In My Father's Shadow by Jl Paul Page B

wide open.
“He’s not interested in you that way so it doesn’t matter. For all
you know she could be a nice person just interested in talking
music with him.”
    As soon as she spoke those words aloud, her heart
fell to her feet. Moisture clouded her eyes so she squeezed them
shut and turned on her side, doing whatever she could to coax her
body to sleep.
    About an hour before dawn, as sleep hovered lazily
over her head, the door opened and Cole crept silently into the
room. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to even out her
breathing, hoping he wouldn’t notice, and listened as his bed
creaked and his shoes thumped to the floor. She was dying to sit up
and give him a tongue lashing he’d not soon forget but her pride
got in the way and forced her to remain still and continue with her
sleeping act. Maybe her anger would fade with the night and she’d
be able to confront him civilly in the morning.
    But she doubted seriously if that would happen.

Chapter Six
    He awoke, groaned and rolled over, looking for a
clock. The red numbers glowed in the still dark room telling him it
was 10:46 in the morning. The heavy curtains were still drawn over
the window and the room was eerily quiet. He groaned again and
forced his body into a sitting position, throwing his feet over the
side of the bed. The other bed was empty, like he figured it would
be, but he called out her name anyway. When she didn’t answer, he
grabbed some clean clothes from his bag and hurried to the
shower.
    He walked out of the steaming bathroom, fully
dressed, his hair still damp, and searched through his luggage for
his toiletry bag. Finally locating it, he straightened just as the
door opened and Ally breezed into the room, totally ignoring
him.
    “Hey, Al,” he said, slightly confused by her anger.
“Give me a second and we can go grab something to eat.”
    “I already ate,” she snapped as she brushed past him,
heading for the small table pushed under the window. She snatched
her cell off the table, flipped it open briefly then snapped it
shut, cramming it into her pocket. She strolled purposely toward
the door, her chin lifted high, anger flashing in her eyes. He
reached out and snagged her arm, jerking her nearly off her
feet.
    “What the hell is the problem today, princess?” he
said.
    Her eyes narrowed as she tried to yank her arm out of
his hold. He only pressed harder. “Nothing. Maybe it’s PMS or
something. Now let go of me.”
    He tugged her closer and she stumbled into his chest.
“What is with the attitude, huh? What did I do to deserve
this?”
    “Gee, I don’t know, Cole. Maybe you should think
about it, huh? You’re not a total moron, certainly you can figure
it out,” she yelled in his face, standing on her toes. She wrenched
herself free and stormed out of the door.
    He found his cell and tried to call hers but he knew
she’d never answer. He sighed, raked his hands through his wet
hair, and tried RJ’s cell instead.
    “Is Ally with you,” he asked as he darted to the
bathroom and combed his hair.
    No, man,” RJ said, confusion in his voice. “Just Ren
and Parker. We’re going over the set list. Is something wrong with
Ally?”
    He cursed. “Who the hell knows now? I’ll be there in
a second.”
    ***
    “You can’t avoid him all day,” Jamie informed her as
she paced his room, fists clenched firmly at her sides, muttering
curses under her breath.
    “Watch me,” she declared, her eyes flashing
dangerously.
    “Why are you so mad at him?” Jamie asked. He was
reclining on one of the double beds, one hand tucked behind his
head, the other holding the remote, flipping through the sports
channels, checking scores. He was amused, that much was obvious to
her, but she ignored it. Her fury was far too great.
    “He’s a jerk. A pig,” she said as she flung herself
into a chair. She couldn’t get the disturbing images of Cole with
that bar woman out of her mind and it only stirred her anger. She
kicked her head