Out of the Shadow (11 page)

“
It’s nothing, cuz,” he said, holding his hands up in mock surrender. “I swear. She just calls every once in awhile to see how things are going.”

Ally’s brow furrowed as she pushed the suitcases aside and sat on the edge of Jamie’s bed. “Please tell me that you’re not lying, Jamie,” she begged. “Please tell me you and her aren’t messing around behind Cole’s back.”

Jamie chuckled and mussed her hair. “I promise you that there is nothing going on with me and Stephanie. She’s all right, I guess, but I don’t like her that way at all. When I went out with her before, she was way too clingy and possessive and we’d only dated a short time. I can’t deal with that,” he said with a shudder. “You have absolutely nothing to worry about. Besides, I wouldn’t go behind Cole’s back like that – you should know that.”

“
I do,” she said, properly ashamed. “Sorry.”

“
Don’t worry about it,” he said with a wink.

“
She’ll be home soon, won’t she? I thought she just went to her dad’s for the summer?”

“
Yeah, she will be,” Jamie said. “She’s going to school here so she’ll still be living with Nate and Stacy.”

“
Things aren’t so great with her though, are they?” Ally prodded. “Cole doesn’t like to talk about it a lot but I always get the feeling that things are strained.”

“
I don’t know,” Jamie said, pushing the hair off his forehead. “I don’t know what goes through that girl’s head half the time. She’s determined to drive Stacy nuts, I think.”

“
I think you’re right,” Ally concurred. “She’s sort of a sore subject with Cole. He doesn’t talk about her much.”

Just as Jamie was about to respond, his phone rang again. He groaned and rolled his eyes, making Ally smile. She reached across the bed and grabbed the phone, her smile widening as Cole’s name appeared on the screen.

“
I’ll answer this for you,” she said. She flipped the phone open. “Hey, handsome.”

“
Jeez, James, what’s up with your voice? You’re sounding a little high pitched,” Cole teased.

“
Well,” Ally said, winking at Jamie. “I’m not as masculine as you think. As a matter of fact, I’m rather girly.”

Jamie shook his head and reached for the phone but Ally jerked her head back out of his reach.

“
How are you, princess?” Cole asked. “Helping Jamie pack I assume.”

“
Don’t call me that,” she chastised. “And yes, I’m helping Jamie pack – somebody has to. Where are you guys?”

“
Somewhere in Utah. Listen, Al, I’d love to sit and talk to you all night but I only have a couple minutes and I really need to speak to Jamie.”

“
Sure,” she said, her bottom lip protruding. “But call me later – no matter the time.”

“
I will,” he promised as she handed the phone to Jamie.

She sat on the bed and watched her cousin warily, straining to eavesdrop on this particular conversation. Jamie’s eyes kept darting to her as he answered Cole carefully and she knew without a doubt that they were talking about her.

“
I’ll do that,” Jamie said, turning away from her. “I’ll get back with you on what I find out.”

He closed the phone and once again tossed it to the bed. He stood, gathered his sports equipment, and dumped it in a box. He pushed everything down and shut the lid, a ghost of a smile flitting across his lips.

“
What was that all about?” she asked.

“
What?” he asked, not looking at her.

“
You know what,” she said. She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped a foot. “What did Cole want?”

“
A favor,” Jamie said as he dug a black marker out of his desk drawer and scribbled on the box he’d just packed. “A favor I’m not allowed to discuss with you so drop it. You can pester him about it later when he calls you but I’d rather not have the headache.”

She dropped her arms with a groan and whipped around to finish packing, using less care than she’d originally started. She shoved his shirts in the suitcase and crammed his socks in the open spaces.

“
All right, that’s enough for now,” he said, knowing she’d pout until she spoke to Cole. “Let’s get some food. I can finish the rest of this later.”

Chapter Seven

Ally greeted Deanna, the receptionist, as she waited for the security door to be unlocked. She waved as she dashed down the hall to the elevator, catching it before it could be called away to another floor. She rode it patiently and when the doors opened, she grinned as she practically skipped down the hall. She paused momentarily in front of Nate’s open office, deciding she’d offer him the opportunity to take her to lunch along with her father, but the office was empty.

She frowned but figured he was probably hanging out in her dad’s office. She turned quickly and ran into a hard body.

“
Oh, sorry,” she said, raising her blazing cheeks to the handsome face smirking at her. “Oh! Robby! What are you doing here?”

He grinned and squeezed her arm. “I’m working here now.”

Her heart thumped rapidly in her chest and a smile took over her face. “Really? Why?”

His smirk widened as he leaned his tall frame against the wall. “I sort of thought you’d be happy to see me again. But I guess you were just being polite.” He released an over dramatic sigh and made her giggle.

“
I’m very happy to see you, Robby. I just meant why are you here? Don’t you work in L.A. anymore?” she asked, forgetting all about her mission to find her father.

“
Your dad and Nate asked me if I’d be interested in coming to Chicago to work with them,” he said with a nonchalant shrug. “I thought it would be a good idea.”

Her brow crinkled as her frown returned. She’d always thought that Robby and his father had an excellent relationship – both in the familial and professional aspects. But maybe she was wrong. Maybe there were hard feelings between the two. Maybe they just couldn’t get along together.

“
Is there something the matter?” she asked, her voice a mere whisper.

“
No,” he chuckled, his dimples jumping out on his face. “Not in the least. But, as you probably know from Nate and Cole, sometimes it can get a little taxing working with your father. And, I was ready for a change of scenery. I like Nate and Jay and I highly respect them. I jumped at the chance to work with them.”

“
Good,” she said, grinning broadly. “Speaking of Nate and Jay, have you seen them today?”

“
Yes, a few minutes ago. They had a lunch meeting with a new group they’re interested in signing.” He touched her arm lightly. “Why? Do you need something?”

“
Yeah – lunch,” she said. “And since you were kind enough to show me around L.A., maybe I can return the favor. Well, if you’re not too busy.”

“
I was thinking of grabbing some lunch myself,” he said. “Let me let Deanna know and we can get out of here.”

She refused his offer to drive and insisted that they walk instead. The late August breeze was warm on their faces and the hustle and bustle of the city was something she was sure she’d miss when she was away at school. She wanted to suck in as much of the city as she could before she immersed herself in her studies.

She pointed out various landmarks and popular stores as she led him through the city streets. She explained as much history as she could remember and beamed when he told her how impressed he was with her knowledge.

She saved the lake for last, wanting to impress him further with the huge size of it. Sure, she knew it was nowhere near as vast at the ocean, but she still loved it. She loved visiting the beaches in the summer when she could roll up her pant legs and wade in the cool waters. She loved the cries of the gulls as they soared overhead, waiting for a picnicker to drop a morsel of food in the sand. She loved the laughter of the children as they splashed in the waves.

“
It is rather large,” he agreed as he leaned on a rail and watched a mother chastise her son for throwing sand. “But it’s not as large as the ocean.”

“
Whatever,” she snorted. “They don’t call Lake Michigan a Great Lake for nothing.”

“
Okay, so Chicago has skyscrapers, beaches, and a large body of water. L.A. has all that, too.”

“
Chicago style pizza,” Ally grinned clutching his arm. “L.A. doesn’t have that!”

He laughed, his dimples making an appearance. “There’s a pizza place two blocks from my L.A. condo that serves Chicago style pizza.”

“
Not the real thing,” she argued. “I’ll take you to get the real thing.”

He offered his arm and shrugged. “Lead the way.”

She hailed a taxi and gave her destination. She sat smug in the cab for the ten minutes it took to drop them on a busy corner. After she paid the cabbie, she hopped out and pointed at a tiny pizzeria tucked between two department stores. She tugged on the door with a huge grin on her face and a shine in her eyes.

“
I love this place,” she said as they stepped inside, the rich, Italian aromas teasing and taunting their rumbling stomachs. “Best Chicago style pizza around, in my humble opinion.”

“
Well, then it must be,” Robby said with a wink.

They took a seat at a round table decked out with a standard red and white checked table cloth and Robby allowed her to order. After the waitress served them their drinks, Ally sipped at her straw, watching Robby carefully. Her heart had been a mess, thumping wildly each time he touched her then cowering in guilt at the joy it had felt. She knew she loved Cole with a surety so deep but she couldn’t deny that she did feel a tiny attraction to Robby.

Who wouldn’t
, she thought. He is so handsome with his dark blue eyes, his sharp features, and that messy hair that begged fingers to run through it. He was dressed in a light gray dress shirt that stretched across his chest enough to let her know that he didn’t spend his entire time behind a desk. She figured he had to engage in some sort of exercise – maybe even some sort of sport. Whatever it was, he was certainly in shape.

“
Oh,” she said, brightening. “I thought of something Chicago has that L.A. doesn’t!”

“
What’s that?” he asked as he leaned back in his chair, amusement dancing in his eyes.

“
Snow,” she said, proudly. “We have snow.”

He laughed as he placed his hands on the table. “Who wants snow?”

“
What’s Christmas without snow?” she asked.

His lips fought a smile as he raised a brow. “Warm?”

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “You’ll love snow at Christmas, just wait. It’s beautiful.”

“
I bet it is,” he said as his face softened. He bent over the table, closer to her, and her heart went wild. “I hate to burst your bubble but you do know that there is snow in the mountains of California.”

She narrowed her eyes and inclined her head close to his. “Chicago is just better than L.A. – it just is.”

His smile touched his eyes and deepened his dimples. He patted her hand and a thrill shot up her arm, straight to her heart. “I’ll take your word for it. I’ll surrender – you win.”

Her eyes remained fixed on his and she couldn’t drop them – couldn’t break the gaze. Certainly he felt it too, for the smile slipped off his face and he inched just a touch closer. She sucked in a breath and held it, waiting for something to happen. What did happen was her phone rang and broke the connection between them. A hot flush washed over her face as she scrambled for her bag and found her phone.