Read In My Father's Shadow for Free Online

actually think our dads had
it so easy?”
    “She’s jealous, Al,” Cole said. He picked up his fork
and speared a sausage link. “You know your Uncle Ethan would let
her go in a heartbeat.”
    “And it’s not like they’re in the poorhouse, either.”
Ally picked up her own fork but dropped it back to the tray. “She
always makes me feel so guilty because of what my dad does.”
    Jamie nudged her with his shoulder. “Don’t let her
get to you. At least you asked.”
    Cole’s cell phone rang and he answered it, mouth full
of sausage. Ally shot him a dirty look but he just winked, sending
her heart in a nosedive. “Hey, Dad, what’s up?”
    “Hi, Nate,” Ally shouted.
    “He said ‘hi big mouth’,” Cole repeated, a smirk
toying with his lips. He listened, mumbling answers, as the others
gathered their trays to deposit near the kitchen.
    Tossing her book bag over her shoulder, Ally jogged
to catch up to him as he snapped his phone shut and shoved it in
his pocket. She touched his arm to get his attention and her heart
started acting up again when he looked down at her with a soft
smile. “Um, what’s up with Nate?”
    “He wanted to know when we were playing,” Cole said,
raking his dark hair off his forehead. “I know he really wanted to
come to this gig but he has to fly to LA with your dad this weekend
and he won’t be able to make it.”
    Ally took his hand, squeezed it, and ignored the
flutter in her stomach when he squeezed back. “I’m sorry,
Cole.”
    He smiled again, taking her breath away. “It’s ok,
Al. He comes to see me every chance he gets. I don’t mind if he
misses one or two gigs.” She shifted her heavy book bag and he
released her hand to grab the bag from her. Her heart melted at his
chivalry. “Damn, Al! What do you have in here?”
    “Just a couple extra books I need for Chem today.”
She spotted the dreaded Jennifer Mansfeld wending her way through
the crowd, working her way toward them. Snatching her bag from
Cole, she rolled her eyes. “Here comes your buddy. I’ll catch you
later.”
    Ally jogged the rest of the way to her English class,
slipped through the room and slammed her bag on her desk.
    “What’s the problem,” Jamie asked, alarmed. They
shared three classes and Ally was grateful English was one of
them.
    “Jennifer Mansfeld is so fake and nasty,” she
grumbled as she dropped into her chair, dug through her bag, and
flipped open her textbook. She whipped through the pages fiercely,
luckily not ripping any. “Oh, she gets on my nerves.”
    Jamie smirked. “She just wants Cole to take her to
the Fall Festival Dance.”
    Ally groaned. “Well, tell him to take her, please! At
least then I’ll know she’s always with him and I can avoid her
better.” She shuddered as if to illustrate her point.
    Jamie scooted his desk closer and rested his forearms
on her desk, smirk still firmly plastered to his face. “You
honestly want him taking her to the Fall Festival Dance?
Honestly?”
    She narrowed her eyes, darkness overcoming her face.
“I don’t care who he takes, actually.”
    Jamie snorted a laugh. “Liar.”
    She shoved his arms off her desk and huffed, turning
her back on him in a haughty manner. “You’re so full of it,
James.”
    He moved his desk back to its proper place, knowing
smile of his face. “He doesn’t want to take her. He’s got it bad
for someone else.”
    She glanced over her shoulder and raised a
questioning brow. “He told me he doesn’t want any kind of
relationship right now. He said he just wants to deal with school
and the band.”
    “Mm hmm,” he said as the teacher walked in the
room.
    ***
    Disappointment stabbed his heart as he watched Ally
go, her ponytail bobbing and weaving behind her. She’d actually
seemed like her old self today; totally comfortable in his
presence. He had thought that the talk they’d had about the kiss
had made things more comfortable – broken some silent sort of
tension that had been