Devoted to Her (Dream Date Book 2)

by Ivan Kendrick

  “Erika is a beautiful woman,” Amanda argued. “She’s never appeared like she wants to harm me.”

  “You said you don’t know her,” said Sutton.

  “Yes, but she managed to steal Nathan from me without having to resort to violence. Kellan’s accident was weeks after Nathan and I broke up.”

  “So you don’t think Erika wants to harm or kill you?” Hayden asked. He looked at Amanda closely.

  “No. Erika strikes me as a conceited woman. She’s never with a hair out of place. I can’t guess why she would get her hands dirty to try to kill me over a boyfriend.”

  “You’d be surprised what people would kill for,” Sutton said to Amanda. Hayden nodded.

  “We’ll investigate Erika Jenkins, too,” the latter said. “What about any of the others? Do you recognize them?”

  Amanda looked through the other three photos. She didn’t know any of those women.

  “No. I’ve never seen them.”

  Hayden took back the photos.

  “So, we’ll investigate these two Rebeccas,” he said, pocketing the photos. “There is other news we have for you. We found the truck used to try to kill you.”

  “Was it abandoned?” Amanda asked.

  “Yes. It belongs to a family in the city. They also own a car. The parents were out while a teenage girl stayed behind. She was listening to music, so she didn’t hear when someone broke into the house. The thief stole the keys, took the truck for a joy ride, and left it behind,” said Sutton.

  “The thief evidently didn’t know how to break into a vehicle, or how to hot-wire it,” Hayden guessed.

  “So this woman stole a truck just to try to kill me with it? Wow,” Amanda said, raising her eyebrows.

  “That was clearly meant to make it harder to track her down. No one has seen this woman so far.”

  “Does she have anything to do with the other woman who attacked Emmy and me?”

  “We haven’t confirmed any relationship between them. If only we could find out the truck thief’s identity,” Sutton said.

  Hayden took a deep breath.

  “For now, that’s all we have for you, Ms. Tilley,” he said. The three of them stood up.

  “We’ll keep in touch with you,” Sutton told Amanda. She shook hands with him, and then with Hayden.

  Holding the cue in his hand, Ashton made the first strike. He was with Grecia, Claire, and Nathan at the local entertainment place they frequented. It was the same one where they also played bowling.

  “Not bad,” said Claire, who was playing against Ashton. He’d sunk plenty of balls. Ashton made two more strikes before he missed. Then it was Claire’s turn.

  Nathan and Grecia were watching their friends play. The two of them had already played a round against each other. Grecia had won, as she was pretty skilled at the game. Ashton was proud of that.

  “Come on, Claire. Let’s beat the boys,” she said. Ashton laughed at that.

  “Baby, I’ll show you that I can handle a cue just as well as you can,” he told Grecia. She flashed him a sexy smile.

  Ashton ended up winning that round. He pumped his fist, whooping. Then he winked at Claire.

  “I’m not good at this.”

  “It’s just a game, Claire,” said Grecia. “Another round, Nathan?”

  Nathan thought about it, and shook his head.

  “My head’s not really in this.”

  “What’s wrong, bro? Just one more game. I want to see my baby win again.”

  Nathan couldn’t help laughing at that quip.

  “All right. I’ll take one for the team.”

  Grecia looked thrilled. She re-arranged all the balls in the center of the table. Nathan tossed a coin to see who would go first. He won, so he prepared to make his first strike.

  At that moment, Nathan casually looked to a spot away from where he and his friends were. He saw a pretty-looking blonde with her back mostly turned to him. She reminded Nathan of Amanda.

  I’m never going to love anyone else the way I love Amanda Tilley.

  “Earth to Nathan. Are you here?” Grecia asked. He looked at her, confused. Nathan then realized that he still held the cue in his hand.

  “Oh. Sorry, Grecia.”

  Nathan moved over the table before he chose how to make his strike. He did it, sinking a few of the balls. Grecia watched him make a few more strikes. When Nathan looked up and saw the blonde again, he missed.

  “My turn,” Grecia said. Nathan handed her the cue. She moved around the table. Ashton watched her with admiration. When Grecia was across from him, she bent over on purpose to flash her cleavage. Ashton tried to keep his expression neutral.

  “The snow this winter was fun, but I’m not going to miss it,” Ashton said. Claire’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, not knowing what he meant. Grecia caught his meaning and chuckled.

  Grecia won the round again. She did a high-five with Ashton. Nathan surreptitiously looked around for the blonde. He then shook his head. Nathan wasn’t supposed to get interested in another girl, even if he could.

  The four of them walked over to a table. Grecia went for drinks while Claire went to the restroom.

  “You’re still upset right? And I don’t mean about the game. That’s obvious,” Ashton asked. Nathan didn’t meet his gaze. He was staring at a spot on the floor, appearing absentminded.

  “I saw Amanda today. Man, she is so beautiful. If things don’t work out between us, I’m spoiled for all other women.”

  “I hear you, bro. I feel just the same about Grecia.”

  Nathan tapped his fingers against the top of the table. He wanted to go out there and find Amanda again.

  “I never thought Amanda wouldn’t believe in me. Erika just made me kiss her without my consent.”

  “That’s not grounds to condemn you. Have you talked to her?”

  “Yes, without much progress. I was going to visit her while we were in Joliet. I even talked to her parents about it. Unfortunately, I saw her with Christopher.”

  Ashton frowned.

  “Christopher went to Joliet? Hmm. That’s not good. What were they doing?”

  “They were too close for my comfort. Until today, I feared that Amanda may have moved on.”

  “Why?”

  “They kissed. Actually, Christopher took advantage of her, but it was still a kiss.”

  Ashton’s mouth opened wide.

  “That’s got to be a mistake. Amanda really did kiss Christopher?”

  “I saw them, Ashton.”

  “That’s odd. I thought…”

  Nathan looked at his friend questioningly.

  “Grecia says that Amanda has been playing Cupid for Judith and Christopher.”

  “Hmm. Looks like Cupid is thinking about shooting herself with her own arrow. At least one of us isn’t going to be suffering anymore.”

  “It doesn’t have to be that way. If you can’t have Amanda, there are still other girls out there.”

  “Yeah. Would anyone replace Grecia for you?”

  Ashton looked toward the spot Nathan nodded to. They saw Grecia and Claire walking toward them.

  “Hell no.”

  Nathan gave Ashton a sympathetic glance.

  For some time after returning from work, Amanda had remained alone in her bedroom. She felt guilty about having let Christopher kiss her. Amanda liked him. She found him pleasant, funny, and even a bit attractive. However, Christopher didn’t inspire the feelings that Nathan did.

  I might forgive him just to end my misery, Amanda thought to herself. Christopher should be with Judith, my friend, not with me.

  Amanda didn’t want to betray her best friend. She decided to make things clear with Christopher the next time they met. Amanda could tell that he liked Judith quite a bit, too. She often caught Christopher stealing glances at Judith when he thought no one was looking.

  Restless, Amanda stood up from her bed. She paced around the room, thinking of what to do. Her mind was too haywire to conce
ntrate on homework. Just as she was walking toward her desk, Amanda heard knocks on her door.

  “Ms. Tilley?” Caldwell asked. Amanda went to open the door.

  “What’s up, Caldwell?”

  “I got a call from the hospital. Hughes returned from coma earlier this week. He’s only just woken up now.”

  Amanda covered her mouth with her hands. She was starting to cry with joy.

  “He’s alive!?”

  Caldwell nodded, smiling at Amanda’s attitude. She bounced on her feet.

  “That’s the best news I’ve had in a while. Let’s go now, please!”

  Amanda started to dash toward the living room. Caldwell cleared his throat. She looked back at him.

  “Um, you’re forgetting something, Ms. Tilley.”

  Amanda’s eyebrows furrowed. She then looked down at herself and saw that she wasn’t wearing shoes.

  “Oh. Oops. I didn’t notice.”

  Amanda went back to her room to put on a pair of comfortable sandals. She then met Caldwell in the living room.

  “Medina is getting the car ready, Ms. Tilley.”

  Amanda nodded. She grabbed her purse from the sofa and followed Caldwell outside.

  The car had barely parked when Amanda got out and dashed toward the hospital. Caldwell hastily followed after her. Medina remained in the car.

  Amanda walked straight to the receptionist.

  “Hi. I need Kellan Hughes’s room number, please. They told me he just woke up.”

  “One moment, please,” the receptionist said. She consulted the hospital records for a moment.

  “Indeed, the patient is awake now.” The receptionist gave Amanda the room number.

  “Thank you!” said Amanda. She turned around, finding Caldwell behind her. “Follow me.”

  Amanda and Caldwell took an elevator. They then walked through several corridors before arriving at the room where Kellan was. She knocked.

  “Just enter,” Caldwell said. Amanda pushed the door open. She walked forward slowly, not knowing what she would see.

  Amanda took her first glance of Kellan in several days. Contrary to what she’d expected, he was reclining in bed. Amanda thought he would be worse, with a bandaged leg suspended in midair. He did look pretty battered, anyway. His left arm was in a sling. Part of Kellan’s face was covered with bruises.

  “Oh, Kellan,” Amanda said, feeling pain at seeing Kellan so badly hurt. At the sound of her voice, his eyes opened slightly. He looked upward first, and then tracked around the room. When Kellan spotted Amanda, he tried to smile.

  “Amanda.”

  Holding back tears, Amanda walked to stand next to Kellan’s bed. She touched his hand. He squeezed her fingers feebly.

  “It’s great to see you back,” Amanda said. “You don’t know how worried I’ve been about you.”

  “It’s…okay,” Kellan said. He tried to make his voice as strong as always. “I don’t regret…saving you. I would never forgive myself…if someone harmed you…and I could have prevented it.”

  Amanda reached forward with her hand to caress Kellan’s face. He leaned into her touch, closing his eyes.

  “I hate that you’re here like this. If only I had looked at both sides of the road more carefully…”

  “Shh. This isn’t your fault. Don’t…beat yourself up about it. Besides, I…it’s my duty to protect you.”

  Amanda sobbed. She moved forward and embraced Kellan on the bed as best as she could, without hurting him. Amanda rested her head on his chest.

  “I’m not sure where to get the strength to hold on anymore. I lost my job, I lost both of the loves of my life, and now I’ve lost you too.”

  “Don’t say that, Amanda. I’m here. I’ll always be.”

  Amanda looked up, wiping some of her tears.

  “I’m moving you.”

  Kellan did his best attempt at a confused look.

  “What?”

  “You need to get the best treatment if you’re to get back on your feet soon. I’ll have you transferred to the best hospital in the country.”

  “Amanda, thanks for the thought, but that won’t be necessary.”

  “No buts, Kellan. I should have done this sooner. It’s just…I’ve had better days.”

  “I can’t repay you for taking me to another hospital,” Kellan argued. “My family is already taking care of the costs here.”

  “I want to do it, Kellan. Just let me.”

  Amanda moved closer to Kellan and kissed him in the cheek.

  “It will be the least I can do for everything that you’ve done for me. You’ve gone above the call of duty to protect my well-being.”

  Kellan chuckled.

  “Bodyguards aren’t supposed to become attached to their charges. Despite that, you’ve grown on me, Amanda. You’re hard not to love.”

  Amanda bit her lip.

  “People used to tell me that all the time.”

  “It’s true. If there’s a person I would be proud to die for, it would be you.”

  Amanda closed her eyes, shaking her head.

  “Don’t say that, Kellan. You can’t die for me. I don’t want anyone to.”

  “It’s not because I put you in a pedestal, Amanda. You’re just so precious. If given the chance, you could brighten this world. Heck, you probably already did. All it takes is to see your photos to brighten anyone’s day. Your smile alone is infectious.”

  Amanda tried to control her breathing. Few people had ever said anything so beautiful to her.

  “Thanks, Kellan. You’re awesome.”

  “You are, too.”

  Amanda laughed. She wiped more of her tears, wanting to put away her sadness.

  “Let’s talk business now. I want to know what I’ve missed while I was out. Have they caught the driver? Are things with you and Nathan the same?”

  Sighing, Amanda thought of where to begin. She told Kellan all that had happened in the past several days.

  Waking up felt hard to do for Nathan lately. For the first time in months, he thought that his dreams were better than reality. When he slept, Nathan could dream about Amanda. He could pretend that they were still together.

  Those were the only parts of the day Nathan allowed himself to think about her. He put all his focus on school and work. Nathan feared that if he didn’t keep his mind busy, he would snap.

  That day, Nathan avoided his friends during their break between classes. He wasn’t shunning them, he just didn’t want them to see him so let down. Nathan knew it would be hard to feel better without Amanda.

  All I need is a distraction. Maybe it could help.

  Standing against his locker, Nathan pulled out his smartphone. He scrolled through his list of contacts, pausing on Kayla’s entry. After giving it some thought, Nathan decided not to give her hopes. Kayla had to move on. It would be great if she’d found a new guy already.

  Nathan scrolled backward a few times, finding Erika’s entry. He wanted to call her, if only to talk. He wasn’t exactly fond of Erika, although she was likable.

  Just as Nathan was about to dial Erika, he looked up. There was a girl about to walk past him. She looked familiar. Nathan racked his brain, until he was able to place where he’d seen her before.

  “Lori,” Nathan said, advancing toward the girl. She stopped and looked at him.

  “I know you,” Lori said, holding up her index finger. “You’re the guy from the club! Nathan.”

  “Yep.”

  “As I recall, you had a girlfriend.”

  Nathan nodded.

  “I did use to have a girlfriend, but it wasn’t that one. Erika’s just…an acquaintance.”

  “She seemed quite territorial.”

  “Erika’s known to have an obsessive streak. It happens to her with handsome guys.”

  Lori smirked.

  “You’re showing off, right?”

  Nathan curved an eyebrow, and then laughed.

  “No, not at all. I’d just wondered if you’d
like to go for a cup of coffee with me. I could use some company.”

  “That would be welcome.”

  Lori and Nathan walked out of the building together. They let each other know that their classes had already ended. Nathan looked around.

  “Better hurry up before she spots us. I’d hate to embarrass you again.”

  “Don’t worry.”

  Nathan led Lori to his car. He opened the passenger door for her.

  “Thanks,” she said.

  During the drive to a nearby café, Nathan and Lori did some small talk. He found out that she was a sophomore. Lori turned out to have lots of friends. She liked being popular. What Lori didn’t have in beauty, she made up for in charisma.

  At the café, Lori said she didn’t want coffee. She didn’t like it much, except for decaf. Nathan ordered hot chocolate for both of them instead, and some vanilla wafer cookies.

  “So, how have you been?” Lori asked. She was holding a wafer cookie in one hand.

  “I’ve been doing fine. Lots of work, and then school stuff, you know. I felt like a change of environment. Too much time indoors can make you crazy.”

  “I know! I was like that in my first year. Didn’t have a car, so I was stuck in my dorm. Unless my roommate took me along, of course. Now I can go anywhere I want.”

  “So, you have lots of friends?” Nathan asked.

  “Yes. A few of them are my high school buddies. Most of the others are people I’ve met so far. I like meeting new faces. It’s not uncommon for me to talk the ears off someone. I’m just outgoing that way.”

  “I didn’t notice much of that at the club.”

  “Well, your acquaintance shooed me away.”

  “Ha. That won’t happen again.”

  Lori finished her second wafer cookie. Nathan watched as she drank some more of her chocolate. She put the cup down and then licked her lips. Nathan had a vision of Amanda doing just the same, several weeks ago. He’d made her a special hot chocolate recipe passed down by his mother.

  “Are you okay, Nathan?” Lori asked. He blinked once, looking at her.

  “Yeah, I’m good. I was just…spaced out.”

  They talked some more as they ate. Nathan admired Lori when she wasn’t watching him. She reminded him of his second girlfriend, the one he’d dated before Kayla. Nathan had purposely avoided blondes or light-skinned girls because they reminded him of Amanda. The second girl he dated had had brown skin. She was attractive. Lori’s skin wasn’t as dark, and not as attractive. Still, Nathan might consider dating her if his heart was still his to give away.