by J. L. Paul
RJ’s face brightened as he yanked Ally out of the chair. “Great, because we’ve come to kidnap our best friend for the night – if that’s okay with you, Robby.”
Robby’s brow furrowed as his eyes darted from Cole, to Jamie, to RJ. “Sure, I guess. We didn’t have plans.”
Ally wrested her arm out of RJ’s grasp, her eyes blazing. “What are you up to Richie Junior?”
“Nothing, Allyson Jane,” he said, mimicking her voice. She rolled her eyes and huffed.
“We thought that you’d like to spend the evening with us,” Jamie said, picking up a paperweight and tossing it between his hands. “You’re always whining about how you miss hanging out together.”
Her eyes cut quickly to Cole but his face was passive, curious even. She pursed her lips as her heart sped up.
“And since Robby said you’re free, then you have no excuse,” RJ finished with a flourish, smiling proudly.
Ally groaned and stalked to the door, holding her breath as she neared Cole. She ripped her coat off the hook and whirled around to glare at all of them. She jammed her arms in her coat and stormed out the door, the boys scrambling after her.
She stopped in the middle of the hall to spin around and shoot daggers at them. “Robby Redden is not my father, my guardian, my boyfriend, my social advisor, or my keeper. I do not have to ask him permission to do anything, and neither do you.”
Fury flashed in her narrowed eyes but didn’t deter RJ in the least. His grin only widened. “I thought Robby was your boyfriend.”
“Well, you thought wrong,” Ally said between clenched teeth.
“Cool it,” Cole muttered as he brushed past RJ and gently took Ally by the arm. “Relax, Al. Let’s go.”
Most of her anger evaporated at his touch and she stumbled after him. When they got to his car, he opened the passenger door for her, and gave her a tiny smile as she slid inside.
RJ and Jamie jumped in the backseat, giggling like little girls. She tried to ignore them and hang on to her anger but it was proving to be a difficult task. “What do you guys have planned?” she asked.
“We’re hanging out at my place. My entire family is gone so we’ll have the house to ourselves,” RJ announced. “Cool, huh? Just like high school.”
“Wonderful,” she groaned.
“Come on, princess,” Cole said, his mood noticeably lighter. “You know there’s nothing you’d rather do than hang out with us for the night.”
“Don’t call me that,” she said, grumpy. “And there are plenty of things I’d rather do than hang out with three boys. Cleaning the toilet is one.”
“Now that just hurts,” RJ said with a fake pout.
She rolled her eyes again but couldn’t contain her smile. “You know that I love spending time with you guys,” she said. “But you could have just asked.”
Jamie leaned over RJ, closer to her seat. “But where’s the fun in that, cuz?”
They ordered plenty of pizzas and Chinese food that evening and sat around the round kitchen table laughing and eating. Ally relaxed, her heart full of joy to be in their presence. None of the stress from the past few months lingered and she was able to fully enjoy herself.
“Dude,” RJ said, gripping Jamie’s arm. “You should see this video game Ray has – it’s wild. I forgot the name of it but man, it’s so cool. He showed it to me the other night and I was here until three in the morning playing that stupid game.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Ally asked, leaning across the table.
“No,” RJ said earnestly. “It really is cool.”
“Show it to me,” Jamie said as he stood. RJ jumped out of his seat and dragged Jamie to the basement and the elaborate rec room Richie had built for his family.
“They are just like little boys,” Ally said with a fond smile.
“Yeah, I know,” Cole said.
She turned to him, suddenly realizing they were alone for the first time in a long time. Awkward silence hung over their heads and she scrambled to think of something to say.
“Um, how are things at home?” she asked.
“Getting better,” he said, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of the front pocket of his sweatshirt. She grimaced, but didn’t say a word, so he tossed them on the table and got up to fetch a toothpick from a cabinet above the stove. She smiled at him when he sat back down. “Stephanie is going to have the baby and stay with her dad.”
“Is Stacy okay with that?” Ally asked.
“Stacy doesn’t have a whole lot of say in the matter,” Cole said. “Steph is over the age of eighteen. But, she won’t come here because she doesn’t want to go to school and it does upset Stacy.”
Ally nodded. “Did she ever say who the father is?”
“No,” Cole said. “Not that I know of, anyway. But I don’t think it much matters at this point. She’s achieved what she wanted to do.”
Ally’s brow furrowed. “Which is?”
Cole sighed and removed the toothpick from his mouth. “She wanted attention, Al. She wanted to draw attention away from you. She’s always been jealous of you, you know.”
Ally gasped. “Me? Why?”
“Because of your friendship with us guys, because of our relationship,” he said with a shrug. “Mostly because of how close you and my dad are.”
Ally ducked her head, staring at the pizza crust on her plate. “Oh, hell. I’m so sorry, Cole.”
He slipped his hand in hers and squeezed it. “It’s not your fault at all. No one blames you.”
She tilted her head to smile at him and froze. His face was so close and she was suddenly aware of his touch – his hand in hers. She wanted to move back but couldn’t – she was entranced by his muddy brown eyes. His thumb caressed the top of her hand and she watched his Adam’s apple bobble as he swallowed.
“Listen, Al,” he said as his phone rang. He cursed colorfully and released her hand to grab the phone he had crammed in his front pocket. He flipped it open without checking the screen. “Yeah?”
Ally fell back into her chair as she watched his face.
“Now is not a good time, Lila,” he said, his eyes clouding. “Can I call you back?”
Lila? Ally remembered the name but couldn’t place it.
“Okay,” he said slowly. “What did you have in mind?”
Was he actually…making a date? Ally pursed her lips as her horrorstruck heart clenched.
His face transformed before her eyes as he listened to this Lila. His eyes softened and his lips curled into a tender smile. “Of course – that sounds perfect. Hell yeah, I’ll go. Thanks, Lila. I can’t wait.” His smile widened. “Sure. I’ll talk to you later. Bye.”
He snapped his phone shut, his smile still on his lips, and her heart fell to her feet. She scooted her chair back and got up, heading for the basement.
“Where are you going, Al?” he asked.
“To go shut that damn game off before they both sit down there until three in the morning,” she said and stormed down the stairs.
***
“So what the hell happened with Ally last night?” RJ asked as he plunked several cereal boxes on the table. Jamie collected bowls and spoons while Cole grabbed the milk. “Why didn’t she stay the night here?”
“Don’t know,” Cole said. He sat down and dumped some sugary cereal in his bowl.
“She’s so moody lately,” Jamie fretted. “I wonder what the problem is.”
“Hard telling,” Cole said as he poured milk on his cereal. “Oh, RJ, before I forget. I talked to Lila yesterday and Doug asked her to set up some sort of charity promotional thing for us with the holidays coming up and all. She’s trying to set something up where we can go visit the teenagers in the Cancer Center. She said we could take them CDs and stuff. What do you think?”
“That’s a great idea,” RJ said, milk dripping off his chin. “I’m in. I’m sure Parker and Ren will be cool with it, too.”
“She’ll call me back with the details today sometime
,” Cole said.
“Did you get a chance to talk to Ally about you guys working with Robby?” Jamie asked.
Cole shook his head. He finished his cereal and dumped the milk in the sink. He rinsed the bowl and leaned against the counter as the others finished. “Nope. Not really. Maybe you can convince her to come over to our place before we have to fly back to L.A. for that New Year’s thing.”
“If Robby hasn’t already talked to her about it,” RJ said. “I mean, I know she said he wasn’t her boyfriend, but she still hangs out with him a lot.”
“I know,” Cole said, sweeping his bangs off his forehead, a pang in his heart. He couldn’t forget how cozy they looked in Robby’s office, both sitting there chatting about who knew what. She certainly seemed comfortable in his presence. He didn’t know what to think or what to do anymore but he was pretty certain that he was running out of time.
***
Ally jogged out of the gym with her chin held high and her phone clenched in her fist. She’d called Robby and asked him to meet her for coffee so they could talk.
Her heart sped up as she hopped in her car. She was certain that she’d made the right decision. She’d left the boys at RJ’s and had gone home to lock herself in her bedroom. She’d cried that night, quietly, but for a long time. She’d plastered a fake smile on her face Sunday whenever her family was around but mostly kept to her room. She’d taken that time to reflect on her relationship with Cole and had decided that it was time to let him go.
Obviously, he’d let her go.
She parked near the coffee shop and a smile jumped on her face. She nearly ran inside, eager to see him. He stood near the counter, placing an order, and smiled when she appeared at his side.
“I can’t believe I had to go workout today,” she grumbled good-naturedly as she tucked her hand in the crook of his arm. “It’s Winter Break.”
“Hey,” Robby said. “How was your weekend?”
“Eventful and informative,” she said. “Yours?”
He lifted a brow as he paid for their coffee and handed a cup to Ally. “Oh, the usual.” He took her arm and led her to a tiny table near the restrooms. “Did you enjoy your time with your friends?”
She set her cup on the table and took one of Robby’s hands in hers. “I did and I’ve also come to terms with Cole.” She swallowed and smiled. “He’s dating someone else, I guess. I heard him make a date with her while I was there.”
“Ally,” Robby said, pulling her closer. “I’m sorry.”
She shook her head fervently and ignored the spark of pain in her chest. “No, don’t be, because don’t you see, Robby? He’s moved on and it’s time I’ve moved on, too. I thought about it all night Saturday and all day Sunday and I’m ready.”
He eyed her speculatively and she held her breath. “Ally, are you sure?”
She nodded, her eyes not leaving his. “Yes, I’m sure.”
His lips melted into a smile as he cupped her cheek and kissed her softly. “Then have dinner with me tonight.”
***
Ally sat at her dressing table, humming one of her dad’s songs under her breath as she pulled a brush through her hair. She eyed the clock as she finished preparing, counting down the minutes until Robby was due to arrive.
“Ally?” her mother asked softly as she poked her head in the door. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
Ally turned on her chair to smile at her mother. “Sure, Mom. Come in.”
Liz walked in the room and took a seat on Ally’s bed. Her eyes wandered around the pale peach room, her lips curling at the thought of some old memory. “I remember the first time I painted this room – when I was pregnant with you.”
“Are you feeling old, Mom?” Ally teased.
Liz laughed and her green eyes sparkled. “No, not yet. Give me a year or two.”
“What’s up?” Ally asked as she twisted to set her brush on the dressing table.
Liz inhaled, held it, then slowly released it as her eyes fell on Ally and softened. “So, things didn’t quite work out with Cole, huh?”
“No,” Ally said, her chest tightening. She was so tired of thinking about Cole and wondering if she’d made the right decision. But all doubts left her head as soon as she was in Robby’s presence or talking to him on the phone.
“And are you dating Robby Redden now?” Liz asked.
Ally lifted a shoulder. “Well, I’m not sure how to classify it. I like him and we enjoy each other’s company.”
Liz nodded, her lips set. She reached over and took Ally’s hand. “Does Cole know about this?”
Ally’s defenses rose in her chest. “Mom, I don’t even know what this is yet. All I know is that Robby is taking me out tonight and we’ll just go from there.”
“I understand,” Liz persisted. “But if you do figure out that you are dating Robby, I really think that you should tell Cole. I think he deserves to hear it from you and not from some other source.”
“He didn’t bother telling me he was seeing someone else,” Ally said stiffly.
A deep groove appeared in Liz’s forehead. “He is?” Ally nodded. The groove on Liz’s forehead deepened. “I hadn’t heard that.”
“And I haven’t talked to him except for a few minutes on Christmas Eve when everyone was over here,” she continued. “Aren’t they supposed to go back to L.A. for New Year’s?”
“Yeah,” Liz said absently. “They left this morning. Jamie went with them.”
Ally ignored the pang in her heart. “Are you disappointed that Cole and I didn’t work out?” Ally blurted before she could stop herself.
“Maybe,” Liz admitted. “But, honey, this is your life, not mine. It’s not your father’s or Nate’s, either. Whatever you and Cole decide is between the two of you.”
Relief filled Ally and she hadn’t realized until that moment that she was worried about such a thing. “Nate’s not mad at you or Dad, is he? Or mad at Rhys Redden?”
Liz chuckled and squeezed Ally’s hand. “Of course not. Like I said, it’s your business. Yours and Cole’s. You know Nate loves you like you were his own and he just wants to see the two of you happy. If you can’t be happy together then you shouldn’t be together.”
“I still love him, Mom,” Ally admitted quietly. “I suppose I always will.”
“Yes, probably,” Liz said with a tender smile. “I’ve always loved your dad, too. He was my first love and although we separated for awhile, I still loved him.” She patted Ally’s hand. “When we saw each other again, I knew that I would never stop loving him. I’m just lucky I got another shot.”
Ally wondered briefly if her mother was trying to tell her something but dismissed the thought immediately. Her mother was just wrapped up in old memories. “Well, I, personally, am glad you got another shot.”
Liz smiled and pulled Ally off the chair and into an embrace. “Just be careful, honey. I don’t want to see you hurt again. And if you’re just dating Robby to get over Cole, you’ll end up hurting them, too.”
“I know,” Ally whispered in Liz’s ear. “Trust me, I know.”