Seaside Avenue (Cedar Cove #7)(52)

“Did I mention that Jolene’s running for class secretary?” she said, knowing she hadn’t.

“No.”

He didn’t say anything else.

“Bruce is helping with her campaign, and so am I.” She was intentionally probing a little, hoping he’d respond with at least a show of interest.

Nate sighed and closing his eyes, rested his head against the seat, shutting her out. “Do we have to talk about Bruce and Jolene?” he asked. “Can’t tonight just be about us?”

“Of course it can,” Rachel told him, but his indifference to Jolene hurt.

The silence between them seemed to stretch and Rachel knew it would be up to her to break it.

“I have news, but I have to swear you to secrecy first.”

“Okay.” He opened his eyes and straightened.

“You won’t tell?”

“I swear.”

“Cross your heart and hope to die?”

“Yes, yes. Now tell me.”

“Teri’s pregnant,” Rachel said triumphantly. “The crazy part is that I had to point it out to her.”

“What does Bobby think?”

“Bobby doesn’t know, which is why it’s a secret.”

“She isn’t telling her own husband?”

Rachel didn’t want to go into the details. “It’s too hard to explain. She’s ecstatic, though. I have no idea how she’s kept the news from Bobby. The poor girl’s sick every afternoon.”

“I thought pregnant women suffered from morning sickness?”

“Not Teri. She has afternoon sickness. She hasn’t managed to hold down her lunch all week.”

Nate shook his head. “This pregnancy might help her lose weight, then.”

“Nate!” That was an unkind comment and she wasn’t going to let him get away with it. “Teri isn’t fat.”

“She isn’t skinny, either.”

“So what?” Rachel frowned at him. “That was rude of you.”

For the first time he seemed to notice that she was upset. “Hey, come on, Rachel, I was only teasing. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

She nodded, unwilling to spend their precious time together arguing over how he viewed her best friend. These two days were going to be short enough.

“Listen, before I forget, I have a favor to ask you,” Nate said, effectively changing the subject.

“Anything.” They exited off the freeway to Highway 16 and then over the TacomaNarrows. In another thirty minutes, they’d be in Bremerton, where Nate was staying with a navy friend.

“My father called me about coming home for a big political rally in October. I want you to fly in and meet me there.” Nate’s father was a congressman from Pennsylvania. Nate had grown up accustomed to living in the spotlight; events such as campaign rallies, political dinners, meetings with diplomats and dignitaries were part of his everyday life.

Dread filled Rachel and although she tried, she couldn’t keep the reluctance out of her voice. “If you want me there, then of course, I’ll arrange to join you.”

“I do. This is important, Rachel. I’d like you to meet my extended family and my friends.”

The initial introduction to his parents, when they’d visited the Seattle area a few months earlier, hadn’t gone well. Nate evidently hadn’t been aware of his mother’s disapproval, although Rachel certainly hadn’t missed it. While Patrice Olsen had seemed polite and charming, her message was clear. Rachel came without connections, without influential relatives or other beneficial associations. She was from a different class than the politically based Olsen clan, and Rachel was afraid she’d never fit into his family. She was convinced Patrice had someone in mind for her only son. And that someone wasn’t an orphaned hair and nail tech from Cedar Cove, Washington.

“The rally would be a great experience,” Nate assured her.

“Really?” Rachel knew she sounded doubtful, even though she tried not to.

“I want you to understand the responsibilities of being part of my family.”

“Oh.” That was straightforward enough. “Are you thinking of running for office one day?” she asked. When they’d first met, Nate hadn’t even told her his father was a congressman. He’d joined the navy as an enlisted man in defiance of his family. At the time, he’d felt the need to prove himself. Obviously that was no longer the case.

“I have been thinking about it,” Nate confessed. “That doesn’t mean I will, but it’s in the blood, you know? Just being at one of these rallies with Dad is exciting, and I didn’t realize how much I missed it until he called. There’s an energy to a campaign—it’s contagious. You’ll see what I mean.”

“Oh, Nate, I’m not the right woman for you.” She blurted this out, feeling close to tears. “I hate being in the limelight. I’d be a detriment to you.”

“Rachel, how can you say that? I love you—you’re everything I want in a woman, a wife.”

“But I’m not! How can I be? The mere thought of a political life terrifies me.”

“Don’t be so quick to judge. Meet me in October and you can see for yourself what it’s really like. Don’t be so willing to give up on us.”