“As long as I can have ice cream.”
Amanda rolled her eyes and shut the back door on her passenger side. “Maybe if you misbehave and don’t get ice cream, next time you’ll behave better,” she muttered under her breath.
The afternoon was chilly and Amanda rubbed her hands together. Soon she would need to break out the gloves. She got in her car and started the engine, turning up the heat.
She drove them to the mall and parked in the lot closest to the children’s play area. She grabbed her purse and slung it over her shoulder, then walked around the car and opened the back door. Ollie wasn’t in his car seat. Panic shot through her until she saw him sitting in the driver’s seat, his hands on the steering wheel. She gasped and put her hand over her heart. “Oliver! Come here. You scared me.”
“But I want to drive.”
“You’re not old enough to drive. Come here.”
Ollie grunted and climbed out of the seat, over the console, and took a hold of Amanda’s hand. “Do I get ice cream now?” His shoelace had come untied.
“Not yet,” she said, tying his laces. “Let’s see how well you behave in the play area.”
He sighed like he had the weight of the world on him. “Okay.”
Amanda held his hand and walked with him through the parking lot. “Now wait,” she said before they stepped out into traffic. “You have to look both ways before crossing the street. Remember?”
“I remember,” Ollie called out in a sing-song voice. Then he proceeded to look back and forth. “How many times do I have to look both ways, ‘Manda?”
She held back a smile. “Just look to make sure no car is coming before you cross. Do you see any cars?”
He pointed. “There’s one way down there.”
Amanda looked down the street. “Well, that car isn’t moving. And it’s super far away. We are safe to cross.”
Ollie tried to let go of her hand, but she held on tight. “You have to cross with me, Ollie.”
“But you’re so slow,” he said, tugging her along.
“It’s not safe to run out into the street.”
He jumped onto the curb. “Okay.”
She walked with him into the mall. When he saw the play area, he tried to run from her again, but she was used to him and hung on. “Just walk, Ollie.”
When they were safely in the gate, Amanda let go of Ollie’s hand and he ran to the turtle to climb on its back. Amanda sat down on the padded benches that surrounded the play area and watched Ollie.
Her phone chimed in her pocket and she pulled it out. She’d gotten a text from Cole.
I’m sorry about last night.
Amanda’s heart jumped in her chest. She was sorry, too. She hated that they left things so bad between them.
She liked Cole. A lot. And she acted like a child last night. Getting mad when she didn’t get her way. It was stupid and she felt ashamed. Her fingers shook as she typed back to him.
Me, too.
Ollie climbed on the back of the lion, then up his mane to his head. He stood, balanced on it. “Be careful, Ollie,” she called. He shot her a defiant look, but climbed down the lion’s back.
Her phone vibrated and she looked at the screen.
I’d like to see you if you’re okay with that. You home?
She wanted to see him, too. To apologize in person. But she couldn’t right now.
Sorry, I’m babysitting the Henderson boy. We’re currently at the mall. He was driving me crazy at his house.
That’s too bad.
I know. I’m wishing I were home right now. Haha.
Me, too.
Amanda’s pulse jumped. Cole wanted to see her. Maybe they could mend things. She wanted another chance. To talk. To make things right between them. She didn’t want to blame him anymore for the demolition his father was doing. It wasn’t his fault.
She watched Ollie jumping from the frog to the lion and back again. Another group of kids joined them in the play area. Amanda tensed, knowing Ollie sometimes had trouble sharing, but he didn’t react poorly when the other kids came and started climbing on the animals.
Ollie played for another half-hour without any incidents with the other children. When he was within earshot, Amanda called to him, and he ran over to her.
“You’re playing very nicely today, Ollie.”
“I am?” His eyes widened and he smiled.
“Yes. Do you want to go get ice cream now?”
“Can I play for a few more minutes? We’re playing zoo!”
“Sure.”
He clapped his hands and ran to his newfound friends.
Someone leaned over her shoulder. “You look happy.”
She turned to see Cole leaning over the bench, his arms leaning on the back. Her pulse involuntarily jumped. She smiled at him. “I am happy. Ollie’s obeying. That’s a first.”
He chuckled as he opened the gate and sat next to her. “He doesn’t usually?”
“Today he’s being good. We’ll see in a few minutes, I guess, but for now I’m happy.”
“Great.” Cole’s grin widened.
“What about you? You look happy, too. Did you win the lottery or something?”
“Something.” He didn’t expound on that, and she let it go.
“I need to apologize. In person.” She suddenly felt self-conscious and looked down at her lap. It was hard for her to admit she’d been wrong this whole time. She had behaved badly. “I shouldn’t have gotten upset with you last night. Or before. I was wrong.”
He seemed stunned. “Wrong?”
Her throat swelled. “Yeah. You can’t help who your father is. You’re not the one destroying my fa—” She stopped, embarrassed about what she was going to say.
“Destroying your father?” he asked quietly.
She shook her head as she watched Ollie duck down behind one of the animals. “I didn’t mean to say that.”
“But that’s how you feel. Your memories of him. Your emotional attachment. It’s because of him.”
His words were kind, even though she knew he couldn’t possibly understand. “I guess so. But I realized last night that you weren’t to blame. You didn’t do anything to deserve my anger.” She looked at him. Into his blue eyes. They held a sincerity that choked her. “I’m sorry.”
“I forgive you.”
He’d said it so quietly she almost didn’t hear him. She blinked. “You do?”
His eyes smiled at her. “Yes.”
She drew nearer to him. “How can you? Just like that?”
“Because I need you to forgive me as well.”
“For what?”
“For not supporting you.”
A flashback of her conversation with her secret texter made her pause. He’d said something about her feeling unsupported. She brushed off the similarity and swallowed back emotion. “I forgive you, too.”
He touched the side of her face and she leaned into him. “Can we start over?”
“All over? Because it wasn’t all bad, was it?”
He was so close she could smell his breath. It was minty. “No, it wasn’t all bad. I especially liked this part.” He closed the distance between them, his lips covering hers.
She closed her eyes, her skin erupting in tingles as he slowly explored her lips. She kissed him for a minute before pulling back. She blushed. “Yeah. I liked that part, too.”
He grabbed her hand. “I have something to tell you.”
“You do?”
“Yes. I did some digging, and I found out something that might save your opera house.”
At first, his words didn’t register. Amanda stared at his teeth and wondered exactly what he’d said. Then, it started to filter through her brain. “What?” she asked, her voice small.
“I think I found the answer. It’s Lily Foster. She’s the one that will save it.” He squeezed her hand like she should know exactly what he was talking about.
“Lily Foster?”
“Yes. There’s
a whole foundation to preserve her memory. They’ve been looking for a place where they can build an academy in her name. They’ve been raising money, Mandy. The opera house would be perfect.”
Amanda squinted at him. “Wait. I don’t get it. The opera house would be perfect for what?”
“For the Lily Foster Academy. They want to teach underprivileged kids how to sing and play music.”
She didn’t understand. How was that going to profit Asher Industries? “But your dad doesn’t want to teach kids how to sing. He’s the one who owns the building.”
“He’s been having some PR problems. I don’t know the extent of it, but he really wants Asher Industries to look good. If he could donate the building to the Lily Foster Foundation, they could restore it and have an academy that also preserves history. An actual opera house where Lily Foster once performed. Don’t you see? This is perfect.”
“Have you said anything to your father yet?”
He shook his head. “Not yet. But I will. I promise.”
She swallowed, emotion swelling in her throat. “You’d approach him with this for me?”
“Yes.” He hesitated, then looked down. “I’d do anything for you.”
She pressed her lips to his again in another kiss. “Thank you.”
Cole grinned at her. “So, which kid is the one you’re babysitting?”
She scanned the animals and the children playing on them. More kids had joined in the area, and she hadn’t noticed. She didn’t see Ollie right off hand, but he’d been playing hide and seek with the other kids. She stood. “Ollie! Come here. Time for ice cream.”
Several kids stopped and turned to her at the mention of the treat, but Ollie didn’t come out. “Ollie,” she called again, louder this time.
When he didn’t pop up, she rushed over to the play area, searching between the animals. Ollie wasn’t in there. Her heart hammered in her chest and she turned to Cole. “He’s gone,” she said, her voice strangled. “He must have gotten out when some other kids came in.”
Cole put his hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’ll find him. He couldn’t have gone far.”
Don’t worry? She was trusted with a child, and she lost him. She was a horrible babysitter. She’d been kissing Cole instead of watching Ollie. Panic enveloped her. “You don’t know Ollie,” she said, rushing out of the play area and scanning down the different hallways. He could have gone down any of them.
Cole must have been thinking the same thing because he turned in all directions. “Where would he head? Was there somewhere he wanted to go?”
Yes. Of course. “The ice cream shop.”
“That way,” Cole said, pointing.
She ran down the walkway with Cole following close behind her. She silently prayed Ollie would be in there. She entered the shop, her heart in her throat. At first, she didn’t see him, but then the crowd parted and she saw his blond hair. He was standing at the counter, his nose pressed to the glass. “Ollie!”
He turned and she rushed to him, throwing her arms around him. She hugged him close to her, her heart pounding. She pulled him back and looked at his face. “I was so worried about you. Why did you leave the play area?”
“It was time for ice cream. And you were kissing that guy, so I went to get some myself.”
Heat burned her cheeks. “You’re right. It’s time for ice cream.” Maybe if she bought him the treat, he wouldn’t think to tell his mother she’d been kissing a boy at the mall.
“What flavor do you want, buddy?” Cole pointed to the glass.
“Chocolate chunk.”
Cole stepped up to the counter and ordered his cone. “Do you want one?” he asked, turning to Amanda.
She was feeling so guilty for what had happened, her stomach didn’t feel good. “No, thank you.”
He squeezed her shoulder. “It’s okay. He’s fine.”
She took in a deep breath. He was right. Ollie was fine. He was standing on his tip toes, waiting for his ice cream. He had a huge smile on his face. He hadn’t been scared or worried. He’d only been gone a split second. They’d found him right afterwards. Still, she was guilt-ridden.
And she was going to have to tell his mother what happened.
Chapter 19
Cole let out a breath and opened his father’s office door. His father looked up from the computer. “Oh, hello, Cole.” He looked back at the screen. “I don’t really have much work for you today, but tomorrow after school, we should have more data entry.”
Cole stuck his hands in his pockets. “I’m not here for work.”
His father cocked his head to the side and took a long look at him. “Okay. What do you need?”
Nerves cascaded through him. “I want to talk to you about the opera house.”
“What about it?”
“I think I know a way you can help with your PR situation.” He launched into his pitch, his words fighting over each other to get out. He talked about Lily Foster and the foundation and how they are looking for a place to start an academy, and how donating the building to them would make Asher Industries look amazing, and how he could build his parking garage down the street. When he got all done, he closed his mouth and waited for his father to react.
At first, his father didn’t do anything. He just sat there and clenched his jaw. Then, he steepled his fingers. “You’ve really thought this through, haven’t you?”
“Yes.”
His father looked up at the ceiling, his face contemplative. “The company has been in the news lately, with that ground water scandal that’s been going on. This might take some of the heat off that situation.”
Cole saw a glimmer of hope. “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”
His father gave him a small smile. “You know, my grandmother used to listen to old opera records. I remember the one from Lily Foster.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes. I wonder if I still have that record. I’ll have to look.”
Cole tried not to get his hopes up too much. “Does that mean you’ll donate the building?”
His father sighed. “There’s too much money into this project to donate it. But let me contact the Lily Foster Foundation and talk to them. Maybe they can buy the building.”
Cole swallowed. It wasn’t a complete win, but it was something. And if the foundation would buy the building, he could save it for Amanda. “Thank you for looking into it.”
His father scrutinized him. “Why do you care so much about the opera house? You’ve never mentioned it before.”
Great. Now he was stuck. “There’s a girl I know. The opera house means a lot to her. It’s where her parents met, and her father passed away when she was young…so…”
A look of understanding crossed his features. “She associates the building with her father.”
“Yes.”
“And you understand because you lost your mother at a young age.”
Cole blinked back emotion. “Yeah, I guess so.”
His father nodded. “I’ll call the foundation and speak to them, and I’ll check into the other property. You know this would put me behind schedule.”
“I know. But maybe the foundation would be willing to call it the Lily Foster and Asher Industries Academy.” Cole grinned. “Good PR.”
His father chuckled. “And would help you win the affections of this girl.”
Cole froze. Was it that obvious? He let out a nervous chuckle. “Something like that.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” He pointed to him. “No promises, remember?”
“That’s fine. Just the fact that you’ll look into something else is going to make Amanda very happy.”
“Glad to help.” His father turned back to his computer screen, but when Cole didn’t leave, he gave him a look over his glasses. “Need something else?”
Cole fidgeted. His father’s girlfriend status had been on his mind since last night, and he kind of wanted to ask about it, but wasn’t sure how. Finally, he b
lurted out, “I just had a question. And it’s kind of an awkward question, so I’m debating how to ask.”
His father took off his glasses and gave Cole his full attention. “Out with it.”
“Are you seeing someone?”
His father got a funny look on his face, almost a mixture of surprise and humor. “Why do you ask?”
“Because you’ve been spending more late nights at the office.” He didn’t want to admit he’d seen lipstick on his face last night, so he kept that one to himself.
After a deep breath and a sigh, his father nodded. “As a matter of fact, I have been dating someone. And you’re old enough, I should have told you about her.”
“Who is she?”
“She’s a woman I met at the country club. Her name is Diane.”
Cole watched him try to hide a smile, unsuccessfully, and he grinned as well. “When do I get to meet her?”
“I’ll see if she can come to dinner this week.”
Cole’s mouth dropped. “You’re going to cook dinner?”
“Well…maybe we should cater dinner.” He chuckled, and Cole marveled at the transformation of his father. Since when did he smile and laugh so much?
“Sounds good, Dad,” Cole said. He stood and walked toward the door, marveling at how well the conversation had gone. His father was going to look into the Lily Foster Foundation, and had not yelled at him for suggesting it.
Maybe this was all due to Diane?
Chapter 20
Amanda gripped her lunch tray as she walked toward their usual table. Her gaze immediately met Cole’s. A smile spread across his face and her knees grew a little bit weak. He was having that effect on her recently.
She walked to their table and set down her tray. “Hey.”
He nodded to her. “So, how bad was it?”
“How bad was what?”
“How embarrassing was it to admit you were kissing me instead of watching the kid you were supposed to be babysitting?” His grin widened.
Heat rushed to her cheeks and she whacked him on his shoulder before she settled into her seat. “I may have left out the part about the kissing. But Mrs. Henderson was really cool about the whole thing. She said Ollie gets away from her all the time, and she called him a little stinker. She said I was a good babysitter for telling her what happened. She even gave me a raise for being so responsible.”
Don't Kiss Your Enemy (Rockford High #4) Page 9
