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.
James drove them back to the salon. As soon as he pulled up in front of Cedar Cove’s mall, Rachel hugged her.
“Call me after you see Nate,” Teri said.
“I will.” James opened the door and Rachel ran lightly out.
This weekend could change her friend’s life, Teri mused. She’d either agree to marry Nate—or not. She wasn’t convinced Bruce would let himself be counted out.
On the drive home, Teri nearly fell asleep in the car. When they arrived, James helped her out, his manner even more attentive than usual.
“Thank you, James. And listen, what happened back there.”
“Yes, miss.”
“Please keep it to yourself.”
“Yes, Miss Teri.”
“I mean it.” She didn’t want Bobby hearing about this episode from his driver. James had probably guessed she was pregnant, and she’d rather Bobby didn’t figure it out quite yet. That would just multiply his worries—and hers.
James nodded, his hand supporting her elbow. He didn’t meet her eyes.
Entering the house, she went straight to the den. As she’d expected, Bobby was there, sitting in front of his chessboard.
“Hi, Bobby.”
He didn’t respond. His thoughts were on some chess move only he could see. She kissed his cheek and without another word wandered down to their bedroom. She quickly removed her clothes, then slipped beneath the covers. The sheets felt cool against her skin and she sank her head into the pillow and closed her eyes. Almost immediately Teri fell into the welcome oblivion of sleep.
The next thing she knew, her husband was sitting on the bed, his arm around her waist. She smiled and pressed her hand over his.
“The phone rang,” he said quietly.
“I didn’t hear. Was it for me?”
“It was your sister. She got your message and said she can come to dinner next week.”
Teri rolled onto her back. “Did you mention that to James?”
Her husband nodded.
“Did he look happy?”
Bobby frowned, then shook his head. “No, he looked sad.”
Teri sighed. She could see that James and her sister were going to need some guidance to get this romance off the ground.
Twenty
Rachel was so excited she could barely hold still. It’d been almost three months since she’d seen Nate and now they had a whole weekend together. A whole
