

“Nathan, you’re scaring me. What is this? Are you
joking with me?”

“This isn’t a joke. Amanda thinks I’ve cheated on
her.”

There was a pause. Marissa gasped.

“What!? Wait, this doesn’t make sense. How come?”

“I took Amanda to the restaurant. When we were
leaving, she saw me with a woman.”

“A woman? Nathan, are you seeing someone behind
Amanda’s back?”

“Absolutely not!”

“Do you know this woman?”

“Yes. I met her a few months ago, but I don’t see her much.
She has a crush on me.”

Nathan told Marissa the whole story. When he finished,
she couldn’t believe he hadn’t told her earlier.

“So Amanda never got to hear the song you had made for
her?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

“Then show it to her! Amanda has to see that no guy
would commission a romantic song for a woman he isn’t in love with.”

“It won’t help much, Marissa. I don’t want to show it
to her under these circumstances, anyway. The evidence against me is too
overwhelming.”

“You should have demanded this Erika to go away. How
could you get caught kissing her? That’s the oldest trick in the book.”

Nathan didn’t have an appropriate reply.

“What can I do?”

“I suggest you should wait it out. Think about how to
regain Amanda’s trust. You need a clear head.”

Nathan ran a hand through his hair.

“I don’t know how Amanda fell for it. Haven’t I proved
how much I love her?”

“You said that Amanda believes you had enough of guys
trying to steal her from you all the time. Is that true?”

“Yeah,” said Nathan after taking a deep breath. “I
won’t lie. It was getting on my nerves.”

“You didn’t let her know that, did you? That could be
disastrous.”

“I sort of did tell her. Well, she asked me if it was
true, and I neither confirmed it nor denied it.”

Marissa thought about it.

“You’re in deep shit, Nathan. I thought that, to you,
Amanda was worth the effort.”

“She is. If not, I wouldn’t have left Kayla.”

“Just give Amanda some time. Wait until her anger has
mostly subsided.”

“That might kill me.”

Nathan looked around. He spotted Erika walking around
the corner of the building. She saw him and started in his direction.

“I gotta go, Marissa. Class starts in a few.”

“Okay, Nathan. I hope things get back to normal
between you and Amanda.”

“Thanks. Bye,” said Nathan, hastily hanging up. He
pocketed his phone.

“Who were you talking to?” Erika asked.

“That’s none of your business. I’m pissed off with
you. Leave me alone.”

“I did you a favor, Nathan. Your relationship with
Amanda would have ended eventually. I just sped it up. A clean break, you
know.”

“I’m in love with Amanda!”

“Are you? Enough to handle the stress of dating such a
coveted woman for the rest of your life?”

“For Amanda, I would do anything.”

“Everyone has a limit, Nathan. Sooner or later, you
would have snapped under the pressure. You’d have broken up with Amanda of your
own volition.”

“No way.”

Erika got closer to Nathan. She placed her hands on
his chest. He looked down at her lips.

“I’m gorgeous too, honey, but I don’t come with the
drawbacks Amanda has.”

“I don’t take the easy road just because.”

“Don’t pick battles you can’t win. Amanda just isn’t
for you. Accept it.”

Erika leaned forward to kiss Nathan. He turned his
head to avoid her lips. Then he grabbed her wrists and pushed her off him.

“I’m not for you. Accept it.”

Nathan walked away,
leaving a shocked Erika standing there by herself.

After breakfast the next day, Amanda searched for jobs
on her computer. She needed one to distract her now that she had too much free
time on her hands. Amanda tried to think of what would be worth doing.

Emmy watched Amanda as she browsed job sites. She then
had an idea.

“Amanda, you’ve done lots of photo shoots, right?”

Amanda arched an eyebrow.

“Yes?”

“How much do you know about photography?”

Amanda thought about the question.

“Not much, honestly. I’ve never been on the other side
of the camera. Why?”

“I was thinking you should get a job in that area.
Photograph other models.”

“That doesn’t seem like an option. There aren’t any
modeling agencies in this town.”

“No, but you could have the models come here for
shoots. Or you could fly to a location,” Emmy replied.

“That’s more trouble than it’s worth. I’m still in
school.”

Amanda continued searching for jobs. Emmy thought
about something else.

“I know! Why don’t you work for Rachel Edwards?”

Amanda looked up at Emmy.

“The photographer?”

“Yes. I heard that her studio is growing, especially
after shooting with you. She probably has a lot on her plate right now. You
could relieve some of that.”

“Rachel lives in Manhattan.”

“This is the twenty-first century. You could ask
Rachel to let you telecommute.”

Amanda thought it was a fair idea.

“It doesn’t hurt to see if she has any job openings.
When I met Rachel, she worked by herself. She didn’t have any assistant that I
know of.”

Emmy watched Amanda browse to Rachel’s Web site. There
were links for her portfolio, biography, and an overview of her business.

“I can’t find any careers section.”

“Then call her. You’re Amanda Tilley, I’m sure Rachel
would love to hire you.”

Amanda grabbed her smartphone. Just as she was about
to dial, it rang. She glanced at Emmy in confusion.

“Hello?” she asked.

“Amanda Tilley? This is Detective Sutton.”

“Good morning, Detective. Have you caught the woman?”

“No, Ms. Tilley. Not really. I’ve got shocking news.”

Amanda’s expression turned to concern.

“What is it?”

“A woman’s body was found in a motel in the south part
of town. We found ID on her.”

“Oh, my God. Do you think she’s my attacker?”

“That’s most likely. We also found a weapon that may
have been the one used to hurt Ms. Crenshaw.”

Amanda looked at Emmy, whose eyebrows furrowed. She
mouthed “What?”

“When was the suspect found?”

“Just a few minutes ago, Ms. Tilley. I need you to
come over here now. Bring Ms. Crenshaw with you, if possible. We want you to
identify the body before turning it over to the ME.”

“No problem, Detective. We’ll be there right away.”

Sutton gave Amanda the address.

“Take care, Ms. Tilley. See you in a few.”

Amanda hung up.

“They’ve found the woman who attacked us.”

Emmy covered her hands to her mouth.

“Finally!” she said. “Is she going to jail?”

“No. She was found dead.”

Amanda’s bodyguards drove her and Emmy to the motel.
The drive wasn’t long, though they had to pass by the Cornell campus. Once
there, Amanda got out of the car. Emmy followed after.

The two of them walked to the motel entrance, flanked
by Kellan and Caldwell. Detective Sutton was there with a few officers. He
turned when he sensed Amanda and her group approaching.

“Ms. Tilley, you’re in good time,” said Detective
Sutton. He shook hands with Amanda. Then he turned to Emmy. “Good to see you
walking, Ms. Crenshaw.”

“Thanks.”

“I just interviewed the owner. He told us that the
suspect, ID’d as Lena Emerson, rented a room here for over a month.”

Amanda did some mental math. The attack had been three
weeks ago, during the last week of January. As she thought, she realized that
Lena’s name sounded familiar.

“That means she most likely had time to track me down,
follow me around, and plan the attack.”

“That’s just one assumption. We’ll probably never know
what Ms. Emerson was after.”

“Was she murdered?” Emmy asked. Sutton shook his head.

“Cause of death appears to be drug overdose. We need
the ME to confirm it.”

Amanda exchanged glances with Kellan.

“Are you ready to go in and identify her?”

Emmy took a deep breath. Amanda looked at her.

“Yes,” the latter said. Detective Sutton let them
inside the motel. They walked to a room near the back. An officer stood guard
outside. Sutton opened the door, letting his party walk in before him.

Amanda looked around the room first. It was small,
probably the size of her bedroom at Lansing West. There was a twin-size bed, a
bedside table, and a wardrobe on one side. On the other was a small desk and a
TV.

“The body is on the floor on the other side of the bed,”
Sutton said. Amanda nodded at him, and they walked forward. When she saw the
body, Amanda took in the features. Lena looked barely thirty. She had dirty blonde
hair that fell to her elbows, and milk-white skin. She was attractive, despite
her troubled expression.

“Do you recognize her?” asked Sutton. Amanda and Emmy
both nodded.

“Yes. That hair is just like our attacker’s.”

Amanda glanced at Lena again. She wondered why this
amicable-looking woman had wanted to rob—or possibly kill—her.

“Have you ever seen her before?” Kellan asked.

“No. Her name sounds familiar, though.”

Sutton looked at her in confusion.

“Can you remember from where?”

“I’m trying. You’re saying she overdosed?”

“Yes. An officer bagged the empty pill bottle that we
found next to her. We were just waiting for you to ID the woman before the ME
takes her.”

“So it’s a suicide?”

Sutton nodded.

“We’ll investigate Ms. Emerson to find out about her
and try to figure out her motives.”

“Keep us posted,” Kellan told him.

“I will.”

A few moments afterward, Sutton accompanied them back
outside. A woman in her mid-thirties, wearing a white coat, was waiting there.
Amanda surmised she was the ME. Sutton nodded at her, and the ME went inside.

“Let’s go now,” Kellan
said to Amanda. Emmy and Caldwell followed them back to the car. The latter
drove while Kellan made a few phone calls on the way to the apartment.

Over the next few days, Nathan was unable to find an
opportunity to get to Amanda. With school and work, his free time during the
weekdays was all but negligible. Nathan had tried to see Amanda on Wednesday.
However, Caldwell refused to let him through.