Out of the Shadow

by J. L. Paul

  “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 day
s.”

  “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.

  ***

  “Hey, Cole,” RJ hollered as he peered through the door connecting their hotel rooms. “Do you mind if I come in?”

  “Nope,” Cole said as he typed on his laptop. “That’s why I left the door open. If I didn’t want you bugging me, I would have shut and locked it.”

  “You’re such a comedian,” RJ said as he yanked out a chair and sat across from Cole. He gazed around the room, his lips scrunched up as blinked slowly. “Your room is exactly like mine except everything is backwards.”

  Cole snorted, eyes on the monitor. “Glad all that money Richie and Callie spent on boarding school didn’t go to waste.”

  “Yeah, whatever,” RJ grinned. He nodded at the computer. “What are you doing?”

  Cole sighed as he sat back in his chair, raking his fingers through his hair. “Looking for a nice place to take Ally for a weekend but the only places that I can find are really cheesy.”

  RJ got up and strolled casually to the mini bar, opened it, and snatched a soda. He popped the tab and took a long drink. “Why not just take her to a hotel or something?”

  “Nah,” Cole said. “Throw me one, will you?”

  RJ retrieved another soda and tossed it to Cole. He watched as his friend tapped the top and carefully pulled the tab. “Why not?”

  “It would seem sort of…I don’t know…cheap, I guess,” Cole said, struggling to explain. “I mean, you see all the movies and stuff and guys take sleazy girls to hotels for a couple hours. I don’t want to make Ally feel that way. I was trying to find some place that she’d really dig but not something that’s all girly, if you know what I mean.”

  “Yeah, something romantic,” RJ said with another wide grin. “Come on, Cole, you can say it. I won’t razz you….much.”

  Cole ducked his head and smiled, heat touching his cheeks. “Whatever.”

  “We have to go to sound check shortly,” RJ reminded him as he finished his soda. He ruffled his hair, his slight curls bouncing back into place. “And after that, we have an interview with some sort of music magazine. And then, we have the show.”

  “I know,” Cole said, frustrated sigh blowing past his lips. He closed the laptop and pushed away from the table. “I don’t know when I’ll have time to set all this up and if I don’t do it soon, I won’t be able to book anything at all.”

  “Call James,” RJ suggested. “Ask him to find something for you.”

  “Maybe,” Cole said. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

  ***

  Ally placed her hands on her hips as she surveyed the mess. Neat piles of freshly laundered and folded clothes sat on Jamie’s bed and boxes were stacked in the corner. Most of his books and other supplies had already been packed with the boxes marked. Ally had a sneaking feeling that Gretchen had taken care of that one.

  “I’ll pack your clothes if you gather all your sports gear and pack that,” she said. “Surely you can handle that.”

  “Of course, cuz,” he said with a smug smirk. He walked across the room, kicking a box out of the way, and opened the closet doors. He disappeared inside and she fought her jealousy.

  She’d always loved her house – the very one she’d grown up in – and never wished for anything larger, like the house Jamie lived in with his parents and his younger brother, Trevor. Her father had added on and remodeled their house a couple of times and it was very spacious. Plus, they had over thirty acres of land, a lake, and a barn.

  Her room was only a little smaller than Jamie’s and she had to share her bathroom with Alec, her brother, just as Jamie had to share a bathroom with Trevor. She didn’t have a view of the lake like her parents but she did have a view of the lush grounds and the fenced pasture where the horses grazed. But she didn’t have a walk-in closet like Jamie. And of that, she was jealous.

  “Jamie,” she said, as a nervous flutter struck as she stood in the middle of the room. “Do you suppose we will have the problems that we had we first started at Meridian Valley?”

  “What do you mean?” he asked from the depths of his closet.

  She closed her eyes briefly and recalled her high school years at the exclusive boarding school she’d attended with her best friends. She’d been so excited to go even though RJ and Cole had both warned her to keep her mouth shut about her father. She’d scoffed at the idea that people would look at her as nothing more than just another student with wealthy parents. Most of the students attending the school had wealthy parents, too – some of them professional athletes and politicians. She hadn’t understood why anyone would find her particularly interesting.

  But they had. Girls in her dorm had flooded her room as soon as they’d found out that Jay Jones from Tight Control was indeed her father and had followed her around. Kids in her classes had clustered around her, nearly stifling her. And crossing campus had been nightmarish.

  The coolness factor had faded somewhat by the time she’d graduated. But the memories of her high school years would always be tainted with her reluctance to trust that anyone wanted to be her friend because she was Ally the person and not because she was Jay Jones’s daughter.

  “Well,” she said, biting her bottom lip. “You know, everyone bugging us about our dads and stuff.”

  Jamie crawled out of the closet, on his hands and knees, then sat in the doorway. He smiled softly at his cousin. “The more I think about it, the more I doubt if we’ll have anything to worry about.”

  “Really?”