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"Good for you" Grinning, Rachel patted her on the shoulder "Let me knohat happens, okay?"

"I will," Teri pro out the door to her car

No sooner had Teri left than Bruce and Jolene arrived Rachel was still waving Teri off when the nine-year-old dashed up the sidewalk toward her, hugging Rachel around the waist Bruce followed at a much slower pace "What time should I pick her up?" he asked

"I’ll drop her off at home," Rachel told him He didn’t live far out of her way and it wasn’t as if she had other plans

"I’ve got a better idea," Bruce said "Why don’t I ether?"

"Can we, Rachel?" Jolene asked, pigtails bouncing as she leaped up and down "Can we? Can we?"

"That sounds like fun"

Three hours later, Rachel and Jolene pulled into the parking lot at the Pancake Palace, where they’d agreed to meet for dinner The food was cheap and plentiful, and this was Jolene’s favorite place in Cedar Cove to dine She liked to dip her French fries in her cream-topped hot chocolate, a culinary activity thatfor them in a booth near the front The estured to them Jolene ran to his side as if it’d been weeks since she’d last seen her father Rachel joined theo?" Bruce asked, sliding over so his daughter could slip in beside him

Rachel hid a smile when Jolene chose to sit beside her, instead

"Daddy, we had so ht hts and a purse"

"Men don’t generally appreciate fifty-percent-off sales unless it involves hardware," Rachel told the little girl She reached for theon a ham-and-cheese omelet

The waitress came for their order and disappeared with quiet efficiency Jolene chattered for a while, then selected a crayon frolass filled with them and started to color the paper place mat, which had a connect-the-dots outline of a bunny

Rachel and Bruce picked up the conversation They always seeh she saw Bruce infrequently Over the years they’d become comfortable with each other They’d shared a kiss now and then, but they had no romantic illusions In any case, Bruce still loved his wife, and Rachel was seeing Nate In fact, Bruce was someone she’d confided in when she’d first learned Nate’s father was a US congressman

"I didn’t think you ever had a free Saturday night," Bruce said in an offhand way "Don’t you and Nate usually go out?"

"I wish The navy co on some hush-hush project that’s kept him tied up for a feeeks now" She didn’t point out that although they did ht when they were both exhausted

She and Bruce lingered over coffee, while Jolene had a second hot chocolate It was after eight by the time Rachel returned ho--which had netted her teaters Afterward, they’d all gone down to the Cedar Cove waterfront for a walk and an ice-crea with Teri, and Bruce had laughed

"If anyone can get past security to see Bobby Polgar, it’ll be Teri," Bruce said

"You think so?"

"I know so" Bruce nodded confidently "She isn’t one to let a little thing like security guards or TV caht If anyone could talk her way intothe top-ranked American chess champion, it’d be Teri

She’d just unlocked her front door when the phone rang Running to answer it, she thren her shopping bags As she’d hoped, it was Nate

He told her he was calling frohter in the background He didn’t see hi tired and argu"

"Until after eight? You said you’d be back by six"

"Yes, but…" But he hadn’t suggested anything after that, since he’d had his own plans "We finished up around six and then met Bruce for dinner at the Pancake Palace"

Nate went quiet for a longdinner," he reed, "that didn’t come up until later Don’t tell me you’re jealous"

"Yes," he stated matter-of-factly, "I am I haven’t seen you all week"

"I know, and I’ve , Nate You know that It was Bruce’s way of thanking "

"Okay," he said in a grudging voice

"Dinner ain "Look, I’ve got tomorrow afternoon free Do you think you could squeeze me into your busy social calendar?"