Out of the Shadow (48 page)

“
Hey, Ally,” he said, hugging her extra tight. He kissed the top of her head. “How are you?”

“
Great, now,” she said, beaming. He set her on her feet, kissed her cheek, then drew Jamie in a man hug. “Are you here to help?”

“
Sure,” he said, his smile still on his face but not reaching his eyes. “What do you need help with?”

“
Putting this junk away,” Jamie groaned. He lifted a brow at RJ who returned the gesture with a quick head nod.

Ally noticed but didn’t comment. They were keeping something from her and she’d get it out of them eventually, but she’d have to bide her time. “Where’s Cole? Is he avoiding us so he doesn’t have to help?”

RJ laughed a bit too heartily. “Nah. He had a few things to do in L.A. so he’s going to hang out there for a couple of days. He’ll be back soon.”

“
Okay,” she said with a fake smile of her own. She opened a box and started unloading plates. “Why don’t you tall boys help me unpack these kitchen boxes?”

“
Fine,” Jamie grumbled. “But when we’re done, can we go to RJ’s place to watch the game?” He turned to RJ. “Our cable guy isn’t coming until tomorrow.”

“
No problem,” RJ said as he took a stack of bowls out of Ally’s hands and placed them on the shelf she designated.

After they unpacked the kitchen, Jamie begged Ally to stop for the night – the game was on and they were missing it. Agreeing, she rode with Jamie to RJ’s house.

The boys dropped to the sofa as soon as they walked in the door, Jamie eagerly grabbing the remote and searching for the game. Ally sighed and went immediately to the kitchen to fetch refreshments. She rejoined them and sank into Cole’s favorite recliner, a sense of well-being overcoming her. She smiled to herself as she snuggled into the leather and her heart ached at his absence.

She missed him.

Even though RJ had told her that he was still in L.A. and wouldn’t be back for a few days, she couldn’t help but glance at the door every so often, in hopes that maybe he’d changed his mind and decided to come home. But her hopes were in vain because he never appeared. And RJ’s restless anxiety seemed to increase as the night wore on.

He finally caught her eyeing the door and smiled pitifully at her. “He won’t be back tonight, Ally.”

“
I know,” she said, her cheeks reddening. Her embarrassment was soon forgotten by the obvious distress on RJ’s face. She tried to catch her cousin’s eye but Jamie pointedly ignored her. Her jaw tightened as a touch of anger started to stir in her stomach. “Okay, what’s the deal? What are you guys keeping from me?”

“
Nothing,” Jamie muttered, finding the cat litter commercial on TV strangely interesting.

“
Oh, hell,” RJ said, jumping from the sofa to pace, raking his hands through his hair. “Damn it. Damn it, Cole Crawford!”

“
RJ!” Ally exclaimed as she leapt to her feet and stood in front of him. She grabbed his arms and squeezed. “What is wrong? Is he hurt or something?”

“
No,” RJ said, his eyes so full of indecision that it tore at her heart. “Ally, honey, no. And I cannot keep this from you anymore. The fool should be here to tell you himself but he’s not and I won’t lie to you.”

She paled as she felt every drop of blood in her head drain, causing her to be dizzy. She clutched RJ’s arms to help keep her on her feet and he backed her into the recliner. He knelt before her and cupped her cheek.

“
I’m sorry, honey, but he met a girl in L.A.” He swallowed nervously and stroked her cheek. “He wanted to hang out with her for a few days.”

She forced a smile and nodded her head, only wanting to ease RJ’s fears. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek before wrapping her arms around his neck. “RJ, it’s okay. Please, don’t work yourself up over this.”

“
I know,” he said, anguished. “But I didn’t want to see you hurt anymore.”

“
Yeah, it does hurt,” she admitted. “But I can’t blame him and neither can you. I was the one who told him that I didn’t want to see him right now. I can’t expect him to sit around and wait for me to grow up.”

RJ smiled at her, a touch of relief in his eyes. He mussed her hair. “You seem grown up to me now.”

She laughed but didn’t feel it in her heart. “I don’t know about that. But tell me one thing, please.”

“
Sure,” RJ said.

“
Is she nice?”

RJ searched her face, contemplating his words. “Ally, she is a nice girl. She’s pretty, too, though in my humble opinion, she’s nowhere near as pretty as you.”

Behind them, Jamie faked a gagging noise. They both rolled their eyes.

“
I appreciate that, RJ,” she said, loving him all the more.

“
Honestly, she is a nice girl,” RJ said. “She’s not some girl wanting to date him just because he’s in the band.” Ally nodded again and RJ patted her knee. “But it’s not serious or anything.”

Yet
, Ally thought but didn’t speak that thought aloud. “Listen, both of you. You can’t act this way if either one of us starts dating someone else. I know you’re worried about our feelings and stuff, but you have to stop. I’m the one who told Cole I couldn’t date him right now. It’s not fair for him to sit around and wait for me. If he found someone else and she’s nice and he likes her, then you should be happy for her.”

“
But, cuz,” Jamie said.

“
No, Jamie,” she said sternly. “I’ll deal with it. You guys need to deal with it, too.”

Jamie and RJ exchanged a defeated look before nodding.

***

“
It’s been awhile since you’ve called,” Ally accused as she cradled her coffee in her hands.

Robby chuckled at her, his blue eyes lighting up in delight. “It works both ways – you haven’t called me, either.”

“
Well, I’ve been a little busy,” she said, studying the mocha colored liquid in her paper cup. She swirled the contents, watching the coffee slosh the sides. “I have a job now, you know.”

“
I heard,” he said with a dimpled smile. “And I know you’ve been busy learning the ropes. And I’m betting you’ve also been busy trying to deal with Cole, huh?”

Her head snapped up and she gaped at him. “You heard about that?”

He nodded sadly and laced his fingers through hers. “My dad told me. Selina is an intern at the L.A. office.”

“
Selina,” Ally said with a frown. She tried to shrug it off but felt the tears burn behind her eyes. “I heard she’s nice.”

“
I don’t know her,” Robby admitted. “But my dad told me that it wasn’t anything serious.”

“
You and your dad gossip worse than any females I know,” she grumbled, earning another dimpled smile.

“
Maybe,” he relented. “But I was worried about you so I asked.”

“
Don’t be worried,” she said. “I’m dealing with it.”

She dropped her gaze to her coffee again but felt his eyes burning into her. She didn’t want to tell him how it tore her up when she thought of Cole with another girl. She didn’t want to admit that her heart was in shreds at that moment. She was doing the best she could to come to terms with it even though Cole’s ‘few extra days’ had extended to a week.

“
Ally,” he said in a low tone. “Look at me.” She slowly raised her head and found his eyes serious but warm. “I know you still love him and to be perfectly honest, I think you loved him the entire time we were together. I guess I didn’t want to face it at that time.”

“
Robby,” she said but he just shook his head.

“
I don’t regret anything and I hope you don’t, either.”

“
I don’t,” she said, meaning it.

“
But I think you still love him and I think you need to search your soul to find out if it is because you’ve always loved him or if it’s because he’s with someone else and you’re jealous. And if you really, truly love him, then you need to tell him. You need to throw all fancy words aside and be totally honest with him.”

“
I really thought that I’d made the right decision,” she said.

“
You did, Ally. You stepped away from us both and took a little time for you. Now you know what you want.”

“
Maybe,” she groaned. “Maybe I’m starting to finally see.”

He tugged her closer and kissed her cheek. “It’s not hard to see he still loves you. Sure, maybe he’s dating this girl, but Ally, I don’t think he’s stopped loving you.”

“
How can you be this wonderful?” she asked as a couple tears leaked from her eyes.

He laughed and hugged her. “I don’t know about all that.”

When he released her, she picked up her cup and drained the remains of her coffee. He was right – she did need to tell him. But how? How was she supposed to go to Cole and tell him she loved him and wanted him back? Would he believe her? She didn’t know. Maybe he’d think it was just because he’d found someone new and once he ditched the other girl for her, the feelings would fade and he’d find himself alone again.

“
I hate this,” she said, wiping her eyes. “I hate that I’m so unsure. I hate that my life is so out of whack. And I hate that I always seem to be crying on your shoulder.”

“
I’m your friend above all, Ally,” he stated. “Never feel guilty for coming to me with things like this.”

“
Yeah, but it’s hardly fair,” she said. “I wish I could help you out with something for once.”

He chuckled and patted her hand. “Nah, I tend to screw things up pretty much on my own – no need to involve friends.”

“
Robby!” she gasped. “Are you seeing someone now?”

His chuckle turned into a full-blown laugh. “Nah, not really. I’ve taken this girl out a few times but that’s all.”

She experienced a pang of jealousy at his words, but nothing near what she’d felt when RJ had informed her of Cole’s new girlfriend. She peered at Robby’s handsome face and in that moment, she knew she loved him – but not the way she loved Cole. It just didn’t compare.

***

“
Are you sure you’re all right staying in a hotel?” Cole asked as they inspected the room. “I don’t have a spare room at my place but I could crash on the couch.”

“
Thanks,” Selina said wrapping her arms around his waist. “But this is fine. Besides, I’m meeting your dad and Jay at the studio really early and I’d hate to wake you.”

“
That’s not a problem,” he said.

She kissed him softly and a tiny quiver struck his heart as he wrapped her in his arms. He smiled at her pretty face – her smooth skin and bright eyes. She was so gentle and soft, her tone always quiet. She didn’t have the fire that Ally possessed but then Selina was an entirely different person than Ally. He needed to stop comparing the two.

“
I’m going to head over to my friend Jamie’s new place tonight,” he said, a little uneasy. He wanted her to meet Jamie but he was afraid that Ally would be home and he wasn’t ready for that confrontation yet.

“
I want to meet him but maybe it could wait until tomorrow,” she suggested as she yawned. “The jet lag is getting to me and since I have to be up early…”

“
I understand,” he said, relieved.

“
Even though I’m exhausted, I doubt if I’ll sleep much. I can’t wait to tour Redden Records Chicago,” she said. She tugged him closer. “But I hate meeting your dad without you there.”