by J. L. Paul
But after hearing what that girl had said, Cole couldn’t blame Ally for going off. He just hoped that Ally knew that wasn’t the truth – that he’d never even considered breaking up with her because of her dad’s past. Ever.
It had hurt like hell to hear Lila spill the truth about Ally’s relationship with Robby, even though he’d suspected as much in his heart. And now he was prone to beating himself up over the whole misunderstanding with Lila. How he wished he would have just told Ally what the phone call with Lila was about that day they were all at RJ’s.
But he hadn’t been totally sure that he was ready to reconcile, he reminded himself. Matter of fact, he’d been prepared to string her along a bit more, ask for more time. The whole issue with Robby only forced a few facts home – especially the fact that he still loved Ally and couldn’t imagine spending his time with anybody else.
That will pass, he thought. He’ll get over her and move on just like she had. It may take time but he wasn’t in a hurry. He had his band to focus on and his music. Maybe they could get the CD recorded in a few weeks and hit the road again. Maybe he needed another tour – a long one.
His cell rang and he snatched it off the coffee table, his heart lurching when Robby’s name popped up on the screen.
“Hey, Robby,” he said a bit stiffly. He still wasn’t sure how he felt about the man now. It wasn’t totally Robby’s fault, no, but still, wasn’t there some sort of guy code when it came to girlfriends?
“Cole, I was wondering if you could come in a little earlier than what we had scheduled,” he said, hesitantly. “I wanted to talk to you before we hit the studio.”
Cole didn’t want to – his entire being shied away from any private conversation with Robby Redden. But he knew he should. He knew he had to for the sake of the band. Maybe it was best if they cleared the air before they got to work. He didn’t want any of his personal life affecting things to do with the band.
“Yeah, sure,” Cole said. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
“Thanks,” Robby said and ended the conversation.
“Who was that?” RJ asked, fresh from the shower.
“Robby,” Cole mumbled, eyes on the television. “He wants me to come in early so we can talk. Probably wants to hash out this Ally issue.”
RJ scrubbed his hair with his towel. “Not a bad idea, bro. I mean, if we’re going to be working with Robby, I think it would be best if you two aren’t at each other’s throats.”
“Nah,” Cole said as he stood and tossed the remote to the coffee table. “I don’t think it would ever be that way. Robby’s not that kind of guy.”
***
Cole took a deep breath before knocking on Robby’s door. He heard a muffled invitation so he shoved the door open and found Robby speaking rapidly on the phone. He grinned briefly at Cole and pointed at the vacant chair in front of the desk. Cole sat down and glanced around the room while Robby finished his call.
“Sorry about that,” Robby said.
“It’s no problem,” Cole said. He sat forward and laced his fingers together. “Listen, Robby, I harbor no hard feelings against you professionally and I promise you nothing that is going on in either of our personal lives will affect our working relationship.”
Robby nodded. “Of course. Cole, I never expected you to let something like that happen and I’m certainly not worried about our professional relationship. I just wanted to clear the air between us.”
Cole grimaced as he lifted his eyes to Robby. “I’m trying to work past that, man, I swear. But, she was my girlfriend and I loved her and now she’s with you.”
“I know,” Robby sighed, leaning back in his chair. “And I feel extremely guilty for being with her now. But I never intended it to happen – matter of fact I tried to avoid it. I’m not making excuses or anything, but I wanted you to know the truth.”
“I know you didn’t intentionally set out to … steal Ally away from me, for lack of better terms,” Cole said. “We were having problems and things started to unravel. I can’t say I’m happy and I can’t promise that we’ll be friends, but I can say that we’ll be able to work together with no problems. And I can also promise that I will always be civil. I hope you understand.”
“Of course I do,” Robby said.
Cole jumped to his feet, eager to end the conversation and get to work. Impulsively he stuck out a hand in which Robby shook. “Just, take care of her, please.”
“I will,” Robby said. “I promise.”
***
Robby draped his arm around Ally’s shoulder as she curled up next to him on the sofa, bowl of popcorn in her hands. He started the movie and she settled in, tossing a handful of popcorn in her mouth.
She watched half-heartedly as the agonized actors ranted and raved about how unfair life could be, moaning about love lost, but she couldn’t lose herself in their problems. She had a huge one hovering over her own head and she wasn’t quite sure how to deal with it. She released a long sigh which didn’t escape Robby’s notice.
“Something wrong?” he asked.
She sat up and slid the popcorn bowl on the coffee table. She arranged her body so she was sitting facing him. “About this studio party…”
He winced and took both of her hands in his. “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” he said.
“I don’t want you to go by yourself,” she said earnestly. “And I know you really need to be there, especially since my dad and Nate are in L.A.”
“It’s not a big deal,” he said, bending to peck her lips. “I’ve gone alone before.”
She groaned and butted her head into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hair. “This is so stupid. I shouldn’t avoid them. They used to be my best friends.”
“And they still are,” Robby assured her. “Things are just a little sketchy right now but it will all smooth over eventually. And if you don’t want to face them just yet, then don’t. But if it helps any, RJ was the one who said they were going – Cole was still a little bit undecided.”
She edged back to look at him. “How are things going? Are you guys getting along while working?”
“Yes,” he said firmly. “I talked to Cole last week, before we started recording, and we discussed the situation.”
She straightened fully, her eyes wide in awe. She opened her mouth, not able to form a coherent sentence. “You didn’t tell me about this.”
“I know,” he confessed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “And I probably should have but I didn’t want to upset you again.” He dropped his hand and his blue eyes met hers. “We just cleared the air – agreed to not let personal things affect our working relationship.”
“But,” she stammered. “Are you guys okay? I mean, friends still?”
He averted his eyes and pursed his lips. She deflated, guilt filling her heart. “Not exactly, I guess. I don’t think that will be possible at this time. But maybe after a little while.”
“I hate this,” she bit out angrily. She unfolded her legs and stood, wrapping her arms around her middle. She started to pace, totally ignoring the huge make-up scene on the television. “I hate that all this happened. I so selfishly did this to all of you.”
Robby was off the couch immediately and stopped in front of her, ending her relentless pacing. He held her firmly by the shoulders and bent his knees so he was at her eye level. “Ally, you didn’t cause this – you didn’t mean for this to happen. Things just sort of work out differently than you expect them to sometimes, that’s all.”
She released a breath and slowly worked her arms around his neck, pressing her cheek to his chest. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry I put you through all of this. And I’m sorry I put them through it, too.”
He kissed the top of her head. “Then stop hiding and go to the party. Make an effort to befriend them again. It’s not like you and I have to flaunt our relationship, but they do have to come to terms with it.”
She eased out of his arms an
d smiled. “You’re right. Okay, I’ll probably regret this, but I’ll go.”
He flashed a dimpled smile and kissed her.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Cole found a vacant stool at the bar and planted his body on it. He gestured for the bartender and ordered a beer, shoving his ID under the man’s nose to prove that yes, he was indeed twenty-one.
He swiveled on his stool and scanned the ballroom – all the artists signed with Redden Records Chicago mingling with each other, their loved ones by their sides. He wished again that his father and Stacy would have attended but they were in L.A. helping Rhys Redden meet a looming deadline.
Finally, he spotted RJ and Ren, dressed in dark suits, crossing the room toward him, both grimacing at the ties wrapped snuggly around their necks. He could relate. He tugged at the simple slim black tie that he’d adorned for the occasion – it felt too much like a noose.
“Hey, bro,” RJ said, clapping Cole on the shoulder. He ordered a beer and a soda from the bartender as he took in the gay decorations and the dim lighting.
The ballroom was huge with a high ceiling and low lights. A bar occupied one small corner and a DJ booth another. The DJ was playing mostly hits by the artists that were signed with Redden Records, although he did throw a few top forty tunes into the mix.
Tables were scattered around a huge dance floor, but they weren’t intimate. They were intended to allow large parties to sit together and talk, get to know one another as was the whole purpose of the party.
Cole was just grateful that, even though Valentine’s Day had passed during the week, none of the cheesy, romantic decorations had found their way into the hall for this occasion. He didn’t think he could stomach it.
“Where’s Parker?” Cole asked as he downed his beer and quickly asked for a refill.
RJ frowned, concern etching the grooves of his forehead. “He said he’d be a little late. Deidre had a problem at work and he was waiting for her to finish and get ready.”
“Oh,” Cole said as he thanked the bartender and immediately tipped the beer to his lips.
“Dude, slow down,” Ren said, alarmed at the rate in which Cole was downing the beers. “It’s not a race.”
Cole shrugged, ignoring the concerns of his friends. He hadn’t originally wanted to attend the party but RJ had harped on him, accusing him of being a coward, until Cole had relented. They both knew Ally would more than likely accompany Robby Redden and Cole just wanted to numb the pain before it had a chance to fester.
“I’m cool, bro,” he said, grinning at Ren. “Don’t worry.” He sipped gingerly at his beer then set his cup on the bar. “So, how come you two are dateless?”
Ren blushed profusely. “I’m supposed to meet someone here.”
RJ smiled and tossed an arm over Ren’s shoulder. “He asked that cute girl that works in the records room. She agreed but she was working late and said she’d just meet him.”
“Cool,” Cole said, turning his gaze on RJ. “And you? If anyone can give James a run for his money when it comes to women, I thought it was you.”
RJ shrugged. “Nah, didn’t want to be tied down.” Cole just rolled his eyes. RJ jabbed a finger in Cole’s chest. “What about you?”
Cole smirked and reached for his glass. “I asked James but he already had a date with some chick from one of his classes.”
RJ and Ren laughed and started ribbing him until the good humor fell from Cole’s face. They both turned around in time to see Ally walk through the door, fearfully clutching Robby’s arm.
“She looks nice,” Ren muttered as he shot nervous glances at Cole.
“Yeah, she does,” Cole said as he turned back to the bar, downed his beer and ordered another. Nice didn’t quite cut it, he thought. She looked absolutely stunning in her black cocktail dress that seemed to cling to her body without looking tacky. It hung to just below her knees and the slim sleeves sat just off her shoulders. Her hair was drawn up on top of her head with a few stray tendrils framing her face. Yeah, she was stunning.
RJ and Ren sidled up to either side of him. “Don’t you guys want to go say hello or something?” Cole asked.
“In a minute,” RJ said. He motioned for the bartender to bring them fresh drinks as he shot a meaningful glance at his brother behind Cole’s back.
***
She nearly faltered when she saw him at the bar, dressed in pressed, dark dress pants and a crisp, button down blue shirt. He wasn’t much for ‘dressing up’ and that was about the extent of it. But he still looked good to her. Too good. Good enough to give her heart a turn.
Beside her, looking more handsome than any man should in a black suit, Robby bent to her ear. “Do you want to get a drink? I’d suggest we sit but I really should mingle a little bit first.”
“Sure, whatever you’d like,” she said, pasting a smile on her lips. “But I just want a soda. You know what I’m like when I drink alcohol.”
He smiled his dimpled smile and gave her a wink. “I remember. Let’s avoid that situation, huh?”
They ambled up to the bar, far enough away from Cole and the others to where she wouldn’t have to greet them, and Robby ordered a diet soda for her and a light beer for him. With drink in hand, he nodded towards a table on the far side of the room.
“Come on, there’s a few people from the big L.A. office I should probably speak to. I’ll introduce you,” he said.
She stood beside him as he talked shop with the two older gentlemen from L.A. She quickly grew bored and her jaws were aching from her forced smile. Her eyes darted toward the door and her heart leapt when she noticed Parker and his girlfriend, Deidre enter. They stood in the entryway a few minutes, scanning the crowd, and she decided to cut them off before they located Cole at the bar. She needed a friendly face and she needed one badly.
“Excuse me a minute, Robby,” she said, squeezing his arm. “I’d like to go see Parker’s girlfriend. I haven’t spoken to her in a long time.”
“Sure,” he said, pressing a kiss to her temple.
She crossed the room and reached them before they started toward the bar. Parker’s face lit up and he tugged her into a hug.
“How are you, Ally?” he asked warmly and a layer of nervousness fell off her heart.
“Good, thanks,” she said, turning to Deidre. “Hi! I haven’t you in ages.”
“I know,” Deidre said as she kissed Ally’s cheek. “I was sorry to hear about you and Cole and that’s all I’m going to say about it. Now, how are you?”
Ally laughed and squeezed the other girl’s hand. She’d always liked Deidre. “I’m doing all right. School’s going okay.”
Parker nodded over their heads at the bar. “Have you spoken to the guys yet?”
Ally’s lips fell into a frown. “No, not yet. I was sort of working up to that.”
“Would you like us to go with you?” Deidre offered.
Ally could sense Parker’s restlessness. It was obvious he wanted to join his band mates and perhaps get a drink and relax. He was too much like Cole and RJ – he didn’t like the fancy affairs. He preferred it when they all got together in someone’s garage or basement and messed around with music.
“Nah, that’s all right,” Ally said. She pointed over her shoulder. “I’m going to get back to Robby. I’ll catch up with those guys later. I just wanted to say hello.”
“It’s good to see you, Ally,” Deidre said sincerely. “Give me a call sometime and we can get together.”
