In My Father's Shadow (19 page)

Her smile slipped, however, as Nate and Stacy
motioned for Cole and Stephanie to join them. Ally studied the ice
in her diet soda after watching Cole lead Stephanie, by the hand,
to the dance floor.

Ally had been mesmerized by him during the ceremony
as he stood beside his father. He was dressed in a black suit with
a white shirt and a teal tie. He was devastatingly handsome and she
had yearned to touch him and demand that he tell her what she’d
done wrong.

She sighed and glanced up, but her heart fell when
she caught him smiling at Stephanie as they danced. They made such
an attractive couple and she had a hard time fighting the jealousy
that was filling her insides. Stephanie had long legs and was
nearly as tall as Cole. Her hair was gathered elegantly on top of
her head with a few tendrils hanging down. The dusty rose colored
dress she wore clung to her waist and hung tastefully below her
knees. Yeah, she was a knockout and she made Ally feel extremely
shabby.

The past three weeks were threatening to overtake her
emotions and she quickly gulped at her drink. At first, she’d been
confused by his coolness, thinking maybe he was a little
embarrassed at how far they’d gone the night of the dance, but then
her confusion was replaced with anger as he continued to ignore
her.

“Hey, Ally! Wanna dance,” Jamie asked, sliding next
to her. She turned to glare at him and he drew back at the emotion
in her eyes. “Are you okay, cuz?”

Ally smiled weakly, keeping her eyes off the dance
floor. “Yeah. How come you’re not out there hitting on all Stacy’s
nieces?”

“Because I noticed my cousin sitting here all alone,”
he answered.

“Jeana was just here,” Ally said in confusion,
glancing around, trying to locate Jeana.

“Jeana’s been on the dance floor for the past two
songs,” Jamie said with a frown.

Ally shrugged, noticing that the music had changed
from slow and romantic to fast and furious. “I’ve just been sitting
here thinking, I guess.”

“No,” Jamie said. “You’ve been sitting here moping
about how moody Cole has been.”

“I have to use the restroom,” she said as she got up
and snatched her crutches. She’d become much more agile with the
things and got through the crowd with ease.

The restrooms were located near the entrance hall and
she groaned when she noticed the crowd congregating by the doors,
blocking her path to the bathroom.

“Excuse me,” she bellowed and smiled broadly as her
Uncle Ethan turned around and grinned.

“Hey, princess,” he said as he pulled her into his
arms. Her crutches clattered to the floor but she didn’t notice as
she hugged his neck. “How are you feeling?”

“Better,” she said as Jay picked up her crutches and
handed them back to her. She kissed her Aunt Caroline on the cheek
and noticed her older cousin, Megan lurking behind her parents.
“When did you get in?”

“Just a little bit ago,” Ethan said. “Have you seen
my other daughter?”

Ally pointed out Jeana on the dance floor and talked
to Megan for a few minutes. She was aware of Cole standing nearby
with his dad, but she didn’t look his way. She finally excused
herself and hobbled off to the bathroom.

She paused by the mirror to study her reflection.
She’d actually gone shopping with Jeana and picked out a bright
blue dress with a modest neckline, a fitted waist, and a long
flowing skirt. Once she’d tried it on, Jeana had insisted that she
buy it, saying it brought the blue out in her eyes. She’d allowed
Jeana, who had been staying at her house that weekend, to apply
faint traces of makeup and help her do her hair. She forewent her
usual pony tail and let it fall down her back. Jeana had added a
few curls on the ends and Ally had grudgingly admitted that she’d
liked it.

Now, though, she thought she paled in comparison to
Stephanie’s glamorous model looks. She groaned, disgusted with
herself, and left the bathroom to head back to her seat, hoping
she’d spot one of her friends and they’d keep her company for a
little bit. She sank down in her chair and propped her crutches
nearby, scanning the room for signs of RJ or Jamie. Then, she
spotted them both, along with Cole, standing at the bar, talking
excitedly to Stephanie. She turned away and fought off the
threatening emotions, the jealousy aching to consume her. She knew
she should just get up and go join them and introduce herself, but
she couldn’t bear it.

“Hello! Do you mind if I sit down?”

She lifted her eyes and found herself gazing into the
smoky gray eyes of a very handsome guy, not much older than she.
She smiled at up at him. “Sure, have a seat.”

***

Cole rested his back against the bar and watched the
guests laughing, dancing, and enjoying themselves. The ceremony had
turned out pretty cool and his dad seemed really happy. Overall,
Cole thought the whole day had been perfect.

Except, of course, for Ally.

She’d ignored him totally the entire day and it was
making him a bit anxious. And, damn, she looked beautiful. Her
dress fit her fantastically and it seemed to make her eyes shine.
Her hair looked awesome hanging down her back and made him want to
run his fingers through it.

He finally spotted her, sitting alone at a table with
a guy – a guy he didn’t know. He tensed, his hands instinctively
curling into fists.

“What’s the matter, Cole?” Stephanie asked.

“Do you know that guy sitting with Ally?” he asked.
RJ and Jamie whipped around to see what Cole meant.

“Oh,” said Stephanie, smiling. “That’s my cousin,
Greg. He asked me about her earlier. He’s wanted to talk to her all
night.” She frowned as Cole’s eyes darkened. “Don’t worry. Greg is
a nice guy.”

“He’d better be,” Jamie muttered, sipping from his
cup.

“I think we should go introduce ourselves,” RJ
smirked. “Let this Greg know that we’re keeping an eye on
things.”

“Leave them alone,” Cole ordered. He turned to the
bartender and asked for another drink.

***

Ally was actually enjoying her conversation with
Greg. He was a nice guy and they had so much in common. They were
both athletic and he loved baseball and football as much as she
did. They were engaged in a debate over who would win the Super
Bowl when Stephanie came over and interrupted.

“I’m sorry you two,” Stephanie said with a sweet
smile. “But, Greg, I need your help.” She turned to Ally and gave
her an apologetic look. She extended her hand. “I’m Stephanie, by
the way. I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced all day.”

“Nice to meet you,” Ally smiled, shaking her
hand.

“What do you need help with?” Greg asked.

“Cole and his friends have been drinking,” she said
worriedly. “They drank a lot. I think they’re pretty drunk. My mom
and Nate have left already but I don’t want the rest of them to get
in trouble. I have RJ’s keys but I need help getting them to the
car.”

Sighing deeply, Ally got up and grabbed her crutches.
“Where are they?”

“They went outside to have a cigarette,” Stephanie
explained. “Jamie threw up in the parking lot.”

Ally hobbled past them and made her way quickly
outside, Stephanie and Greg behind her. She found RJ and Cole
hovering near Jamie who was hunched over a trash bin.

“Jamie,” Ally called softly. All three boys looked up
at her. “Let me take you home.”

“No way, Ally,” Jamie said, goofy grin on his face.
“We’re staying at Cole’s tonight.”

Her heart twinged. They always invited her, even when
they stayed the night somewhere. She bit back the hurt and lifted
her chin. “Then let me take you to Cole’s. All of you.”

Cole leaned back against the building, a little
unsteady on his feet, and smirked. “Look here, guys. The princess
has come to save us from our reckless behavior.”

“Leave her alone, man,” Jamie defended, words
slurring, swaying on his feet as he pointed at Cole. “She really
likes you man and you’ve not talked to her in forever. I think you
hurt her feelings.”

Ally closed her eyes and took a deep breath, wishing
a hole would open up and swallow her. “Shut up, Jamie.” She opened
her eyes to find Cole looking at her curiously. She ignored him and
tugged on RJ’s sleeve. “RJ, hon, come on and get in the car. I’ll
drive you guys to Cole’s.”

Cole pushed away from the wall and loomed over Ally,
swaying slightly. “You can’t drive with your ankle like that.”

“I don’t use my left leg to drive, Einstein,” she
snapped.

Stephanie stepped smoothly between them. “I’ll drive.
Ally, can you come? I’m not too familiar with the area.”

She glared at Cole. “Sure.” She hobbled to Jamie and
fussed over him before herding him and RJ into the car. She turned
to say goodbye to Greg but found Cole standing behind her instead.
“Please get in the car, Cole.”

He leaned down close to her face. She could smell
beer and other unidentifiable alcoholic smells on his breath.
“We’ll talk later.”

She sighed and nodded as he finally hopped in behind
RJ.

Chapter Sixteen

Nate and Stacy had taken off for a few days for a
short honeymoon before the tour was scheduled to resume. They’d
promised to be home Wednesday night so they could have their first
ever family Thanksgiving at home.

The house was empty when Ally and Stephanie managed
to get the boys back. Ally used her key to unlock the door as
Stephanie encouraged them inside. Ally called her mom and told her
where she was, explaining what had happened and that she was going
to stay the night to make sure they were okay. Liz expressed her
concerns but Ally assured her things were fine –she was just going
to babysit and that Liz didn’t have to worry about anything
inappropriate happening. Liz consented and Ally thanked her lucky
stars that she had such a wonderful relationship with her mother.
She hung up and ambled to the kitchen.

They were gathered around the table, eating chips and
popcorn and drinking even more beer. Stephanie had joined them, all
her anxiety apparently gone, and was trying to teach them some game
involving a deck of cards and a set of dice.

Ally rolled her eyes as she watched them from the
doorway. She hated drinking and knew that Nate, Mark, and Richie
would be upset if they could see their sons now. She was tempted to
call their dads – except, of course, for Nate – and tell them what
was going on. But she didn’t. They were still her friends. She just
couldn’t understand how they could drink more when Jamie had
already been sick once. She wanted to march into the kitchen and
grab the cans of beer on the counter, dump them out and demand that
they all go to bed but she decided not to do it. They were having a
great time with Stephanie and her stupid game so Ally just spun
around and started for the stairs. She was done with them all. If
they wanted to drink themselves stupid then let them. Stephanie
could clean up after them.

She hopped up the steps and entered Cole’s room. She
grabbed a t-shirt from his dresser and hopped across the hall to
the guest room she’d used so frequently in the past that Nate had
dubbed it ‘Ally’s’. She ripped off her dress and hobbled into the
bathroom to wash her face. She fought valiantly at the tears that
threatened to spill as she made it back to the bed and turned off
the lights. She snuggled down in the blankets as the first drops
trickled down her cheeks.

A light knock on the door made her sit up and brush
hastily at her face. She snapped on the little light next to the
bed. “Come in,” she called.

Stephanie walked warily in, nervous smile on her
face. “Are you okay, Ally?”

Ally’s heart sank. Of course it wasn’t Cole. What
would he want? “I’m fine, Stephanie, thanks.”

Stephanie took a few cautious steps inside and closed
the door. “It’s Cole you like, isn’t it? Not my cousin Greg.”

Ally turned her head, lips trembling. “It doesn’t
matter. Whatever was between us is obviously over now.”

“Why?” Stephanie asked, sitting at the foot of the
bed. “Why do you say that?”

Ally shrugged and ducked her head. She folded and
unfolded her hands on top of the blankets. “He’s ignored me for the
past three weeks and then tonight, he didn’t talk to me at all. He
spent all night with…” she sniffed. “He spent all night with
you.”

Stephanie grabbed Ally’s hands and squeezed. “I can
assure you Cole thinks of me as a potential sister, and that’s all.
We spent last night talking and getting to know each other but in a
strictly platonic way. I can see Cole and me becoming friends, but
nothing more. I promise you that.”

Ally nodded and pulled her hands away from the other
girl to rub her tired face. “I’m sorry, Stephanie, really. I just
don’t know what to think.”

“Well what I think,” Stephanie said, anger in her
voice. “Is that he should be here talking to you. I know he’s not
happy about something; I tried to get him to talk about it last
night.”

Ally opened her mouth to speak but the door flew open
and she was interrupted.

“You okay, Al?” Cole asked from the doorway.

She glared dangerously at him as Stephanie stood from
the bed and made for the door. “I’ll let you two talk,” she said
and hurried from the room.

Cole shut the door and walked over to the bed. “Are
you okay?” he asked again.

“Fine. Now get out and leave me alone.”

“You know I can’t do that, Al,” he said as he sat
down next to her.

“Yes you can! You’ve done a fine job of it the past
three weeks.” The tears were burning her eyes and she prayed he’d
leave before any of them fell. She did not want him to see how
badly he’d hurt her.

He reached out and cupped her cheek but she pulled
away. “I’m sorry, Al. I guess I freaked out again.”

“Well I’m tired of you freaking out and leaving me
high and dry, wondering what’s going on.” Tears dripped from her
eyes and she wiped them away angrily.