In My Father's Shadow (22 page)

“Okay,” Stephanie said uneasily. “So, um, what are
you guys going to say tomorrow when everyone gets together?”

“I’m not sure,” Cole said. “We haven’t really had a
chance to talk about it.”

“I’m anxious to see what they have to say,” Stephanie
said.

Ally snorted causing the boys to look at her
curiously. “What?” she asked, eyeing them all individually.

“What’s your problem?” Cole asked softly.

“Nothing. Well, except, I don’t know why she’s
anxious to be there. It’s not like it’s her dad’s band or anything.
And it is my father everyone is talking about.”

Cole sat back and studied her, amazement taking over
his face. “That’s a really crappy thing to say.”

“I didn’t mean it that way,” Ally protested.

“My dad is her stepfather now, you know,” Cole said
with narrowed eyes. “If the band does break up, it will have an
impact on her life.”

“Not like it will on ours,” Ally said, knowing she
sounded spoiled and rotten and all those other horrible things but
hoping that Cole, who knew her better than anyone else, would
understand. She was scared, damn it, and she didn’t know what would
happen when they all confronted their parents the next day.

Cole leaned forward. “Does that matter?”

Ally lifted her chin, hurt. “To me it does.”

“Why?” Cole challenged.

Ally sat back, eyes still furiously intent on his.
She couldn’t answer him; not without sounding even more petty and
childish than she already had. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me,” he told her.

She gave a bitter laugh. “No, because it’d be a waste
of time. The old Cole would have listened without prejudice. But
not the one before me now.” She got up and grabbed her
crutches.

“Where are you going, Ally?” Jamie asked, shaking out
of his stupor.

“Back to her fairy tale world, like a good little
princess,” Cole shot out.

Ally glared at him and hobbled away, eager to get to
the exit so she could call her dad to come pick her up and get her
as far away from Cole as possible.

Chapter Eighteen

Cole replayed the argument with Ally over and over in
his head all the way to her house the following evening. He was
only vaguely aware of Stephanie in the passenger seat as he
concentrated on the tail lights of his father’s car in front of
him. He couldn’t for the life of him figure out how things had
soured, again, so quickly. And what had he done wrong?

“Are you listening to a word I’m saying, Cole?”
Stephanie asked.

“No,” he muttered truthfully, raking his fingers
through his hair. “I’m sorry.”

“Maybe you can talk to her as soon as we get there –
before you guys confront your dads,” she suggested.

He barked a sardonic laugh. “Not a chance in hell.
She’s so wired as it is.”

Stephanie turned her head toward her window. “Maybe I
shouldn’t have come.”

“Yes you should have,” he said firmly, anger swelling
up inside. “She may be a little princess but she’s not a queen. She
can’t dictate other people’s lives for them.”

***

Everyone had already arrived by the time Cole and
Stephanie followed Nate and Stacy into the house. He spotted RJ and
Jamie near the French doors, feigning interest in the frozen
grounds outside and hurried to join them.

“Where’s the princess?” Cole asked, wanting them to
all get on the same page before they cornered the parents. “She
needs to be here.”

“She’s in the kitchen with Liz,” RJ said, frowning.
“She’s been busy helping Liz with all the food. I thought this was
just a casual gathering before we went back to school and they
resumed the tour?”

“Aunt Liz always makes a big deal out of these
things,” Jamie said. “So does my mom.”

“Well Ally needs to get over here so we can figure
out what we’re going to say,” Cole said, his anger growing. “What
the hell is she playing at, anyway?”

“She’s still mad at you, obviously,” Jamie said with
a smirk. “You two need to draw me and RJ a chart or something so we
can keep track of things – you know, like if you two are together
or if you’re not.”

“Ha!” Cole laughed sarcastically. “Why don’t you guys
draw one for me? I can’t keep track either.”

“What’s going on over here?” Nate asked as he
sauntered up to them, amused expression in his eyes. “Some sort of
secret meeting?”

Cole took a deep breath and glanced at his friends as
he released it. “Actually, Dad, we sort of wanted to talk to you
guys.”

Nate grinned and clapped his son on the back. “Yeah,
we kind of figured.” He twisted and scanned the room until his eyes
landed on Jay. “Hey, Jay!”

Jay smiled and joined the group. “Ah, it’s time,
huh?”

“Yep,” Nate said.

Cole’s stomach rolled as he realized that they’d been
waiting for this moment. So much for cornering them and forcing
them to talk and tell the truth. They probably had already worked
out a speech, something to ease their children’s minds. Cole shot a
disgusted look at his friends. They nodded, feeling the same as
he.

Just then, Ally entered the room with her mother and
hesitated, her eyes darting from Cole to Nate to her dad. She
dropped her gaze and followed her mother into the living room.

“Hang on, Liz,” Jay said, winking at his wife. “I
think the kids would like to talk to us. I think we’ll head down to
the rec room. Will you send Richie and Mark?”

Liz nodded and patted Ally’s cheek, gesturing her to
follow her father down to the basement.

Cole, RJ, and Jamie huddled together, standing
against the wall, Stephanie lingering nearby as Ally took a seat
close to where her father stood next to Nate.

“All right,” Jay said, glancing up as Richie and Mark
pounded down the stairs. “What’s up?”

“Just be straight with us,” RJ said. “Just spit it
out.”

Jay grinned. “There’s not much to know, actually.
We’ve talked about this before and you guys know better than to
listen to rumors.”

“Yeah, but this one wasn’t on some tabloid television
show,” Jamie said.

Jay ran his hands through his hair. “Look, I’ve had
lunch with Rhys Redden a few times and some reporters spotted us.
They automatically assumed I was up to something since I was
alone.”

“So, are you thinking about going solo?” RJ
asked.

“People still love you guys,” Stephanie added.
“You’re one of the hottest bands out there.”

From the corner of his eye, Cole saw Ally snort
quietly and roll her eyes. She stretched out her casted leg and
rubbed her thigh, seemingly not affected whatsoever by the
conversation.

“We’re not splitting up,” Mark said. “Nor are we
retiring.”

“And I’m definitely not going solo,” Jay said,
grinning at Richie. “That would be a disaster.”

“Yeah, who’d keep him out of trouble?” Richie said
with a laugh.

“The thing is,” Nate said, looking directly at the
boys. “You’ll probably hear more rumors but you can’t just panic.
Yes, we have talked about retiring but it’s just been talk and we
haven’t decided if we’re ready for that yet.”

“If we decide that’s what we want to do, we’ll tell
you guys before we go to the press,” Jay added, carefully.

“Look,” Mark continued. “You guys don’t need to be so
concerned about this. It was just a rumor – Jay never has had any
desire to be a solo act.”

“Well, we are concerned,” RJ muttered. “This does
affect us all.”

Jay smiled. “I think we realize that now. But don’t
worry about it.”

“But you’ll tell us if you do decide to retire or
split up or whatever, right? Before you go public,” RJ asked.

“Yeah, definitely,” Nate answered with a smile.

“What about you, Ally?” Jay asked, causing everyone
to look at her. “Don’t you have anything to ask or say?”

She shrugged. “It’s your decision; you and the rest
of the guys.”

Cole, Jamie, and RJ looked at her in disbelief but
she ignored them.

Once the discussion ended, the adults went back
upstairs, probably to share the conversation with their wives,
while the kids remained in the rec room. Cole glared at Ally, a
mixture of anger and confusion swirling in his gut.

“What was that all about, princess?” he asked as he
hovered over her.

“What?” she asked, blinking up at him, her blue eyes
wide and innocent.

“You were all torn up about this when we first heard
the rumors yet you sit here and don’t say a word the whole time,”
Cole said, narrowing his eyes.

She shrugged nonchalantly as she collected her
crutches and hoisted her body to her feet. “What did you want me to
say, Cole? It seemed like the four of you had things under
control.”

“We thought that you wanted to be a part of this
conversation?” Jamie asked.

She lifted a shoulder as she started to hobble toward
the steps. “I was. I was here. I listened. I believe them – sorry
if you guys don’t.”

“I think they’re telling us the truth,” RJ mumbled,
his eyes glazed in thought. “But I don’t think they’re telling us
everything.”

“What are you talking about?” Jamie asked. Ally
paused by the door and leaned in the frame to listen to RJ’s
idea.

“Well, Jay told us that the rumors started because he
was spotted meeting with Rhys Redden alone,” RJ said, his eyes
darting to Ally. He flashed an apologetic smile. “But what was Jay
doing meeting with Rhys Redden, the band’s producer and the owner
of Redden Records, alone in the first place?”

Ally shook her head and turned as quickly as she was
able with her crutches. “No. I’m not going to sit here and listen
to conspiracy theories about my father. I’ll see you guys
later.”

Cole watched her go, his heart aching a bit, but he
had no clue what to do or say and wasn’t even sure if he wanted her
to stay.

***

Ally rode quietly back to school with Jamie and Alec.
She gave Alec the front seat, claiming she wanted to stretch her
leg across the back, but in reality, it gave her a chance to keep
out of the main conversation.

She was relieved that her father had informed them
that he had no desire to strike out on his own – though in the back
of her mind she’d known he’d never do that. But it did bother her
that RJ was still suspicious and she wondered if his suspicions had
any merit. She didn’t want to think that her father was up to
something but she did have to admit that RJ had a point.

She stifled a groan as she allowed her head to fall
back. She closed her eyes as the miles hummed beneath the tires,
lulling her into a light doze. She’d deal with it all later when
she was alone.

Since they hadn’t started back to the school until
after lunch, they were the last to arrive. As Jamie helped her
carry her bags back to her room, they both nearly ran into an
obstruction in the hall near her door.

“What the hell?” Jamie muttered.

“Quit cursing and help me, damn it,” a voice said
from behind a large box.

Jamie snorted. “Sure thing, Cole, but does RJ know
you’re moving into the girls’ dorms?”

“Shut up and open the door,” Cole ordered, voice
straining from the weight. “I swear that woman’s got her whole damn
wardrobe in here along with a million bricks.”

“Give me my bag, Jamie,” Ally said quietly, just
wanting a quick escape. “I can handle it from here.”

“Hang on, Ally,” Jamie said as he scooted behind
Cole. “What door, man?”

“The one across from Ally’s room. It’s supposed to be
unlocked,” Cole said.

Wonderful, Ally groaned to herself. Stephanie would
be just across the hall, probably breathing down her neck, forcing
her friendship on Ally like she’d already done with the boys. Well,
Ally wouldn’t stand for it. If they wanted Stephanie slobbering all
over them like an over eager puppy, that was their problem.

Jamie pushed the door open while Ally unlocked her
own door. She turned back to watch Cole maneuver the box inside the
other room while waiting for Jamie to deposit her bag in her
room.

“Hey, Ally girl,” Nate said as he sidled up next to
her and tossed an arm around her shoulders. She gave him a bright
smile as he kissed the top of her head. “Steph’s going to be right
across the hall from you and Jeana. Cool, huh?”

“Yeah,” Ally said, forcing the right amount of
enthusiasm in her voice. Stephanie and Stacy approached and Ally
frowned at the dark look Stephanie shot her. She ignored it and
glanced up at Nate. “Do you need any help?”

“Nah,” Nate said. “I think that’s the last of
it.”

“I’ll throw your bag on your bed,” Jamie said as he
emerged from Stephanie’s room. She nodded, remaining close to Nate.
He was one of her most favorite people in the world and his
nearness was oddly comforting – almost like having her own daddy
there, hugging her.

“I’m relieved Steph’s going to be rooming close to
you,” Stacy said as she patted Ally’s shoulder. “She’s a little
nervous about finding her way around.”

“She’ll get the hang of it quickly,” Ally said
politely.

She felt Nate’s eyes on her so she tried to relax and
appear light and nonchalant. But it wasn’t working very well. “Hey,
Ally? Will you come with me to make sure we got everything out of
the car?” he asked.

“Okay,” she agreed and hobbled behind him down the
hall.

“What’s up, kid?” he asked once they reached the
outside.

“Nothing, why?” she asked as they walked toward the
Admin building.

Stopping, Nate turned to face her, arms crossed over
his chest. “You were very quiet yesterday and today you’re
obviously waiting until it’s the polite time to tell us all that
you’re either very tired or you have a lot of homework to do.”

She shrugged and leaned against the wall, toying with
her crutches. “Actually, I do have some reading to do for my
English class.”