Out of the Shadow (9 page)

“
Hey, princess,” he said as he turned off the highway. “I need to stop at the studio real quick before we head to the hotel to pick up your mom and your brother.”

“
That’s fine, Daddy,” she said. She sat up in her seat and smiled as he maneuvered the car through the streets and finally entered Redden Records’ parking garage. “I’ll come inside with you. I want to thank Robby for keeping me company at the party last night.”

“
Sure, come on,” Jay said. “I need to talk to Rhys so I’ll just meet you in the break room.”

They parted ways when the elevator opened and Ally peeked her head into open doors until she finally located him in the break room, flipping through a file and eating a sandwich.

“
Just the person I was looking for,” she said with a wide smile.

His head snapped up and a grin popped on his face, complete with dimples. “Well, glad you found me,” he said as he kicked a chair out for her.

She sat cautiously, eyeing the file in front of him. “I don’t want to interrupt you.”

“
Nah,” he said as he closed the file and folded his hand on top of it. “What’s up? Are you on your way out of town?”

“
Yes,” she said, despair tugging at her heart. “I just wanted to say thanks again and tell you goodbye.”

“
Aw,” he said, patting her hand. “I had a great time, Ally. You don’t need to thank me.”

“
Well,” she said, straightening and jutting out her chin. “If you’re ever in my neck of the woods, give me a call and I’ll show you around or something.”

His grin widened and he leaned over to whisper conspiratorially. “It may be sooner than you think.”

Her mouth opened, forming an O. “What are you talking about?”

“
You’ll see,” he said with a wink. He sat back, tore a piece off his sandwich, and popped it in his mouth, grinning the whole time.

She sighed as she shook her head. “You men and your need to be mysterious. It’s not as sexy as you’d like to think.”

He lifted a brow then broke into laughter. “Thanks for that tip – it might come in handy.”

She took his hand, totally at ease, and wished once again that he lived closer. She could easily see herself hanging out with him and inviting him to hang out with her other friends. She knew he’d fit in easily. “You will keep in touch, right?”

Again, he smiled knowingly. “Sure. That’s not a problem.”

She narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to ask him what he was hiding when the door opened and Jay called out to her. She released Robby’s hand and stood. “I guess we’re out of here. Thanks again, Robby.”

“
Sure,” he said as he stood and accepted her brief hug. He stepped around her to shake Jay’s hand. “And I’ll be talking to you soon.”

“
Yep,” Jay said. “Till then, take care.”

Ally followed her father out the door, pausing to smile once more at Robby over her shoulder. She sighed again as she stepped into the elevator. Yeah, she was going to miss him.

***

Cole sat at the table in the middle of the bus and flipped through the latest issue of
Rock News Weekly
. His cell phone was positioned close to his hand and sat silent, waiting for Ally to call.

Lila sauntered to the table and slid in the booth next to him, feigning interest in the article on drums that Cole was reading. He glanced at her, raising a questioning brow.

“
We’ve left California,” she announced. “We’re in Nevada. Just thought you’d like to know.”

“
Thanks,” he said and dropped his eyes back to the magazine. He stiffened as she moved closer, her thigh pressing his. “Did you need something else?”

“
You’re awfully quiet today,” she said. “Is something the matter?”

“
Nope,” he said as he turned the page. “Nothing at all. Just trying to relax.”

She picked up his phone and rubbed the screen on her jeans, erasing the fingerprints. “And waiting for your girlfriend to call?”

He snatched the phone from her hands and set it on the other side of his magazine. “She’s on a plane right now. She’ll call when she lands.”

Lila picked at the nail polish on her index finger and smirked as he shifted slightly away from her. Her closeness was making him quite uncomfortable. “I heard that she attended some party with Robby Redden. I bet that pissed you off, huh?”

“
Nope,” he said, adding a little extra emphasis on the ‘p’ sound. “Not in the least. She asked me if I would mind because her cousin was taking some chick from another team and she didn’t want to go alone.” He turned the page and gazed at the photos of drum kits. “Robby is a good guy. I’m sure he made sure none of the perverts at the party tried to hook up with Ally.”

“
Well, that’s good,” Lila said, her eyes still on her nails. She chipped a huge hunk of Shimmering Red off her nail and flicked it to the floor. “I’m glad you have someone to babysit your girlfriend for you.”

Huffing, he slammed the magazine shut. He twisted to face her, anger swelling in his gut. “Look, I don’t need anyone to babysit my girlfriend. I trust her – I know she wouldn’t do anything like that or cheat or anything. I just wanted her to have a good time without having to worry about some guy hitting on her.” He paused for a moment to catch his breath. A smug smile slipped on his face. “She is quite beautiful, in case you haven’t noticed, and attracts a lot of male attention.”

That seemed to do the trick as Lila cleared her throat and slid out of the booth. She stood by the table for a moment then flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Yes, she is beautiful. I just hope for your sake she’s not so beautiful that she can’t stand to be without a man for a long time.”

Cole pushed to his feet, his eyes darkening. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

RJ, fresh from a nap, stumbled into the area, his eyes growing at the anger rolling off Cole’s body. He glanced between the two before taking hold of Cole’s arm. “What’s going on, kids?”

“
Nothing,” Cole said as he jerked his arm out of RJ’s grasp. He stalked to the sleeping quarters and hopped on his bunk.

“
You okay, Cole?” Parker asked as he paused his handheld game. “You look pretty ticked.”

“
It’s nothing,” Cole muttered, pulling his legs on the bed and folding his arms under his head. “Nothing.”

“
Hey, bro,” RJ said as he stood by Cole’s bunk. “What’s that Lila chick up to? She’s got you all kinds of riled up.”

“
Nothing, really,” Cole admitted as he heaved a huge sigh. “She’s just trying to wind me up – saying stuff about Ally going to that party with Robby Redden.”

Parker sat up and kicked his legs over the side of his bunk. “Cole, man, I could tell from the moment I met that girl that she was the type to stir up trouble. She’s the type to go after what she can’t have so she’s got her eyes set on you.”

“
Never going to happen,” Cole said with a snort. “Ever.”

“
We know that,” RJ said as he playfully punched Cole’s arm. “But she obviously doesn’t. Just ignore her. Besides, Ally asked you if you’d mind if she took Robby to that party. She would never have done that if she would have thought for a second it would upset you.”

“
I know,” Cole said staring at the ceiling. “And I didn’t mind at all. Robby’s a good guy.”

“
And Jamie was with them, too, wasn’t he?” Parker asked.

“
Yeah,” RJ said, yawning and scratching his head. “He was with some girl he met that played for one of the other teams.”

Parker laughed and fell back on his bunk. “Bet that went over really well with Ally.”

Cole smiled and closed his eyes, imagining Ally’s reaction. “I think she was all right with it as long as James didn’t offer this girl any tips. You know how competitive Ally is.”

RJ moved Cole’s legs out of the way then jumped on the bunk. “I love her to death but sometimes that girl is too competitive. Remember our family softball games at Thanksgiving?”

“
Would you guys shut up or take the conversation elsewhere?” Ren shouted from the lower bunk, putting a pillow over his head. “Some of us are trying to sleep.”

Cole sat up and smirked at RJ who smirked back. They both slipped noiselessly off the bunk and paused next to Ren’s bunk. Cole counted down with his fingers and when he reached one, they yanked the pillows, blankets, and sheets off the bed, rolling Ren to the floor with a thump. They laughed as he stood, glaring murderously at them all before he snatched his bedding off the floor.

“
You guys are such idiots,” he muttered as he climbed back in bed.

“
Cheer up, little brother,” RJ said. “We’ll leave you alone now.”

Cole’s phone rang and he jerked it out of his pocket, grinning when Ally’s name came on the screen. His heart jumped as he answered and her sweet voice filled his ears.

Chapter Six

Ally sipped her iced tea as her eyes gazed unseeingly at the sun’s rays sparkling on the surface of the languid lake. She set her glass on the table next to her chair, her eyes still on the water, and sighed.

“
What’s the problem, cuz?” Jamie asked as he shook the ice in his glass. “Missing the man, I suppose.”

Snorting, she slowly turned her head to smile. “I always miss him, you know that. I was just thinking about all the stuff I have to pack for college. I can’t believe we leave in a few days.”

“
I know,” Jamie said. “The summer flew by, didn’t it?”

“
Yeah,” she said. “And wow, college. It’s sort of scary, you know. Living on our own and all.”

Jamie laughed, his brown eyes sparkling. He scooted his chair closer to hers and took her hand, his body still shaking with silent laughter. “Um, Ally, what have we been doing the last four years at boarding school?”

She clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes. “This is a bit different, don’t you think? I mean, we’re adults now.”

He shrugged and dropped her hand. “I suppose. But I don’t really think it will be too different from Meridian Valley, honestly.”

She cocked her head and mulled his words. He was probably right in a way, but then she had a valid point. She didn’t think college would be like boarding school. Sure, they had their similarities, but college was a bit more grown up in her eyes. They’d have more freedom, for one thing, and more say in their classes.

Their living arrangements would be a bit different, too. They were both going to live in the dorms for their first year – dorms that were smaller than what they’d lived in at Meridian Valley, but that didn’t bother Ally as much as the fact that she’d have to share a communal bathroom with all the girls on her floor. But they could always move off campus next summer.

“
Have you even started packing yet?” she asked.

“
No,” he said, a smirk lurking in the corners of his mouth. “I was hoping you’d help.”

“
Aunt Gretchen won’t do it for you, will she?” Ally giggled.

“
No,” Jamie pouted. “She says if I’m old enough to go to college then I’m old enough to pack.”

Tossing her head back, she laughed heartily and after a moment, Jamie joined her. When the laughter settled and she wiped the tears from her eyes, she stood and grabbed her glass.

“
Let’s go, cuz,” she said.