Devoted to Her (Dream Date Book 2) (30 page)

“Had a rough time lately, huh?” William guessed.

“You could say so.”

Harold held out his arms. Amanda hugged him, too.

“I missed you, Grandpa,” she said.

“Me, too.”

Amanda sat down on the sofa.

“Where’s the restroom, Mrs. Tilley?” Emmy asked.

“Go past the kitchen. It’s the first door on the
right.”

Emmy thanked her, and walked there.

“What’s been troubling you, Amanda?” William asked
her. She took a sigh.

“I’ve had a lot of stress. If Brad hadn’t taken me to
Arkansas for a week, I’d have gone mad.”

“You’re still worried about Kellan, right?”

“Yes. I hate that he’s fighting for his life. We’d
become such good friends.”

“You don’t blame yourself for what happened to him, do
you?” Florence asked.

“A little. I look back and wish that I’d been more
careful when crossing the street. Maybe he’d still be here with us.”

“It’s no use to beat yourself up about it now. Kellan
is a strong man. You’ll see he’ll pull through.”

“I hope so.”

“What about Nathan?” asked William, changing the
subject. “Have you talked to him at all?”

The abrupt change in subject gave Amanda whiplash. She
looked at Harold warily. Amanda thought for a moment before answering.

“No. I have nothing to talk to him about.”

“I knew it,” Harold said.

“Don’t you miss him?” Florence asked.

Amanda looked away, saying nothing.

“That guy is as in love with you as a man can be with
a woman,” Florence reckoned. “It was clear even to Mildred. You know she’s nigh
impossible to fool.”

“Mom, he cheated on me!”

“What if that woman wanted you to believe he did?”

“Are you defending Nathan?” asked Amanda, standing up.
“I thought you would side with me.”

“I’m taking no sides, honey,” said Florence, beckoning
Amanda to sit down. “I care for you. That’s why I want to see you happy.”

“Why are we talking about Nathan, anyway?”

“Because, we need to. Weren’t you in love with him?”

“Yes. I was.”

“Don’t you miss him?”

Amanda started to tense.

“Do you really want to know? Yes, Mom. It kills me to
not see Nathan anymore. It hurt me so much when I realized that he really
didn’t love me.”

Florence shook her head.

“You’re letting pain blind you rather than give Nathan
another chance so you can avoid getting hurt again.”

“It’s been long since you and Nathan talk,” said
William. “Don’t you think you’ve had enough time to think things over?”

“Dad, no one plays with my heart.”

“You should listen to her,” Harold said. Florence
pursed her lips.

“We agree,” she said. “It doesn’t hurt to let Nathan
talk to you, though.”

“Even if I were willing to give Nathan another chance,
my guards wouldn’t let him near me. Kellan would wake up before Nathan gets
within a hundred feet of me.”

Florence shrugged.

“You’ll have to make a decision quick, sweetie. He’s
here.”

Amanda’s eyes widened.

“What?”

“Yes,” William told her. “Nathan is in the city. He
said he would come to see you.”

Amanda stood up, exasperated.

“Then tell him I’m not here!”

“No, darling. We love
you. We can’t let you ruin your own happiness. I see it in your eyes, too.
Nathan is the love of your life. Don’t let him go,” Florence said.

Before going to see Amanda, Nathan made a stop to get
her a gift. He was going to pull all the stops if that’s what it took to regain
her trust.

Nathan found parking and walked to a florist that he’d
looked up online. He entered the shop, seeing there were a few customers
already. One of the clerks greeted Nathan. He greeted her back.

“Hi. I would like a bouquet of red roses,” Nathan
said. “Throw in some white and some red carnations, please.”

“Excellent choice. I’ll start on it. What color would
you like the wrapping plastic to be?”

Nathan thought about it. The color of that didn’t feel
as important as the flowers.

“Transparent would be great.”

“And it’s for a woman, right?”

“Yeah. And I want a big bouquet. I want it to make my
girlfriend go ‘wow.’ You know what I mean?”

“Yes, sir. It’ll be ready in a few.”

Nathan waited while the woman went to arrange his
bouquet. He looked at the time and thought that maybe he should pick up another
gift. Probably chocolates or a great, big bear. He laughed at the memory of
Amanda and the tow service.

A few moments later, the bouquet was ready. Nathan thought
Amanda would love it.

“Perfect.”

Nathan paid for the bouquet, and then he walked back
outside. He’d also gotten a vase to hold the roses during the car ride. Nathan
didn’t want to disturb the beautiful arrangement.

A few minutes later, Nathan pulled into an
intersection that allowed him view of Amanda’s house. He stopped for a moment,
watching. The front door of the house opened, and Amanda walked out. She looked
as beautiful as ever, despite the sadness in her eyes. Nathan watched her walk
toward the mailbox. She opened it and grabbed a few envelopes that were inside.

Nathan was about to drive forward when he saw a car
pull up in front of Amanda. The driver shut off the engine and walked out.

Damn it. What on Earth is he doing here?

Christopher walked toward Amanda. They started a
conversation. Nathan looked in his rearview mirror to make sure he wasn’t
blocking traffic. Then he turned in the opposite direction of Amanda’s house
and parked on the curb. He could watch Christopher and Amanda on the mirrors.

The two of them were still talking. Nathan wished he
could hear what they were saying. They walked up to the house, stopping at the
porch. As Nathan watched, Christopher grabbed Amanda’s hand. She shook her
head. Then he caressed the side of her face, leaning closer toward her.

Hey, that’s my girl!
Nathan thought.

Amanda tried to lean away, but Christopher didn’t let
go of her. He pinned her against the side of the door. Amanda shook her head
vigorously. Christopher ignored it, kissing her on the cheek. He didn’t lean
back. Nathan thought he was whispering something to Amanda. She kept her head
turned to the side. Christopher moved down and put his lips on her neck. His
hands moved up to touch her chest.

Stop him, Amanda. Stop him!

Amanda turned her head
toward Christopher. Nathan saw her lips moving. Then Christopher kissed her.
She flinched at first, but then accepted it. Nathan’s face fell. He was too
late. Amanda had decided to move on rather than give Nathan another chance. He
shifted his car into drive and left the scene.

Amanda lay on her bed, absentminded. She thought about
Christopher, and the kiss he’d coaxed out of her earlier. She touched her lips.
Amanda had to admit he was a good kisser, but she hadn’t felt the spark.
Kissing Christopher hadn’t felt the same way as kissing Nathan. Amanda really
wished it had worked, but she couldn’t hurt her friend, Judith.

That was the last time Amanda would lower her guard in
front of Christopher. He was meant to be with Judith. She’d never forgive
Amanda if she found out about the kiss. Friends didn’t betray each other.

Restless, Amanda shook her head. She felt that what
she needed most was to take a rest from romance altogether. She missed Nathan,
but he wasn’t going to fight for her after all. He’d never shown up as he said
he would. And he claimed to love Amanda.

If he can satisfy his needs elsewhere, why can’t I?

Amanda all but resolved to not think about romance for
a while. She would pursue other guys, but it would be for no-strings
relationships. They’d always wanted Amanda, now they could have her.

As she dwelled in her own thoughts, Amanda’s bedroom
door opened. She saw Ryan entering.

“Hey, Ryan. How are you?”

“Good. Mom says that dinner is almost ready.”

Amanda nodded.

“I’ll be right there.”

Ryan didn’t leave. He walked forward and sat next to
Amanda on the bed.

“Are you feeling okay?”

Amanda looked at her brother, nodding.

“For the most part.”

“You’re still thinking about him, right?”

“Yes. I don’t know why he didn’t come today. My
parents said he would. I thought he loved me.”

“Sister, who couldn’t love you? You’re an amazing
person. Besides, you’re still young. Have fun, go party, leave serious
relationships for later.”

Amanda laughed.

“For a little brother, you’re very mature, Ryan.”

Ryan chuckled at that.

“Why do you sound surprised? I’m almost an adult.”

“You’re still seventeen. By the way, how did you get
so knowledgeable about love stuff? Do you have a girlfriend?”

“No. I’m still happily single.”

“I wish I could say that.”

Ryan put an arm around Amanda, comforting her.

“Find another guy. You can’t be pining after someone
who doesn’t value your company.”

“I can’t help it, brother. I fell deeply in love with
Nathan. One day, you’ll learn that you can’t turn such a feeling on and off as
you please.”

Ryan and Amanda were silent for a moment, thinking.

“I’ve been thinking,” Ryan began, “Cornell has a good
science and technology program. I want to go there.”

Amanda looked at her brother.

“Is there something—or
someone
—in particular
that attracts you to Cornell?”

“No. But, come on, sister. It’s an Ivy League school…”

“That’s kind of overrated these days. Not that Cornell
isn’t a great school. I like it there.”

“Maybe you could give me a tour sometime.”

Amanda nodded.

“That’s a good idea. I think the summer would be a
great time for that.”

Ryan looked eager at the prospect. Amanda wondered why
he was so interested to attend Cornell. As she thought of possibilities, their
mother called from the kitchen.

“Dinner is ready, sweethearts!”

Amanda stood up from bed.

“Let’s go,” she said.
Ryan followed her.

Nathan didn’t feel like returning to school. He didn’t
know what was tougher: not seeing Amanda anymore, or seeing her with another
guy. Either way, Nathan felt reluctant to deal with it.

That’s what you get for thinking you could have an
unreachable girl
, Nathan chastised
himself.
You should set your expectations a tad lower next time.

Nathan walked to the building where his next class way.
On the way, he wondered if it would be a good idea to ask Kayla to be his
girlfriend again. Although they’d agreed to stay best friends, Nathan had
noticed that Kayla still longed for him. She thought she could hide it.

But I don’t want Kayla that way anymore. Her kisses
used to drive me crazy. Now, no girl compares to Amanda. I got to get her from
under my skin.

When he turned around a corner, Nathan noticed Amanda
several feet ahead. She was walking with Christopher and Judith. Nathan walked
carefully to keep them from seeing him. There were several students outside, so
he wasn’t immediately discernible. It helped that Nathan had once been sort of
an outcast. He found it easy to blend in.

Nathan stopped near the entrance to a building. He
watched Amanda and the others head toward the other one. She seemed as close to
happy as she could be after all the bad things that had happened in the past
weeks. Nathan felt a pang of jealousy at the way Christopher touched her. She
didn’t seem to mind.

“I told you so. You and Amanda wouldn’t last.”

Nathan turned around, seeing Erika.

“You again.”

Erika shook her head.

“You’re just pretending to hate me, and it’s
irritating. I’ve never been out to hurt you.”

“What did you expect? You succeeded in getting between
me and Amanda.”

“I didn’t break you apart. It was bound to happen. All
I did was to speed it up. Clean breaks always hurt less.”

Nathan laughed.
That’s absurd.

“Am I supposed to thank you?”

“No,” said Erika. She closed the distance between them
and kissed Nathan. Her lips felt pleasing to kiss, but she just wasn’t Amanda.

“I just want you to know there are lots of girls out
there that you
can
have. It would make me delighted if you chose me.”