1105 Yakima Street - Debbie Macomber [52]
“Okay, sorry. If you want me to pretend I don’t care about you, then I will.” He sounded frustrated, and that made her feel guilty.
“Bruce, please—”
“Can I see you?” he cut in. “Or is that asking too much? I need to see you, Rachel. At least give me that.”
“I…guess we could meet.”
“When?”
“Friday night?” she suggested.
“We could go out for Mexican.”
Rachel smiled and lifted her hair off her forehead. “I’m afraid Mexican food doesn’t agree with me these days.” One taste and she had an instant attack of heartburn. She trusted this would pass after the baby was born.
“You choose, then. Any place you want. D.D.’s?”
“Okay, D.D.’s on the Cove, it is.”
She could almost feel Bruce’s spirits rise.
“I have missed you so much,” he said.
“I’ve missed you, too,” she whispered.
“I can’t wait to see you.”
“I called because—”
“I don’t care why, I’m just happy you did,” Bruce said.
“I felt the baby move for the first time this evening.”
“The baby moved?” he asked excitedly. “Yes…”
“You’re taking good care of yourself?”
“Of course.”
“Eating right?”
She laughed. “Yes.”
“Friday can’t come soon enough for me.”
“Me, neither.” She wondered if Jolene was listening in, and what her stepdaughter would say when Bruce hung up the phone. It broke her heart that she and Jolene had lost the closeness they’d once shared. But at this point she didn’t know how to regain the girl’s trust.
“Before we meet, there’s something I want to tell you,” Bruce said.
“Okay.” He sounded so serious.
“I’ve seen a family counselor.”
This was a huge step for him, and it gave her hope that they could resolve their problems before the baby arrived.
“Did Jolene go with you?”
He didn’t respond, but that was answer enough.
“Maybe she will next time,” Rachel said, trying to encourage him. “At some point I’m sure the counselor will want to see all three of us.”
“Four,” Bruce corrected. “You’re forgetting the baby.”
She smiled. “You’re right.”
“Will you call again soon?”
“How soon?”
“Fifteen minutes?”
She smiled and leaned against the wall.
“Maybe we should start all over,” he said, lowering his voice. “Ease back into a relationship.”
Rachel bit her lip, tempted by his suggestion. “Do you think that would help Jolene?”
“I don’t know, but it’s worth a try, don’t you agree?”
“Maybe.” She had to be careful. She loved him so much, he could convince her of almost anything. Except coming home…
“What’s Jolene doing Friday night?”
“She’ll be with a friend. She usually is.”
“What friend?”
“Carrie, I think.”
“You think?” Rachel had been afraid of this. Bruce had ceded all control to Jolene. Rachel had always insisted on knowing where Jolene was going and who she’d be with before she left the house, and Jolene had hated that.
“It’s either Carrie or Lucy. Why? What’s the big deal?”
“The big deal is that your daughter needs supervision. Jolene is at a vulnerable age. She needs boundaries.”
“I told her she had to be home before midnight.”
“Midnight?” Rachel thought she was going to be sick. “A thirteen-year-old should be home and in bed long before then. Have you lost your mind?”
“Can we talk about this later?” Bruce said after a strained moment.
“That might be best.”
“Shall I meet you at D.D.’s at six?”
“I’ll be there.” Then, because she felt the urge to talk to Jolene, the urge to try yet again, she asked Bruce to put her stepdaughter on the line.
It was a couple of minutes before Jolene got on the phone. “What?” she demanded.
“I understand you’re taking good care of your father,” Rachel said, thinking that if she began with a compliment, the conversation might go more smoothly.
“I told you before—we don’t need you here.”
“And you’re right, you don’t.” That obviously wasn’t what Jolene had expected. “Your father and I are going out for dinner on Friday night.”
“Great,” she muttered sarcastically. “You aren’t moving back, though, are you?”
“No.”
“Good, because it’s been really nice around