Seaside Avenue (Cedar Cove #7)(50)

She leaped to her feet and raced toward the women’s restroom. Pushing through the door, Teri barely made it inside the stall before her entire lunch came up.

“Teri?” Rachel followed her into the restroom. “Are you okay?”

“No.” She staggered out and leaned against the tiled wall.

“Miss Teri?” James called her from the doorway. “Everything all right in there? Do you need me to do anything for you?”

“Go away,” she yelled as she let her head fall forward. The room had started to swim. “I’ve got the flu,” she muttered to Rachel, who handed her a wad of tissues.

“The flu?” Rachel repeated with a giggle.

“You think this is funny?” she asked. “You ought to try upchucking your lunch and see how much fun it is.”

“I doubt you have the flu,” Rachel told her.

Fortunately Teri had bottled water in her purse; she rinsed out her mouth and wiped her face with the dampened tissues. “What do you mean this isn’t flu? You’ve been watching too many episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, haven’t you?”

“Honestly, Teri, think about it. How long have you and Bobby been married?”

What should have been obvious from the first suddenly became clear. Rachel was right; this nausea wasn’t due to any flu virus. She was pregnant. Her cycle had always been irregular but now that she considered it, she hadn’t had a period in two months. That should have been a sign. After all, they both wanted children and they weren’t using protection.

“Teri.” Rachel placed her hand on Teri’s shoulder. “You look like you’re going to faint.”

“Miss Teri?”

“I’m fine, James. Please wait outside.”

“You’re sure? Should I take you to the doctor’s?”

“James!”

Reluctantly he backed out of the restroom. It was a good thing no one else was in there at the moment, Teri thought. As soon as he was out of sight, she leaned against the wall again. “If Bobby’s protective of me now, this news will only make it worse.”

“But you have to tell him,” Rachel insisted.

“I will—just not yet. He’s obsessive as it is.”

“Because of those two men? But nothing’s happened since.”

Teri hadn’t said anything, not even to Rachel. Lowering her voice, she whispered, “I think it has, although Bobby didn’t tell me about it.”

“What do you mean?”

“The day of the hair show in Seattle.”

“Yes?”

“Remember how he called me out of the blue? He was frantic and he asked me about my necklace.” She pulled the gold medal out from under her blouse. She’d replaced the delicate chain at the first opportunity.

“He found it at home, right? You said you must’ve forgotten to put it on.”

Teri shook her head. “I had it on. I distinctly remember putting it on after my shower, like I do nearly every day.”

“But how would someone get it away from you without you knowing?”

“I have no idea.” Teri had asked herself the same question over and over. At the hair show, she’d been bumped any number of times. The place was crowded. Whoever had taken her necklace had done it quickly and cleverly, snapping the fragile chain.

“Why would anyone do that?” Rachel asked, her own voice dropping to a whisper.

“It’s another chess player,” Teri told her friend. “He wants Bobby to lose, so he’s threatening me in order to get Bobby to cooperate.”

“You have to go to the police,” Rachel said.

“Bobby won’t. I’ve already talked to him about it. He wants to take care of this himself, his own way. He promised he’ll call in law enforcement but only when he has the proof he needs. The thing is, Bobby wouldn’t know how to throw a match if he tried. All his life he’s been trained to win. Oh, he’s lost on rare occasions but it sends him into a tailspin.”

“He won’t risk letting anyone hurt you, though.”

Teri groaned. “I know. That’s why he’s stopped playing.”

“And that’s why he’s being so protective,” Rachel said with dawning comprehension. “Teri, this is awful!”

“I’d rather walk out of Bobby’s life right now than allow him to give up chess because of me,” she muttered, wiping tears from her eyes with the sodden tissues she clutched.

“Oh, Teri,” Rachel said. “It’s so wonderful to see how much you love Bobby.”

Sniffling, she nodded. She did love her husband. In fact, she’d found herself weeping easily these past few weeks and she’d assumed—Oh, my goodness, the pregnancy explained her tears! No wonder she’d been so emotional lately.

News of a baby would panic Bobby. She didn’t dare tell him.

“I don’t have any appointments for the rest of the afternoon,” Teri said, more to herself than Rachel.

“Are you going home?”

She nodded. “I think I’d better. I’m still not feeling well.”

“Do you want me to go with you?”

“Thanks, but no. I plan to take a nap.” Nothing sounded more appealing at the moment.