“What are we doing here?”
“I’m just stopping by. You stay here with Caldwell. I won’t be long.”
Kellan opened the door. He hesitated, and then turned back to Amanda.
“What shoe size do you wear, by the way?”
Amanda couldn’t help blushing. She shook it off. It wasn’t like he’d asked her bra size.
“Seven point five.”
Kellan smiled, letting out a soft breath.
“Gotta look in the kids’ section, then.”
Amanda bumped Kellan in the shoulder.
“Get out,” she said, joking. Kellan laughed, closing the door and walking to the store. Amanda couldn’t help but wonder what he was up to.
To pass the time, Amanda grabbed a car magazine Kellan had left in the glove box.
Cars. So typical of men.
Amanda was through half of the magazine—admiring a Lamborghini Aventador—before Kellan returned. She saw him walk around to the back of the car. Kellan opened the truck, leaving his purchases there. Then he walked to the driver’s seat and got inside.
“What did you buy?” Amanda asked.
“You’ll find out soon.”
The three were on the road again. Amanda noticed that Kellan was driving mostly north. The trip took only a few minutes. They arrived at an area of town that had lots of trees. Most of them still had no leaves. The green grass was partially covered by powder snow.
“This is Stewart Park,” Kellan said, killing the engine. The three of them undid their seatbelts and stepped out.
“You brought me to a park?”
Kellan walked to the trunk. He opened it, and Amanda saw three boxes inside shopping bags. Kellan grabbed the boxes, revealing what they were.
“Roller skates?” Amanda asked incredulously.
“Yep. I’m challenging both of you to a race.”
Amanda hesitated.
“Kellan, I’m not sure I’m in the mood.”
“Just go along with us. You’ll have fun,” Kellan told Amanda, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She nodded, and he handed her a box.
“These are yours. They really are kids’ size.”
“Not funny, Kellan,” said Amanda. The corners of her lips barely turned up. She opened the box.
The three of them walked into the park. They found the main trail, which surrounded most of the grounds.
“No throwing the game,” Kellan said to Amanda. He began putting on his skates. The others did the same. Kellan had also brought small backpacks for them to keep their regular shoes in.
On the count of three from Kellan, they started their race. Amanda felt nervous about racing two muscular, highly trained men. They could probably chase a criminal for miles. Due to the cold, they wouldn’t go too fast, although none of them wanted to lose. Amanda pushed aside her thoughts and focused on winning…or at least to not get left behind.
Caldwell seemed not to be the fastest of them, most likely due to his heavier weight. So the contest was between Kellan and Amanda. They both were fit, but the former had more years of training under his belt. Amanda decided to use her considerably lower weight to her advantage.
Kellan won the first lap. Amanda lowered herself, placing her hands on her knees. She felt winded.
“I thought you worked out,” said Kellan, laughing.
“I do. It’s just…”
“I know. You need to run more.”
Amanda straightened up, shrugging.
“There hasn’t been much chance for me to run lately, what with the weather. I should go to a gym instead, as there’s no space in my apartment for an elliptical.”
“That’s no problem. You can always come by our apartment. Caldwell has an elliptical.”
Amanda looked at her other bodyguard.
“You do?”
“Yeah,” Caldwell said. “It’s not worth paying a gym subscription simply to use one machine. You’re always welcome to use mine.”
“Um, thanks.”
Kellan clapped once.
“Who’s ready for round two?”
“Oh, I’m not losing this time,” Amanda said. This time, she would use her rage, apart from her swiftness.
Amanda’s focus on winning impressed Kellan during that round.
“Slow down, cute girl. You don’t want to plow into a tree,” he teased.
“Taunting me won’t work,” Amanda replied while keeping her gaze straight ahead.
Amanda managed to turn around the bends quite better than her two opponents. She had the advantage of smaller size and less weight. Amanda didn’t dare look back, but she could sense Kellan hot on her heels.
After another fifty feet of racing, Amanda won. She lifted her arms in the air.
“Woo!”
Kellan and Caldwell blew past Amanda when she slowed down. They turned around and skated back to where she was.
“Let’s do another one,” he said. “Give Caldwell another chance.”
“That’s fine if you want to lose,” Caldwell joked. “You two are tired, and I’ve got more endurance.”
Amanda felt a bit too tired after the one mile she had raced. The sweat under her clothes also chilled her when the wind blew.
“I’ll pass this one.”
Kellan scoffed.
“Come with us, we can’t leave you alone.”
Amanda wiped her forehead, considering it.
“Okay. But just one more!”
“Softie,” Kellan muttered. Amanda bumped him in the shoulder.
In his bedroom, Nathan was browsing Amanda’s Web site. He liked the new design she had done the previous month. She now had several albums of almost all her photo shoots. The photos were all high-resolution.
For me, there won’t be a woman more beautiful than my Amanda Tilley.
Sighing, Nathan went to another tab. He logged on to his social network profile. When Nathan realized that Amanda had unfriended him, he tensed. At first, he thought that Amanda had just deleted her account for some reason. When Nathan realized that Amanda really did unfriend him, it was another blow.
Nathan stood up from his desk. It hadn’t been twenty-four hours since he’d last kissed Amanda. He still missed her so much. How could one live without the love of their existence?
Over the next few minutes, Nathan distracted himself with the TV. He barely paid attention to the crime show that was currently being aired.
Nathan’s phone rang at one point. He answered the call without checking who it was.
“Hello?”
“Are you Nathan Ferland?”
“Yes, this is me.”
Nathan vaguely recognized the voice. The tone was laced with anger.
“Listen, you piece of shit. I want you to stay the hell away from my granddaughter. I’m already aware of what you did to her.”
“Sir, you don’t—”
“I don’t want to hear any poor excuses. No one messes with Amanda, do you understand?”
“I would ne—”
“I wanted to be wrong about you, Mr. Ferland, but I wasn’t. Why would a guy of your sort want Amanda? It could only be her beauty, or her money.”
“Sir, please. I assure you that’s not—”
“Save your excuses. My granddaughter deserves a guy worthy of her. You’ve just proved that you are not, so steer clear of her.”
Before Nathan could reply, Harold hung up. He took a deep breath. Nathan tried not to let the scolding get to him. He particularly resented the “of your sort” remark.
A few moments later, there were loud knocks on the door. He shook his head, and then stood up. Nathan guessed he had a visit from one of his friends.
When Nathan opened the door, he was face to face with the woman that was the source of his torment.
“Amanda! I…what—”
Without warning, Amanda slapped Nathan. He looked at her with wide eyes, covering his cheek.
“What’s ailing you now?”
Amanda entered the apartment uninvited
, followed by Kellan. He closed the door.
“Hey. What was that for?”
“You know damn well what. How could you be such a cynic? Last night you were begging me to forgive you, and I had no idea what you’d done. You lied to me.”
“Stop beating around the bush. I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about.”
In answer, Amanda handed Nathan her smartphone.
“Your girlfriend is a devious bitch, but at least she took off my blindfold.”
Utterly perplexed, Nathan looked at the screen. When he saw the photo, his pulse seemed to stop.
Nathan looked at the photos, and he still couldn’t believe they were real. The photos claimed that he had kissed Erika, not just in the lips, but her body. Nathan didn’t even remember what she felt like—not counting the disastrous Valentine’s night.
“This means nothing, Amanda,” he said, handing the phone back to her. “I can’t even remember doing what you see in the photos.”
“Of course you don’t,” Amanda replied. Her expression suggested she thought that Nathan was trying to fool her.
“I swear, Amanda. Nothing happened the day I went to Erika’s apartment. She later told me so herself!”
“Photos don’t lie. Or are you going to claim that these are forged?”
“I wouldn’t put it past Erika.”
“Oh, great.”
Amanda made to turn around. Nathan grabbed her arm to stop her.
“There’s only one woman I love. It’s you.”
“That’s just what I hate, Nathan. You tell me that you love me, and then you kiss another woman behind my back. What would you call that?”
“Erika’s determined to have me! She wants to get you out of the way for that.”
“And she attracts you enough that you don’t even try to fight her.”
“I—”
“Enough!” Amanda said, looking aggravated. “I’ve heard enough about this. I don’t want you near me ever again, do you hear me?”
“You and I can’t be apart, Amanda,” Nathan replied. He closed the distance between them, grabbing her arms. She looked down while he caressed the side of her face. “I know that you want me, too.”
Amanda moved away.
“I can’t be with a guy who would leave me for another woman. Never.”
With that, Amanda nodded to Kellan. He opened the door for her, and they walked out.
“You’re making a huge mistake,” Nathan said to the closed door. He would prove his love to Amanda once again, no matter what it took.
The next time that Nathan was to have a class with Amanda, he put off showing up. He still wasn’t ready to face her disappointment again. It tore at him. Nathan would linger in the corridors until the last second.
When Nathan turned around a corner, he saw Ashton walking toward him.
“Hey, bro,” Ashton said. “I thought you would be in class by now.”
“Yeah. I’m just putting it off.”
Ashton frowned.
“It’s about Amanda, right?”
“Yes. Have you seen her?”
“I just walked by your classroom, but she wasn’t there. A few students were outside.”
Nathan looked away, closing his eyes.
“I wish I could get Amanda’s trust back.”
“You could just go see Erika and make her tell the truth to Amanda. Isn’t that what you did with Kayla?”
“It won’t work this time. Erika isn’t going to tell the truth. She won’t let me go easily.”
Ashton laughed.
“In different circumstances, I’d say you were damn lucky. You have—or had—three gorgeous women vying for your affection. Kayla, Amanda, and now Erika.”
“The only one I want is Amanda.”
“Want a piece of advice? Don’t give up on her. I suggest you send her gifts. Chip away at her armor.”
“Would that work? Amanda might just destroy any gift I send her. If they even get past the bodyguards.”
“Then bring her a serenade. I don’t think the guards would be rude enough to kick out the poor musicians.”
Nathan smiled, considering the idea.
“It wouldn’t hurt to try.”
When Nathan finally got to class, he noticed that Amanda wasn’t there yet. Her usual seat at the front was empty. Nathan took his own seat and waited. Amanda had most likely been waiting to get to class at the last minute, like him.
The lecture started. Minutes passed, and Amanda still didn’t show up. Nathan had thought that Amanda wasn’t the type to skip class for such a trivial matter.
By the end of class, Nathan was a little worried. He would go look for Amanda to see that she was all right. She had two guards now, so she was probably safe.
Nathan knew Amanda’s full schedule, so he stopped by her next classroom. He put his jacket hood over his head to try going unnoticed. Just a couple of minutes after that, Amanda showed up. She was with Christopher. Nathan watched them both stop a few feet from the classroom door. They leaned their backs against the wall, starting a conversation.
So Amanda’s not sick or away from school. Why didn’t she show up to class?
Nathan tried to guess what Amanda could have done to avoid him. Had she been with Christopher all this time? Nathan felt inclined to think that that wasn’t the case. He still didn’t like seeing them together. Amanda hadn’t told Nathan she shared a class with Christopher.
As he watched, Nathan saw Amanda rest her head on Christopher’s shoulder. The latter seemed to be comforting her, playing with strands of her hair. Amanda then looked up at him. Christopher was looking at her lips, but she seemed oblivious to it.
If he kisses her, I’m going to kick his ass.
Fortunately, nothing unpleasant to Nathan happened between Amanda and Christopher. Still, Nathan didn’t want to watch anymore. He walked away, unhappy.
Oblivious to Nathan watching her, Amanda leaned into Christopher’s shoulder. She felt fragile, and that was thanks to Nathan. Where was her strength when she needed it most?
“I’m not going to let you down like Nathan did,” said Christopher. He touched some of her hair, enjoying how silky it felt.
Amanda looked up at Christopher, wanting to know if he was telling the truth.
As she looked into Christopher’s eyes, Amanda got a phone call. She read the caller ID and answered.
“Hi, Brad. It’s nice to hear from you.”
“Same here, friend. Is Emmy in there with you?”
“No. I’m waiting for class to start. Why?”
“This won’t take long. I have some good news. Filming over here has wrapped up. We’re preparing to shoot in Arkansas in the next week.”
“That’s great to hear, Brad! How’s the movie going?”
Christopher put an arm around Amanda’s shoulder. She didn’t mind that.
“Things are coming along like a charm. The rest of the cast is really friendly. We hang out quite a bit.”
“I see. What about Lizzy Conley?”
Amanda heard Brad make a noise that suggested he was unsure.
“She’s great. The director and producers love our performance. When Lizzy was cast, I didn’t think she’d be able to pull off her depressed character. She’s so sunny all the time, but she has done a stunning job.”
“And you?”
“I’ve done well, too.” Brad laughed.
“How long will it take for the rest of the filming to wrap up?”
“Maybe another month or two. Would you still like to visit me on the set?”
“Of course! It would be a nice change.”
At that moment, Brad detected something strange in Amanda’s voice.
“Is something wrong over there?”
Amanda took a deep breath, trying to divert Brad’s attention from her unhappiness.
“It’s all right. When will you be coming?”
“That depends. Just tell me which week spring break falls on at your school. Let Na
than, Emmy, and Judith know that they’re invited to come along, too.”
“I will. By the way, spring break is the second week of next month.”
“Cool. I’ll stop by there to pick you girls up.”
“I can’t wait.”
“Okay. Let’s catch up later.”
“Yeah. Have a good day, Brad.”
“Bye,” he replied, and hung up. Amanda pocketed her phone. She looked at Christopher.
“That was your actor friend, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. He’s coming to take Emmy, Judith, and I to the movie set in Arkansas to watch him act.”
“That’s so nice of him. Are you going there for spring break?”
“Yes. To tell you the truth, I can’t wait to have some alone time away from here.”
Christopher pouted.
“Is that because of me?”
Amanda laughed, poking him in the ribs softly.
“No, dummy. You’re one of the few people who have been honest with me. And I’ve only known you for a few weeks.”
Christopher forced himself to smile at Amanda, caressing the side of her face.
“I won’t fail you, home girl. Scout’s honor.”
Amanda raised an eyebrow.
“So you’re a Boy Scout, huh? What else should I know about you?”
“You’ll find out over time.”
Amanda managed to avoid Nathan for the rest of the month. He wasn’t thrilled after finding out that Amanda dropped out of the classes they shared. Nathan cornered Amanda in the hallway to demand answers. Fortunately, her bodyguards forced him to leave. Amanda wasn’t going to give Nathan any explanations.
Since Nathan wasn’t allowed near Amanda’s apartment anymore, he’d resorted to send her gifts. She wanted nothing from him, so Amanda had donated them all. At first, Nathan had put his name in the cards that accompanied the gifts. He changed tactics and began to send anonymous gifts. Amanda was already on to him, so it didn’t work. Nothing that Nathan could buy her would make Amanda forgive him.
“Aren’t you tempted to keep at least a few of the gifts for yourself?” Judith asked one day. Nathan had sent Amanda a pair of spectacular diamond-shaped silver earrings. They both had a lentil-sized emerald encrusted. Amanda saw her friend looking longingly at the jewelry.
The earrings had come with a note. Nathan had written “For the lovely woman with those gorgeous emerald eyes. Please forgive me.”
Devoted to Her (Dream Date Book 2) Page 21