A Young Adult Romance Collection

by Victorine E. Lieske

“Lily Foster?”

  “Yes. There’s a whole foundation to preserve her memory. They’ve been looking for a place where they can build an academy in her name. They’ve been raising money, Mandy. The opera house would be perfect.”

  Amanda squinted at him. “Wait. I don’t get it. The opera house would be perfect for what?”

  “For the Lily Foster Academy. They want to teach underprivileged kids how to sing and play music.”

  She didn’t understand. How was that going to profit Asher Industries? “But your dad doesn’t want to teach kids how to sing. He’s the one who owns the building.”

  “He’s been having some PR problems. I don’t know the extent of it, but he really wants Asher Industries to look good. If he could donate the building to the Lily Foster Foundation, they could restore it and have an academy that also preserves history. An actual opera house where Lily Foster once performed. Don’t you see? This is perfect.”

  “Have you said anything to your father yet?”

  He shook his head. “Not yet. But I will. I promise.”

  She swallowed, emotion swelling in her throat. “You’d approach him with this for me?”

  “Yes.” He hesitated, then looked down. “I’d do anything for you.”

  She pressed her lips to his again in another kiss. “Thank you.”

  Cole grinned at her. “So, which kid is the one you’re babysitting?”

  She scanned the animals and the children playing on them. More kids had joined in the area, and she hadn’t noticed. She didn’t see Ollie right off hand, but he’d been playing hide and seek with the other kids. She stood. “Ollie! Come here. Time for ice cream.”

  Several kids stopped and turned to her at the mention of the treat, but Ollie didn’t come out. “Ollie,” she called again, louder this time.

  When he didn’t pop up, she rushed over to the play area, searching between the animals. Ollie wasn’t in there. Her heart hammered in her chest and she turned to Cole. “He’s gone,” she said, her voice strangled. “He must have gotten out when some other kids came in.”

  Cole put his hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’ll find him. He couldn’t have gone far.”

  Don’t worry? She was trusted with a child, and she lost him. She was a horrible babysitter. She’d been kissing Cole instead of watching Ollie. Panic enveloped her. “You don’t know Ollie,” she said, rushing out of the play area and scanning down the different hallways. He could have gone down any of them.

  Cole must have been thinking the same thing because he turned in all directions. “Where would he head? Was there somewhere he wanted to go?”

  Yes. Of course. “The ice cream shop.”

  “That way,” Cole said, pointing.

  She ran down the walkway with Cole following close behind her. She silently prayed Ollie would be in there. She entered the shop, her heart in her throat. At first, she didn’t see him, but then the crowd parted and she saw his blond hair. He was standing at the counter, his nose pressed to the glass. “Ollie!”

  He turned and she rushed to him, throwing her arms around him. She hugged him close to her, her heart pounding. She pulled him back and looked at his face. “I was so worried about you. Why did you leave the play area?”

  “It was time for ice cream. And you were kissing that guy, so I went to get some myself.”

  Heat burned her cheeks. “You’re right. It’s time for ice cream.” Maybe if she bought him the treat, he wouldn’t think to tell his mother she’d been kissing a boy at the mall.

  “What flavor do you want, buddy?” Cole pointed to the glass.

  “Chocolate chunk.”

  Cole stepped up to the counter and ordered his cone. “Do you want one?” he asked, turning to Amanda.

  She was feeling so guilty for what had happened, her stomach didn’t feel good. “No, thank you.”

  He squeezed her shoulder. “It’s okay. He’s fine.”

  She took in a deep breath. He was right. Ollie was fine. He was standing on his tip toes, waiting for his ice cream. He had a huge smile on his face. He hadn’t been scared or worried. He’d only been gone a split second. They’d found him right afterwards. Still, she was guilt-ridden.

  And she was going to have to tell his mother what happened.

  Chapter 19

  Cole let out a breath and opened his father’s office door. His father looked up from the computer. “Oh, hello, Cole.” He looked back at the screen. “I don’t really have much work for you today, but tomorrow after school, we should have more data entry.”

  Cole stuck his hands in his pockets. “I’m not here for work.”

  His father cocked his head to the side and took a long look at him. “Okay. What do you need?”

  Nerves cascaded through him. “I want to talk to you about the opera house.”

  “What about it?”

  “I think I know a way you can help with your PR situation.” He launched into his pitch, his words fighting over each other to get out. He talked about Lily Foster and the foundation and how they are looking for a place to start an academy, and how donating the building to them would make Asher Industries look amazing, and how he could build his parking garage down the street. When he got all done, he closed his mouth and waited for his father to react.

  At first, his father didn’t do anything. He just sat there and clenched his jaw. Then, he steepled his fingers. “You’ve really thought this through, haven’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  His father looked up at the ceiling, his face contemplative. “The company has been in the news lately, with that ground water scandal that’s been going on. This might take some of the heat off that situation.”

  Cole saw a glimmer of hope. “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

  His father gave him a small smile. “You know, my grandmother used to listen to old opera records. I remember the one from Lily Foster.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yes. I wonder if I still have that record. I’ll have to look.”

  Cole tried not to get his hopes up too much. “Does that mean you’ll donate the building?”

  His father sighed. “There’s too much money into this project to donate it. But let me contact the Lily Foster Foundation and talk to them. Maybe they can buy the building.”

  Cole swallowed. It wasn’t a complete win, but it was something. And if the foundation would buy the building, he could save it for Amanda. “Thank you for looking into it.”

  His father scrutinized him. “Why do you care so much about the opera house? You’ve never mentioned it before.”

  Great. Now he was stuck. “There’s a girl I know. The opera house means a lot to her. It’s where her parents met, and her father passed away when she was young…so…”

  A look of understanding crossed his features. “She associates the building with her father.”

  “Yes.”

  “And you understand because you lost your mother at a young age.”

  Cole blinked back emotion. “Yeah, I guess so.”

  His father nodded. “I’ll call the foundation and speak to them, and I’ll check into the other property. You know this would put me behind schedule.”

  “I know. But maybe the foundation would be willing to call it the Lily Foster and Asher Industries Academy.” Cole grinned. “Good PR.”

  His father chuckled. “And would help you win the affections of this girl.”

  Cole froze. Was it that obvious? He let out a nervous chuckle. “Something like that.”

  “I’ll see what I can do.” He pointed to him. “No promises, remember?”

  “That’s fine. Just the fact that you’ll look into something else is going to make Amanda very happy.”

  “Glad to help.” His father turned back to his computer screen, but when Cole didn’t leave, he gave him a look over his glasses. “Need something else?”

  Cole fidgeted. His father’s girlfriend status had been on his mind since last night, and he kind of want
ed to ask about it, but wasn’t sure how. Finally, he blurted out, “I just had a question. And it’s kind of an awkward question, so I’m debating how to ask.”

  His father took off his glasses and gave Cole his full attention. “Out with it.”

  “Are you seeing someone?”

  His father got a funny look on his face, almost a mixture of surprise and humor. “Why do you ask?”

  “Because you’ve been spending more late nights at the office.” He didn’t want to admit he’d seen lipstick on his face last night, so he kept that one to himself.

  After a deep breath and a sigh, his father nodded. “As a matter of fact, I have been dating someone. And you’re old enough, I should have told you about her.”

  “Who is she?”

  “She’s a woman I met at the country club. Her name is Diane.”

  Cole watched him try to hide a smile, unsuccessfully, and he grinned as well. “When do I get to meet her?”

  “I’ll see if she can come to dinner this week.”

  Cole’s mouth dropped. “You’re going to cook dinner?”

  “Well…maybe we should cater dinner.” He chuckled, and Cole marveled at the transformation of his father. Since when did he smile and laugh so much?

  “Sounds good, Dad,” Cole said. He stood and walked toward the door, marveling at how well the conversation had gone. His father was going to look into the Lily Foster Foundation, and had not yelled at him for suggesting it.

  Maybe this was all due to Diane?

  Chapter 20

  Amanda gripped her lunch tray as she walked toward their usual table. Her gaze immediately met Cole’s. A smile spread across his face and her knees grew a little bit weak. He was having that effect on her recently.

  She walked to their table and set down her tray. “Hey.”

  He nodded to her. “So, how bad was it?”

  “How bad was what?”

  “How embarrassing was it to admit you were kissing me instead of watching the kid you were supposed to be babysitting?” His grin widened.

  Heat rushed to her cheeks and she whacked him on his shoulder before she settled into her seat. “I may have left out the part about the kissing. But Mrs. Henderson was really cool about the whole thing. She said Ollie gets away from her all the time, and she called him a little stinker. She said I was a good babysitter for telling her what happened. She even gave me a raise for being so responsible.”

  “You lose a kid, then get a raise? Wow, sounds like a great employer.”

  “Funny.” She rolled her eyes. “How are things going?” She left the question cryptic. He knew what she meant. He’d texted her last night and told her he’d approached his father and things had gone well.

  He laughed. “No word yet. I promise, I’ll tell you when I know something.”

  Destiny and Eli joined them at the table. Destiny poked Amanda in the side. “Have you been reading the comments on your sister’s Vlog?”

  Amanda shook her head. “No. I don’t watch her Vlog. I would have no reason to read the comments.”

  “They are getting very interesting. She’s having some kind of a war with one of the commenters. The one who goes by Brandon Travers.”

  Amanda laughed. “She did tell me about that guy. What is he saying?”

  “Just that Brandon Travers is amazing and she should apologize for what she said. And, of course, your sister is telling him to get a life. But their back and forth is funny. You should read it.”

  “Maybe I will.”

  Amanda ate her slice of pizza. She’d grabbed a sausage one today, and it was not half bad. After she took a large bite, she pulled out her phone and texted her secret texter.

  So, are you in the lunchroom right now?

  She sent it off and glanced around. It hadn’t worked before, but maybe she’d just had bad luck. You never know, right? Maybe it would work this time.

  Cole stood up. “I’ll be right back.”

  Eli made a face. “Where are you going?”

  “Bathroom.”

  “Man, you don’t have to give us the play-by-play.”

  Cole rubbed Eli’s head until his hair was messed up. “I wasn’t.”

  “Stop it, man!”

  Cole snickered and left the lunchroom. Amanda looked at her phone, waiting for a response. It took a second, but one finally came through.

  No, I’m not.

  She grew suspicious. Cole left the table. Was he in the hallway texting her? She’d suspected it was him from the start, but he’d said it wasn’t. Now she wasn’t so sure. She texted back.

  Who is this?

  We’re back to that now?

  Yes. I want to know.

  Why do you need to?

  Amanda stood from the table. This wasn’t going to get her anywhere. She needed to find Cole. To confront him about her suspicions. “I’ll be right back, too.”

  Eli gave her an obnoxious grin. “Oh, I see.”

  She scoffed and whacked the back of his head. “It’s not like that.”

  Eli just laughed as she walked out the same door Cole had. It didn’t take long to spot him. Cole was sitting on the staircase, his phone in his hand.

  “It’s you, isn’t it?” Amanda called to him.

  He jumped up, a guilty expression on his face.

  Amanda walked to him and shoved his chest. Not that it did anything. He was a solid wall of muscle. “You jerk!”

  She turned to run the other way, but he caught her around her middle and pulled her to him. “Amanda, I can explain.”

  Her throat burned with the betrayal. “You lied to me!” She twisted in his arms and shoved against him. He let her go.

  “I never lied.”

  “Yes, you did! You said it wasn’t you.”

  He shook his head. “No, you never came out and asked me.”

  Amanda paused. Was this true? Was he right? She thought back to their interactions. She had suspected Cole, but maybe she had never come out and asked him.

  “Mandy, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to go this far. It started out as a joke. But then you were so mad at me in real life, and you acted like you wanted to talk to me as your secret texter, that I kind of kept doing it as a way to get you to open up to me. I liked talking to you.”

  Guilt flooded through her. He was right. She’d been mad. And so unfair to him. He didn’t deserve how she’d been treating him. She lowered her head and stepped toward him. “I’m sorry,” she said, reaching for his hand. “I shouldn’t have gotten mad at you. I’ve treated you badly.”

  Cole pulled her close to his chest. “You are officially forgiven.”

  She snuggled into him. “I can be a little…passionate about things sometimes. I’m sure the opera house won’t be the only thing we disagree on. But I can try to be more understanding. And less centered on just what I want.”

  Cole held her tight. “And I’ll be more supportive. Even if it means standing up to my father.”

  “Which turned out pretty good, huh?”

  He smiled at her. “Yeah. It did.”

  “Come on. Let’s go finish lunch. And we can tell Eli and Destiny we are official.”

  Amanda heard a squeal behind her and Destiny came running up to them. “You’re official?”

  Cole chuckled. “I guess we are.”

  “Oh, my gosh, I knew it! I knew you guys would end up together.” Destiny hugged them both.

  Eli stepped into the hallway. “What did I miss?”

  Destiny jumped up and down and let out another squeal. “They made it official. They are a couple.”

  “Oh, thank heavens. Now you guys can get all that kissing out of your system.”

  “Not a bad idea,” Amanda said, and raised up on her toes to press her lips to Cole’s. Her world tilted as he gave her an amazing kiss.

  “Okay, okay. Let’s go back in before the bell rings. I want to finish my lunch,” Eli said.

  Cole just chuckled and slung his arm around Amanda. “Want to come
over tonight and beat me at poker?”

  Amanda grinned at him, her heart light. “You’re on.”

  Epilogue

  Stephanie clicked and ended her broadcast. Another successful show done. Her followers had grown this last week. Not that she had a ton of followers, but she’d passed the three thousand mark, which made her excited. It was a milestone she’d been wanting to reach.

  A message popped up on her screen. Oh, brother. It was another message from that fake Brandon Travers account. She rolled her eyes but clicked on it, anyway. It was a private message this time. He was getting bolder. Great. Just what she needed. She opened it.

  Just watched your latest Vlog. I totally agree, there are waaaay too many remakes going on right now. What’s up with that? Why don’t they come up with something new? My manager wants me to read for a remake of The Breakfast Club. Why in the world do they think that’s a good idea?

  Stephanie scoffed. She hadn’t heard of any remake of The Breakfast Club coming down the pike. Who was this guy?

  Your manager? You’re still trying to convince me you are the real Brandon Travers? Come on. Stop pretending. This is getting a bit ridiculous.

  Another message came right away.

  Geesh, girl. What do I have to do to convince you?

  Ha. She had him now.

  Send me your picture.

  He didn’t message right back, so she scoffed and shut her laptop. What a dweeb. How gullible did he think she was, anyway?

  Her phone rang and she looked at the screen. It was Jade. She picked up.

  “Hey, what’s up?”

  “I did it.” Jade’s voice had that excitement in it. The kind only Jade had. She was the complete opposite of the stereotypical drama student, moody and solemn. Jade was perky. There just was no other word for it.

  “What did you do?”

  “I finished my app. The Rockford High dating app.” Jade giggled. “It will give you your perfect match.”

  Stephanie knew she’d been working on it, but she had no idea she was that close to being done. “Seriously?”

  “Yes. And you’re going to help me advertise it.”