Debbie Macomber - 1105 Yakima Street

S unshine splashed into the windows of the Bremerton waterfront caf. Rachel Peyton sat in a booth, gazing out at the street and taking occasional sips of the apple juice shed ordered. It was Friday, late afternoon, and shed come here after work to meet a friend. She couldnt stop thinking about her marriage to Bruce, wondering how it had disintegrated so fast. Theyd gone from an impromptu wedding last December to separation less than ten months later. She turned her head to look in the direction of Cedar Cove. The town was situated on the other side of Sinclair Inlet but might as well have been across the Pacific.

Rachel felt she couldnt go back home to Cedar Coveto Yakima Streetand yet she had no other viable choice. Shed left after the latest argument with her stepdaughter, Jolene. Although Bruce was aware of the tension between her and Rachel, hed never adequately addressed it, believing it would eventually resolve itself. Oh, sure, hed made a halfhearted offer to go to counseling with, or more likely without, Jolene. But that was too little, too late. Nothing had changed, and, as a result, the stress in their home had become intolerable. Now that she was pregnant, Rachel had decided to leavefor the sake of her sanity and for her own health and that of her baby.

Shed lied to Bruce, saying she had a place to staywith an unidentified friend. Instead, shed checked into a Bremerton hotel.

The problem was, she needed her job if she was going to support herself, which meant shed need to find an apartment in Cedar Cove or at least nearby. Everything was complicated by the fact that this hadnt been an easy pregnancy. She had severe morning sickness and her blood pressure was dangerously high. That was understandable, considering the tension in the house. If not for the baby, Rachel might have found the strength to deal with Jolene. She mightve been willing to devote all her energy to sorting out the complicated tangle of the girls emotions, giving her the constant reassurance she seemed to require.

Since Jolene had learned about the baby, the whole situation had become that much more difficult. Not only did her stepdaughter see her as competition for Bruces affections, but now Rachel had committed an even worse crime by bringing another child into the family, robbing the girl of his undivided attention.

What shocked Rachel was how close she and Jolene had been before she married Bruce. As a motherless child herself, Rachel had taken a special interest in Jolene, part maternal, part friendly. Theyd bonded when the girl was just six, a year after Jolenes mother was killed in a car accident. Bruce had brought Jolene into the salon for a haircut and Jolene had sadly told her how much she missed her mommy. Rachel had been drawn to the child because shed identified with Jolene. She still recalled in vivid detail how shed felt when her own mother had died and shed gone to live with her mothers sister, a woman she barely knew.

Through the years, the closeness between Rachel and Jolene had grownuntil shed made the mistake of marrying Jolenes father. To be fair to the teenager, Jolene had wanted Rachel and Bruce to wait until shed had time to get used to the idea. Bruce, however, wouldnt hear of it. Hed wanted them married. Well, so did Rachel, although shed asked Bruce to delay the wedding because of Jolenes qualms. But by thenthe momentum of their plans had taken over.

In the beginning, after first meeting Bruce, she hadnt considered him anything more than a friend. He was Jolenes dad. He relied on her help with his daughter. For years there hadnt been the slightest indication of romantic interest on either part. Rachel was seeing Nate Olsen, a navy warrant officer shed met after bidding on him at a fundraiser for the local humane societythe Dog and Bachelor Auction. Shortly after the wedding, Nate was deployed out of state, but now he was back. Theyd been in contact recently and, in fact, he was the friend shed arranged to meet here.

For a while she and Nate had seriously thought about marriage. However, by the time hed asked her to make a decision, Rachel had come to realize she was in love with Bruce. Surprisingly, miraculously, Bruce loved her, too. From there everything had moved quickly. Too quickly

She had to acknowledge the truth of that old clich about marrying in haste. Rachel had been all too willing to accept Bruces assurances that Jolene would adjust. After all, hed pointed out, it wasnt as though Rachel was a stranger .

But Jolene hadnt adjusted. Whatever affection shed had for Rachel had changed into passive-aggressive behavior and then escalated to open antagonism. Not wanting to distress her husband, Rachel had done her best to deflect Jolenes hostility. The pregnancy was unplanned, and shed hoped to keep it a secret for a few months, but Bruce insisted it was only right to tell Jolene. That, too, had backfired. And it had led to this.

The caf door opened but Rachel didnt look up until Nate Olsen slid into the booth across from her.

Rachel?

She glanced up and offered him a weak smile.

Nates blue eyes narrowed slightly. You okay? he asked, sounding concerned.

You dont have to say it. I look terrible.

Not terrible, he said. Justvery pale.

Nate had emailed her when he returned to Bremerton. He felt she should know so that if they inadvertently ran into each other, shed be prepared. With everything else that was happening, Rachel hadnt paid much attention to his email and hadnt responded. Nate was someone shed loved in the past. She was a married woman now.

With time on her hands at the hotel, shed gone to the business center and logged on to her email account. Shed impulsively answered his message, telling him that her marriage was falling apart. After theyd exchanged a few short emails, Nate suggested they meet. Shed accepted his invitation.

At my last doctors visit I learned I have an iron deficiency. It didnt help that she hadnt been able to keep down a meal. Her morning sickness lingered for most of the day, making her feel too queasy and uncomfortable to eat. Shed lost weight when she should be gaining.

Im glad you got in touch.

I probably shouldnt have. Only Rachel didnt know who else to contact. She couldnt reach out to her friends; they were the first people Bruce would approach. This separation was difficult enough without dragging her friends into the middle of it.

I meant what I said, Nate continued. If you ever need anything, call me. You know Ill do whatever I can.

When the waitress came over to the table with a coffeepot, Nate turned over his ceramic mug and she filled it.

At his words, tears of appreciation sprang to Rachels eyes. I know

What can I do?

She wasnt sure. Like I said in my email, IIve left Bruce and Jolene. It went without saying that this fit right into her stepdaughters plans. Undoubtedly Jolene was ecstatic about having her father to herself again.

So its come to that?

Rachels dark hair fell forward as she looked down. Italked to Teri and she wants me to move in with her.

Are you going to?

I cant. Thatll be the first place Bruce goes. I told him I was moving in with a friend . At the time I thought I might take Teri up on her offer, but I cant do that to her. She and Bobby have their hands full with the three babies.

Three?

Teri had triplets.

Nate laughed. That seemed to be a common reaction when people heard about the triplets. She always does everything in a big way, doesnt she? he murmured.

He knew Teri, so he also knew that if anyone could handle this, it was her friend. But capable though she was, Teri didnt need a miserable friend to deal with, in addition to caring for three babies.

So, if you dont move in with Teri, where will you go?

II dont know. All that mattered was getting out of the house as fast as possible. She got a hotel room, but that was far too expensive to be a permanent solution. At this rate shed drain her bank account in a week. Besides, it wouldnt take Bruce long to discover where she was, and once he did, hed do whatever he could to convince her to return home. Rachel couldnt allow that to happen, not while the situation with Jolene was still unsettled.