LITMIR.BIZ

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playing chess,” Rachel said. She couldn’t imagine why this was important to her friend.

      “It’s one of the biggest chess tournaments in the world, and they’re in Seattle.”

      “Seattle,” Rachel repeated. “Right. I remember. We heard the announcement at Maryellen’s.”

      “Bobby Polgar is playing,” Teri said excitedly, standing transfixed in front of the television. She pointed at a man bent over the board just as the camera closed in on the slouching figure.

      “Who?” The name was vaguely familiar but Rachel didn’t care about chess. She knew the basics of the game, or had at one time, but that was it.

      “Bobby Polgar is the top-ranked player in the United States,” Teri explained. Again Rachel wondered why this mattered to her friend. “He’s in a match with some guy whose name I can’t pronounce. From Ukraine.”

      “And this interests you?” Rachel asked.

      “Yes. At least, Bobby does. I think he’s kind of cute.” She shrugged dramatically. “I know why Bobby’s losing this match.”

      “You do?” She sent Teri a puzzled frown. “I don’t get this, so give me a hand here,” Rachel said. “As I recall, you know next to nothing about chess.” She remembered that Teri thought chess was a lot like checkers, which of course, it wasn’t.

      “I have no idea how to play,” Teri said. She glanced at her watch and immediately became agitated. “But that’s beside the point. Listen, I’ve got a ferry to catch. I’m going to Seattle to help Bobby.”

      Rachel stared at her. Life-of-the-party Teri was going to “help” a chess grand master? Someone she’d only seen on television? Someone who was expert at a game she didn’t know the first thing about? “Teri, are you all right?”

      Her eyes widened. “Of course I’m all right. This is a mission of mercy. By the way, can I borrow twenty bucks?”

      “I’ll get my purse.” They often helped each other out when one was short of cash. Rachel retrieved her wallet and took out the money. This was so unlike Teri. She knew her friend to be impetuous, but this was extreme.

      “I realize you just have a few minutes, but start at the beginning. Just talk fast.”

      Teri drew in a deep breath and spoke in a rush. “I was cutting that snooty college professor’s hair this morning. That Dr. Uptight.”

      “Dr. Upright,” Rachel corrected.

      “Whatever. The point is, the entire time I was cutting her hair she was on her cell phone getting updates on the chess championship. She couldn’t believe Bobby Polgar was behind. I was curious, so after I finished her haircut, I turned on the TV at the salon and I saw him playing his first match, the one he lost.” Teri said all this apparently without taking a breath.

      “And?” Rachel urged.

      “And he needs a haircut.”

      “Bobby Polgar needs a haircut?” What did that have to do with anything?

      “Yes, he does,” Teri said. “He kept brushing his hair out of his eyes. His hair is distracting him. He’s long overdue for a cut and I decided to do something about it. I’m going to the tournament and I’m going to offer to cut his hair.”

      Rachel could list at least a dozen obstacles her friend was likely to encounter before she got to Bobby Polgar, if she ever did. However, Teri wasn’t easily dissuaded once she’d made up her mind.

      “I’m doing this for my country,” she announced with melodramatic flair.

      “Good for you.” Grinning, Rachel patted her on the shoulder. “Let me know what happens, okay?”

      “I will,” Teri promised, practically running out the door to her car.

      No sooner had Teri left than Bruce and Jolene arrived. Rachel was still waving Teri off when the nine-year-old dashed up the sidewalk toward her, hugging Rachel around the waist. Bruce followed at a much slower pace. “What time should I pick her up?” he asked.

      “I’ll drop her off at home,” Rachel told him. He didn’t live far out of her way and it wasn’t as if she had other plans.

      “I’ve got a better idea,” Bruce said. “Why don’t I meet you somewhere and the three of us can have dinner together?”

      “Can we, Rachel?” Jolene asked, pigtails bouncing as she leaped up and down. “Can we? Can we?”

      “That sounds like fun.”

      Three hours later, Rachel and Jolene pulled into the parking lot at the Pancake Palace, where they’d agreed to meet for dinner. The food was cheap and plentiful, and this was Jolene’s favorite place in Cedar Cove to dine. She liked to dip her French fries in her cream-topped hot chocolate, a culinary activity that made Rachel wince.

      Bruce was waiting for them in a booth near the front. The moment they walked in the door, he gestured to them. Jolene ran to his side as if it’d been weeks since she’d last seen her father. Rachel joined them a few seconds later.

      “How’d it go?” Bruce asked, sliding over so his daughter could slip in beside him.

      Rachel hid a smile when Jolene chose to sit beside her, instead.

      “Daddy, we had so much fun. Shopping is great! We bought me a pink dress on sale, so we had money left over for tights and a purse.”

      “Men don’t generally appreciate fifty-percent-off sales unless it involves hardware,” Rachel told the little girl. She reached for the menu and scanned it, deciding on a ham-and-cheese omelet.

      The waitress came for their order and disappeared with quiet efficiency. Jolene chattered for a while, then selected a crayon from the juice glass filled with them and started to color the paper place mat, which had a connect-the-dots outline of a bunny.

      Rachel and Bruce picked up the conversation. They always seemed to have plenty to talk about, although she saw Bruce infrequently. Over the years they’d become comfortable with each other. They’d shared a kiss now and then, but they had no romantic illusions. In any case, Bruce still loved his wife, and Rachel was seeing Nate. In fact, Bruce was someone she’d confided in when she’d first learned Nate’s father was a U.S. congressman.

      “I didn’t think you ever had a free Saturday night,” Bruce said in an offhand way. “Don’t you and Nate usually go out?”

      “I wish. The navy comes first, and he’s working on some hush-hush project that’s kept him tied up for a few weeks now.” She didn’t point out that although they did manage to talk every day, it was almost always late at night when they were both exhausted.

      She and Bruce lingered over coffee, while Jolene had a second hot chocolate. It was after eight by the time Rachel returned home. She’d enjoyed dinner as much as she had the shopping—which had netted her two new sweaters. Afterward, they’d all gone down to the Cedar Cove waterfront for a walk and an ice-cream cone. She’d described her odd meeting with Teri, and Bruce had laughed.

      “If anyone can get past security to see Bobby Polgar, it’ll be Teri,” Bruce said.

      “You think so?”

      “I know so.” Bruce nodded confidently. “She isn’t one to let a little thing like security guards or TV cameras stop her.”

      Rachel suspected he was right. If anyone could talk her way into meeting the top-ranked American chess champion, it’d be Teri.

      She’d just unlocked her front door when the phone rang. Running to answer it, she threw down her shopping bags. As she’d hoped, it was Nate.

      He told her he was calling from the stag, and she could hear shouts and laughter in the background. He didn’t seem to be enjoying himself.

      “Where

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