Out of the Shadow (3 page)

“
Right, Ally?” Lisa asked.

“
Huh?” Ally said, suddenly realizing that they were speaking to her. “Sorry, my mind was elsewhere.”

“
Obviously,” Cheyenne smirked. “It doesn’t matter anyway.” She grabbed Ally’s arm and urged her to continue walking. “So, do you have a huge group coming to the game tomorrow night?”

Cheyenne knew Ally had a large, “extended” family as not only did her parents and brother attend the local State Games last year, but also Jamie’s, RJ’s, and Cole’s families. Ally had never admitted that her father was indeed the Jay Jones of Tight Control fame, but she had an inkling that Cheyenne knew and she was grateful that the girl had never mentioned it.

“
Um, I’m not sure who will be there,” Ally admitted. “My parents and brother, of course, but I’m not sure who else.”

She did know that Nate and Stacy would be there and possibly her Aunt Gretchen and Uncle Mark, but she wasn’t sure who else would make it. She wished they’d all make it – it would be nice to have the whole gang together – but she understood that it was quite the trek from Chicago to L.A.

“
What about your boyfriend?” Lisa asked, skipping sideways to watch Ally’s reaction. “I saw his picture on that little table by your bed. He’s cute.”

Ally shrugged, a little thrill shooting up her spine. She was happy that Cole’s band wasn’t hugely popular yet and the other girls wouldn’t mob him. At least she hoped.

“
He’s trying to be here,” she said with a small smile. “He might not make it until Saturday.”

“
Why not?” Tara asked, her bushy brows dipping over her eyes.

“
He’s, um, working,” Ally said lamely. She shrugged again. “He travels a lot but he should be in the area and he’s going to try to be here.”

“
That really sucks,” Samantha said, rubbing her shoulder with a wince. “Jeez, Coach told me I was starting on the mound tomorrow but the way he worked us tonight – well, I just hope my shoulder is up to it.”

“
It will be, don’t worry,” Ally soothed, hoping she was right. Samantha was their star pitcher – their ace – and they needed to start out strong if they expected to make it to the finals.

As they approached the dorms, Ally’s phone rang. She dug it out of her bag and grinned when Cole’s name popped up on the screen. She answered it excitedly.

“
Hey, how are you?” she asked.

“
Tired, princess, but good,” he said and his voice lifted her spirits. “Are you ready for the game tomorrow?”

She picked up her pace and waved over her shoulder, leaving the other girls behind. She didn’t usually mind if they overheard her conversation but at that moment, she just wanted him to herself. “I think we’re ready. We had a rough workout tonight but hopefully it will be worth it.”

“
You’ll do great, Al,” he said. He released a long, drawn out breath that signaled bad news. She whipped the door open and hurried to her room as she prepared herself for his announcement. “I’m sorry but I don’t think we’ll make it to town in time for the game tomorrow night. We’ll probably have to go straight to the venue for sound check.”

Tears of disappointment burned her eyes but she managed to keep them out of her voice. She could tell he was as upset as she and didn’t want to fill him with guilt by gushing tears all over the phone.

“
I understand, Cole,” she said as she sank to her bed. “But I’ll get to see you Saturday, right?”

“
Yes, I promise,” he said. “I’ll do whatever I have to do to see you Saturday. Maybe we can meet for breakfast or something, huh?”

“
I’d like that,” she whispered, consoled by the thought of spending as much time Saturday with him as she could. “We have an early morning workout but I can meet you after that. We won’t have to be at the field until an hour before the game.”

“
Good,” he said with a laugh. “We’ll spend the day together.”

“
Perfect!”

A voice bellowed for him and she scrunched her brows, wondering who would dare interrupt their phone call. It didn’t sound like RJ, Ren, or Parker, that was for sure.

“
That’s Doug,” he said. “We’re in Sacramento, you know, and we have an interview at a radio station this afternoon and then we have to come back for sound check, maybe a bite to eat, and then the show.”

She laughed at his rambling. “Wow, I guess I have nothing to complain about.”

“
Nah, princess,” he said. She heard a click and then heard him suck in a deep breath. He was smoking, she was sure. “You’ve worked hard.”

“
Are you smoking Cole Nathan?” she demanded.

“
Um, maybe,” he said. He sighed. “Fine, I’ll put it out. Happy?”

“
I thought you were going to quit,” she pouted. “It’s an ugly, filthy habit.”

“
I will,” he relented. “Promise.”

“
Fine,” she said. “Thank you.”

“
I have to go,” he said. “I’ll try to call you before your game tomorrow but if not, good luck. I love you.”

“
Good luck tonight,” she said. “I love you, too.”

She hung up and fell on her pillows, a sad little smile on her face. She kept telling herself just a few more days and she’d see him again. She closed her eyes, remembering the day she’d kissed him goodbye when he’d dropped her off at the softball complex back in Illinois about six weeks ago. Two days later, he’d boarded a tour bus and took off across the country, opening for a couple different bands and putting in appearances in popular clubs.

“
Just a couple more days,” she repeated as Lisa stormed into the room.

“
Hey,” Lisa said, pausing to frown. “Are you all right? Is something wrong with your boyfriend?”

Ally sat up and shook her head. “No, he’s fine. What’s up?”

Lisa continued to frown as she sank to the bed next to Ally. She concentrated her gaze on Ally’s face until she was satisfied Ally was being truthful. “Okay. Oh!” she exclaimed as her face lit up. “Sorry. Um, there’s some guy outside who says he knows you. I told him I was your roommate and he asked me to come get you.”

“
Some guy?” Ally asked, puzzled. A brief bolt of excitement shot through her heart but she quelled it quickly. It couldn’t possibly be Cole – he was in Sacramento. She knew that for a fact. “Did he say who he was?”

“
No,” Lisa said slowly, something akin to worry on her face. “We were standing outside, talking, and he came up to us and asked if we knew you. I said I was your roommate and he asked me if I’d come get you.” The worry was replaced briefly with a flash of confusion. “He said something weird – something about telling his cuz to get out there and that he wasn’t waiting forever.”

Ally jumped off the bed, excitement raging through her blood. “No way!” She grabbed Lisa’s arm and dragged her out of the room. She pushed through the doors and spotted him, charming her teammates. She released Lisa and ran to him, jumping on his back. “James!”

He waited for her to slip off his back before turning to face her, grinning madly. “Hey, cuz! How are you?”

The smile wouldn’t leave her face as she continued to beam at him, overjoyed by his presence. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. “I’ve missed you, James!”

“
Great,” he muttered, prying her arms loose. “Can’t breathe!”

She stepped back, only slightly embarrassed, and continued to grin. “What are you doing here?”

“
I thought I’d come watch you try to play ball,” he smirked.

Ally’s teammates watched the exchange, half amused and half confused, but Ally paid them no mind. She was too happy to see her cousin.

“
I thought you were at football camp?” she asked.

“
It ended Wednesday. I flew out this morning,” he said, shrugging. “Mom, Dad, and Trevor will be here tonight.”

“
Great,” Ally said. She glanced at Lisa who still seemed sort of confused. “Oh, did you meet my friends?”

His smirk widened as he rolled his eyes, reminding her so much of Cole and RJ. “Of course I did. Come on, cuz, you know me better than that!”

“
Of course,” she replied dryly.

“
Hey, can you leave or are you stuck here?” he asked. “I passed this pizza place and I’m craving a slice.”

“
Let’s get out of here,” she said, hooking Jamie’s arm.

“
I’ll see you girls later,” Jamie said, winking in their direction.

***

“
So, I talked to Cole earlier,” Jamie said as he gnawed on his pizza crust. “He said they won’t make it in for the game tomorrow.”

“
Yeah, I know,” Ally muttered darkly. “I spoke to him, too, but thanks for reminding me.”

Jamie pushed his plate away and stretched across the table to take her hand. A sympathetic smile touched his lips. “Come on, Ally. You knew it was going to be this way.”

She sighed and squeezed his hand. “I know. I’ve just been really lonely, I guess.”

He barked a short laugh. “Look at all those girls you were hanging with – how can you be lonely?”

She beseeched him with her eyes, begging him to understand, knowing he would. “I miss you guys. We haven’t all been together since graduation. It really sucks.”

“
You went to camp last summer while Cole and RJ were in L.A. with the band,” he reminded her.

“
Yes, but when they came back, you all came down to see me, remember? I didn’t have to wait so long.” She huffed and released his hand to sit back. She perked suddenly. “It’s okay, really. They’ll be here Saturday and we’ll all be together.”

He smiled and shook his head at her. “Your moods change too quickly for me, cuz. You’re making my head spin.”

“
Would you rather me mope?”

He laughed. “Nope, not at all.” He snatched another slice of pizza and bite off a huge chunk. He watched her, eyes narrowed, as he chewed. “So, I’m guessing no one on your team knows who you are.”

“
No,” she snorted. “I don’t advertise it, either, so keep your mouth shut.”

He dropped his pizza to his plate. “Come on, you know me better than that. I’m not saying a word. I had a hell of a time keeping a lid on things at camp. My last name is a lot less common than yours.”

She nodded, eyeing the half slice of pizza on her plate. The garlic aroma had been enticing when they first entered and the pizza, thick crusted and loaded with ham, pepperoni, sausage and all the other toppings Jamie could dream of, had been delicious. But now, looking at the balls of sausage that sort of resembled dried up brains, her appetite fled.

“
Did a lot of people recognize the name?” she asked.

“
Sure, a few,” he shrugged, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “But I laughed it off and said maybe I was a shirttail relative of Mark Winston or something like that.”

She smiled. “I think Cheyenne is suspicious because everyone came to the games last year, but I don’t know for sure. And I haven’t said anything to anyone else.”

“
Ally, you do realize that this is the National Tournament and it will be televised,” he said seriously. “And the commentators are bound to find out who you are and mention that nice little fact on the air.”

“
So?” she said. “Let them. My teammates will be on the field with me and not watching TV. Besides, it will be covered by the sports channel and not national television.”