1022 Evergreen Place

“That’s too bad.”



“I’ve also tried to get her interested in taking a class with me.”



Teri’s eyes shone with approval. “Great idea!”



“I signed us up for cake decorating. You know how much Jolene loves to bake. Bruce thought it was a good idea, too, but it backfired. The night of the first class she pretended to be sick and stayed home. Bruce said the minute I was out the door Jolene experienced a miraculous recovery.” She sighed. “So it’s not like he hasn’t seen some of her bad behavior, but he doesn’t see the whole picture. Anyway, I finished the classes without Jolene attending a single one.”



“Why? Did she get ‘sick’ every week?”



“No, she flat-out refused to go. She said she missed too much the first week and would always be behind. Besides that, she said she wasn’t interested in decorating cakes. That was for retards like me—her word, by the way.”



Jolene was free with her insults but smart enough not to say them in front of her father. And so far, Rachel hadn’t been able to bring herself to tattle.



“How are things between you and Bruce?” Teri asked.



The kettle whistled then and Teri got up to make the tea—decaffeinated, in deference to Rachel’s pregnancy—and assemble a plate of crackers and various cheeses. They carried everything back into the family room and sat down on the sofa again.



“Bruce is…Bruce,” she murmured.



“Oblivious, right?”



Rachel nodded, making a wry face to hide her unhappiness. The pregnancy was playing havoc with her emotions. In the past, she’d never dissolved easily into tears but they sprang to her eyes now. She fought to hold them back, blinking furiously. “He’s got a one-track mind,” she whispered, dabbing at her eyes with a napkin.



“And that one track leads directly to the bedroom.”



Rachel nodded again.



“The fact that he wants to go to bed at eight o’clock every night infuriates Jolene, too. The girl isn’t stupid. She knows why her father’s suddenly so tired.” Rachel had tried to explain to him that his sexual appetite wasn’t helping the situation between her and Jolene, but Bruce said his love life was none of his daughter’s business. He was right; nevertheless, it made Rachel’s relationship with Jolene even more difficult.



Rachel loved the way her husband desired her. The hours they spent locked in their bedroom were the only peaceful times she had. Whenever they made love she had the urge to tell him about the baby…but she hadn’t. She simply couldn’t. And she hadn’t told him he could dispense with using protection. Even Bruce might’ve been able to figure that one out.



It didn’t help, either, that Jolene was often still up, slamming things around, making sure they knew that she knew what they were doing. And Bruce himself often went right to sleep afterward. So…she hadn’t found a natural opportunity to tell him.



Rachel tentatively chose a sliver of cheese from the platter Teri had set on the table. “I dread going home at the end of the day,” she said.



“That’s not good.”



“No, it isn’t, and I feel helpless to change anything. I don’t know what to do, Teri.”



“Well, you could try family counseling.” Her friend pulled up her knees, resting her feet on the edge of the sofa. “Or…do you want Bobby to talk to Bruce?” she asked.



Rachel was grateful Teri had offered, but she couldn’t see how it would improve matters. “Thanks, but no.”



Teri actually looked relieved. “I can’t imagine that Bobby would know what to say, anyway,” she confessed. “I adore that man, but this is not the sort of thing he’s comfortable with. Did I tell you he was away for a few days? The boys and I missed him like crazy.”



“Bobby was away? Where?”



Teri took a sip of her tea. “Bobby and James went to L.A. They had some business they needed to attend to—I don’t know the details.” She frowned as she said it.



“Nothing’s wrong, is there?”



“No, no,” Teri was quick to assure her. “Not with Bobby. It’s my sister again. Christie and James have had another falling-out. James can be as stubborn as my little sister. I don’t think they’re speaking.”



“Oh, no.” Hearing that saddened Rachel. Everything had been going so well between them.



“I’m sure they’ll work it out,” Teri said. “James loves her and my sister feels the same way about him. My guess is that this will blow over in a few days.”



“I hope so. The next time I talk to you, I want to hear that they’ve set a wedding date.”



Rachel finished her tea and left soon afterward, driving straight to Yakima Street. She hadn’t come up with any solutions but felt better for having discussed the problem with her best friend.



When she finally got home, Bruce was already there. She pulled her car into the garage beside his and grabbed her dry cleaning from the backseat. Bruce had the garage door open before she’d even reached the house.



“You’re late,” he said in aggrieved tones.



“I went to see Teri.”



“You didn’t let Jolene know where you were. She was worried.” The accusation in his voice stung, although Rachel didn’t believe for a minute that her stepdaughter was worried.



Jolene stood behind her father, looking far too pleased with herself. “You told me I have to let you know if I’m going to be home late,” she said smugly.



“Well, yes, but I’m the adult here. I don’t report to you.” Perhaps that was too blunt, but she couldn’t restrain herself. Rachel was barely inside the house and the attacks had already begun. “If it’ll make you happy, I’ll call the next time I’m going to be late.”



“I have to abide by the rules, but you don’t?” Jolene said as Rachel stepped past her and into the kitchen.



Rachel ignored the comment, hung her dry cleaning in the hall closet and then walked back to the kitchen, past both Jolene and Bruce. “I’ll start dinner now.”



“What are we having?” Jolene asked, following her.



Rachel had put ground chicken in the refrigerator to thaw. “What would you like?”



The girl shrugged. “Nothing you cook,” she said under her breath.



Rachel pretended not to hear. “Bruce, do you have any preference for dinner?”



“How about tacos?” he called out from the living room, where he sat at the computer desk he’d placed in one corner. He was, as usual, unconscious of the tension between Rachel and Jolene.



“Sounds good to me,” Rachel said, not looking at Jolene as she brought the thawed chicken out of the refrigerator.



“I hate tacos,” her stepdaughter said.



“Since when?”



“Since you started cooking them. My dad used to make them better. We made tacos together and had a lot of fun.”



In other words, Rachel’s advent into their lives had ruined everything.



“I’d love your help,” Rachel said, striving to speak pleasantly and disregard Jolene’s insults. “If you showed me how, then maybe I could make them the way you like them.”



“Not a chance,” Jolene said, and disappeared down the hallway to her bedroom.



Trying to salvage the evening, Rachel went to work; she seasoned the chicken with taco seasoning, grated the cheese, diced fresh tomatoes and shredded lettuce. Then she put the meal on the table, which, to her pleasure, Bruce had set without being reminded. He summoned Jolene and the three of them sat down.



“How was school?” Bruce asked his daughter.



“Great. I got an A on my history test.”



“Congratulations,” Rachel said.



Jolene glanced away as if to discount any praise from Rachel. “Misty asked me to spend the night on Friday. I can, can’t I, Dad?”



Bruce looked at Rachel. “I don’t have any objection if you don’t.”



“I thought Misty’s parents worked swing shift.”



“So?” he asked.



“So, who else will be there until her parents get home?”



“No one,” Jolene said irritably. “Her parents let her take care of herself. We’re not babies, you know.”



“Jolene’s spent the night at Misty’s before,” Bruce added, siding with his daughter.



“But that was a Saturday and her parents were home,” Rachel pointed out.



“Oh, right.”



“Why don’t you have Misty spend the night at our place?” Rachel suggested.



Jolene glared across the table at her. “Not with you here.”



“Jolene,” Bruce snapped, reprimanding her.



“I wish you’d never married Rachel,” she shouted at her father. “I hate having her in our house. I want it to be like it was before.”



“Jolene, please…” Rachel began but her stepdaughter wasn’t willing to listen. Instead, she jumped up from the table and ran down the hallway to her room. Rachel flinched as the door slammed shut.



After a moment of silence, she met her husband’s eyes across the table. Bruce released a pent-up sigh. “I’m sorry. That was…unfortunate.”



“I shouldn’t have said anything.” Hard as Rachel tried, it never seemed to do any good.



“No, you brought up a valid point. If Jolene spends the night with one of her girlfriends, I want there to be adult supervision. I know Misty’s grandmother stays with her some of the nights her parents are gone, but apparently she’s alone the rest of the time. Those two girls together, without any supervision, could get into trouble.”



Rachel stood and started to clear the table. She considered bringing up the possibility of counseling, then decided to wait until she didn’t feel quite so tired.



“Do you want me to get Jolene to help with the dishes?” he asked.



If he did, Jolene would sulk and argue, and that would only increase Rachel’s stress. “No, thanks. I’ll do them.”



Bruce frowned. “She should be doing chores.”



“Yes, but…not tonight. She’s upset with us both. She can do the dishes tomorrow.”



“You’re sure?” he asked.



Rachel nodded wearily. A few minutes later, as she stood at the sink, rinsing off the plates and setting them in the bottom rack of the dishwasher, Bruce moved in behind her. He’d finished clearing the table and had put the leftovers in the refrigerator. Now he slipped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck, dropping warm, moist kisses beside her ear. Shivers of awareness raced down her spine.



“Bruce…” she whispered, but then she let him continue. She closed her eyes and leaned back, her weight resting against his strength. She was vaguely aware of a noise behind her, but it didn’t register at first. When she realized Jolene had come into the room, she instantly stiffened.



“You two are disgusting!” the girl screamed. “I can’t have friends over because you embarrass me. It would help if you could keep your hands off each other for five minutes, you know.” With that, she stormed down the hallway and banged her bedroom door shut for the second time that night.