In My Father's Shadow (7 page)

Jamie exchanged a quick, worried look with RJ. RJ
shrugged so Jamie, feeling helpless, just trotted off after her,
Ren in his wake.

The elevator ride was silent as tension filled the
car. When they exited the elevator on their floor, she strode
purposely to her room, biding the others goodnight over her
shoulder before slamming her door. She paced from one end of the
room to the other, fury swirling above her head like a storm cloud,
while she ripped his hoodie from her body. She threw it in the
vicinity of his bed and watched as it fell to the floor in a heap.
She dug her shorts and night shirt from her bag and prepared to go
to bed. After she let her hair loose and brushed her teeth, she
shut off all the lights and slipped under the warm blankets.

She tossed and turned for hours, wondering exactly
what Cole was up to with that woman – if he was still talking to
her or if he’d left her to join his friends. She hoped fervently
that he had but she knew better. She’d recognized the hunger in the
other woman’s eyes.

“You’ve got to quit being stupid and rein in this
jealousy,” she ordered herself in the dark room, eyes wide open.
“He’s not interested in you that way so it doesn’t matter. For all
you know she could be a nice person just interested in talking
music with him.”

As soon as she spoke those words aloud, her heart
fell to her feet. Moisture clouded her eyes so she squeezed them
shut and turned on her side, doing whatever she could to coax her
body to sleep.

About an hour before dawn, as sleep hovered lazily
over her head, the door opened and Cole crept silently into the
room. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to even out her
breathing, hoping he wouldn’t notice, and listened as his bed
creaked and his shoes thumped to the floor. She was dying to sit up
and give him a tongue lashing he’d not soon forget but her pride
got in the way and forced her to remain still and continue with her
sleeping act. Maybe her anger would fade with the night and she’d
be able to confront him civilly in the morning.

But she doubted seriously if that would happen.

Chapter Six

He awoke, groaned and rolled over, looking for a
clock. The red numbers glowed in the still dark room telling him it
was 10:46 in the morning. The heavy curtains were still drawn over
the window and the room was eerily quiet. He groaned again and
forced his body into a sitting position, throwing his feet over the
side of the bed. The other bed was empty, like he figured it would
be, but he called out her name anyway. When she didn’t answer, he
grabbed some clean clothes from his bag and hurried to the
shower.

He walked out of the steaming bathroom, fully
dressed, his hair still damp, and searched through his luggage for
his toiletry bag. Finally locating it, he straightened just as the
door opened and Ally breezed into the room, totally ignoring
him.

“Hey, Al,” he said, slightly confused by her anger.
“Give me a second and we can go grab something to eat.”

“I already ate,” she snapped as she brushed past him,
heading for the small table pushed under the window. She snatched
her cell off the table, flipped it open briefly then snapped it
shut, cramming it into her pocket. She strolled purposely toward
the door, her chin lifted high, anger flashing in her eyes. He
reached out and snagged her arm, jerking her nearly off her
feet.

“What the hell is the problem today, princess?” he
said.

Her eyes narrowed as she tried to yank her arm out of
his hold. He only pressed harder. “Nothing. Maybe it’s PMS or
something. Now let go of me.”

He tugged her closer and she stumbled into his chest.
“What is with the attitude, huh? What did I do to deserve
this?”

“Gee, I don’t know, Cole. Maybe you should think
about it, huh? You’re not a total moron, certainly you can figure
it out,” she yelled in his face, standing on her toes. She wrenched
herself free and stormed out of the door.

He found his cell and tried to call hers but he knew
she’d never answer. He sighed, raked his hands through his wet
hair, and tried RJ’s cell instead.

“Is Ally with you,” he asked as he darted to the
bathroom and combed his hair.

No, man,” RJ said, confusion in his voice. “Just Ren
and Parker. We’re going over the set list. Is something wrong with
Ally?”

He cursed. “Who the hell knows now? I’ll be there in
a second.”

***

“You can’t avoid him all day,” Jamie informed her as
she paced his room, fists clenched firmly at her sides, muttering
curses under her breath.

“Watch me,” she declared, her eyes flashing
dangerously.

“Why are you so mad at him?” Jamie asked. He was
reclining on one of the double beds, one hand tucked behind his
head, the other holding the remote, flipping through the sports
channels, checking scores. He was amused, that much was obvious to
her, but she ignored it. Her fury was far too great.

“He’s a jerk. A pig,” she said as she flung herself
into a chair. She couldn’t get the disturbing images of Cole with
that bar woman out of her mind and it only stirred her anger. She
kicked her head back and closed her eyes, trying desperately to
count to ten as she slowly released a breath. She needed to get her
emotions in check. “Can I have your keys? I think I’ll hit the mall
and do a little shopping.”

He sighed and shut off the TV. “I’ll come with you.
They have a sporting goods store in town and I need some new
cleats.”

***

Cole never thought Ally would be able to avoid him
for the entire day but she’d somehow managed. His heart twinged in
guilt as he recalled Jamie’s desperate phone call, informing him
that he was at the mall with a furious Ally and that he’d try to
calm her down and return to the hotel. Cole knew she was mad at
him, for some unknown reason, and he hated that Jamie was taking
the brunt of that anger. Still, he couldn’t help but be a little
relieved, too.

So he hung out in RJ’s room, discussing the gig and
anything else they could think of and ordering room service from
the menu near the phone. All and all, the weekend wasn’t looking as
promising as he’d originally thought – he surely hadn’t counted on
sitting in the room all day.

Finally, when they were preparing to go downstairs
and hang out before the gig, a knock sounded on the door. Parker
opened it and allowed Jamie entrance.

“Where’s Ally?” Parker asked, frowning when the girl
wasn’t trailing behind Jamie.

Jamie grimaced and pointed an accusing finger at
Cole. “You so owe me, man,” he said. “I spent most of the day with
a very, very angry Ally and I let her drag me around the mall.” He
stopped to shake his head. “You did something to totally piss her
off.”

Cole lit a cigarette and threw the pack at Jamie. “I
have no clue, man. I tried to ask her earlier but she damn near
spit in my face before running out of the room.”

Parker laughed with the others. “She is a spitfire,
isn’t she?”

“You don’t know the half of it,” Cole complained,
taking a long drag off his cigarette.

Parker grinned and released a light chuckle. “Jamie,
man, I know she’s your cousin but she is hot.”

Jamie and RJ shared a grin as Cole’s face darkened
before he turned away.

Someone pounded on the door, causing them all to
start. Parker shrugged and ran to open it.

Ally stormed inside the room, long black hair
streaming behind her, and studiously ignored Cole once again. She
stood in the middle of the room, eyes blazing. “You do know that
you’re on in about an hour and none of your equipment is set up
yet?”

Cole slowly got to his feet and crushed his cigarette
out in the ashtray. He approached her, dark look still on his face.
“We’re on it, princess. Anything else?”

She clenched her fists and took several deep breaths.
“Yeah. Don’t be such a jerk,” she said and sailed right back out of
the room.

Cole smirked and turned back to the other guys,
shrugging, his hands out, palms up. “It must be a gift.”

Jamie clapped him on the back. “I’ve never seen her
that mad. I don’t know what you did, man, but you’re in for a hell
of a ride.”

“Maybe I should room with you guys,” he said as he
followed them out the door. “She’s liable to kill me in my
sleep.”

***

She sat at the table, a bit passive, and watched as
they played, hardly hearing a note. Her mind was in a slump, not
able to produce a single answer to any of the questions plaguing
her. Especially the one asking why she cared so much if he spent
the entire evening with some strange, older woman. It wasn’t her
business in the least. He had let her know that he wanted no part
of any sort of relationship with her and she just needed to accept
his decision and move on with her life. Maybe she would eventually
see him as just her best friend again.

But she seriously doubted it.

“Did he hurt you?” Jamie blurted. “Hit you or
anything?”

“What?” she asked, not sure she heard him right over
the noise. She turned to him and was shocked at the concern
lingering in his eyes.

Jamie scooted his chair closer, his brow furrowed,
frown on his lips. “Did he hit you or something?”

She laughed manically and the sound curdled her own
blood. “I’d kick his ass.”

He cracked a tiny smile. “Yeah, I know you’re some
sort of superwoman, but you better let me know if anyone ever hits
you. I know you think you can take on anyone but I still want you
to tell me if someone ever touches you.”

She smiled softly and patted his hand, her heart
filling with love for her favorite cousin. She nodded and watched a
couple of girls dancing close to the stage trying to get RJ’s
attention. “It’s nothing like that,” she said quietly, not certain
if she should say anything more.

“Did he try something with you last night?” Jamie
persisted.

She whipped her head around to face him. “No. He
wasn’t even in our room until nearly dawn.” She was horrified to
feel tears building up behind her eyes. She rose from her seat,
nearly knocking her chair over, eager to make a quick getaway. But
Jamie was on her in a heartbeat. He grabbed her arm and dragged her
to the lobby. He forced her into a chair and made her talk.

***

Cole was relieved when they finally finished the last
set. He accepted a bottled water from one of the waitresses as he
jumped from the stage and sought out Jamie. He’d witnessed Ally’s
dramatic exit and Jamie’s return without her and had had a hard
time concentrating on his music.

Jamie rushed to him and grabbed his arm. “Where is
she?” Cole asked.

Jamie shook his head and pushed his friend back to
the drum kit. “I’ll help you take it down,” he said. Puzzled, Cole
climbed back onstage with Jamie and bent his head over the cymbals.
In quiet whispers, Jamie told Cole everything Ally had confessed to
him in the lobby.

***

Ally, fresh from a long, hot shower, turned the
lights out and crawled between the sheets. She was totally
exhausted after having little sleep the night before and hoped
sleep would find her immediately and not allow her to think about
Cole or what he would be up to that night.

But sleep eluded her as it had the night before as
Jamie’s words ran through her mind instead. He’d told her over and
over that Cole had been in RJ’s room with the rest of the guys most
of the night, playing cards and celebrating a great gig. Yeah, he
had confessed that Cole hadn’t come up with them right away, but he
hadn’t mentioned what had kept him.

He had then taken her hand and asked her if she had
feelings for Cole. She’d denied it hotly, making up lame excuses as
to why she was so angry. She’d been pretty sure that Jamie hadn’t
bought any of her lies but she wasn’t overly concerned. She’d be
back to school the next day and could easily avoid Cole there.

She tossed and turned, flopping from back to stomach
to side to side until well after eleven. She had hoped to be sound
asleep before Cole came back to the room but of course luck was
against her.

“Get up, Al,” he ordered, storming through the door
and flipping on the lights.

She sat up, shielding her eyes. “Leave me alone,
Cole. Go sleep with your buddies.”

He sat next to her and pulled her hands from her
eyes, his face contorted in rage. “You thought I was with that girl
all night last night?”

She turned her head and whipped her hands out of his
clasp. “I don’t know. I wasn’t there. Thank God.”

He gripped her chin and forced her eyes to his
furious brown ones. “I didn’t sleep with her and I can’t believe
you’d think that lowly of me. Damn, Al, what kind of person do you
think I am?”

She couldn’t answer as shame warred with anger and
jealousy. She just didn’t know what she thought. “Sorry,” she
mumbled, hardly convincing.

“I talked to that chick for a little while but that
was all. She was just interested in us because she’s a big fan of
Tight Control. She was hitting on me, sure, but she wasn’t
interested in me, per se.” His eyes flashed anger again. “And even
if that wasn’t true – even if she did want to hook up with me, do
you honestly think I would do that?”

“I don’t know what I was thinking,” she snapped,
twisting her head in an effort to remove her chin from his grasp.
He held harder.

“I talked to her for about an hour, I guess, and then
went up to RJ’s room. They told me that you were tired and went to
bed so I didn’t want to disturb you. I hung out with the guys and
played cards.”

“I know,” she whispered, her eyes starting to water.
He finally released her and she ducked her head, not wanting him to
see the shame in her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“Al,” he said, desperation in his voice. “Why does
this matter so much to you, huh? You’ve never been so mad at me
over some chick.”