In My Father's Shadow (6 page)

Ally released her death grip on the seat belt and dug
her phone out of her purse. “I can’t get one either,” she told him,
wincing as he cursed.

“I should have known better than to take Parker’s
short cut.”

“Relax, Jamie,” Ally said, peering out the windows at
the trees that lined the dark, country road, bending in the howling
wind. “Jeez, this feels like a bad horror movie.”

Jamie snorted. “Well, we’ve watched enough of them to
know better than to get out of the car to explore, allow anyone in
-especially someone with an ax - or to say ‘I’ll be right
back.’”

Ally smiled and relaxed a little bit. “We should have
both skipped practice then we could have driven down with the rest
of them.”

“There’s no way you would have skipped practice,
especially since you have a game next week. Besides, I couldn’t
skip - not when the coach was gone for two days.” He patted her
shoulder and rubbed his sleeve on the driver’s side window. “We
would be halfway there by now but for this rain.”

“What time do they go on?” Ally asked, gazing at her
watch. It was already 6:45.

“Eight, I think,” Jamie said, frowning at his phone
again. “We still have about a forty-five minute drive – or an hour
if the weather keeps up this way. And it really sucks that we can’t
even call to let them know we’re running late.”

“It’s not raining as hard now,” Ally told him,
looking hopefully out the window. “Let’s just go.”

He shrugged. “Okay,” he said as the rain lightened up
on the windshield. “Don’t worry if we miss the first set – we’ll
see it tomorrow.”

They arrived at the hotel an hour later and had to
drive around for a few minutes in order to find a space. The lot
was so full that they finally had to settle for parking in the
overflow lot and running through the rain for the lobby. They were
soaked, dripping, and cold by the time they made it inside. Teeth
chattering, Ally was regretting her decision to send her bags,
along with Jamie’s, with Cole and RJ. At the time, she thought it
would be a smart move – they could just hop in the car after
practice and get to the show. But now she just wanted to check into
her room and change into some warm, dry clothes.

Jamie took her hand and led her to the hotel’s
lounge/restaurant. It was brimming with patrons who had heard of
Cole’s band either because of his father’s fame or because they
were just good.

The equipment was set up and everything looked ready
to go but they couldn’t find Cole or any of the other band members
anywhere. Ally took out her cell phone and prepared to call one of
them and beg them for a room key when the phone was plucked out of
her hand. She spun around in confusion and gasped at the anger
marring Cole’s handsome face.

“So you do know how to use one of these, huh Ally?”
he nearly screamed. “We expected you guys here over an hour ago!
You guys weren’t answering your phones nor did you call us – we had
no clue what was the matter! Damn – I almost called Jay and
Mark.”

Jamie grabbed Ally’s arm before she could hurl a
biting retort at Cole. “Dude, it’s pouring and we had to pull over
a couple times. We took that shortcut Parker told us through farm
country and couldn’t get a signal. Don’t scream at her, man.”

Cole closed his eyes, took a deep breath and ran his
hands through his hair. “Fine, sorry. I just…we were just worried
because of the weather.”

Ally nodded, her teeth chattering too much to
speak.

Cole pulled a small, brown envelope from his back
pocket and presented it to Ally. “Here are the key cards. Room
number is on the envelope. Umm, because you guys aren’t eighteen
yet, they won’t let you have your own rooms so we all had to double
up. Ren’s rooming with RJ; we put Jamie with Parker and Ally with
me.” He waved to someone over Jamie’s shoulder, totally avoiding
Ally’s eyes. “Here comes Parker. We already took your stuff up so
you can go change.”

Parker greeted them with a smile and dug a key card
out to hand to Jamie.

Cole grabbed Ally’s arm as she turned toward the bank
of elevators. “I put you with me because I thought you’d be most
comfortable that way.” She nodded, heart thudding in her chest.
“There are two beds in the room but if it makes you uneasy, I can
crash on the floor in one of the other rooms.”

“Don’t be stupid,” she told him, teeth still knocking
together. “It’s fine.”

He rubbed both of her arms and it caused her pulse to
skyrocket. “The bags are on the beds and the hoodie I wore up here
is lying by my bag. Put it on if you’re still cold -it’s a little
chilly in the lounge. We go on in five minutes but don’t worry if
you miss anything; you can catch it all tomorrow night.” She
smiled, nodded and walked away.

After a quick, hot shower and some warm, dry clothes,
Ally felt much better. She put her damp hair into a pony tail and
pulled Cole’s hoodie over her head.

She stood in the middle of the floor and stared at
the twin beds. She didn’t know how she would ever be able to sleep
in the same room as Cole, but she’d give it a shot. She didn’t want
him sleeping on the floor somewhere else and she knew he’d do it if
she showed the slightest sign of unease. She was just going to have
to suck up all the swirling, confusing emotions and lock them away
somewhere. She needed to act like herself – the old Ally. The Ally
before the kiss.

Jamie knocked on her door and she hurried to join
him. They rushed down to the lounge, not wanting to miss any more
of the show than they already had.

Out of Control was rocking and nearly everyone was
dancing or clapping or singing along and it made Ally smile. Jamie
tugged her through the crowd and to the table the band had reserved
for them. Jamie quickly ordered them soft drinks and sat back,
grinning at his friends.

A flyer rested on the table, announcing that Out of
Control would be playing Friday and Saturday night. She picked it
up and smiled, quickly folding it and tucking it in her back
pocket. She thought about their clever name and how impressed she’d
been when they had asked for her honest opinion over a year ago
when they had first decided to make a go of things. Cole and RJ had
come up with it, liking the clever reference to their fathers’
group, and she totally agreed.

They mostly played cover music at gigs such as these
–that’s what the crowd wanted – but sometimes they slipped a song
or two of their own in the mix, just to judge the crowd’s reaction.
She doubted seriously if they’d do that this weekend as Parker
hadn’t been playing with them long enough to learn the original
stuff, but she didn’t mind. She just loved to listen to them.

“Did you see their set list?” Jamie yelled over the
noise at her.

She shook her head. “No, why?”

“Just wondering if they plan on doing any Tight
Control.”

“They always do,” she replied with a smile. It was as
if they could hear her for they finished up one song to a deafening
round of applause and immediately launched into a Tight Control
song. Their selection was greeted with screams from the girls
dancing in front of the stage as they hopped up and down and threw
their bodies around in their style of dance.

“Come on, James,” Ally called. “This is our fathers’
music. We must dance.”

He grinned. “No.”

She sighed and walked over to his side of the table.
“One of those girls up there will probably notice you and think –
hey, he’s cute and he dances. I should give him my number.”

He raised a brow and checked out the girls still
jumping around in front of the stage. “Fine,” he said as he
reluctantly rose to his feet and allowed a beaming Ally to drag him
to the dance floor. “But it better be one of the pretty ones.”

Cole laughed when he spotted Jamie out on the dance
floor with Ally. She’d once confided in him all the secret ploys
she had to get Jamie to dance and he briefly wondered which one
she’d used this time.

He watched as she moved gracefully, her body in sync
with the music, and fought a sudden urge to join her so he could
touch her cheek and kiss her. He quickly shook the thought out of
his head and forced his concentration on the song, getting the
right beat.

As they finished the song, he noticed a man much
older than Ally stroll casually across the dance floor, eyes set
determinedly on Ally. He tapped her shoulder and she turned and
smiled politely. He couldn’t hear what the man was saying but he
didn’t like the way her lips tightened as she shook her head. He
looked around desperately for Jamie, wondering where he’d gone. But
RJ beat him to it. RJ pegged Jamie in the head with a skillfully
aimed pick then nodded in Ally’s direction. Jamie’s eyes narrowed
as he shrugged off a clingy female and pushed his way to Ally’s
side, draping an arm around her shoulders. He offered his hand to
the man who shook it, talked to Jamie for a few minutes then made
his exit, waving as Jamie led Ally back to their table. RJ
announced that they would be taking a twenty minute break and
shoved his guitar in the stand. Cole crammed his drumsticks in his
back pocket and jumped off the stage directly behind RJ. A gaggle
of girls impeded their progress, asking for autographs. They signed
a few before pushing through the crowd to join their friends at the
table.

“Make a new friend, Al?” Cole asked as he dropped
into the chair next to her.

She crinkled up her nose. “No. He had to have been
older than my dad!”

“What did he say to you?” Ren asked.

Her eyes darkened as her glare made a circuit around
the table, stopping on each of them. “Were you all watching me when
you were supposed to be playing music?”

“Of course,” RJ answered. “Especially when pedophiles
are involved.”

She rolled her eyes and huffed, crossing her arms
over her chest and wiggling an angry foot. Cole put his hand on her
leg and gave it a squeeze. Fireworks went off in her lower stomach
and it took all she had not to reach out and touch him.

“Just accept it already, Al,” Cole said in a low,
sexy voice. “We’re always going to look out for you.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” she conceded in a huff. “But
you have to remember that I’m perfectly capable of taking care of
myself.”

RJ leaned over the table to smile warmly at her.
“That’s what we let you think, dear one.”

She groaned and turned her back on them, her eyes
roaming the bar area in search of the older man -she wanted to
avoid him at all costs. She didn’t see him but instead found a
woman who had to be in her early twenties smiling serenely as she
watched Ally’s friends laughing at the table. Jealousy surged
through Ally’s veins as she sent the woman a death glare. She was
far too old to be eyeing Ally’s friends and she was determined to
keep her away at all costs.

She smiled to herself as she realized she was doing
the same thing to them they had done to her – overprotecting. Just
as she’d claimed she was perfectly capable of taking care of
herself, she knew the same ran true for the boys. But she just
couldn’t shut off the jealousy like it was a running faucet.

The guys left to start their next set and Ally kept a
careful eye on the woman at the bar, not liking the way she watched
them, like an hawk contemplating prey.

Ally tried to relax and enjoy the last half of the
show but she could not stop her eyes from wandering back to the
woman at the bar. Her anxiety grew as the show wound down and the
woman set her empty drink on the bar and joined the masses on the
dance floor, edging closer and closer to the stage.

When the show finally finished, Jamie dragged Ally
back to the table, although she was reluctant to go. She wanted to
stay in front of the stage and shoo the girls away while the boys
packed up their equipment.

“Come on, cuz,” Jamie wheedled. “They don’t need our
help – they always accuse us of getting in the way. Let’s sit down,
huh?”

“Fine,” she said and followed him to the table.

Once they finished, they joined Ally and Jamie and
quickly ordered food, wolfing it down as if they hadn’t eaten in
months. It was rapidly approaching twelve and the lounge rules
sternly stated that no one under eighteen was allowed in after
midnight. Jamie and Ally weren’t especially happy, but Ren was
especially disappointed. He wanted to remain in the lounge and
watch the next band to perform with Cole, RJ, and Parker.

Cole draped an arm around the back of Ally’s chair
and leaned in to whisper in her ear. She shivered. “Hey, I know it
sucks that you can’t stick around but we’re not going to stay long.
Do you want me to walk you to the room?”

“No,” she said, disappointment stabbing her heart.
“It’s all right. I’ll go up with Ren and Jamie.”

“Okay,” Cole said with a smile that stilled her
heart. “I’ll catch you later.”

She shrugged and nodded, needing to break from his
hypnotizing smile. She turned to Jamie, meaning to ask if he was
ready to go, when the woman from the bar approached their table.
She smiled sweetly and asked Cole if she could have a word with
him. Cole nodded and followed her over to the bar.

Fuming, Ally jumped out of her chair, fighting the
surge of anger eager to spew from her mouth in ugly words. “I’m
going up. See you guys in the morning.”

“Want someone to walk you up?” Parker asked but Ally
shook her head.

“I’ll go with you,” Jamie said with a sigh. “Come on,
Ren.”

Ally cast one last longing glance at Cole still
standing at the bar by the woman and wished he’d turn and
acknowledge her. But he didn’t. Her heart nearly broke when
instead, Cole flashed a charming smile at the woman who had placed
an hand on his arm. Ally whipped her head around and caught Jamie’s
glance.

“Ally,” he started.

“Let’s go,” she ordered, turning her back on him and
storming out of the lounge. “I’m tired.”