Devoted to Her (Dream Date Book 2)

by Ivan Kendrick

  Jeffrey picked up in a few seconds.

  “Good afternoon, son. How are things going?”

  “Great. I just got back from a job interview.”

  “You did? I thought you already had a job.”

  “I resigned before Amanda and I went on holiday. Now, I’ve been looking for a job that’s closer to what I want to do after graduation.”

  “Have you had luck in that?”

  “Not much. The job they interviewed me for today is promising, though. It’s about criminal law, but at least it’s about law.”

  “Criminal law? And what is it that you’re studying? Business law?”

  “Yes. I have to take what’s available, though.”

  “Yep. You need to have experience.”

  “That’s what I’m doing.”

  There was a short pause.

  “I wanted to ask you something, Dad.”

  “What do you need?”

  “I’m about to refuel my car. Only, I’m not exactly sure what to get. This is a different car from the one that I used to have. Do I get the regular unleaded fuel as always, or do I spring up to the supreme unleaded?”

  “You want to know if it makes a difference, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you able to afford the nicer fuel? Gas prices aren’t exactly cheap nowadays.”

  “Yeah, I have plenty of money. What fuel should I get? My car is new. Don’t they get…accustomed to the type of fuel you buy often?”

  “That doesn’t make sense. Cars are not sentient, son. Have you read your car’s manual?”

  “Not much.”

  “Do so. It should tell you the recommended fuel rating. However, exceeding it won’t benefit your car much. I suggest you get the more expensive 87-rated fuel if you don’t mind the extra cents. The other one has ethanol, which reduces mileage by a small fraction.”

  “So, I don’t need the one with a 91 rating?”

  “Save your money. Unless your car specifically tells you to use that kind of fuel, it’s not worth it.”

  “Okay. Thanks, Dad.”

  “Anytime, son. Do you have any other question?”

  “No, that’s it.”

  “Good. Has Ashton seen your car?”

  “Yes. He was pretty much enamored with it. Ashton hasn’t seen many hybrid or electric cars in person.”

  “He likes those, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Be sure to send me more photos, all right? Preferably if your lady is on the hood.”

  “Whoa,” Nathan said, laughing. “Hold your train there.”

  Jeffrey laughed. The comment intrigued Nathan, though. I wonder if Amanda’s done a car-related photo shoot. It would be a hit.

  “By the way,” Jeffrey said. “Kayla called yesterday. We talked for a bit.”

  Nathan did a double-take.

  “Wait—what?”

  “It appears to me that Kayla thinks you’re not noticing her anymore. I understand you two broke up, but it shouldn’t mean you can’t be friends. Your bond is worth too much to throw away.”

  “I’m not ignoring Kayla,” Nathan said. “I just haven’t seen her much lately.”

  “Don’t let her drift away, son. You may love Amanda, but you’ll regret losing your best friend.”

  Nathan took a deep breath. He saw Ashton as his number one buddy, and yet his true best friend was Kayla. They shared a deep connection.

  “I’ll talk to her, Dad.”

  “Good. I’ll let you buy your gas now, son.”

  “Thanks for your help.”

  “Anytime. Have a good day.”

  “Bye,” Nathan said, and hung up. He went to pay for the gas. As he walked, Nathan’s mind was deep in thought about Kayla. He also thought about how to approach Amanda with the idea he’d just come up with.

  Amanda waited for Nathan at the Shortstop Deli the next morning. She was still feeling bad about her fit of jealousy the last time they saw each other. Amanda wanted to make things up to Nathan.

  As she waited, Amanda wondered why she had reacted that way. After all, she’d hesitated to introduce Christopher to her friends.

  That’s different. You were only friendly to Christopher. Whereas Nathan…

  Amanda shook her head. She wouldn’t go there.

  Nathan showed up shortly afterward. He walked up to Amanda’s table.

  “Hi,” he said, sounding as normal as ever.

  “Hi, love,” Amanda replied. She stood up and gave him a short kiss.

  “I ordered our food already,” she said after breaking from the kiss. “You’ll have what you usually eat for breakfast when you come here.”

  “Thanks. You didn’t have to.”

  “Nathan, I’m sorry.”

  Nathan reached forward and cupped Amanda’s hands. She looked at him.

  “Don’t be. I should have told you about Erika. You had every right to be jealous.”

  “I overreacted.”

  “Nah. You’re sexy when you get jealous, though.”

  Amanda rolled her eyes.

  “You’re not serious.”

  “Okay. It’s a bit alarming, but at the same time it feels good to know that you care a bit about me.”

  “Of course I care about you, Nathan. I love you. I love you so much. That’s why the thought of you being with another woman—”

  “Is completely insane,” Nathan cut across. “You give me everything just by existing. Why would I ever want anyone else?”

  Amanda smiled, flattered at the comment.

  “I love you too, by the way.”

  “I know,” she replied.

  An employee arrived with their breakfast. They thanked him, and he left.

  “Time to dig in,” Nathan said.

  “I want to tell you something else.”

  Nathan looked up.

  “Emmy and Judith were over at my apartment the previous evening. We would like to go on a girls’ night out,” Amanda said. “It’s Judith’s birthday today, but she said we’d go shopping later this week.”

  “What’s her age?”

  “She’s twenty now.”

  “I’ll be sure to congratulate Judith the next time I see her,” Nathan said.

  “That’s where I was going next. Emmy and I will throw a birthday party tonight. I’m inviting you.”

  “I’ll be there. Where is this party going to be?”

  “We’re going to a park first, and then we’ll go eat somewhere. There will be pressed Italian sandwiches, plus cake for dessert.”

  “Yum,” Nathan said. Amanda giggled.

  “As for the shopping trip, is it only going to be the three of you?”

  “Yes. I was just letting you know of our plans. We haven’t gone out together in a while.”

  “When do you plan to go?”

  “We thought Thursday would be a good night. Judith and I don’t have classes, and Emmy only has a couple. We’ll have time then.”

  “Cool. Have fun with your friends.”

  “Thanks.”

  Nathan arrived early to the class that he shared with Kayla. He wanted to know why she had called his father. Nathan feared she might be suffering because of him.

  Have I really been paying less attention to Kayla?

  Outside the classroom, leaning against the wall, Nathan pondered over it. He hadn’t seen Kayla much over the past few months. She’d declined the invitation to spend New Year at Times Square. Was Kayla avoiding him, or was it the other way around?

  Maybe she’s just really busy with her book tour.

  Hoping that’s what it was, Nathan shrugged. He waited for Kayla to get there. Right then, he recalled a little trick that she had pulled on him last semester.

  Nathan walked to the door and peered through the small window. Months ago, Kayla had avoided him by getting to class first and sitting inside. Everyone else waited outside, clueless. At the moment, the room seemed to be empty. The lights were off.

  The minutes passe
d, until class began. Kayla arrived just before the instructor did. She cast a brief look at Nathan when she entered. Kayla sat down in her usual desk and pulled out her notebook.

  Is she mad at me? Nathan thought.

  At the end of class, Kayla was the first to leave. Nathan didn’t have a chance to talk to her. Her behavior was really unsettling. Nathan had to find a way to talk to her. Kayla couldn’t forget how deep their bond was.

  When lunchtime arrived, Nathan set out to look for Kayla. Ever since their breakup, she hardly ever sat with Nathan and his friends anymore. Even Grecia still joined them, but that was most likely due to Ashton.

  Nathan couldn’t find Kayla at any of the places near campus she frequented. He stopped by the libraries as well and roamed the shelves, but Kayla wasn’t anywhere he could see.

  The next place Nathan decided to check was Kayla’s apartment. He knew that she had kept the room at the building where they’d intended to move together.

  Nathan found parking and then walked in the building. He didn’t have to ask for help from the receptionist. After an elevator ride, Nathan got to Kayla’s apartment. He knocked on the door.

  “Coming!” a voice called from inside. Nathan smiled. Kayla was there.

  In a few seconds, the door opened. Kayla was about to speak, when she froze. Nathan found that double-take amusing. Kayla closed her mouth.

  “Nathan,” she said nervously. “I…I thought it was Grecia knocking.”

  “Are you disappointed?”

  “No. No. I’ve just got my mind all over the place. Come on in.”

  Kayla let Nathan inside, and then she closed the door. He looked around the room. Nathan hadn’t been there since the day he and Kayla had checked out the place. That was back when they were still dating.

  “Would you like a drink?”

  “No, thanks,” Nathan said. He and Kayla sat down on the sofa. She sat halfway across from him.

  “What brings you here?”

  “Dad said that you called him.”

  Kayla raised her eyebrows. She looked to the side, as if thinking what to say. She closed her eyes.

  “What did you talk to him about?”

  “I just wondered if he got the Christmas gift that I sent him,” Kayla replied. She avoided looking at Nathan. He stifled a laugh.

  “Come on, Kayla. You’re a famous author. I know you can come up with better lies than that.”

  Kayla looked up at Nathan, shocked.

  “Fine. Do you want to know the truth?”

  “Yes! That’s why I’m here.”

  “I miss you!”

  Nathan looked at Kayla, searching in her eyes for what she was truly feeling. He saw she told the truth.

  “I never left you.”

  “It’s not that. I miss you, Nathan. I respect that you’re with Amanda, but it still hurts. I miss what we had.”

  “I thought you’d moved on.”

  “If only it were easy. Trust me, Nathan, I’m trying. It’s just that I’ve never loved anyone the way I loved you.”

  “Have you tried meeting new people?”

  Kayla blinked, thinking about it. Nathan could almost read her mind at that moment.

  “No.”

  “Then go out. Make new connections. Don’t closet yourself with your characters, that’s not enough.”

  “That’s another problem. I’m injecting a little more romance into my new book than I meant to. I…it’s hard to know that you’re no longer there.”

  Nathan understood.

  “You miss our love.”

  “I think I miss love itself.”

  “Amanda is the love of my life, Kayla.”

  “I know that. And I won’t try to come between you two again. I made that mistake once.”

  “I’m sorry I can’t help you.”

  “No, Nathan. I’m sorry. This must be pretty awkward for you. I should be stronger.”

  “I don’t feel awkward,” Nathan said, moving closer to Kayla. She remained where she was. “You know that I will always be your friend. That’ll never change.”

  Nathan took Kayla’s hand, squeezing it to reassure her. She looked at his lips, but blinked twice and brought her gaze up to his eyes.

  “I’ll try harder, Nathan. I promise you.”

  “Don’t. Just find someone else.”

  “Wish me luck for that.”

  “Kayla, you’re beautiful. And brilliant. All you have to do is go out there, and you’ll find someone new.”

  Kayla thought about it, and then nodded.

  “As a last resort, you might consider online dating.”

  Kayla looked at Nathan, narrowing her eyes. She slapped his hand.

  “What? Does it embarrass you?”

  “Nathan, just imagine the kind of creep I could end up with in there. No, thank you.”

  Nathan laughed.

  “Okay. Just get out. I hate to think of you holed up here by yourself all the time.”

  “That would be the case if I didn’t have Grecia. She isn’t afraid to pull me out by the ear.”

  Kayla and Nathan laughed together. He felt glad to see her smile. Kayla deserved to be happy.

  When Kayla composed herself, she got lost in thought. Nathan wondered what was going on in her head. She met his gaze.

  “There’s another thing I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time. That’s part of why I called your father.”

  Nathan’s brow furrowed. Kayla bit her lip.

  “Last semester, we became very close. I was feeling ready to let you know about my true past. You remember how many times you asked me about it, right?”

  “I do. Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

  “I never got the chance. Amanda came back into your life and it changed everything. Telling you about my past became less important than fighting for you.”

  Kayla exhaled. She then grabbed her purse from the bedside table. The action confused Nathan.

  “I think it’s time you knew the true me.”

  Kayla pulled out her wallet, and then took a card from inside. She handed it to Nathan. He frowned.

  “Why are you giving me your driver’s license?”

  “Read the name.”

  Nathan’s lips moved as he read.

  “Kayla Lisbeth Moran?”

  Kayla nodded. Nathan looked at her questioningly.

  “Delaney is my pen name. I would have used my real one if it wasn’t for my past.”

  Kayla paused for a few seconds.

  “I rejected the Moran name because I wanted to have nothing more to do with my father. It all began one day when I was eleven. Dad used to dream of becoming rich, fast. So he started his own music band.

  “Unfortunately, Dad’s band never found success. Most people criticized it because it tried to emulate another wildly successful band of the time. Dad thought that if people liked that band, they would like his band too.”

  Nathan touched Kayla’s shoulder. He wanted to comfort her.

  “After that, Dad tried other stuff. It always failed. As time passed, Dad got increasingly more frustrated with his bad luck. He wanted a better life, but only for him. Not for my mom, my sister, or me.”

  “That’s messed up,” Nathan said. Kayla nodded.

  “My father later became an alcoholic. He would go on fits of rage whenever he was too drunk. One day, he just gave up on us and disappeared.”

  A tear fell down Kayla’s face. Nathan reached forward and wiped it. She smiled, but it faded quickly.

  “We never saw my father after that. It made me sad. So I found solace in books.”

  “I always thought that what made you enjoy books in the first place was…positive.”

  Kayla shrugged.

  “I would have found my love for books even if that bad stuff hadn’t happened. They make me happy.”

  A faint smile appeared on Kayla’s lips.

  “My next books will be published under my real name. I had the cover art for my upcoming one changed f
or that purpose.”

  Nathan looked confused.

  “Why the change of heart?”

  Kayla sighed.

  “It’s a long story. This happened during the Christmas holidays, which you know I spent at Tulsa.”

  “Tell me.”

  Thursday arrived. During the morning, Erika went to visit Nathan. She wanted to talk to him, get to know him more. Erika knew where he stayed. She waited outside the apartment for a few moments. Erika didn’t want Nathan to ask her any tough questions.

  It wasn’t long before Nathan walked into the parking lot. He got to his car. Erika revved her engine. She followed Nathan into the street.

  The drive wasn’t long. Nathan pulled into the parking lot of a mall nearby. He got out of his car. Erika found parking and then followed Nathan. Inside the mall, she saw him walk into a Best Buy. Nathan went right to the computer accessories section. Erika pretended to browse nearby while watching Nathan. He seemed to be shopping for laptop sleeves.

  After Nathan found one that he liked, he went to the smartphones section. Erika chose that moment to walk up to him. Nathan turned when he sensed someone standing behind him.

  “Hi!” Erika greeted, waving her hand once.

  “Hi,” he replied. “Nice to run into you again.”

  Erika laughed.

  “We seem to bump into each other while we’re shopping, right?”

  “Maybe it’s a quirk of fate.”

  “Ha. Actually, I was looking for you. I couldn’t find you at school.”

  “I didn’t have classes today.”

  “Oh,” said Erika. “No wonder.”

  “What did you want to talk about?”

  “I was wondering if you will be busy today.”

  Nathan placed a hand on his chin, thinking.

  “I don’t have much homework, so I’ll have quite a bit of time to myself. My girlfriend is going shopping with her best friends.”

  “Great. I wanted to ask if you’d like to hang out. I don’t know anyone, and I’m not familiar with the area.”

  Nathan thought about the offer for a moment.

  “I guess I could give you a tour of the nicest spots in the city. There’s not much, but you’ll like what’s here.”

  Erika looked excited.

  “Great! At what time could you pick me up?”

  “How about at five?”

  “That’s good. I’ll text you my address later.”

  Nathan gave Erika a wry smile.