Good night.
Chat with you tomorrow, secret texter.
Chapter 17
Amanda stood in front of the opera house, her arms outstretched as far as she could reach. She knew it was a dream. Everything around her had that dream-like quality, hazy and misty. A large bulldozer appeared before her, the dark windows menacing. She stood alone.
The bulldozer roared to life, and a blast of hot air hit her in the face, blowing her hair back. “Stop!” she called.
No one was around to hear her. She trembled. There was no way she could stop it from coming, all alone. It would sweep her out of the way like a bug.
The machine crept forward, the engine whining. Straining. The metal scoop hit Amanda’s leg and she took a step back. The machine seemed to growl at her.
And then the dark window turned clear and someone materialized behind the wheel. Cole. He snarled at her. “Get out of the way!” he shouted over the roar of the bulldozer.
The building behind her faded away and instead, her father stood there. “Papa,” Amanda said under her breath as she tried to run to him. He waited for her, but her legs wouldn’t work. They wouldn’t carry her to him.
The bulldozer sprang to life and came after her, nipping at her heels.
She woke, her heart beating wildly. The loud noise of a vehicle outside made her jump out of bed and run to the window. A neighbor was pulling a tree stump with a truck.
Her dream still fresh in her mind, Amanda pondered it. Cole wasn’t the one knocking down the opera house. He wasn’t even in a position to do anything to stop it. Not really. She’d been so unfair to him. Guilt rose in her gut. She needed to make things right with him.
“What are you doing up?” Stephanie rolled over and pulled a pillow onto her head. “It’s Sunday.”
“It’s nine o’clock. Not exactly the crack of dawn.”
Stephanie groaned. “Turn off the lights.”
Amanda let go of the curtain and it once again enveloped the room in darkness. Her sister hated sunlight. Maybe she was a vampire. That actually would explain a lot.
“Now leave.”
Amanda picked up her pillow and tossed it across the room at Stephanie. It hit her in the mound of pillows already on her head. “Hey,” she said, coming out from beneath them. “No crossing the line.”
“I didn’t. Just my pillow did.”
Stephanie hugged it to her chest. “Then it’s mine.”
“No way. You’ll get slobber on it.” Amanda stepped across the line and grabbed it from Stephanie.
Stephanie sat up, her blonde hair mussed from sleeping. Amanda thought she’d get yelled at for stepping into Stephanie’s space, but she didn’t say anything about it. “Hey. I know you’re upset about the opera house. And I understand why.”
Stephanie hadn’t really talked to her about it, so Amanda was surprised. “You do?”
“Yeah.” She scratched her scalp. “It’s the bedtime stories, isn’t it? The ones Mom used to tell you.”
Amanda gaped at her sister. She didn’t even know Stephanie had paid attention. “You heard those?”
“Mom always said you were the romantic one in the family.”
“What? Me?” What was she talking about? Amanda wasn’t romantic. She was far from it.
Stephanie made a face. “You so are. You devoured the stories Mom would tell you at night. You romanticized that opera house. Do you remember the first time we went there?”
Amanda thought back. “For Peter Pan?”
“Yes. You remember what you kept saying?”
“No. I was little.”
“You kept saying that someday you would meet your one true love at the opera house. That you would fall for him there. You were in love with the stories, and you thought the opera house had some magical powers or something.”
Amanda didn’t remember that. “That’s funny.”
“You were always talking about that place. How it was so special.” Stephanie grew sober. “So, I understand why you’re trying to fight to save it.”
“Do you think I have a chance?”
Stephanie didn’t answer right away, which was answer enough. She sighed and rubbed a hand over her face. “I think what you’re doing is noble.”
“But…”
Stephanie shrugged. Her non-answer told Amanda everything. She didn’t think it would work.
Amanda knew Stephanie was right. She just didn’t want to admit it.
Stephanie let out a sigh. “Maybe if I mention your efforts on my Vlog, you will gain more support. Maybe it will make a difference.”
Amanda gaped at her sister. “You’d do that?”
Stephanie smiled. “Sure.”
“Thank you!” Amanda rushed to her and gave her a hug.
“No need to get all emotional over it,” Stephanie said.
Amanda smiled and backed up. Her sister’s sassy way of saying she was done with the subject. Amanda opened up her hamster cage and scooped up Ferb. The little guy sniffed her hand as she brought him over to the desk. She sat down and fished a sunflower seed out of the treat bag.
If her family had money, she could save the opera house. She could just buy it. She could do a lot of things. Maybe even make a difference in the world.
Ferb wiggled out of her grasp and climbed up her arm. She picked him up and set him on the desk and dug out another sunflower seed. She set the seed down in front of him and he sniffed it before picking it up and stuffing it into his cheek with the other one.
She watched as Ferb explored the desktop. Maybe if Stephanie could talk about it on her Vlog, she could get more community support. Maybe she could…
Her phone buzzed and she grabbed Ferb, put him back in his cage, and looked at the screen. “Oh, no.”
“Who is it?” Stephanie asked.
“It’s Mrs. Henderson.”
Stephanie scrambled out of bed. “I’m busy tonight.” She rushed out of their room into the hallway bathroom.
Amanda sighed and answered the call. The Hendersons lived two blocks down, and they often would hire either Stephanie or herself to babysit. That in and of itself wasn’t a problem. Amanda liked babysitting. But the Henderson child was a monster.
“Hello?”
“Amanda. I’m glad you answered. I’m in kind of a desperate situation and I was wondering if you’re free today to watch little Ollie? Normally I wouldn’t ask on such short notice, but my sitter just called and she’s sick. I’m hoping you’re free today.”
Amanda’s vision of her free day swirled down the drain. “All day?”
“Can you? That would be great. I have to leave in an hour. Could you be here in forty-five minutes? I’m willing to pay extra because of the short notice.”
The extra pay was incentive, and what else would she do, anyway? Maybe Oliver wouldn’t be so bad today. “Yes. I can be there in forty-five minutes.”
“You’re a lifesaver. Thank you.”
Mrs. Henderson hung up and Amanda rummaged through her closet to find something to wear. Maybe she could take Ollie to the park if it wasn’t too cold out. He always liked running around.
Chapter 18
Cole clicked on his mouse, searching for the zillionth time to find a way to somehow convince his father that restoring the old opera house would be a better investment than knocking it down and building a parking garage. But no matter how he did the math, it wouldn’t work. His father would never invest in something that had diminishing returns.
He let out a frustrated grunt and pushed back in his desk chair. He had to go talk to his father. There was no other way. But if he had no ammunition, he would just make his father angry for no reason.
He lifted a barbell he had sitting in the corner of his room. Working his muscles always helped him think. The opera house could be another community theater. But they already had one. A nicer, newer one. Rockford wasn’t large enough to have two of them.
He thought about all the old costumes and props sitting in th
e storage room in the back. His father could turn the opera house into a museum. Except most museums were not money makers. And his father wouldn’t sink investment money into something that needed government funding to limp along.
The memory of that night with Amanda settled in his mind. He wanted an excuse to go see her today, and the one thing he could think of was to research Lily Foster. Amanda seemed interested in who she was. If he could come up with some cool information about Lily, he could use it as an excuse to meet with her.
He typed in the name and “opera singer” in his search engine. A wealth of information popped onto his screen. As he looked at the website that came up first, he started to grow excited.
The answer to saving the opera house just might be Lily Foster.
Amanda buckled Ollie into his car seat, making sure it was snug on him. “Now, you’ll have to be good at the mall, okay?”
His shock of blond hair was getting long, as if he wouldn’t hold still for a decent haircut. He looked up at her with his wide, blue eyes. “I want to get ice cream.”
“If you’re good, we’ll get ice cream.”
“What if I can’t be good?” He stuck out his bottom lip.
Amanda tousled his hair. “You can be good. I’ve seen you be good.”
He laid his head back in his car seat. “But it’s so hard.”
“All you have to do is follow the rules. Don’t hit. Don’t bite. And play nice.” Amanda remembered the last time she’d taken him to the mall and added one more. “And don’t run off.”
“Okay,” he said, his voice low and growly, like he didn’t think he could do it.
“Come on, let’s go have fun. You love climbing on the plastic animals.” Amanda tried to keep her voice light, even though she had a sinking suspicion that this trip was going to end in disaster. Ollie didn’t play nice with other kids. And he didn’t like to obey. But she’d had him cooped up in his house all morning and now wanted to let him run around. At least the play area had a swinging gate that latched.
“As long as I can have ice cream.”
Amanda rolled her eyes and shut the back door on her passenger side. “Maybe if you misbehave and don’t get ice cream, next time you’ll behave better,” she muttered under her breath.
The afternoon was chilly and Amanda rubbed her hands together. Soon she would need to break out the gloves. She got in her car and started the engine, turning up the heat.
She drove them to the mall and parked in the lot closest to the children’s play area. She grabbed her purse and slung it over her shoulder, then walked around the car and opened the back door. Ollie wasn’t in his car seat. Panic shot through her until she saw him sitting in the driver’s seat, his hands on the steering wheel. She gasped and put her hand over her heart. “Oliver! Come here. You scared me.”
“But I want to drive.”
“You’re not old enough to drive. Come here.”
Ollie grunted and climbed out of the seat, over the console, and took a hold of Amanda’s hand. “Do I get ice cream now?” His shoelace had come untied.
“Not yet,” she said, tying his laces. “Let’s see how well you behave in the play area.”
He sighed like he had the weight of the world on him. “Okay.”
Amanda held his hand and walked with him through the parking lot. “Now wait,” she said before they stepped out into traffic. “You have to look both ways before crossing the street. Remember?”
“I remember,” Ollie called out in a sing-song voice. Then he proceeded to look back and forth. “How many times do I have to look both ways, ‘Manda?”
She held back a smile. “Just look to make sure no car is coming before you cross. Do you see any cars?”
He pointed. “There’s one way down there.”
Amanda looked down the street. “Well, that car isn’t moving. And it’s super far away. We are safe to cross.”
Ollie tried to let go of her hand, but she held on tight. “You have to cross with me, Ollie.”
“But you’re so slow,” he said, tugging her along.
“It’s not safe to run out into the street.”
He jumped onto the curb. “Okay.”
She walked with him into the mall. When he saw the play area, he tried to run from her again, but she was used to him and hung on. “Just walk, Ollie.”
When they were safely in the gate, Amanda let go of Ollie’s hand and he ran to the turtle to climb on its back. Amanda sat down on the padded benches that surrounded the play area and watched Ollie.
Her phone chimed in her pocket and she pulled it out. She’d gotten a text from Cole.
I’m sorry about last night.
Amanda’s heart jumped in her chest. She was sorry, too. She hated that they left things so bad between them.
She liked Cole. A lot. And she acted like a child last night. Getting mad when she didn’t get her way. It was stupid and she felt ashamed. Her fingers shook as she typed back to him.
Me, too.
Ollie climbed on the back of the lion, then up his mane to his head. He stood, balanced on it. “Be careful, Ollie,” she called. He shot her a defiant look, but climbed down the lion’s back.
Her phone vibrated and she looked at the screen.
I’d like to see you if you’re okay with that. You home?
She wanted to see him, too. To apologize in person. But she couldn’t right now.
Sorry, I’m babysitting the Henderson boy. We’re currently at the mall. He was driving me crazy at his house.
That’s too bad.
I know. I’m wishing I were home right now. Haha.
Me, too.
Amanda’s pulse jumped. Cole wanted to see her. Maybe they could mend things. She wanted another chance. To talk. To make things right between them. She didn’t want to blame him anymore for the demolition his father was doing. It wasn’t his fault.
She watched Ollie jumping from the frog to the lion and back again. Another group of kids joined them in the play area. Amanda tensed, knowing Ollie sometimes had trouble sharing, but he didn’t react poorly when the other kids came and started climbing on the animals.
Ollie played for another half-hour without any incidents with the other children. When he was within earshot, Amanda called to him, and he ran over to her.
“You’re playing very nicely today, Ollie.”
“I am?” His eyes widened and he smiled.
“Yes. Do you want to go get ice cream now?”
“Can I play for a few more minutes? We’re playing zoo!”
“Sure.”
He clapped his hands and ran to his newfound friends.
Someone leaned over her shoulder. “You look happy.”
She turned to see Cole leaning over the bench, his arms leaning on the back. Her pulse involuntarily jumped. She smiled at him. “I am happy. Ollie’s obeying. That’s a first.”
He chuckled as he opened the gate and sat next to her. “He doesn’t usually?”
“Today he’s being good. We’ll see in a few minutes, I guess, but for now I’m happy.”
“Great.” Cole’s grin widened.
“What about you? You look happy, too. Did you win the lottery or something?”
“Something.” He didn’t expound on that, and she let it go.
“I need to apologize. In person.” She suddenly felt self-conscious and looked down at her lap. It was hard for her to admit she’d been wrong this whole time. She had behaved badly. “I shouldn’t have gotten upset with you last night. Or before. I was wrong.”
He seemed stunned. “Wrong?”
Her throat swelled. “Yeah. You can’t help who your father is. You’re not the one destroying my fa—” She stopped, embarrassed about what she was going to say.
“Destroying your father?” he asked quietly.
She shook her head as she watched Ollie duck down behind one of the animals. “I didn’t mean to say that.”
“But that’s how you feel. Your memories of him. Y
our emotional attachment. It’s because of him.”
His words were kind, even though she knew he couldn’t possibly understand. “I guess so. But I realized last night that you weren’t to blame. You didn’t do anything to deserve my anger.” She looked at him. Into his blue eyes. They held a sincerity that choked her. “I’m sorry.”
“I forgive you.”
He’d said it so quietly she almost didn’t hear him. She blinked. “You do?”
His eyes smiled at her. “Yes.”
She drew nearer to him. “How can you? Just like that?”
“Because I need you to forgive me as well.”
“For what?”
“For not supporting you.”
A flashback of her conversation with her secret texter made her pause. He’d said something about her feeling unsupported. She brushed off the similarity and swallowed back emotion. “I forgive you, too.”
He touched the side of her face and she leaned into him. “Can we start over?”
“All over? Because it wasn’t all bad, was it?”
He was so close she could smell his breath. It was minty. “No, it wasn’t all bad. I especially liked this part.” He closed the distance between them, his lips covering hers.
She closed her eyes, her skin erupting in tingles as he slowly explored her lips. She kissed him for a minute before pulling back. She blushed. “Yeah. I liked that part, too.”
He grabbed her hand. “I have something to tell you.”
“You do?”
“Yes. I did some digging, and I found out something that might save your opera house.”
At first, his words didn’t register. Amanda stared at his teeth and wondered exactly what he’d said. Then, it started to filter through her brain. “What?” she asked, her voice small.
“I think I found the answer. It’s Lily Foster. She’s the one that will save it.” He squeezed her hand like she should know exactly what he was talking about.
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