Seaside Avenue (Cedar Cove #7)(96)

Teri nodded sympathetically.

After taking a moment to regain her composure, Rachel said, “I told Nate.”

“And?” Teri prompted. “How did it go?”

Rachel blew her nose and answered with a shrug. “About as awful as you can imagine.”

“Oh, Rach, I’m so sorry.”

“At first he didn’t believe me. He said that because of the trauma, I wasn’t thinking straight. I told him I knew what was in my heart, and then he really got upset. He said he was afraid this would happen. Because…because he’s in San Diego, and that gave Bruce the…the home field advantage.” She gazed up at Teri in wonderment. “He actually said that.”

“Men and their sports analogies,” Teri muttered. “How typical.”

Still, breaking off a relationship was always difficult. Teri had done it often enough to know. Even when that bum Gary Underwood had emptied her bank account, she’d felt guilty about kicking him out. She’d worried about him while she was struggling to pay her rent because the jerk had stolen all her money!

“Go on,” Teri told her.

“He tried to convince me I’m in love with him and the fact is, I do love Nate—just not as much as I love Bruce.”

As if discerning that this was the worst possible moment to interrupt their conversation, the waitress came for their order.

“It ended badly,” Rachel went on to explain after the waitress had left. “Nate said some unkind things and so did I.” She paused. “I believe he does have feelings for me, but I’ve come to realize that he had an agenda, too. His mother didn’t approve of me, but Nate saw the situation differently. I think he saw me in terms of his political career—he wanted an ordinary wife because he felt that would enhance his image with voters.”

“That’s true. Not the ‘ordinary’ part, I mean, but the part about voters liking you. Who wouldn’t like you?” Teri said loyally.

Smiling through her tears, Rachel dug in her purse for a second tissue. “I feel terrible, but it’s over now and I doubt I’ll hear from him again.”

Teri let a few seconds go by before she asked, “Have you talked to Bruce?”

“Not yet.” She exhaled slowly. “That conversation won’t be any easier than the one I had with Nate.”

“What makes you say that?”

Rachel frowned, shaking her head. “He’s behaving so oddly.”

“He’s in love with you,” Teri said confidently, “and it scares him.”

“Maybe,” Rachel said slowly. “Maybe…”

“Are you going to see Bruce anytime soon?”

She hesitated. “I don’t know yet.”

“Rachel!” Why were people so stubborn? First James and her sister, and now Rachel and Bruce. Teri felt as if she personally had to take charge, as if she knew what they needed better than they did.

“I will talk to him,” Rachel promised. She sat up straighter. “I tried to tell him on Friday after the…incident, but he didn’t want to hear it. He told me I needed someone, that anyone would do and he just happened to be convenient. But that’s not true,” she said vehemently. “We were supposed to talk the next day and it didn’t happen.”

“You have to tell him,” Teri insisted.

“I will,” she said again. “Can we talk about something else now?”

“Yeah, sure.” Teri wracked her brain. She’d read the Chronicle that morning; surely there’d been some article of interest. The Harbor Street Gallery had been sold and would be staying open, after all. That was the front-page story, so Rachel probably knew about it already. As she was mulling over the local news, the waitress delivered their order.

“Guess what I heard?” Rachel murmured into her soup. She’d chosen the cream of broccoli with cheese, plus a caesar salad. Teri’s meal looked bland by comparison. “The Taco Shack’s being turned into a barbecue place.”

“Say it ain’t so,” Teri groaned.

“I feel the same way.” Rachel sounded equally disappointed.

“You and Bruce used to go there a lot, didn’t you?” If she could’ve taken the words back, she would have. Rachel didn’t need to be reminded of that right now.

“Yeah.” Rachel stared out the window. The trees were bare and a few leaves skipped along the street, carried by the wind.

“How did the doctor’s appointment go?” she asked after a while.

“Fine. He suggested I walk every day.”

“You’re feeling okay?”

“I feel great,” Teri was quick to tell her. “All I need to do is keep my weight down a bit. It’s better for my blood pressure—and the baby.”

Rachel nodded. “I wonder if I’ll ever have children,” she said longingly.

“Of course you will. You should. You’re a natural with kids.” In fact, Teri marveled at her skill with children. Half her clientele seemed to be under the age of twelve. For that matter, it was how Rachel had met Bruce and Jolene, when Bruce had brought his daughter in for a haircut.

Rachel shrugged off the praise.

They paid for their lunch and started to walk along the waterfront, past the library and the marina, heading in the direction of the park.