Harbor Street (Cedar Cove #5)(31)

“I can’t say exactly what appealed to me about Nate,” Rachel confessed. “He was one of the last bachelors available and not a single one of us girls had bought one yet.” She paused. “Although a girlfriend of mine did get a dog.”

“We all had high hopes for this event,” Teri said. “We went thinking this might be a good way to meet men.”

“And we wanted to support the shelter,” another girl chimed in. “We’re all big animal-lovers here.”

“It seems to be working out for Rach,” a young woman with spiked hair said.

“I don’t mind admitting it was the best money I’ve spent in ages,” Rachel agreed.

“Yeah?” Teri placed one hand on her hip. “Then why are you still dating Bruce Payton?”

“We aren’t dating,” Rachel insisted, lowering her voice. “We really aren’t,” she told Cecilia. “Bruce is a widower and we sort of keep each other company now and then.”

“Jolene wants you to be her mom.” Teri said this in a singsong voice as if she were forecasting trouble.

Rachel exhaled slowly. “I know, and that’s a problem.”

Confused, Cecilia glanced from one woman to the other. “Jolene is Bruce’s daughter?”

“Yes.” Rachel nodded. “She misses her mother. I try to do girl things with her. Bruce appreciates that, and Jolene and I have gotten to be close in the last couple of years.”

“But you’re interested in Nate?” Cecilia wanted to be clear on that.

“Very much.” Rachel didn’t bother to disguise her feelings for him.

“I gather he feels the same way about you,” Cecilia was happy to report. “Like I said, my husband suggested I get in touch with you.”

“That’s great.” Happiness radiated from her eyes.

“Um…does Nate know you’re seeing Bruce?”

“Yes—no, but Bruce and I aren’t actually seeing each other in the dating sense. We just do things together, mainly for the company. And for Jolene. There’s nothing romantic between us.” She hesitated for a moment. “At least on my end.”

“And Bruce?”

“I can’t speak for him, but…sometimes I think he’d like the relationship to be more than it is. Please understand, I don’t encourage him,” Rachel said, looking a bit uncomfortable to be saying even this much. “I haven’t said anything to Nate about Bruce, because—well, because it just isn’t important enough to mention.”

Cecilia understood perfectly. She believed in honesty between husband and wife, but there were some things best left unsaid. Some things that were just too hard to explain. Especially when communication was limited.

“I felt terrible when I missed a phone call from Nate. I was with Jolene and had my cell turned off. We must’ve been in the movie theater and then I got a message that he’d called. I was sick about that. Apparently he only got one chance and he wasted his.” Rachel’s disappointment echoed in each word.

“Ian said you don’t have a computer.”

“I don’t,” Rachel said. “In fact, I’m a real dunce when it comes to anything technological.”

“I’d be willing to help you learn,” Cecilia offered. “Ian asked me to get you up and running. The request is actually from Nate because he wants to talk to you on-line. Once you’re familiar with how it works, you can use one of the computers at the library. That’s what Ian and I did until we could afford our own. You’d be surprised how easy it is.”

Rachel beamed. “Thank you—I really appreciate this. By the way…did your husband mention that I’m a few years older than Nate?”

“No, but it didn’t sound as if Nate cared.”

“No, I guess he doesn’t. I think about it sometimes and then I remember—”

“What she remembers,” Teri inserted, “is that Nate is one hell of a kisser.”

Cecilia watched as Rachel’s face grew pink. “This is the problem when you work with a group of women,” she muttered, glaring across her station at Teri. “They don’t know the meaning of the word discretion.”

Teri laughed outright. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Rachel blush before—except when she told us about the night she and Nate sat on the beach until the wee hours of the morning.”

“Nate was leaving that day,” Rachel added for Cecilia’s benefit.

Cecilia understood the need to be close for as long as possible. It happened with her and Ian every time he was due to ship out.

“There are a few of us Navy wives who have a small support group. You’d be welcome to stop by the next evening we meet.”

“I would, but I’m not a Navy wife.”

“But you could be,” Teri said.

“We’d love to have you,” Cecilia assured Rachel. “I’ll let you know when we’re planning to get together. Why don’t you come to my apartment first so I can show you how to send Nate an e-mail.”

“Thank you,” Rachel whispered. “I’m thrilled about this.”

Cecilia felt good about it herself. Not only that, her hair looked beautiful—smooth and glossy—and when she went to pay, Rachel told her it was on the house.