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Forty-One

Teri stirred the boiling macaroni and tasted it to see if it was done She so This dinner was special--she was cooking for Bobby

Although she’d been married for ether for her husband Bobby was flying in fro an important match She’d had no idea the deh he was faithful about phoning each and every day, and often more than that, Bobby hadn’t contacted her when he’d finished this ure, Bobby was on a plane He’d caught a flight i in Seattle at five James ith him and would drive him from Sea-Tac to Cedar Cove--to their home Yes, they had a real home now, at 74 Seaside Avenue

Within days of her return froas, Teri had purchased the house Bobby insisted she h for both of them He’d written the check, and she’dShe’d learned that when Bobby Polgar wanted soiven her a credit card, which she’d used to buy new furniture fro a leather sofa, the price of which shocked her, and a solid-wood dining suite And then there was the bed…

Eager to show her husband the house and cook for him, Teri had decided to make one of her favorite meals The ht it to the Christmas potluck at work She had a couple of variations on it, too Soer and taco seasonings Occasionally she threw in some chopped to When he’d taken her out for dinner, or--more frequently--ordered room service, they’d always had fancy food, lobster and such She thought he’d enjoy some more basic fare Her kind of food

It seeer than they’d beenwith hih the truth was, neither of the how e bed Well, it’d mostly been hotel beds, but that wasn’t the point

Peering out the , she saw the stretch limo pull up in front of the house Too excited to wait a second longer, Teri dashed out the door Bobby hadn’t even taken two steps toward her when she hurled herself into his arms The impact nearly knocked him off his feet If not for the fact that the vehicle was directly behind hiht over

Teri spread eager kisses across his face, setting his glasses askew She quickly realized he wasn’t nearly as enthusiastic as he noret a good look at hiht away In fact, it was James who explained in hushed tones "You didn’t hear?" he asked "Bobby lost"

Well, those things happened He couldn’t possibly win every time You win some and you lose some; that was her philosophy of life In Bobby’s case, he won ood at what he did

"He doesn’t like to lose, Miss Teri," Ja," she said calmly "Does this mean our entire visit is ruined?"

"He doesn’t lose often," James continued

Bobby didn’t even seeed his suitcase into the house and placed it just inside the living room

"I’m afraid he’s taken the defeat hard," James said in a low voice as he walked past her on his return to the limo "He needs a bit of TLC, and he’ll be fine I’ll be back to pick hiently by the hand, Teri led hiive you a tour," she said

He see?" She waved her fingers in front of his face with no result Instead he walked over to the chessboard she’d set up on a sram to position the pieces correctly Without a word, he startedtheood to interrupt hi like…life His concentration was so complete that he didn’t seem to be aware of where he was or that she ith hi a fuss, Teri dished up a bowl of her specialty macaroni and cheese, squirted on soed on the carpet beside hilanced up, apparently shocked to find her there "Teri?"

"Hello, Bobby Welcome home"

"I lost"

She sat down on the sofa next to him and brushed his hair aside "I heard," she said tenderly "I’m sorry"

"I don’t like to lose"

No kidding "Did you figure out rong?" she asked, looking over the chessboard and the pieces he had scattered about

He nodded

"Are you hungry?"

Her question resulted in a furrowed brow, as if he wasn’t sure how to answer

"Never et you a dish"

"I could wait," he said, and his eyes held hers for the longestbut she knew that look "Perhaps you’d like to see the rest of the house," she suggested "Shall we begin with the master bedroom?"

For the first time since he’d arrived, Bobby smiled He trotted down the hallway behind her and into the bedroom Then he shut the door