Devoted to Her (Dream Date Book 2) (29 page)

“Now,” said Hayden, sitting on the sofa. “I need you
to talk to me about what you know so far. Caldwell tells me that someone’s out
there to kill Amanda. How long has this been going on?”

Nathan decided to be honest.

“This will sound odd, but I don’t know much. I wasn’t
even aware that someone wanted to kill Amanda. She got mugged weeks ago. They
found the thief, and none of us had any reason to believe that Amanda was
singled out. We assumed she’d just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Hayden absorbed the information.

“What was the identity of the thief?” he asked,
pulling out his notepad.

“I do not know. Amanda and I were already distant by
the time the thief’s identity was discovered.”

“I understand that an inmate murdered Hilbert Melendez
in jail recently.”

“Yes. Amanda was worried about herself when it
happened. She feared retaliation. Thankfully, it never came. Amanda didn’t have
to recall her bodyguards until after the mugging.”

“Do you have any idea who might have a beef with Ms.
Tilley?”

“We asked ourselves that question for a long time.
There wasn’t anyone we could think of.”

Hayden continued taking notes.

“The last time I worked with Ms. Tilley on a case, she
gave me a name. One that Mr. Melendez claimed had been the person who tried to
kidnap her. Does the name Rebecca ring any bells?”

Nathan thought hard. He shook his head.

“I investigated Mr. Melendez’s background and social
circle thoroughly. I couldn’t find any Rebecca among his acquaintances, family,
work contacts, or anyone at all. As far as we’re concerned, Mr. Melendez never
knew or met anyone by the name of Rebecca. Either he lied, or he kept her a
secret from everyone.”

“It’s most likely that he lied. Hilbert may not have
wanted to admit he was willing to hurt Amanda. He claimed to be in love with
her.”

Hayden took a few more notes. He then looked up at
Nathan.

“Tell me about this misunderstanding between you and
Ms. Tilley.”

Nathan hesitated for a moment.

“Amanda thinks I cheated on her. It’s partly true, but
it was a setup. There’s this woman I met months ago who’s obsessed with me.”

“What’s her name, if I may know?”

“Erika. I never found out her last name.”

Hayden frowned.

“Another lady without a last name.”

“Do you think it’s a coincidence?”

“I think we should look closely into it.”

“Erika is a transfer student. She’s here because she
changed her major, and her previous school didn’t have it. Erika told me she
didn’t want to move out of state, so she came here.”

Nathan continued telling Hayden more about what he
knew about Erika. Then he filled him in on the strange events that had been
going on.

“I’ll talk to Detective Sutton to see if he will talk
to me about that hit-and-run,” said Hayden. “In the meantime, try to find out
where Amanda is. She has protection, but one can never be too cautious.”

“Okay, Mr. Hayden. I’ll call you when I find out.”

Hayden stood up.

“We’ll be in contact.”

Nathan shook hands with the investigator. He then led
him to the door. After he left, Nathan thought about calling Claire. Of all his
friends, she was the closest to Amanda’s social circle.

“Hi, Nathan,”
Claire
greeted.

“Claire, I don’t have much time. There’s a question I
need to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“Do you have any idea where Amanda is spending her
spring break?”

There was silence for a few seconds.

“Claire?”

“Judith said that a friend of Amanda’s was taking her
to where the set of the movie he’s filming is in. All I know is that it’s in
Arkansas.”

Nathan ran his hand through his hair.

“Thanks, Claire. Bye.”

“Wait! Have you guys worked things out?”

“Soon, Claire. I’ll win Amanda’s heart back.”

“I hope so, friend. I’ve known you for years and I’m
sure you wouldn’t cheat on a woman, willingly. That harpy is going to pay for
setting you up.”

“She will. Thanks for believing in me.”

“Let’s talk later, friend. Good luck.”

“Bye,” Nathan said, and
hung up.

After arriving at Little Rock, Brad, Amanda, and Ryan
slept for most of the day. They spent the evening visiting a few spots around
the city, except the filming location. It was not accessible without the film
crew there.

Sunlight woke Amanda up on Monday morning. She opened
her eyes a fraction, seeing Brad opening the curtains of her window.

“Wake up, sleepyhead,” he said to her. “I get to work
early today, if you want to come.”

Amanda stretched her muscles, and then she rose up.

“Good morning,” Amanda said. She looked up when Brad
cleared his throat. When Amanda remembered that she was wearing only her thin
pajamas, she blushed. Amanda lifted the bedcover to her chest.

“I’ll go so you can get dressed,” Brad said. He walked
out of the room. Amanda grabbed her smartphone from the bedside table. The
clock read that it was a little past seven. It had been a long time since
Amanda had woken up so early.

After a quick breakfast, Brad took Amanda and Ryan to one
of the film sets. It was a small chunk of the city that the producers blocked
to traffic.

“So those scenes in the book aren’t actually set in
this city?” Amanda asked. Brad was driving back to the hotel with her and Ryan.

“No. Film adaptations for books rarely use the exact
same locations. They don’t need to, anyway. Several things come into play. The
filmmakers have to figure out where it’s cheaper to shoot the film, and then
get permission. They also have to ensure the actors can stay there for the
duration of filming.”

“The movie is still set in Arkansas,” Emmy said.

“Yes. The producers got lucky on that one. They were
considering Oklahoma and Georgia before settling on Arkansas.”

They spent their time on the set until lunch. Amanda
and her company had a lot of fun at the shoot. It surprised Ryan that a given
scene in a movie was filmed repeatedly.

“It takes quite a few times to nail a scene,” Brad
explained to them. “We try to get it right as soon as possible. Getting a scene
wrong over and over again drains a whole lake of cash.”

“What?” Ryan asked. “Don’t they use flash drives, or
do they still use plain old film? I don’t see what’s being wasted apart from
that.”

Amanda stifled a smile.

“The actors’ time is valuable,” Brad said. “And that’s
truer for big names. Not to mention the rest of the crew. Also, the producers
get charged for the amount of time they spend filming at a location. There’s
lots of money involved in making a movie.”

Brad didn’t finish working until the afternoon, except
for his lunch break. He spent some time playing chess with Emmy. Amanda and
Ryan played on their handheld videogame consoles.

“Beat you,” Amanda said proudly when her racer was the
first to the finish line.

“You’re so good at this,” Ryan told her. “Why haven’t
you thought of becoming a racecar driver?”

Amanda chuckled.

“It’s totally different. And dangerous.”

Ryan smiled.

“I was just joking.”

Ryan switched off his game. He looked over at the
doorway. He and Amanda were in the latter’s living room. Brad and Emmy were in
his suite next door. Due to his being an actor, he was able to stay at the
five-star hotel and share with his guests.

“Amanda,” Ryan said. “Do you know what the deadline is
for applying at Cornell?”

Amanda raised an eyebrow.

“Why? Are you interested in attending the same college
as your big sister?”

Ryan shrugged.

“I’m just curious. It seems like a nice school.”

Amanda analyzed Ryan’s expression, wondering what his
motivation was.

“I’m not sure you’ll like Ithaca much. You’re a bit too
adventurous to enjoy living in that small town.”

“I can adjust.”

“What about your friends? I thought you might want to
follow them to wherever they’re going.”

“My best friend may be coming with me,” Ryan said. “He
doesn’t really mind where he attends college. It just has to offer a
better-than-decent program in his chosen area of study.”

“I see. Have you decided on a major?”

“Not yet. I’m still debating.”

Amanda thought about it.

“You need to weigh your options carefully. If Cornell
doesn’t offer the major you want, you’ll waste your time applying there.”

Ryan nodded, looking hopeful. Amanda wanted to guess
why he seemed so interested in attending Cornell.

“We can look at the majors Cornell offers on my
laptop,” Amanda said. “There’s this great Web site where you can find lots of
information about colleges. Hasn’t your counselor told you about it?”

“Yes. I haven’t visited it yet, though.”

Amanda felt hungry, so she loaned her laptop to Ryan.
Then she went down to have dinner at the hotel’s restaurant. On the way, she
ran into Brad leaving Emmy at his suite.

“Oh, hi, Amanda,” he said, smiling. “Were you looking
for us?”

“I was going to get something to eat. Ryan is using my
laptop for school stuff. Where’s Emmy?”

“Watching a movie. I was going to see how you guys
were doing, check if you needed anything.”

“We’re fine. Are you coming to eat with me?”

“Sure.”

In the restaurant, Amanda let Brad choose for her.
They were brought drinks while they waited for their dinner. Amanda hardly
touched her drink.

“What’s got you upset?” Brad asked. “You’ve been in
low spirits ever since we met at the airport.”

Amanda fidgeted, thinking about how much to tell Brad.
He knew her too well to know when she was hiding anything from him.

“Is this about the loss of your modeling career?”

Amanda shook her head.

“That’s the least of my problems.”

Brad waited for Amanda to say more.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Amanda looked up, wanting Brad to reassure her.

“I broke up with Nathan. He cheated on me.”

Brad’s eyes widened.

“What? Are you serious?”

“Yes.” Amanda gave her friend a summary of the events
that transpired during the week leading up to Valentine’s Day.

“I don’t know this Nathan much, yet I find this hard
to believe. Wasn’t he deeply in love with you?”

“That’s what Jonathan said when I told him. He found
it pretty funny when I started getting intense during our workouts. I truly
felt like kicking butt.”

“A guy has to be mental to cheat on you.”

“Trust me, I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t
seen it with my own eyes. Nathan was clearly becoming weary about dating me.
That’s why he found another girl.”

Brad thought for a moment.

“This all happened last month, right? Why are you
still sad now? Did you love him that much?”

Amanda nodded, holding back tears.

“Nathan was everything to me, Brad. He made me feel
truly cherished and loved. It was a huge blow to see him make out with another
woman. And he did it while we still were on a romantic date. At that moment I
just wanted the Earth to swallow me.”

“It’s his loss, then. If he was capable of breaking
your heart, he doesn’t deserve your tears.”

Brad took Amanda’s hand, comforting her.

“The worst thing is that Nathan’s still trying to win
me back. I can’t forgive him.”

“Then don’t. You can’t force yourself to do something
if your heart isn’t in it. I’m glad you’re here with me, away from it all.”

Amanda bit her lip. She hadn’t told Brad the true
reason she was away from Ithaca. If he found out, he would worry to death.

“Okay. You’ve got to do what you came here to do,”
Nathan muttered to himself. He was in a bedroom in his father’s new house.

Nathan’s friends had all gone to Orlando for spring
break. He’d chosen to return to Joliet, his hometown. Nathan just wasn’t in the
mood for fun while Amanda was still angry with him.

Nathan had a plan to convince Amanda that his feelings
for her were true. For that, he would have to risk the wrath of her parents.
They most likely already knew what Nathan had done to Amanda.

Steeling himself, Nathan walked out of his room. He found
his father in the living room, sorting through some correspondence. Jeffrey
looked up when he felt his son’s approach.

“Hey, son. Are you leaving?”

“Yes. I’m just heading out for a little bit.”

“Okay. Lunch will be ready when you get back. I was
about to get started on it.”

Jeffrey stood up and walked to a pegboard in the wall.
He grabbed his car keys and handed them to Nathan. The latter’s car was back in
Ithaca.

“Take care, son.”

“Thanks. I’ll fill the tank while I’m out.”

Nathan got in his father’s old Tundra and headed east.
He was going to the Tilley’s house.

The drive didn’t take much time. Nathan pulled over to
the house he had visited during Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. The Tilley’s
place wasn’t very large, but it was still ample. The house was a three-bedroom,
with an extra smaller one for guests. Also, Mr. Tilley had his own home office.
The kitchen was large and modern, and had been slightly redesigned by Amanda
recently. Nathan found that impressive.

Nathan parked his father’s car outside. He walked up
to the front door of the house.

Moments later, Mr. Tilley answered the door after
hearing the bell.

“Oh. Good morning, Nathan.”

“Good morning, Mr. Tilley. May I come in?”

“Our daughter isn’t here. She and Ryan are away with
Brad, seeing him on set.”

“That’s fine. Actually, I came to see you and Mrs.
Tilley, if it’s not an inconvenience.”

Nathan could tell that Mr. Tilley was already aware of
what happened in Ithaca. He didn’t look happy.

“All right. Come in.”

Nathan walked inside. Mr. Tilley closed the door. He
asked Nathan if he wanted anything.

“No. Thanks, Mr. Tilley.”

Florence walked into the living room.

“Good morning. If you’re here to see Amanda, she’s
away right now.”

“He wanted to talk to us,” Mr. Tilley said. She
nodded.

“Oh. What is it?”

Nathan cleared his throat.

“I’m sure Amanda must already have told you about what
happened between us.”

The Tilleys both nodded, looking a bit uncomfortable.

“I want you to know that I love Amanda more than my
life, more than anything else in this world. I did
not
cheat on her, as
she believes. At least, not willingly.”

“My daughter saw you, Nathan. Please have the decency
to admit it,” said Mr. Tilley. His wife put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

“I wouldn’t be here asking you for help if my
conscience wasn’t clear. I have never been unfaithful to Amanda. That woman
stuck herself between us and got away with what she wanted, to break us apart.”

“How do you want us to help you?” Mrs. Tilley asked.

“I need Amanda to give me a chance. I want to show her
that I’ll never stop loving her. Living without her has been nothing short of
hell.”

“You pushed her away yourself, Nathan,” said Mr.
Tilley. “Why should we help you?”

“Great question,” a voice said. Everyone turned to
look toward the stairs. Harold and Mildred were walking down. The former pinned
Nathan with a baleful glare.

“Sir, I swear, I—”

“Don’t swear in vain, Mr. Ferland. You cheated on our
beloved Amanda, and now you want us to help you win her back? You’ve got
nerve.”

“I never cheated on Amanda. She means the world to me!
Erika sabotaged our Valentine’s date.”

“You mean, you brought her with you,” Harold said.

“Harold, I believe Nathan’s telling the truth,” said
Mildred. “I can see it in his eyes. Besides, no man would arrange a
romantic
date at a fine restaurant just to confess he has a lover. It makes no sense.”

“
They
never made sense. I always knew Mr.
Ferland would eventually hurt our Amanda. All he cares about is her money.”

“Don’t be so hard on him, Dad,” William said.
“Nathan’s totally in love with Amanda. That much was clear to me whenever he
visited us.”

Nathan took a deep breath. He was grateful that
Amanda’s father was sticking out for him.

“I didn’t push Amanda away. She means everything to
me. I don’t want to have anything to do with that woman who came between us.”

“Do you truly love my daughter, or are you just
enamored with her beauty?” asked Florence.

“Amanda is lovely, especially when she’s happy and
when she laughs, but I love who she is more. She fulfills me in a way no other
woman ever could.”

Florence looked at her husband, as if telling him that
she felt Nathan’s words were true. She seemed moved. Mildred also looked
convinced. She exchanged glances with Harold.

“Would you do anything for her?” Mildred asked.

Nathan nodded.

“Anything. I would live happily just about anywhere if
Amanda was there with me.”

“What way can we help you?” Mr. Tilley asked. Harold
looked at his son with indignation.

“I hoped you would talk to her. Amanda will listen to
you. Tell her that she is and always will be the only woman in my life.”

Mrs. Tilley tapped a finger to her lips.

“I think I know what we
can do.”

Amanda checked her smartphone for any missed texts or
e-mails. So far, she’d gotten calls from Mr. Hayden and from her parents.
Hayden wanted to let her know that he was assisting the Ithaca PD on the hit-and-run
case. Also, Kellan had fallen in a coma. If he died, the woman who drove the
truck would face a life sentence in prison.

During the third day of Amanda’s stay in Little Rock,
she met her new bodyguard. His name was Medina, a 31-year-old former police
detective. Caldwell assured Amanda that Medina was one of the best guys in
their private security agency.

The next day, Amanda’s parents called. Florence wanted
her daughter to stop by Joliet for the weekend before returning to Ithaca.
Amanda wanted to see her parents as much as they wanted to see her, so she
agreed. Amanda changed her travel plans accordingly.

On Friday afternoon, Amanda, Emmy, and Ryan said
goodbye to Brad. They were already at the bus station. Amanda hadn’t wanted to
fly because of the expense, and to avoid jet lag.

“We had a lot of fun seeing you on set,” Amanda said
to Brad. “It was fascinating to see how they make movies.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed your time here. It was great to
see you, too. I’d really missed you, friend.”

Amanda and Brad embraced each other. He then turned to
Emmy.

“I missed you too, girl. You look just as sprightly as
always.”

“Thanks,” Emmy said to Brad.

“Does your wound hurt anymore?”

“It’s just a scar now. I’m fine. The doctor said it’ll
be a few months before I feel normal again.”

“Thank God it wasn’t worse. You can imagine my
reaction when I got the call telling me someone hurt you. I would have
teleported to you if it’d been possible.”

Emmy and Amanda both laughed. Then, slowly, Brad
leaned toward the former. He gave Emmy a kiss on her cheek, moving slightly to
brush her lips. She closed her eyes, feeling the sensation of butterflies in
her stomach.

“Oh, just kiss me, you dummy,” said Emmy. She put her
arms around Brad and kissed him full in the lips. Amanda’s jaw dropped. She
exchanged glances with Ryan. They gasped in awe.

“I love you,” Emmy told Brad when she broke the kiss.
“I just couldn’t leave without letting you know you’re mine. Not when you’re
around all those gorgeous actresses.”

Brad looked stunned, but in a good kind of way.

“Aren’t you going to say anything?”

“Yes. I—I’m just…I didn’t expect you to say this.”

“Don’t be afraid to say you love me,” Emmy told him.
“No one drops everything and takes off the way you did when I got injured. You
flew all the way across the world just to see me.”

Brad reached forward, touching Emmy.

“I love you. I do. Only, I don’t think I’m the right
guy for you. Emmy, you need someone who isn’t away all the time. I can’t be
with you as long as I wish.”

“That doesn’t matter. We’re in love.”

By that time, Amanda and Ryan had taken a few steps
away to give their friends privacy. Amanda almost sobbed, seeing that Emmy
looked so hopeful.

“Will that be enough for you? There’s a reason actors
rarely marry, or do it when they’re quite older. Holding a steady relationship
is difficult for us.”

“Can’t you at least give me a chance?”

Emmy feared that Brad would reject her. He reached up,
caressing the side of her face.

“If you really want to. I can’t deny you anything, my
sweet girl.”

Brad kissed Emmy, holding her face with his hands.

There was a voice announcing that Amanda’s bus was
ready to leave. Emmy broke the kiss. Tears were already glistening in her face.

“I hope this works,” she told Brad, touching his lips.

“I’ll try to visit you whenever I can. Stay safe,
okay?”

“Yeah.”

Amanda and Ryan walked behind Emmy. She looked at both
of them.

“Goodbye, Brad. And good luck with your movie,” said
Amanda.

“Thanks. Take care, you all.”

Amanda took Emmy’s
hand. They walked to board their bus with Ryan. Caldwell followed them. Brad
stayed behind, watching them go. He touched his lips, remembering what it felt
like to kiss Emmy.

Next morning, Amanda and her group took a taxi to her
family’s house. They were a little sleepy, even though they’d rested during the
ride.

It was almost ten o’clock when the taxi stopped
outside the Tilley’s house. Amanda paid him. He drove away when they’d unloaded
their entire luggage.

“We’re here,” Amanda said. She led Emmy and Ryan up to
the house. She rang the bell.

“My
jolie
daughter!” Florence said, glad to see
that Amanda was back.

“Hi, Mom,” Amanda replied, hugging her mother. “It’s
so good to see you.”

“It’s good to see you too. Did you all have fun? Oh,
Emmy. It’s great to see you practically recovered.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Tilley.”

Florence let the three of them inside. She and
Caldwell helped with the suitcases.

“I suspect you must be hungry, so I have breakfast
ready. My husband is outside watering the garden.”

Florence looked at Caldwell.

“You may have breakfast with us, Caldwell.”

“Thanks, ma’am. I appreciate it.”

They went to the kitchen. Florence had home-made
waffles for them. They were chocolate-topped instead of having syrup. Amanda
liked the change.

“This is delicious, Mrs. Tilley,” Emmy said.

“Thanks, dear.”

Amanda, Ryan, and Emmy ate their breakfast in record
time. When they finished, Amanda offered to clean the plates. Florence told her
she’d do them, but the latter insisted to help.

When they were finished, Florence and the others
walked to the living room. They saw that William was just back from outside. He
was talking to Harold.

“Amanda, Ryan! When did you get back?” he asked.

“About twenty minutes ago,” Florence told him. Amanda
went to hug her father.