Sandpiper Way (Cedar Cove #8)(64)

Rachel noticed right away. “Teri, are you still worrying about the babies?”

“No…I was just thinking about Bobby and how much I love him.”

“Tell him soon,” Rachel urged. “He’s going to be thrilled. Yes, he’ll be concerned. Who could blame him? He probably won’t let you out of his sight until May.”

“No, April. The doctor wants to schedule a C-section for the last week of April. He’s afraid of complications, so the babies are now due April twenty-seventh.”

“Oh, Teri, this is so exciting!”

“It certainly explains why I feel like Elsie the Cow at three and a half months,” she said wryly. “Can you picture me at eight?” Teri didn’t even want to think about it.

“While I’ve got you here,” Rachel murmured. “Give me an update on what’s happening with your sister and James.”

Teri knew the abrupt change of subject was Rachel’s way of distracting her from her worries. Teri had been keeping her friend updated on the romance, such as it was, between Bobby’s driver and her younger sister.

“Where did I leave off?” Teri asked, leaning closer.

“Last I heard, you and Bobby had invited them both to dinner.”

“Well, that totally backfired. James refused to come.”

Rachel rolled her eyes. “Men are so stubborn.”

“My thought exactly,” Teri said. “Something must’ve happened afterward, though.”

“What?”

“I’m not sure. The next morning, my sister’s car was still in the driveway.”

“Christie didn’t leave? Do you mean to tell me she spent the night with James?”

Teri shrugged. “Well, she wasn’t with us, so I assumed the same thing as you. But…I assumed wrong.”

“Well, where was she if she wasn’t with him?”

“At home.” Teri had been discouraged by the news. “Apparently her car wouldn’t start.”

“Oh.” Rachel sounded disappointed, too. “So James gave her a ride home?”

“It appears that way. When I asked him about it, he was pretty closemouthed. I only know she was having car problems because James was out tinkering with her car.”

“He fixed it?”

“I guess so. The next time I looked out, the car was gone and so was James.” She sighed. “Unfortunately he wasn’t away for long, which tells me he probably dropped off the car without saying a word to her.”

“What is it with that man?” Rachel asked, groaning theatrically. Ever since the kidnapping incident, she’d taken great interest in the health and happiness of James Wilbur.

“The thing is, I know my sister. She’s falling for James, but she’s fighting it.”

“James would certainly be an improvement over her ex,” Rachel said.

“A serial killer would be an improvement over her ex,” Teri joked. “Well, not really, but you know what I mean.”

Rachel glanced out at the shop. Her client was waiting at her station; someone, most likely Jane, had already put a plastic cape around her shoulders and given her the current Vogue. “I need to get back to work.”

“Thanks for listening, Rach.”

They stood and hugged. “Keep December twentieth hush-hush, okay?” Rachel said.

“You bet.”

“We haven’t told anyone else yet, not even Jolene. Pastor Flemming offered to marry us in the church that afternoon. It’ll be a private ceremony.”

“But I’m invited, right?”

“Of course! I can’t get married without my matron of honor, can I? Not to mention her husband.”

Teri gently squeezed her friend’s arm. “Bobby and I will be there,” she promised. “Thank you.”

“No, thank you,” Rachel said. “Anyway, I should go. Some of us still work for a living.” Her good-natured laugh told Teri there was no jealousy in her words. Rachel was merely teasing, exercising her privilege as best friend.

“Don’t be afraid to tell Bobby about the babies,” Rachel said as they left the break room. “And call me tonight. He’s going to be thrilled,” she insisted again.

Teri wished she felt as confident as Rachel. She was the one who’d wanted to get pregnant. Bobby had been afraid for her physical safety and thought they should wait. The news that they were having a multiple birth was bound to send him into a panic.

As soon as Teri left the mall, James brought the limousine toward her. Before she could open the door, he was out of the car and opening it for her. Once she was tucked inside, he took his position behind the wheel.

“Is everything all right, Miss Teri?” he asked with a look of concern.

“Yes, I think so. Why do you ask?”

James started the engine. “Your doctor’s appointment was exceptionally lengthy and you seemed upset. Then you asked me to take you directly to the salon—to Miss Rachel, I presume.”

“Rachel’s my closest friend. She’s—Oh, sorry.” Her cell phone interrupted her. She took it from her purse and saw at a glance that it was her sister.

“Hi, Christie,” she said, flipping it open. She watched as James’s shoulders tightened.