Out of the Shadow

by J. L. Paul

  Robby shrugged as he continued his lazy pace, glancing up every once in awhile at the gulls flying overhead, screaming at each other as they cruised the overflowing trash cans.

  “So,” Ally said, recalling their earlier conversation. “Both of your parents are musicians. Don’t you play?”

  He grinned at her. “Of course – not well, though. I prefer to stick to the background. I like my job.”

  “You’re afraid to stand in front of a crowd, aren’t you?” she accused, mirth shining in her eyes.

  A blush crept up his neck as he nodded. “Yeah, probably.”

  She patted his arm as they reached the beach. She smiled as she gazed up at his handsome face. “Your secret is safe with me.”

  ***

  Robby dropped her off at her dorm building and as soon as she plopped on her bed, she called Cole.

  “Hey, princess. Sorry I had to bail on you so soon,” he said.

  “Don’t call me that,” she said. She sighed. “It’s okay. You know I understand.”

  Silence stretched between them and for the first time in a long time, it puzzled Ally and made her uncomfortable. She bit her lip and released a long breath.

  “So, are you in San Diego yet?”

  “Not yet,” he said. “Almost. Once we get there, we’re supposed to go straight to bed so we’ll be well rested for tomorrow.” He snorted. “Sounds like boarding school all over again, huh?”

  “Yeah but no sneaking out this time,” she said in a low voice. “James confessed to me the other night.”

  He laughed and it lightened her heart and pushed away some of her unease. “We behaved, princess, don’t worry. Besides, I didn’t do it when we were dating – I didn’t want to disappoint you.”

  Her heart warmed until she recognized the teasing in his tone. “Whatever you say. So, when do I get to see you again?”

  “Don’t know,” he said. He sucked in a breath and she had a feeling he was smoking again. “As soon as we get settled, I’ll check out our itinerary. I’ll call you and let you know.”

  “Okay,” she said.

  “Listen, Al, I think we’re rolling into our hotel. I need to get going. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah, sure,” she said, sadness falling on her. “I love you.”

  “Love you, too,” he said and hung up the phone.

  She shut hers and tossed it on her nightstand. She closed her eyes as Lisa bustled into the room and fell on her bed. She feigned interest in Lisa’s babbling as her mind whirred silently.

  She missed Cole already and couldn’t wait to see him again. But Robby Redden kept stepping in the way of the slideshow playing in her mind. She’d had a good time with him and he’d helped to take her mind off of Cole and his early departure.

  She groaned and Lisa paused in his diatribe.

  “Are you all right, Ally?” Lisa asked.

  “Oh, yeah,” Ally said with a feeble smile. “I’m sorry, Lisa. My mind has been wandering all day.”

  Understanding washed over Lisa’s face as her lips melted into a smile. “I understand. I suppose we ought to get to bed, anyway.”

  “Yep,” Ally said as she slipped off the bed and gathered her toiletries. “I’m going to put on my pajamas and brush my teeth.”

  She escaped to the community bathroom, her mind anxious and unsettled and the confusion had nothing to do whatsoever with softball.

  Chapter Five

  Ally frowned at dress, wondering what she’d been thinking when she allowed her mother to talk her into buying it. It wasn’t anything too fancy, luckily, but it was still a dress and Ally just wasn’t too keen on dresses.

  “That’s a cute dress,” Lisa said, entering the room wearing a pale yellow shirt and skirt ensemble. Her hair was flowing down her back and she’d taken the time to apply a bit of eye makeup and some blush. “Hurry up and get dressed – the party starts soon.”

  “Whatever,” Ally grumbled as she shed her jeans and t-shirt and slipped the spaghetti strapped dress over her head. It was simple and sort of cute. The pale peach color looked great with her tan. “Tie the back, would you?”

  Lisa stepped behind Ally and tied the thin ribbon around her waist. She spun Ally around and smiled. “You look so pretty.”

  “Sure. Thanks,” Ally said as she grabbed her cosmetic bag and escaped to the bathroom. She applied a bit of eyeliner and mascara then spread pale pink gloss on her lips. She brushed her long, dark hair and decided to leave it down. Once she finished, she returned to her room to find Tara and Samantha all decked out and giggling like a bunch of morons.

  “What’s with you guys?” she asked.

  “This is the best part of the whole games,” Tara said. “I love the dinner and the party.”

  “No,” Lisa said with a wistful smile. “The best part was the medal ceremony.”

  Ally smiled at her friend in agreement. That had been the best part when she’d stood atop the platform with her teammates and accepted her gold medal and bouquet of roses. The only hitch was that Cole hadn’t been there to see.

  Ally glanced at the slim watch on her wrist and sighed. “We’d better hurry or our families will think we ran off somewhere.”

  ***

  After a delicious dinner, Ally bid her parents goodnight and rushed off to join the other softball players and their dates for the farewell party. Her heart skipped a half a beat when she spotted Robby waiting patiently beside Jamie and Mikayla, a blonde outfielder for Team California.

  “Ready?” Robby asked with a tiny smile. She nodded and tucked her hand in his offered arm.

  She’d been surprised when Robby had offered to escort her to the party. She’d been at the studio the day before, waiting for her father in the break room when Robby strolled in and sat beside her. She’d railed and huffed and puffed about how her own cousin was escorting a girl from an opposing team to the party and who was Ally supposed to ask since Cole wasn’t around, her little brother?

  “I’ll take you, if you’d like,” he said with a careless shrug. “I mean, if it won’t upset Cole.”

  She had blushed a little as she smiled and shook her head. “He won’t mind. And technically, I don’t really have to take anyone but all the other girls have boyfriends or friends or someone with them. I was even thinking about not going.”

  Robby had grinned, his dimples making a grand appearance. “Ally,” he said, stopping her rant. “It’s fine, really. I don’t mind taking you – I have nothing going on this weekend anyway.”

  So, there he stood, dressed in casual khaki pants and a blue button up shirt that matched his eyes nearly perfectly. Her lips spread across her face of their own accord and she picked up a step or two, anxious to be near him.

  “Hey, you look nice,” she said.

  He offered an arm. “And you look beautiful. Come on - let’s see what this shindig is all about.”

  “Dude,” Jamie said, bumping his shoulder to Robby’s. “I talked to my best friend earlier and he asked me to thank you for chaperoning his woman and hopes you can keep her out of trouble.”

  Ally stopped and slipped her hand out of Robby’s arm so she could plant her fists on her hips. Robby, Jamie, and Mikayla turned to look at her. “You’re kidding right?” she asked.

  “About what?” Jamie asked. “About what Cole said? No. He really said he was glad Robby was taking you so no one would hit on you.”

  Ally rolled her eyes, a spark of anger in her gut. “I can take perfect care of myself.”

  Robby approached her and placed a casual hand between her shoulder blades. “I’m sure Cole realizes that, Ally. I just think he’s grateful that you’re not attending the party alone. I bet he feels bad because he’s not here and he didn’t like to think of you being here without an escort, that’s all.”

  “What Robby said,” Jamie said with a smirk. When Ally didn’t budge her stance, he sighed. “Cuz, really – he does feel guilty and when you told him that Robby said he’d take y
ou, Cole was relieved. He knows you can take care of yourself and he knows that you don’t need someone to constantly look out for you, but you are a pretty girl – even if you are my cousin – and sure to attract male attention. Robby, here, will keep the wolves at bay.”

  She glanced at Robby who grinned and winked at her. “What Jamie said,” he replied.

  “Fine,” she said as she relaxed her fists and tucked her hand in the crook of Robby’s arm. “Let’s go.”

  The party was fun, even if it was a little cheesy, and Ally quite enjoyed herself. The DJ provided great music and Ally was a little surprised when Robby joined her on the dance floor. He was an attentive date and Ally realized that the only time she’d thought of Cole the entire night was when the DJ would play a slow number and the couples would flock the dance floor, holding each other close. Robby hadn’t asked her to dance at those times as if they’d had some sort of unmentioned understanding between them and that was fine with her. She was already growing to like Robby quite a bit and would miss him horribly when she returned to Chicago.

  They walked in silence back to the dorm after the party, each seemingly lost in thought. When they arrived at her building, she turned to him and smiled.

  “Thanks so much, Robby,” she said, touching his arm. “I had a great time tonight.”

  “Thanks for letting me take you,” he said, his eyes shining. “I had the prettiest ‘date’ there.”

  She could feel the heat creeping up her neck and was grateful that the light atop the dorm building wasn’t blaring in her face, revealing her embarrassment. She giggled nervously, like a girl on a first date, and wondered how she was supposed to end the evening. “We’re heading back to Chicago tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Yeah and then it’s off to college for you, isn’t it?” he asked. She nodded. A mysterious smirk curled his lips and she pondered it momentarily. “Well, I’m sure we’ll keep in touch.”

  “I hope so,” she said with a yawn. She smiled apologetically and stood on her toes to press a quick kiss to his cheek. “I better get inside. Thanks again.”

  “Sure, no problem,” he said as he tugged her into a light hug. “Take care, Ally, and I’ll talk to you later.”

  She smiled at him once more before letting herself into the building. She hurried to her room, changed into her pajamas, and slipped under the sheets, trying to desperately outrun her thoughts. But they caught up to her quickly and she squeezed her eyes shut.

  She missed Cole desperately and loved him with all her heart. But Robby had been so fun that night. He was charming and had a wonderful sense of humor, not to mention the fact that he was quite handsome. He’d had several admirers that evening.

  “No,” she whispered in the dark, hoping Lisa’s light breathing meant she was already sound asleep for the night. “I won’t think of Robby as anything but a friend of the family.”

  An idea came to her and she slid out of bed and found her purse. She rifled through the meager contents until she found her phone and, unmindful of the late hour, called his number.

  “It’s pretty late, princess,” he said in a sleepy voice. “Is everything okay?”

  She smiled as her heart filled with love. She crawled back into bed, closed her eyes and pressed the phone to her ear. “I just really, really missed you tonight. I’m sorry to wake you but I wanted to hear your voice.”

  “You can call anytime you want,” he said. “You know that.”

  “I know.”

  “How was your party?” he asked around a yawn. “Did you have fun?”

  “I did have fun,” she admitted as she snuggled into her pillow. “Robby was a perfect gentleman and we hung out with Jamie and Mikayla.” She sighed heavily. “But every time the DJ played a slow song and I watched all those couples dance, it made me miss you even more.”

  “About six more weeks, Al,” he said, his voice hoarse. “The tour should wrap up in about six weeks, give or take, and then I’ll take you away for the weekend. I’ll take you somewhere, just you and me.”

  “I hope I can wait that long,” she whispered. “I know I can wait, but it will be hell.”

  He chuckled, making her heart quiver. “You can do it, I have faith in you. Besides, you’ll be so busy with school that you won’t have time to miss me.”

  “That will never happen,” she said with a snort. A long yawn attacked her and she covered the phone until it finished.

  “You’re tired, princess,” he said. “Get some sleep. Call me tomorrow and we’ll talk. You can tell me all about the awards ceremony again and about the party. We’ll be on the road and I’ll have plenty of time to kick back and listen.”

  “I love you so much, Cole,” she said as tears burned her eyes. “You’re so wonderful.”

  “Nah, you’re the wonderful one – I’m the lucky one,” he said lightly. “I love you, too. Now go get some sleep.”

  ***

  “Are you sad that the tournament is over?” Jay asked as he tossed Ally’s bags in the trunk of the rental car.

  “A little,” she said with a listless shrug. “But I can’t wait to get home.”

  “You won’t be home long,” Jay said as he slammed the trunk shut and chucked her under the chin. He grinned, the skin around his eyes crinkling, and she immediately understood why her mom always said she loved his smile. “My little girl is off to college soon.”

  “You’re not going to get all emotional, are you?” she asked warily.

  He chuckled and draped an arm around her shoulders and he ushered her to her side of the car, shaking his head. “Not much, anyway. I’ll let your mom do the gushing.”

  The car was filled with talk about the tournament and Ally’s performance. She loved recapping her games with him. Even though he was never an active participant of sports, he watched his fair share of them and knew what he was talking about. He’d been the one to teach Ally to catch and hit a ball when she was barely walking.

  “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.”