The tears fell unrestrained, ruining her makeup. “I talk to Cecilia all the time and, oh, Anson, I don’t know if I can bear losing you both.”
“You’ll be able to keep in touch with her.”
“That’s what Cecilia said, too, and we’ve promised we always will.”
“I’m coming back to you, Allison,” he promised. “Somehow, I’ll make it happen.”
This was the hope that got her through each day. Just as Anson’s memories of her were the thing that sustained him.
Thirty-Six
Saturday, at the end of a long shift, Rachel checked her phone messages and found a slip with Nate’s name on it. Instead of returning his call, she dropped it inside her apron pocket, along with the two already there. She knew what he wanted. His parents were in town. The very thought of meeting Nate’s father and mother was enough to shoot chills of dread down her spine.
Thankfully Teri had given her a wonderful reason to avoid it. The fact that she’d eloped with Bobby Polgar meant everyone at the shop was doing double duty. As much as her own schedule would allow, Rachel had taken over Teri’s clients. Now she and Jane were the only staff left at the end of a long, frustrating Saturday.
Then, as if she’d just gone out for a few minutes, Teri Miller Polgar casually sauntered in.
The instant she saw her friend, Rachel squealed with delight. “Look at you,” she cried as she jogged across the salon and threw both arms around her. Teri radiated happiness. She positively glowed with it.
“It’s about time you got back,” Jane shouted from the reception desk where she’d laid out the cash. She came around and hugged Teri, too, and then grabbed her hand to examine her engagement and wedding rings. “Wow! Look at the size of that rock.”
“That’s not the only thing that’s big.” Teri loved saying the outlandish.
“Teri,” Rachel chastised, slapping her friend’s hand.
“Speaking of big, where is the mighty Mr. Polgar?” Jane asked.
Teri shrugged. “I was distracting him too much,” she said, and her eyes twinkled. “He’s off to Russia on some big chess tour.”
“You’re not going?”
“Do I look like I have a passport?” Teri chided, hand on her hip. “James brought me home, but I’m already miserable without my Bobby. I’ll bet he feels exactly the same way.”
“James the chauffeur?” Jane asked in a mock-dignified voice with a stagy British accent.
“The very one. He’s waiting for me outside.” Smiling, she surveyed the salon. “Believe it or not, I missed the place. I had James bring me here even before I went home.”
“Tell me,” Rachel said, dying of curiosity. “What’s it like being married to someone famous?”
Teri cocked her head to one side. “I don’t really see Bobby as famous, you know? He’s just Bobby. He thinks about chess almost all the time, and talks about it, too.” She grinned smugly. “Except when we’re in bed.” She giggled, then grew serious again. “I’m crazy about him. Me and Bobby Polgar—who would’ve guessed it?”
“Are you coming back to work?” Jane wanted to know.
“Of course,” Teri said, as if that should be understood. “I told Bobby I need to work. He can do his thing, but I have mine.”
“You need to work?” Rachel asked. Anyone who spent as much money as Bobby obviously had it.
“For my sanity, I do,” Teri said. “I could follow Bobby around from city to city and match to match, but I’d hate it. I’d hardly ever see him and I’d be by myself most of the time. This way, he’ll fly in to stay with me as much as possible, and I can meet him in New York once in a while. I’ve got to keep an eye on my kid brother, too, you know. And my sister, Christie, needs me—she’s finally dumping her loser husband.”
“New York?” Jane repeated enviously, back at the receptionist’s desk. That seemed to be all she’d heard.
“Bobby’s got a place somewhere in Manhattan. A penthouse, I think. I haven’t seen it yet, but I will soon.”
“He’s got a penthouse in Manhattan and you’ve got a tiny apartment in Cedar Cove,” Jane muttered. “Hmm. Sounds perfect.” She shook her head. “You guys are about as mismatched as any two people on earth.”
“Jane,” Rachel said, “they’re in love, and that’s what matters.”
“Look who’s talking.” Jane glanced up from the desk where she was bundling the bills. “You keep ignoring Nate’s calls. Why is that, might I ask?”
“That’s completely different! Nate has nothing to do with this.”
“It’s exactly the same. Love conquers all, remember? You’re afraid to meet his parents, so you don’t answer his calls. It wouldn’t surprise me if he just showed up one evening and took the decision out of your hands.”
“I have Jolene this weekend. Nate knows that.”
“And you made sure of it, too, didn’t you?” Jane challenged. “You arranged it on purpose.”
She had, but Rachel wasn’t admitting it. “Don’t be ridiculous.” Turning her back on Jane, she faced Teri. “I want to hear all about Vegas.”
Teri’s eyes brightened. “We barely left the bedroom. So there I was in Vegas and I didn’t play a single slot machine. Do you want to hear how Bobby kept me occupied?”
“I think we already know.” Some details were best not shared.
To her astonishment, Teri hugged her hard. “Thank you so much,” she whispered. “I’ve never been happier in my life. You were the one who convinced me to go with him. I’m so glad I did. Bobby is wonderful.” Her eyes welled with tears. “I know it’s hard to believe, but he needs me. And he loves me.”
Rachel didn’t find that hard to believe at all.
The phone rang again. Jane started for it, then paused, looking over at Rachel. “You want me to get that or should I let the answering machine pick up?”
“The machine,” she said.