74 Seaside Avenue Part 20

According to the arrivals monitor, his Alaska Airlines flight from San Diego had landed. People were streaming through, so many at a time that Rachel was afraid she'd miss him.

Then he was there, standing in front of her. She let out a squeal of delight and launched herself into his arms. Her sailor man wrapped her in his embrace, swinging her around so people near them stepped out of the way, smiling. Then his hungry mouth claimed hers again and again.

"Oh, Nate, I've missed you so much."

He held her tight, drawing in several deep breaths as though desperate to take in her scent.

"I've never been on a longer flight in my life," he whispered. "I kept reminding myself that every minute brought me closer to you." Slowly he released her until her shoes touched the floor again.

"I've got a wonderful weekend planned," she told him, laughing. He slipped one arm around her waist, carrying his overnight bag in the other. Walking side by side, they started toward the parking garage.

"What kind of plans?" He kissed her cheek as if he couldn't stop touching her now that they were finally together.

"The Puyallup Fair's on. You'll love it." It was a cla.s.sic country fair, with rides, entertainment, animals and all kinds of exhibits. Rachel had often attended the fair when she was growing up; it had been one of the joys of her childhood. But she hadn't been to the Puyallup Fair in years and she thought seeing it with Nate was an inspired idea.

"Sounds like fun. Anything else?"

"Yes." It was supposed to be a surprise but she couldn't keep it to herself. "Two front-row Seahawks tickets," she informed him, feeling downright smug. One of her clients, who had season tickets, was going to be out of town when the Seahawks played the Raiders and had given the tickets to Rachel. The timing of this generous gift couldn't have been more perfect. Rachel wasn't much of a sports fan, but she knew Nate loved football.

"You're joking!"

"Nope." To prove she was telling the truth, Rachel pulled the tickets from her purse. "We might have to leave the game a few minutes early so you can catch your flight Sunday evening, but that's a small thing, right?"

"Right," he echoed. Nate hugged her again. "I knew there was a reason I loved you."

Rachel laughed. "Well, if that's all it takes..."

They had dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Kent that Nate had heard about from a friend. The enchiladas were the best Rachel had ever tasted. They lingered over margaritas and talked for nearly two hours; in fact, the restaurant was closing before Rachel noticed the time and suggested they leave.

On the drive over the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and home to Cedar Cove, she decided to introduce the subject of Jolene. Nate couldn't ignore the girl, as much as he might like to. Their relations.h.i.+p was too important to Rachel.

"Did I mention that Jolene's running for cla.s.s 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 Tacoma Narrows. 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 a.s.sociations. She was from a different cla.s.s 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, Was.h.i.+ngton.

"The rally would be a great experience," Nate a.s.sured 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."

The possibility of not having Nate in her future was the deciding factor. "I'll do it," she said, her voice resolute.

"Thank you, babe." He reached for her hand, then raised it to his lips.

The weekend was a whirlwind of activity. Nate and Rachel arrived at the Puyallup Fairgrounds at eleven on Sat.u.r.day morning and didn't leave until nearly ten that night. By then they'd experienced just about everything the fair had to offer, from cotton candy to corn on the cob and rides that terrified her. They'd attended a horse show and dog obedience trials and she'd watched a baby chick peck its way out of its sh.e.l.l. At Rachel's strongly worded request, Nate purchased tickets to see one of the American Idol winners.

"Promise you won't tell any of my friends I actually paid to listen to someone from American Idol," Nate protested.

Rachel swatted his arm. "Don't you dare say a bad word about my all-time favorite TV show."

Despite Nate's reservations, he seemed to enjoy the performance as much as Rachel did.

Sunday morning, after brunch at her place, they were on the ferry to the Seahawks game at Quest Field in downtown Seattle. The game was exciting, even for someone who didn't care much about football. The Seahawks won in the final seconds, and because the game was so close, Rachel and Nate left later than they'd planned.

She had to drop Nate off at the airport; there wasn't time to go inside with him. He kissed her long and hard, releasing her only when a security guard approached their vehicle.

"Move along, folks," he said, waving toward Rachel's car.

Nate kissed her again. "We'll be together next month."

Rachel had put the political rally out of her mind. She sighed and closed her eyes, trying not to worry about it. Nate was right-she shouldn't give up on their relations.h.i.+p without making more of an effort. She could learn to be the kind of wife he needed if he entered politics. She'd just have to learn the social niceties. The protocol. The conversation.

She waited until he'd walked through the gla.s.s doors, then drove away with tears in her eyes. Periodically on the drive back to Cedar Cove she had to blink rapidly to clear her vision.

Her small rental house felt even smaller once she got home. She tossed her purse and keys on a shelf in the hallway and ignored the blinking red light that informed her she had phone messages.

When the doorbell rang, she groaned audibly. She wasn't in any mood for company. She debated not answering but the doorbell rang again. Someone was persistent. Not entirely to her surprise, she found Bruce Peyton standing there-looking as if he was lost and needed directions. Jolene wasn't with him, either.

"Can I come in?" he'd asked when she didn't immediately invite him inside.

"Oh, sure, sorry." She'd put him off when he'd asked, earlier in the week, if they could get together, and felt guilty about that. "I just got home," she explained. "Not two minutes ago."

"I know," he said as he followed her into the kitchen. Without waiting to be asked, he slouched down in a kitchen chair.

She wondered what was wrong, and all at once it occurred to her that this might have to do with his daughter. "Where's Jolene?" she asked urgently. "She's okay, isn't she?"

"She's roller-skating with friends." He rested his elbows on the table, then propped up his head. He looked tired.

"What's the matter with you?" She began to make a pot of coffee. Bruce could obviously use the caffeine and she needed something to do, something to work off her nervous tension.

Bruce studied her with wide blue eyes. "You're going to marry that navy guy, aren't you?"

"Bruce, honestly..."

"I know. It's none of my business."

The coffee had started to drain into the pot. Rachel waited until there was enough for a cup, then poured it into a mug, which she handed him.

"I don't know what I'm going to do yet," she said. "It's too soon."

"You love him, though?"

"Yes." She wouldn't deny it.

"He wants to marry you." He said this as though making a statement of fact.

Nodding, she filled a second mug. "If I do decide to marry Nate, we'll work something out with Jolene. She can fly out to visit us in California-or wherever we are-on a regular basis." Rachel sat across from him at the table.

"She'd appreciate that, I'm sure."

"I'd miss her. It isn't like I could just forget her."

He sipped his coffee, then held the mug with both hands and stared down at it. "I care about you, Rachel."

"Thank you," she said simply. "I care about you, too."

A smile came and went, almost before she could notice.

"Thanks," he said. "A little while ago, I realized how much I depend on you. You're a good friend."

"I consider you a good friend, too." And she did.

"Have you had dinner?" he asked.

At the game they'd had hot dogs and soda, and then later Rachel had eaten salty, greasy popcorn. In fact, all she'd had since brunch was junk food. "Not really. Want to go out?"

"Sure." The suggestion seemed to please him. "Do you have anything in mind?"

"Mr. Wok's?" It was her favorite Chinese place.

"Fine with me."

Not until she was getting ready for bed later that night did she remember Bruce's comment that he knew she'd just gotten home. He must have been parked outside her house, waiting.