by J. L. Paul
Had she decided that she wanted to be with Robby? Was she dragging her feet tonight, not anxious to meet with him and tell him her decision? And how would it affect their friendship?
Similar thoughts to those had kept him up most of the night along with his own uncertainties. He still loved her, he knew it, but if she plunged the final knife in his heart, would he be able to hang on to that thin strand of friendship he’d been clinging to for the past weeks?
“Cole,” she said, breezing through the doors, her hair windswept and her cheeks rosy. She grinned and rushed to his side. “I’m sorry I’m late! I was on the phone with my mother and I lost track of time.”
“Don’t worry about it, princess,” he said.
“Don’t call me that,” she said with a roll of her eyes. She pecked his cheek. “Do we need to wait to be seated or can we seat ourselves?”
“Nah, we can seat ourselves,” he said as he took her hand. “This place isn’t that fancy.”
“Has anyone recognized you?” she asked, her voice a whisper.
“No,” he said with a snort. He glanced around the restaurant in an exaggerated manner and she held in her giggles. The diner wasn’t full to begin with and the patrons that were there were well over the age to enjoy the senior discount. “I don’t think I have to worry about that here. That’s why RJ and I eat here a lot.”
“Good idea,” she said, awed.
They sat at a wobbly table and Cole grinned at Vera, the middle-aged red head that frequently waited on him when he visited with RJ.
“How are you tonight, honey?” she said with a broad smile. She handed them both plastic coated menus. “And where’s your friend?”
“He’s at home,” Cole said with a tiny smile. “This is Ally, another friend of ours.”
“Hi, Ally,” Vera said. “Would you mind a recommendation, honey?”
“No,” Ally said with a friendly smile. “Not at all.”
“Try the chicken sandwich. It’s the best in the area,” Vera bragged.
“Okay,” Ally said, handing the menu back to her. “And a diet soda, please.”
“Sure thing,” she said, looking to Cole. “And to you, sweetie?”
“The same,” Cole said. “Just, not the nasty diet soda.”
“You got it,” Vera said as she hurried away.
Ally watched her disappear into the kitchen, the soft smile still on her face. Her eyes darted around the diner, taking in the simple décor and the casual atmosphere. She relaxed and thanked Vera when she returned with their drinks.
“I like this place, Cole,” she said. “It’s really neat.”
“Yeah, they’re all nice here,” he said as he tore the paper off his straw and stuck it in his soda. “So, what’s going on? James said you guys were looking at a couple of places this week?”
“Yep,” she said, nervously gnawing on her lip. Her eyes had a hard time meeting his and he wished he could make her more comfortable. Whatever she’d decided – whatever it was she had to tell him – wasn’t going to be easy. His heart sank to his shoes.
“That’s cool. As soon as we get back from L.A., we’ll check it out,” he promised.
“How long will you be gone?” she asked.
“I’m not sure,” he admitted. “Robby arranged for two video shoots and Rhys set us up to do some promotional appearances while we’re in town. It can’t hurt since the CD will be coming out soon.”
She reached across the table and took his hand. His heart lifted again, wondering if maybe his earlier instincts had been wrong. “This CD is going to take off, Cole. Your last one was great but this one is going to put you on the charts as Out of Control the band and not Tight Control’s kids.”
He smiled and gave her hand a timid squeeze. “That’s what we’re hoping. But you know, I don’t think you’ve even heard one of the tracks yet.”
She frowned. “I haven’t. That’s not fair!”
He chuckled and squeezed her hand again. “I’ll have Robby send you a copy as soon as he can. How’s that?”
She jutted her bottom lip out in a pout and sighed. “Sure. I just thought I’d have better perks as the best friend.”
He laughed, his eyes not able to stay off her lovely face. “I know. Let me see what I can do.”
They chatted casually as Vera delivered their food and as Cole watched her relax more and more, he wondered if she’d totally forgotten what she had wanted to speak to him about. It wouldn’t bother him in the least if she did, but he knew it was probably best if she got it off her chest. It was probably best for both of them if she did.
When they were nearly through with their meals, Cole bit the bullet.
“Ally, I know you wanted to talk to me about something and I think it’s time we discussed it,” he said.
She nodded and pushed her plate aside, her eyes studying the formica table top as she formed her words. “You know that I had dinner with Robby last night, right?” He nodded. “Well, I discussed with him the stress and pressure I’ve been feeling for the past few months.”
“Al,” he said, alarmed. “I’m sorry, Al. I never meant for you to feel that way.”
She held up a hand to stop his flow of words. “Please don’t blame yourself, Cole. I brought it all on, I’m totally aware of that.” She sucked up the last of her soda and shoved her glass next to her plate. “Anyway, I’ve been trying to decide what I should do. I care about Robby a lot as I do you. It became more than just choosing who to be with – it’s not that simple.”
He nodded, unsure what to say. He didn’t think he’d be able to speak, anyway, for his heart was currently lodged there, waiting to find out which way it would go.
“I’ve tossed this around and around in my head and I’ve only come up with one solution. So, I’m going to tell you the same thing I told Robby,” she said, her blue eyes finally meeting his. “I’m sorry, Cole, but I just can’t be with either one of you right now.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“All right, boys,” Doug said, clapping his hands together. “Two more appearances and we’re done for the day.”
“Great,” Parker groaned, checking his cell phone and sending a text. “Deidre’s waiting for me to take her out instead of leaving her in the hotel room all day.”
“Sorry, Parker,” Doug said, patting Parker’s back. “But you know how it goes. And your lady is going to have to learn, too.”
“Sure,” Parker grumbled as he followed the others to the limo.
Once they settled on the leather seats and the car drove away from the television studio, Ren leaned forward. “What happened to Lila?”
“Miss her, little bro?” RJ asked, a teasing glint in his eye.
“No,” Ren snorted, the tops of his ears turning red. “I just wondered.”
“Doug hooked her up with another gig,” Parker answered distractedly as he continued to type out text messages. “He told me earlier.”
“That’s a relief,” Cole muttered as he glanced out his window. He didn’t need her hovering over him, offering comfort. True, his heart was still broken, but he respected Ally’s decision immensely. She’d been mature and matter of fact when she’d explained how distraught the entire situation had made her. She’d told him that she just wanted to focus on situating her life and not worrying about hurting anyone anymore. She’d also said that she’d hoped maybe, once she got her head straight, the answer would come to her.
He wished her the best of luck, remembering when he’d asked her for time and how that time hadn’t helped him in the least. Maybe it would work for her. In the meantime, he was going to do exactly like she was doing. He was going to take some time for himself and quit obsessing over her. He was going to let her go – for now – and focus solely on his own life.
“Where are we going now?” Ren asked.
“Back to the studio for a short interview with a music magazine and then it’s to a radio station,” RJ responded monotonously. “And a video shoot this weekend and
hopefully we can go home.”
“Amen,” Cole muttered.
The limo dropped them at the studio where they met Rhys in the conference room. He spoke to them quickly as they waited for the reporter while a young woman bustled around the room, arranging soft drinks on the table and placing a press packet at the head chair.
Cole, who was listening to Rhys with half an ear, glanced at her just as she looked up. Her dark brown eyes met his and she smiled a tiny smile. He returned it, his heart flittering a tiny bit. She hurried out of the room but didn’t leave his mind.
Once the interview ended, he finished his can of soda and shot it at a wastebasket as the door opened, admitting the pretty girl. She was only a few inches shorter than him, thin with light brown hair, and amazing dark brown eyes. He worked his way toward her and she looked up, startled.
“Oh, hi,” she said, gathering a stack of papers in her arms. “Sorry if I’m in the way.”
“I don’t think I know you,” he said with a frown.
“My name is Selina. I’m just sort of interning here this summer.”
“Oh,” he said, feeling the words just fall out of his mouth. “So, hey, if you’re not busy later, would you like to maybe grab some dinner?”
Her smile lit up her eyes. “Sure, I’d like that.”
***
“I can’t believe you got the job at the sporting goods store,” Jamie whined as his muscles strained under the weight of the boxes he carried into the kitchen and set carefully on the floor. He straightened and rubbed his arms. “That’s just not fair.”
“Sorry, James,” Ally said with a smirk as she kneeled on the counters and scrubbed the top shelves of the cupboards.
“I think the manager has the hots for you or something,” Jamie accused as he plucked the soapy rag from her hand and finished the chore.
“Yeah, sure, that explains it,” Ally teased. She jumped off the counter and, placing her hands on her hips, surveyed the room. “Is that all the boxes or are there more?”
“That’s the last of it,” he said as he dropped the rag in the sink. “Now we just have to unpack everything.”
“Yay,” Ally announced without any enthusiasm. “The fun part.”
Jamie’s brow furrowed as he stared at her. “Aren’t girls supposed to want to do all the arranging and decorating things?”
“You’re a male chauvinist, did you know?” she quipped. “I should punch you.”
“Who’s getting punched?” a friendly voice called.
They both jumped and spun toward the door to find a grinning RJ strolling into the room. He held his arms open wide as Ally shrieked and jumped on him.
“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.”
