just dying to have you. A decision like that would probably tear your tiny dinosaur brain into so many pieces even sonar couldn’t find them.”
“I better leave.”
“You think?”
Without another word, he left the house.
* * *
For a while, Terri stood there, staring at the space where Nate had been. Part of her thought she should be upset. Shouldn’t she be gnashing her teeth? Wringing her hands? Feeling like she should throw herself into the deepest part of the lake and never come up?
She had just been nasty—really, really nasty—to a man she liked so much that she’d... Well, she’d almost been willing to leave family, friends and all she knew in the world just to be with him. But tonight she had irreparably broken the bond between them. Cut it with a chain saw made of words.
But another part of her felt only freedom. Stacy Hartman had won and Terri had lost. It was over. Again, Terri had lost a man she liked very much. First Billy and now Nate.
Only she’d never actually had either of them. She and Billy had been too young to be serious about the future. And she’d always known that Nate could never be hers.
He’d asked her what she saw as her future. The truth was that she’d never thought about it. Maybe she’d always assumed that her future would just happen. She’d meet a guy, fall in love, get married, have kids. Normal.
But with the way Terri conducted her life, that was never going to happen. Except for Billy, then Nate, if a man got near her, she backed away. She was not going to give people reason to believe she was like her mother!
So where had that taken her? Nearly every girl she’d gone to high school with was married. Half of them had kids. But Terri was still tiptoeing around like one of the Players to secretly meet some football player in his cabin.
And now that Nate Taggert had made it clear he wanted pretty little Stacy and not workhorse Terri, she was again on her own. If she’d learned nothing else in the last weeks, it was that she wanted a boyfriend, wanted a life outside of taking care of the people at the lake. When someone rang at 3:00 a.m. saying a bear was in the garbage, Terri wanted someone who’d help her with the job.
So now what? Did she return to her old life? Hey! Maybe she’d get an invitation to Nate and Stacy’s wedding. That would be fun. She shook her head.
Stacy had invited her to a picnic tomorrow. Because Nate would be there, Terri hadn’t really considered going. Her fear had been that she’d say or do something that might let Stacy know that Terri and Nate had been—were—What? Had been roommates? Were friends?
Or used to be, she thought.
She remembered what Nate had said. He’d known she was “attracted” to him so he’d stripped off whenever possible.
In that aspect, Terri was innocent. Yes, she’d worn shorts and high-cut swimsuits, but she always did. She’d done nothing different that was meant to turn Nate on.
She looked at the plate of fish and sliced potato. It was the last meal Nate would cook for her. She grabbed the plate, a glass and a bottle of wine, and sat down at the dining table. As she ate, she planned—and thought that a little revenge wouldn’t be out of order.
She picked up her phone and called Elaine. “Do you have any really tiny bikinis?”
“None of those Brazilian string things, but some are just a few triangles. Who wants one?”
“Me.”
“Oh,” Elaine said. “Any reason why?”
“Stacy Hartman invited me to a picnic tomorrow.”
“Ooooh.” There was a smile in Elaine’s voice. “How about a transparent cover-up and some sexy sandals to go with it?”
“That sounds great. I’ll—”
Elaine cut her off. “I’ll just bet the Turner Twins would love to go with you as your date.” She sounded quite excited.
“They’re next on my list to call.”
“This is wonderful, honey. I’ll pack up everything and you can get it tomorrow. I’ll put in some sunscreen that the boys can rub on you. That should make Nate...” Elaine didn’t finish the sentence.
“Insane with jealousy?” Terri asked.
“My thoughts exactly,” Elaine said. “I’m going to the shop right now and get this ready. Please don’t ever forget that your dad and I love you, sweetheart.”
“Thanks, and it’s mutual,” Terri said, and hung up.
The next person she called was Mr. Parnelli. She asked if she could hire him to make