“You’re the one who gave me the power to believe in myself,” he said.
They left their haven under the stairwell and walked into the parking lot. Allison unlocked her mom’s car, and Anson slid into the passenger seat beside her. “Where would you like to go?” she asked him.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to see my mother first. I have her money. Then Shaw.” He grinned. “I don’t think either of them will recognize me.”
“I didn’t at first.”
“I know,” he said with a delighted laugh. “I wish you could’ve seen the look on your face when it dawned on you that this short-haired soldier was me. It was priceless.”
“You think you’re funny, don’t you?” she said, laughing, too.
“No, I think I’m the most fortunate man in Cedar Cove. I don’t need to run or hide. I have you back, and my life’s on course. For the first time ever, I can smile at the future.”
So could Allison.
Forty-Four
In Rachel’s opinion, dinner with Nate’s parents on Tuesday evening couldn’t have gone worse. She’d felt miserable and out of her element the entire evening. They were in an outrageously expensive Seattle restaurant, where each place setting featured more cutlery than Rachel owned. That was bad enough. Even worse was the fact that Nate didn’t even seem to notice how uncomfortable she was. Nate’s mother had used every opportunity to belittle Rachel, and she’d done it in the most subtle way. Again and again, she brought up subjects that excluded Rachel and made no effort to explain who or what she meant.
Once when Rachel had the temerity to ask a question about someone she’d mentioned, Patrice Olsen raised her eyebrows—as if it should be understood that she was referring to the English ambassador’s daughter. Following that, Rachel hadn’t dared ask a single thing. They’d all started off on the wrong foot the night Nate had showed up at her house, his parents in tow. The fact that Bruce and Jolene were there seemed to give his mother even more of a reason to dislike her. Patrice obviously assumed that Rachel was cheating on her son.
After dinner, which seemed to last forever, Nate wished his parents a safe trip home. He appeared to be pleased with what he considered a successful evening. Now as he drove Rachel home, she tried to figure out how Nate had missed his mother’s unmistakable attempts to thwart their relationship.
“I told you there was nothing to worry about,” Nate said, briefly glancing away from the road. His right hand reached for hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. He looked happy and content, while Rachel felt just the opposite. “I knew the minute Mom met you, she’d love you, too,” he continued, “and I was right. Mom thinks you’re fabulous.”
“How can you say that?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “I was a nervous wreck all night.” She didn’t mention their initial introduction, but surely he could guess that was part of the reason!
“You were?”
“Yes,” she said, close to tears. “Nate, I was so far out of my comfort zone I could hardly breathe.”
He glanced away from the road again. “It didn’t show. You’re a classy woman, Rach, and my parents thought you were great, but I knew they would.”
Apparently he hadn’t noticed that she hadn’t swallowed a single bite of that expensive dinner. “Your parents really care about you,” she said.
Nate shrugged. “Dad and I have had our differences over the years. As you already know, he didn’t approve when I enlisted in the navy. We had a big blowup about that, but underneath it all, I know he’s proud of me and my decision. He’s come to trust my judgment. Mom, too.” He cast a meaningful look in her direction as they drove across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge on their way back into Cedar Cove.
“Your parents have plenty of reasons to be proud of you, Nate.” All Rachel wanted was to get home. Her head hurt and her cheeks ached from constantly smiling. She had less of a problem with Nate’s father; unlike his wife, Nathaniel Olsen was a straight shooter. Mrs. Olsen had made it evident from the moment they were introduced that she found Rachel lacking. No, even before tonight, Rachel thought, recalling the phone conversation in the park. It wasn’t anything personal; his mother just didn’t consider Rachel Pendergast good enough for her only son.
They got to her house before Rachel was ready. She didn’t want Nate to leave and yet at the same time she wanted to be alone. How could she explain the way his mother made her feel? If she tried, Nate would assume she was being paranoid and childish.
Nate parked his car at the curb and turned to smile at her. The look in his eyes told her he wasn’t ready for the evening to end, either.
“Would you like to come in and talk for a bit?” Rachel asked. There was nothing to do at the moment but put tonight’s dinner behind her. Later, when she’d had time to assimilate the evening’s events, she’d be able to make some decisions.
“I would love a cup of coffee,” Nate said and gently kissed her. His kisses had always been her downfall. The first time they’d kissed, Rachel had felt her world crumble at her feet. That hadn’t changed in the months they’d been seeing each other; if anything the physical attraction between them had grown stronger.
Nate helped her out of the car and when they’d walked up to her front door, he took the keys from her hand and unlocked it for her. He observed these small courtesies, old-fashioned courtesies, which he’d obviously grown up with. The contrast between Nate and Bruce when it came to these details of courtship was striking. Not that she was dating Bruce. The fact that he’d even enter her mind at a time like this was an irritation she could do without.
“Thanks,” she said when Nate gave her back the key ring. The living room was dark and she switched on a lamp on her way into the kitchen. Although she wasn’t really interested in coffee, preparing a pot gave her something to do while she collected her thoughts.
“It looks like you’ve got a message on your answering machine,” Nate commented as he pulled out a kitchen chair.
Without thinking, Rachel pushed the button. Almost immediately she heard Jolene’s sweet voice. “Hi, Rachel.” She sounded disappointed not to find Rachel at home. “I wish you were there. I was hoping we could go to a movie together. Dad says the one I want to see is a chick flick and I should ask you.” She gave an exasperated sigh that made Rachel laugh. “You know men. Call me back soon, okay?”
Suddenly she saw that Nate was frowning. “They take a lot for granted, don’t they?” he murmured.
“Not really.” Now Rachel frowned, finding herself oddly defensive of Bruce and Jolene.
“I have news,” Nate said. He’d waited until after she’d poured him a mug of coffee.
“Good news, I hope,” she said as she joined him at the table. She stirred a teaspoon of sugar into her coffee.
“Rachel.” He reached across the table, stilling her hand. “The George Washington has been transferred to San Diego.”
It took longer than it should have to understand what that meant. “You’re leaving Cedar Cove?” she asked.
He nodded. “I wanted to say something sooner, but with my parents in town and you so busy most of the time…”
“I haven’t been that busy at work,” she countered. “Not since Teri got back.” But she knew what he’d say. Twice in the last month, he’d wanted to go out and she’d had to turn him down because of previous commitments to Jolene.
“You’re always doing something with that girl.”
“She has a name, Nate. It’s Jolene, and she’s my friend.”
He shrugged. “I’m not sure it’s healthy for you to spend so much time with her.”
The anger Rachel experienced was hot and immediate, but she forced it back. This wasn’t the time to discuss her relationship with Jolene. There were other pressing matters at hand. It had only begun to sink in that Nate would be leaving Cedar Cove. “You…you should’ve said you were being transferred,” she said. “You should’ve told me earlier.”
“I know.” He covered her hands and gazed
into her eyes. “I hate to tell you like this,” he said quietly, “especially since we’re heading out so soon.”
“When?” she asked in a strained voice.
“Next week.”
She gasped. “No…”
He nodded. “I’m sorry.”
“I…” She didn’t know how to react to this shocking news. The evening and the uncomfortable dinner were the least of her worries now. Nate had been transferred. Within a week, this man she loved would be gone.
Her mouth went dry. “What will that mean for us?” she managed to ask.
“It means,” Nate said, exhaling deeply, “that you and I need to make a decision. A very important decision.”
Her stomach tensed, and she could hear her heart pounding in her ears.
He paused as if to gauge her response to his announcement. “You know how I feel about you.”
“Yes…” She felt the same way about him. Although he was a few years younger and the son of a wealthy and powerful politician, he’d managed to steal her heart. During the six months he’d been at sea, they’d written each other long letters, then later e-mailed on a daily basis, and in the process had grown close. When she’d first learned about his family, she’d wanted to end their relationship, but he’d persuaded her not to. Now the navy was taking him away from her.
“What about the others?” She’d become good friends with several of the navy wives, especially Cecilia Randall. Since Aaron’s birth, she hadn’t seen as much of Cecilia, and now Rachel understood why. Cecilia was adjusting to more than her newborn son, more than her move to Grace Harding’s house on Rosewood Lane. She was packing up for San Diego.
“They’re all moving, too,” he said, “Almost everyone associated with the George Washington has been transferred.”
“Oh.” She hoped there’d be an opportunity to say goodbye to her friends and to exchange addresses and promises to keep in touch.
“I want you to think about something,” Nate continued. “I want you to go there, too.”
He couldn’t be serious! Did he expect her to pack up her own life and become a camp follower?
“With your job you could work anywhere, right?”
He left her reeling from one shock and then another. “You want me to move, too? Just like that?”
“I know it’s a lot to ask. I know it’s unfair, but I have a reason for asking.”
It didn’t matter. “I can’t, Nate. My life is here in Cedar Cove. My closest friends are here—Teri and Jane and—”
“Jolene,” Nate finished.
“Yes, Jolene,” she confirmed. If Rachel moved, the child would be devastated. She’d lost her mother a few years ago, and Rachel’s leaving would make her feel like she’d been abandoned a second time. Rachel couldn’t do that to her.
Nate brought her hand to his lips and gently kissed her knuckles. “Why don’t we give it three months?”
“All right.” Already she missed him. She knew instinctively that this would be different from when he was at sea. “Three months,” she repeated, wondering, Three months until what?
“At the end of three months, we should both know,” Nate said casually.
“Know what?”
“If this is something we can do, live apart like this,” Nate explained, again sounding very casual, as if everything was clear. As if she understood.
She frowned slightly. “And if we decide we can’t, what will that mean?”
“I’m hoping it means you’ll be willing to join me.”
“Join you?”
Nate’s sensual mouth turned upward in a warm, inviting smile. “In other words, Rachel, I’m hoping you’ll consider becoming my wife.”
Forty-Five
Teri took a bite of her taco salad and realized that her appetite just wasn’t what it used to be. Love did that to her. When Ray had first moved in with her, she’d lost ten pounds. Of course, that weight had reappeared, plus five additional pounds once she’d kicked him out, but that was beside the point. This time she was living with the right man and she’d never been happier in her life. In fact, she hadn’t expected to be this happy, ever. Falling in love with a decent man who loved her back didn’t happen to women like her. Only it had, and she thanked God every day for bringing Bobby into her life.
“Are you taking your lunch break now?” Teri said to Rachel, who’d wandered into the lunchroom. Her friend had been depressed all morning. Yesterday, she’d gotten the news that Nate was shipping out, and she was taking it hard.
“I’ll be with you in a minute,” Rachel said as she slipped a Lean Cuisine meal into the microwave and punched in four minutes. “The truth is, I don’t have much of an appetite.”
“Me, neither,” Teri moaned. “What’s wrong with us?”
“Men,” Jane said, coming into the room. “That’s usually what it is, anyway.”
Teri laughed. “I miss Bobby,” she admitted. She probably said this a dozen times a day. In order to maintain his ranking, he had to play tournaments all over the world. Teri hoped that in a year or two, he’d be able to slow down this relentless pace.
“Where is he now?” Jane asked, waiting for her turn at the microwave.
“New York City.” She’d talked to him before she left for work. “He wants me to meet him there this weekend.”
“Are you going?”
Teri shrugged indifferently, although she was dying to be with Bobby and to see his Manhattan apartment. She might even talk him into taking her to a real Broadway show. Aw, who was she kidding? When Bobby was in a tournament, chess was his sole focus. With one exception—their honeymoon. They’d had another subject on their minds in Las Vegas, and it didn’t have anything to do with gambling. Just thinking about the hours they’d spent in bed made her miss her husband even more.
“You really love that chess geek, don’t you?” Jane said, watching her closely.
“Bobby isn’t a geek.” He was, but Teri had no intention of admitting it, especially to Jane. “He’s a genius, and he needs me, and yes, I love him.”
“He likes her macaroni and cheese, too,” Rachel teased, smiling at Teri.
“You just wait,” Teri told her friends as the microwave buzzed. “One day you’re going to fall this much in love and then you’ll understand.”
“Rachel is in love, aren’t you?” Jane said, stepping around her to insert her frozen entrée into the microwave.
“Yeah,” Rachel said, “but I didn’t expect love to be this complicated.”
“How so?” Jane asked, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall.
Rachel seemed about to explain, then changed her mind. Sighing, she lifted one shoulder. “It just is.”
“Are you going to follow Nate to San Diego?” Teri asked. She’d hate it if Rachel moved away. Get Nailed wouldn’t be the same without her, although she also wondered how long she’d be able to maintain her own splintered life, with Bobby’s home on the east coast and hers on the west. More and more, she felt that her place was with her husband. They needed each other, although it was an odd feeling to need anyone. Being needed, yes; she was used to that. But needing someone? Having lived her life as independently as possible, Teri found this difficult to grasp.
Still, she didn’t want to leave Cedar Cove. And she didn’t know how these new contradictions in her life could be resolved.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Rachel said.
“Just remember,” Jane told her, “if you marry Nate, you’re married to the United States Navy, too. You go where they tell you and when they tell you, and you do it without complaint.”
“Aye, aye, Captain,” Rachel teased, saluting Jane. She sat down and dipped her fork in the steaming chicken and rice entrée. “Actually, it isn’t the navy that scares me. I can deal with navy life, but I’m not sure I can cope with Nate’s mother.”
Just then, Denise, the receptionist, came into the break room. “There’s someone here to see you,” she said, directing the comm
ent to Teri.
“I don’t have an appointment until one,” she muttered, eyeing her half-eaten lunch.
“It’s not a customer,” she said. “It’s that tall, skinny driver.”
“James?” The only reason James would be in Cedar Cove was if he’d driven Bobby.
“There’s someone else with him, too,” Denise added, curling her lip as if to say she didn’t like his companion. “A big, beefy guy.”
“Is everything all right with Bobby?” Teri asked, instantly concerned. She immediately set aside her salad and got to her feet.
“He didn’t say,” Denise told her.
Pushing back the drape, Teri hurried into the salon foyer. Sure enough, James was there. She didn’t recognize the man with him. Like Denise said, he resembled a wrestler with huge biceps beneath a black suit.
“Teri,” James said. “Come with us.”
“Is Bobby with you?” she asked
“He’s in the car,” the other man answered for him, speaking with a heavy accent. One Teri couldn’t identify.
“He is? Why didn’t you say so?” She started out of the shop, with James and his friend following behind. But when she entered the mall parking lot, she couldn’t see the limo.
“Over there,” James said, pointing.
The other man led the way to a white van, where a third man waited. “James?” she asked, suddenly suspicious. Something wasn’t right.
James avoided her gaze.
“What’s going on?” she asked urgently.
“Just do what he tells you,” Bobby’s driver instructed her in a quiet voice.
“Now, just a minute,” Teri said, standing her ground. She wasn’t about to walk off with this…this gangster, not without a very good reason, anyway. “What’s going on here?” she asked again.
James’s cell phone rang, and he looked at the other man before answering. The wrestler type nodded, and James flipped it open. His gaze shot to Teri.
“She’s with me,” he answered, his voice unnaturally high. “No, no, we haven’t been hurt.”