Devoted to Her (Dream Date Book 2) (4 page)

“You’ve only been dating for a few months!”

“Amanda is the love of my life. I plan to propose this
Valentine’s Day.”

“It’s tough to get reservations on that day, Nathan.
You need to plan ahead.”

“That’s what I’m working on. I just had another idea.
I know what to do to make the day special.”

“What is it?”

“I thought about hiring a popular musician to sing a
love song in person when I propose. But I thought it would be too expensive—”

“That’s
way
outta
your budget. And mine. If you really want to do that, you should wait until
your wedding day. It’ll be more worth it then.”

“Yeah,” said Nathan, scratching his head. “So I
thought I could have an amateur musician sing an
original
song. Do you
get what I mean?”

“You want some aspiring singer to write a love song
for Amanda?”

“Exactly. Could you help me with that?”

“Sure. And it’ll cost you much less. I can use my
connections to find suitable candidates for your idea.”

“Thanks, Marissa. You’re awesome.”

“No, I’m jealous,”
she said with a laugh.
“I wish my boyfriend would so something so
romantic for me.”

Marissa had recently made her relationship with
Jonathan official. She’d fallen pretty hard for him.

“Do you think it’ll take long? I wonder if I should
have thought about this earlier.”

“We’re good, Nathan. There is plenty of time.”

“Good. I want to impress Amanda.”

“You’ve already won her heart.”

“I know. But that doesn’t mean I’ll ever stop trying
to impress her.”

Marissa paused for a moment.

“Nathan, you know. Since you’re going big with your
idea, you shouldn’t reserve a restaurant in Ithaca. Come to think of it, I
doubt they have any that are good enough for proposing.”

“What do you suggest?”

“I know some nice places here in the city. If it’s too
far or costly, you may want to consider Rochester or Syracuse.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Good.”

“Thanks for your help, Marissa. I’ll start looking for
restaurants now.”

“Okay. I’ll call you later.”

“Thanks. Take care.”

“Bye.”

Nathan hung up. He woke
up his computer and searched for restaurants.

A few weeks passed. On the 16
^th
, Amanda and
Nathan drove back to Ithaca. They would get ready for classes, which would
start the next Monday.

The two of them had considered moving in to a single
apartment. However, Amanda decided it would be best if they didn’t. She
believed that distance was beneficial in a relationship. Amanda was afraid that
problems might arise if she and Nathan saw each other all the time.

When Amanda entered her apartment at Lansing West, she
turned on the light. The place was just as she had left it. Amanda had
continued paying rent while she’d been away to avoid losing it.

As she no longer employed Kellan and Grayson, Amanda
felt somewhat lonely. She’d foreseen that, and agreed to have Emmy move in with
her. The latter would be using the bodyguards’ former bedroom.

Amanda went to her own bedroom and left her luggage
against the bed. Then she went to the kitchen to pour some coffee. It was
morning, and Amanda had spent half of the drive sleeping.

While the coffee brewed, Amanda sent a text to Emmy,
asking where she was. Amanda and Nathan were the last of their group of friends
to return after the holidays. Everyone else had returned earlier.

A minute later, Emmy texted back. She said that she
was coming over just before lunch. Emmy already made the arrangements to
move from her dorm.

Once she poured her cup of coffee, Amanda put a couple
of waffles in the toaster. Then she walked to the living room. She powered up
her MacBook and then logged in. Amanda opened her Web browser, surfing to the
Cornell Web site. She needed to log in to her account to check that her
enrollment was in order.

A couple of hours afterward, the front bell rang.
Amanda walked from her bedroom and answered the door. Just outside, Emmy and
Judith stood together. They both carried four suitcases in total. There were
also a couple of boxes behind them.

“That’s all?” Amanda asked, raising an eyebrow.

“All hers,” Judith replied.

“Who brought the boxes?”

“We had a guy help us bring them up.”

Amanda nodded. She stood aside to let them both in.
Amanda dragged in the boxes and then closed the door. Judith and Emmy left the
suitcases next to the sofa.

“One of the boxes was for my textbooks and personal
books,” Emmy said. She was the most avid reader of their group of friends.
Amanda liked to read, but Emmy was a true bookworm. It was no wonder that she
had such a high level of intelligence.

“Is this all you’re bringing?” Amanda asked.

“Yes, it is.”

“Do you want me to help you get settled in now, or
later?”

“Later, if you don’t mind,” Emmy replied. Amanda
nodded. The three of them sat on the sofa.

“It feels kind of…different now that Kellan isn’t
around anymore,” Judith said.

“Yes,” Amanda agreed. “I do miss him. But I don’t need
constant security anymore. The man who threatened me is now in prison.”

“Do you think Kellan’s signing up for classes?” Emmy
asked. Amanda shook her head.

“I don’t think so. He did consider it. That was only
so he could wander the campus without looking too out of place about it.”

Judith stood up.

“Okay, girls. I need to go to the office to settle
some stuff. Amanda, I’ll stop by later, all right?”

“Sure. I’ll be here all day,” Amanda replied. She
stood up and hugged Judith. “See you later.”

“Same, friend.”

Judith walked to the front and left the room. Amanda
looked toward Emmy.

“I smell the rich aroma of caffeine,” the latter said.
The corners of Amanda’s lips turned up.

“I’ll pour you a cup.”

“Thanks.”

Amanda walked to the
kitchen to brew some more coffee. Emmy followed after her.

After lunch, Nathan met with some of his friends. He
joined Ashton, Grecia, Oswald, and Claire at Stewart Park. When Nathan got out
of his car, Ashton walked up.

“That’s a nice ride,” he said, looking at the Toyota
Avalon. Nathan bought it only a month ago, so Ashton hadn’t had a chance to see
it.

“It does run better. The engine is more silent, and
it’s smoother to drive.”

“Told you, bro. Hybrids or electrics are the best cars
these days.”

Nathan nodded in agreement. He had been about to buy a
used gas-fueled car. Amanda surprised him when she paid a fraction of the cost
of his new car as a Christmas present. She wouldn’t take a no.

The two of them walked up to where their friends had
gathered on a bench. It was only fifty feet away from the parking spot Nathan
found.

“Hi, friends!” Nathan said. “It’s great to be back.”

“It sure is!” Claire replied, standing up. She hugged
Nathan when he reached her.

“How are you doing?” Oswald asked. He shook hands with
Nathan.

“I’m great,” Nathan said. He then kissed Grecia on her
cheek. “How was your holiday break?”

“Like a dream,” Claire told him. They all sat back
down on the bench. “It was so nice of Amanda to invite us to New York. We had
an awesome time.”

“I talked her into it,” Nathan revealed. “I thought it
would be great to spend time with Marissa. We don’t have the chance to see her
in person often.”

“That was nice of you,” Grecia said.

“How’s your relationship with Amanda going?” Claire
asked him. Nathan smiled.

“It couldn’t be better. I still can’t believe I have
the great fortune to have her as my girlfriend.”

“That makes two of us,” Ashton admitted. He took
Grecia’s hand in his.

“It’s great to see you too together,” said Oswald.
“All that bickering was driving the rest of us insane.”

Claire laughed.

“Can’t blame you. It was driving
me
bonkers to
get through that thick skull of his,” Grecia replied.

“I always loved you,” Ashton told her. “I just wasn’t
sure I could be the man you wanted me to be.”

“You are. Tell them what you did during our break.”

Nathan and Claire shot them quizzical looks. Ashton’s
cheeks went red.

“What did he do?” Oswald asked.

“Ashton kissed me in an alley.”

Everyone looked at her with odd expressions.

“He tried to reenact the upside-down kiss scene from
the Spider-Man movie,” Grecia clarified. Oswald chuckled. Nathan and Claire
stifled laughs.

“Are you serious?” Nathan asked, eyebrows raised.
“Wow.” He tried to resist laughing.

“Did he actually kiss you upside down?” Claire asked.
Oswald guffawed, leaning his head back.

“No. I’m honestly surprised he didn’t do it.”

“
I’m
surprised he didn’t wear a Spidey suit,”
Nathan teased. Ashton bumped him in the shoulder.

“Are you serious? It was freezing cold. There was no
way I would wear tights in that weather.”

Claire burst into laughter. Oswald grinned.

“What a Romeo he turned out to be,” the latter said.

“I loved the gesture, though,” Grecia admitted. “It
was so sweet of him.”

Ashton leaned forward to kiss Grecia. The rest of
their friends clapped and wolf-whistled. Ashton didn’t seem fazed about it.

Amanda finished helping Emmy unload her suitcases and
stock her wardrobe. After that, she went to her bedroom. She didn’t have much
to do for the day. Amanda had planned to shop, but Nathan offered to do it.

There were a few unopened e-mail messages when Amanda
checked her inbox. One of them was from the Web designer that Amanda hired to
overhaul her official Web site. She’d given it a nicer look while still having
it load fast and work smoothly.

Surprisingly, Kayla was the one who recommended the
designer. She had a professional, great-looking Web site with a feminine book
motif. The designer’s resume impressed Amanda, so she decided to hire him.

Amanda read the latest e-mail from the designer. He
had a few tweaks and suggestions to discuss with her. He spoke in tech lingo
sometimes, but Amanda understood it. She was somewhat of a computer geek.

After reviewing the e-mail, Amanda typed her reply and
sent it. She then opened her calendar. Amanda went over her photo shoot
schedule for the next few months. She didn’t have any magazine covers, though
she had an interview for the April issue of GQ. Amanda also had to attend a
small fashion show in Austin.

Amanda opened another e-mail. It was from Stanley. He was
starting the negotiations for a contract with Lancôme. If successful, Amanda
would have a photo shoot in a few months. That was the contract that Amanda was
most looking forward to settle. It was the first of Amanda’s contracts that
Stanley hadn’t taken over from Hilbert.

As Amanda typed her reply, her smartphone rang. She
saw that it was Nathan.

“Hi, love,” she answered.

“Hi. Where are you?”

“In the apartment. I was checking my e-mail.”

“I’m heading to a store right now. Remind me what food
you need to stock your pantry.”

“How about I send you a text?”

“Great! That way I won’t forget.”

“Okay. Are you going alone?”

“Now that you mention it, I might run into some fans
while I’m browsing.”

Amanda let out a laugh.

“Very funny, Nathan.”

Nathan chuckled.

“I’ll let you go now so you can drive safely.”

“All right. See you in a few, mon…was it
amor,
or
amour
?”

“Amour, baby. Amour. See you.”

“Bye.”

Amanda hung up and typed her text. Usually, she’d have
gone with Kellan to buy food. Apart from being Amanda’s bodyguard, he’d been
her sort-of personal assistant.

Amanda closed her computer and walked to the living
room to make Emmy company. She guessed Nathan wouldn’t take long.

Meanwhile, Nathan was just entering the store. He
grabbed a cart and took it around. Nathan had been to the store many times over
the past years, so he knew his way around well.

Nathan gathered stuff for the next ten minutes or so.
He was passing by the pasta aisle when he saw someone walking in his direction.
When Nathan got closer, he recognized the woman. She was Erika, a new student
at Cornell that he’d met before the holidays.

“Hi, Nathan!” Erika greeted him. As usual, her angelic
looks took Nathan aback. Not long after meeting Erika, Nathan had asked himself
why attractive women seemed to flock to Cornell. First Kayla and Grecia, then
Amanda, and now Erika.

“Hi, Erika,” Nathan said. “Shopping too?”

“Yeah. I was running low on groceries.”

“Me, too. How was your holiday break?”

“It was great. I spent time with my family. Usually, I
only see them during school breaks.”

“I understand,” Nathan replied. “What year did you say
you are in?”

“I’m a junior.”

“Oh. And how come you arrived at Cornell? Few transfer
students start during the spring semester.”

“I changed my major. Unfortunately, my old school
didn’t offer it. I wanted to attend a college in the same state I was already
in.”

“What are you studying?”

“Performing and media arts,” Erika replied.

“That’s great. I know someone who’s studying something.
like that. She’s a junior as well.”

“It’d be nice to meet your friends.”

Nathan nodded.

“If you want to hang out with us, feel free.”

“Sure. I’ll give you my number,” Erika said. She gave
Nathan the number and asked him to dial it. He did as she said. Erika swept a
strand of her auburn hair behind her ear as she watched. Her phone rang.

“There,” Erika said. She pressed a few keys on her
phone, saving Nathan as a new contact. “Now you can call me anytime.”

“Yeah. I’ll see you later.”

“Have a good day,” Erika replied. She walked past him.
Nathan continued shopping. He thought about Erika. She seemed pleasant, sort of
like Claire. Nathan assumed that Erika might not have many friends. She’d just
transferred from another college. That’s why Nathan welcomed her into his group
of friends.

When Nathan had everything that he and Amanda needed,
he walked to a checkout line. He had quite a bit of stuff. Nathan wanted to get
to Amanda’s soon so he could prepare lunch for her, and for Emmy.

As the line advanced, Nathan saw a row of magazines on
a stand. A few feet in front of him stood a trio of college guys. One of them
grabbed a magazine. Nathan saw a black-haired celebrity on the cover.

The guy perused the magazine. A minute later, he
called the attention of one of his buddies.

“This girl looks familiar,” he said. Nathan tried to
see the page that the guy was looking at.

“Amanda?” the other guy asked. At that, Nathan paid
more attention. “Do you know her?”

“No. I think I’ve seen her at school, though. She
seems to keep to her circle of friends.”

“She’s so hot.”

Nathan’s blood was proof that Amanda wasn’t the only
one who was hot. It wasn’t pleasant to listen to some dudes talk about your
girl with so much lust.

Oh, the hazards of dating a supermodel.

When Nathan reached the stand, he grabbed the same
magazine the guys had looked at. They’d already left the store. Nathan flipped
through it until he came upon an ad for Calvin Klein. Two of the pages featured
Amanda prominently.

With a sigh, Nathan
returned the magazine to the stand. He shook his head. After paying for his
purchases, Nathan left the store.

The next morning, Nathan invited Amanda over to his
apartment for hot chocolate and bread. He’d invited Emmy as well, but she declined.
Emmy had promised Judith to have breakfast with her.

Amanda smelled the aroma of chocolate when Nathan
opened his door. She closed her eyes.

“Mmm. Nothing like a cup of hot chocolate in the
winter,” Amanda said. She walked in and Nathan closed the door.

“I agree,” Nathan replied. Amanda removed her scarf
and her wool hat. Nathan took those and left them on the coffee table.

“They’re all covered in snow,” he commented.

“Yeah, it’s snowing a little right now. The weatherman
said not to expect more than an inch today, though.”

“Good. Breakfast will be ready in a few. Do you want
to join me in the kitchen now, or would you rather watch TV?”

“I’ll join you.”

Amanda followed Nathan. He walked over to the pot of
hot chocolate on the stove. The chocolate had almost completely dissolved.
Nathan lowered the fire and stirred a little. Amanda sat down on a chair. She
looked at the basket of sweet bread on the middle of the table.

“You appear serious about keeping me happy.”

“That’s all I want,” Nathan replied. “I love that I
can make you the happiest girl around.”

Nathan walked over to a cabinet and grabbed a pair of
cups. He turned off the fire and filled half of a cup with chocolate, then the
other. Nathan then got a milk carton out of the fridge, adding some milk to the
cups to cool the contents. As a finishing touch, he added some whipped cream and
a dusting of cinnamon atop the cups.

When Nathan brought over the cups to the table, Amanda
licked her lips.

“You’re some whiz. Are you sure you weren’t a barista
at some upscale cafeteria?”

Nathan chuckled.

“Not quite. This is how my…how my mom used to make our
hot chocolate cups.”

Nathan’s expression became serious. Amanda wondered
what he was thinking about.

“Here,” Nathan said. He grabbed a couple of foam
plates from a cabinet and handed one to Amanda. She thanked him, and then
grabbed a piece of sweet bread. Nathan sat down across from her.

Amanda was deep in thought as they ate. Nathan had
never mentioned his mother. Amanda had only met his father, Jeffrey. They’d
visited him last Thanksgiving.

“Nathan,” Amanda began. He looked at her.

“Yes?”

“Do you…have any other family? I mean, apart from your
father?”

Nathan took a deep breath. He took a sip from his cup
to buy some time.

“I have an uncle,” he said, looking at his piece of
sweet bread. “He’s my mother’s older brother. He moved to North Carolina with
his small family eight years ago.”

Amanda took heed on Nathan’s words. He continued to
eat his breakfast, looking pensive.

“I also have another uncle on my father’s side. He’s a
little more successful, and moved to Chicago. His daughter and I used to hang
out among our crowd when we were in middle school. After that, I only saw her a
few times. Last I heard, she’s attending medical school.”

Nathan and Amanda were silent for a moment as they
continued to eat. She sensed he was reluctant to talk about something in
particular.

“Did something happen to your mother?”

Nathan didn’t respond. He finished his cup of hot
chocolate and waited.

“Her name was Vanessa,” he said, closing his eyes. “I
lost her when I was thirteen.”

Amanda gasped. She tried to be gentle with her next
question.

“How did it happen?”

“We were expecting it, but that didn’t make it any
easier. Mom was working. She took so long to come back home that night. Dad and
I worried. Eventually, we got a call. Mom had passed away.”

Nathan ran his hands through his hair. Amanda waited
for him to calm down a little.

“My mom suffered from end-stage multiple sclerosis.
Most people could survive for years, but she had one of the worst varieties.
Mom would get seizures from time to time. Each one was worse than the last.”

Amanda reached across the table and touched Nathan’s
hand. She gave him a soothing expression.

“That night, Mom finally succumbed. She collapsed in
the parking lot at work and never woke up. One of her colleagues notified us
about it.

“Dad and I were never the same after that. I think he
took it much harder than I did. That’s one of the reasons why he never reached
the heights his brother did. Mom’s death hurt him too much.”

“I’m sorry,” Amanda said. She walked over to Nathan’s
side and put her arms around him.

“Don’t be. It was years ago.”

Amanda rested her head
on Nathan’s shoulder. She wondered what it had been like for him to lose his
mother. Amanda didn’t think she could resist the pain if she ever lost her
parents the way Nathan had.

“Next weekend will be our last before we return to classes,”
Ashton said. He and his friends were hanging out in the patio outside Amanda’s
apartment building. They were with Nathan, Oswald, Claire, and Grecia.

“I hope it goes fast,” the latter said. “Then we’ll
only have one year left before graduation.”

“Not me,” Nathan said, pursing his lips. “I still have
to attend law school.”

“Right,” Claire said. “Lawyers and doctors always
study more than everyone else.”

“For good reason,” Oswald commented.

“How about architects?” Grecia asked Amanda.