Rub Me the Right Way(33)

“I'm...I'm really good,” she said, forcing a smile. There was no way she was going to admit to Cole, the superstar quarterback, that she was living in poverty while raising his son all by herself. “Things have been great. Really great.”

“Are you in school? I remember you were going to some music school. You were like, in the band, right?”

Amanda let out a wry laugh, shaking her head. She hadn't touched a musical instrument in years. “Yeah, that umm...didn't work out.”

The truth was, she'd been forced to drop out of the music school in her second semester. She'd managed to struggle her way through one semester even while she was pregnant with James, but after he'd been born, she'd had her hands full, and she hadn't been able to get back into classes. For a while she'd promised herself that it was only a temporary break, and that she'd get back into school when she got the chance. But it was looking more and more like that chance had long since passed her by, and her old flute was just collecting dust somewhere in the back of her closet.

“Well, that's a shame,” Cole said. “So, what have you been up to? Are you...seeing anyone?”

She shook her head. “I don't really have much time for dating.”

“What about the wedding?” Cole flashed her a charming smile. “Michelle said you're going to be one of her bridesmaids. Are you bringing anyone? Cause if not, well, I was wondering...”

“Wondering what?” Amanda said, scowling at him. “Wondering if I'd hook up with you after the wedding?”

“What? No, it's not like that.”

“Then what is it like?” Amanda planted her hands on her hips, staring him down. “We slept together once, over five years ago, and you figured you've made your way through enough other girls by now that you want to start back at the beginning?” She'd heard a thing or two about Cole's reputation with girls. From what she understood, she wasn't the only one he'd tossed to the curb when he was done with her.

“Look, I...” Cole spread his hands, looking up at her apologetically. But if he meant to apologize, the words seemed to die in his throat.

He got up and took a step towards the door. “I just thought maybe you'd like to catch up is all,” he said. “I know it's been a long time, and I know maybe I lost my chance, back in the day. But I just...”

He shook his head and turned away. “I guess I'll see you around,” he said.

Amanda watched him leave. She wanted to go out and talk to him. To find out if he really wanted to “catch up,” or if he was just trying to get back into her pants. To tell him that he had a son, and that he had an obligation to help take care of him. But she couldn't find the words.

Her thoughts were interrupted when her last table started calling for her, asking for their check. She handed them their check and cleared their plates. When she came back up from the dish room, she found they'd left her a whole two dollars. She tucked it into the pocket of her apron, fighting back the tears that welled in her eyes.

She finished cleaning up and refilling the ketchup bottles, hurrying as much as she could so she wouldn't miss the last bus home. The entire time, she kept thinking about Cole, about him being back in town, and about whether she'd have the courage to ever come forward and tell him the truth about his son. She was so distracted that she didn't finish her work on time, and she was still wiping down her tables in the back dining room when she looked out the window and saw her bus driving past.

She muttered a curse, clocked out, and hurried out the door, hoping she could catch up to the bus at the next stop down the road. But the bus made every green light and drove on ahead, soon vanishing out of sight.

She sighed and started trudging down the road for the long walk home, pulling out her phone to call Mrs. Carter and let her know that she'd be late picking up James.





Chapter 6



After he left the diner, Cole drove his rental car around town, wandering aimlessly. His thoughts were clouded, and all he could think about was what an ass he'd been. He'd been a fool to think that Amanda would want to talk to him, would want anything to do with him. She had been right about his reputation. Most of the girls he'd slept with, he didn't even remember their names, or anything about them. Why would Amanda think that it would be any different with her?

He drove around for a while, looking at the old, familiar sights of the town he'd grown up in. He drove past the IHOP where he'd worked as a busboy one summer in high school, and past the school's football field where he'd attracted the attention of recruiters and made a name for himself. Those days were long since past, however, and he knew this town was no longer a part of his life.

After driving in circles for a while, he found himself not far from the diner where Amanda worked. He thought about going back inside to apologize to her, to try to explain himself. But he couldn't think what to say.

He was about to drive on past the place and head home, when he spotted Amanda walking down the street. He slowed down as he approached her, wondering why she'd be walking home in the middle of the night. He had assumed she had a car; it hadn't occurred to him until he saw her walking that her restaurant job probably didn't pay her enough to afford one.

He pulled alongside the curb next to her and rolled down the window. “Hey, Amanda.”

She looked at him, an irritated scowl on her face. “Go away, Cole.”

“Amanda, don't be like that. Come on, let me give you a ride.”

“I'm fine,” she said. She pulled her jacket tighter around herself. “Why don't you just head along home? I'm sure the big welcoming party must still be going. You guys used to party all night, didn't you?”

“I'm not in college anymore,” Cole said. Sure, he and his friends used to stay up until all hours of the night, drinking and partying. But being in a professional football team was different. He had to keep himself fit, and early morning training sessions weren't easy to keep up with when you were hung over.

“Come on,” he said, “it's freezing out there. And it looks like it's going to rain.” He peered through the windshield up and the cloudy night sky. There wasn't a single star in sight.

Amanda stopped walking and looked up at the sky. Cole stopped the car right next to her. He leaned across and opened the door for her. “Please?” he said. “I owe you at least a ride home.”

Amanda looked down the street, then let out a long, frustrated sigh. She got in and pulled the door closed, then crossed her arms and turned away from him. “I live on Chestnut Lane,” she said.

Cole started driving, heading in that direction. He remembered it being in the poorer neighborhood. When they got into the right area, he saw that a lot of the houses were rundown, with peeling paint and the shutters hanging off the front of some houses. At one point they passed a couple of guys standing on a street corner, hunched over and talking quietly to each other. They shot suspicious glares at the car as they drove past, then went back to whatever illicit business they were up to in the middle of the night.

Amanda was quiet for most of the drive. She stared out the window, not even looking at Cole. He kept glancing her way, trying to think of something to say, but his mind was blank.

They pulled into her apartment complex. The buildings were badly in need of repair, and the lawn out front was patchy and filled with weeds. Cole looked through the window at the building, trying to find the right apartment, but half the numbers had fallen off the doors.

“Right here's fine,” Amanda said, her voice a bare whisper.

Cole stopped the car and sat there, watching Amanda. It had started to rain, and the only sounds were the rumbling of the engine, the light splattering of raindrops on the car, and the squeak of the windshield wipers.

Amanda reached for the door handle. Cole reached over and took her other hand. “Hey.”

She froze, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. “I need to go upstairs,” she said. “I have to pick up my son.”

He let go of her hand. He'd forgotten that she had a kid. He wondered what the situation was with the kid's father, if he was still around. “Can I come up, and we can talk?” he asked. “Just talk.”

“We don't have anything to talk about.” She got out and slammed the door shut. He watched her walk through the rain and into the apartment. He sat there staring at the building until he saw a light on the third floor turn on. He gazed up at the window, hoping to catch another glimpse of her. But a minute later the light turned out.

Cole sighed and shifted the car into gear. He'd been a fool to think he could become a part of her life again. He drove home through the rain, trying to banished thoughts of Amanda from his mind. But seeing her again, after so many years, had stirred something up inside of him. He couldn't stop thinking about her, no matter how hard he tried.





Chapter 7



Early Saturday morning, Amanda had a shift at her second job, running a cash register at a local supermarket. It was grueling to be there so early in the morning after working a double the night before, but she didn't have much choice in the matter if she wanted to keep up with her bills. She was consoled by the one perk her second job had: she had a stool behind the register, so she could sit instead of being on her feet all day. It was a small benefit, but with how bad her feet were still hurting, it was a blessing.