“Yes, sir.” Kyle turned twenty shades of red and Elena immediately felt sorry for the guy who was obviously the newbie in this group.
A woman with graying chestnut hair and dangly plastic earrings that matched her brightly printed dress and fuzzy flip-flops stepped out of an office and approached Elena. “Hi, I’m Brenda,” she said, extending her hand. “I’m the property manager. We talked on the phone? I showed Rachael around?”
“Brenda, hi, yes, thank you,” Elena said, shaking her hand. “Sorry about the circus in the lobby.”
Brenda’s smile warmed the room. “No problem.” She blatantly looked the guys up and down, then said, “Nice to have some big strong help,” and Elena liked her immediately. “Why don’t I give your friend Rachael the apartment key while you and I go over the rental agreement in my office?”
* * *
By the time Elena finished reading and signing everything, slowed down by Brenda—the woman could talk paint off a wall—the guys had moved most of her belongings into the apartment. Not that she’d brought much. The ramshackle little house she’d rented from Earnest Deal’s real estate company back in Ross held bad memories and she didn’t want to pack those up and cart them into her new life. So, she’d held a garage sale and sold off the recliner where Deal had sat threatening her and her daughter’s lives, along with the kitchen chairs and table where he and his fellow bullies later planted their asses and ate her food. The majority of boxes in the van held Tina’s things and everything from Elena’s bedroom, which thankfully, hadn’t been violated.
When Elena walked into her apartment, the first thing she saw was Tina directing the guys as they carried in each box clearly labeled kitchen or bathroom or one of their bedrooms. Elena loved the way they humored her daughter so seriously. Toby stayed glued to Tina’s side and watched the others as if to say,don’t mess with my girl. Not that any of them would—Elena could tell by the way Jake and Camden joked around with them that they were good guys, even if Kyle seemed a touch clueless. And Elena thought it was very sweet of Costello to bring her a housewarming plant. She totally planned on making them all cookies at the very least, especially since they’d spent their Saturday off helping her.
“Elena,” Rachael called when she spotted her through the pass-thru between the front room to the kitchen, “come show me where you want everything.”
“Go ahead, Mom,” Tina said with the voice of an imperial princess, “I’ve got this part under control.”
“Thanks, Pepita. Don’t know what I’d do without your help.”
When she got to the kitchen, Rachael was practically doubled-over trying not to laugh. “I. Adore. Your daughter,” she whispered.
“Yeah, I think I’ll keep her. If she stops begging for coconuts.” Elena unwrapped a soup bowl.
“Speaking of, I’m not the only one here who adores her.” Rachael kept her voice low as she set a stack of dishes in a cupboard Elena pointed to. “And you.”
Elena set the bowl down and sighed. She did not want to have this conversation, especially with Camden within potential earshot. “Rachael. I know you mean well.”
“Which is why I’m telling you to give him a chance. I’ve gotten to know Cam better these past months and he’s amazing. Funny as hell, smart, loyal to a fault. And Tina’s already got him wrapped around her pinky finger.”
That’s part of the problem, Elena thought. She unwrapped the next bowl as she said, “He’s great, I’ll agree. But he’s not Tina’s papa.” She absently touched the wedding ring on its chain. “You remember Antonio. How good he was.”
Rachael stopped arranging water glasses in the cupboard and came over to Elena. She put her arms around her. “I do remember him. He was one of the few at the meatpacking plant who always respected me. As quiet as he was, he defended me a couple of times from the other guys.” She pulled back and looked Elena in the eye. “I was devastated over his death.” Rachael’s cheeks reddened and she dropped her gaze from Elena’s as both women teared up. Rachael’s voice dropped to a whisper. “And I felt even worse when I discovered the truth at my father’s trial.”
Elena tipped her friend’s chin back up. “That’s not on you, that’s on Earnest Deal. I won’t even call that man your father. He’s the devil and you’re an angel. Time and again, you’ve made up for his sins tenfold. Tina and I wouldn’t be here without your help. The settlement—”
“Everything okay in here?” Jake asked as he stood in the kitchen door. His concerned look touched Elena to her soul, and for the millionth time, she thanked God for the man who loved and saved her best friend.
“Yeah,” Rachael said as both women wiped their eyes. “Just catching up. Big day, lots of feels.”
Jake nodded, knowing most, but not all, of the women’s complicated pasts together. “We’ve got the van unloaded, the beds are almost put back together, and pizza’s on the way.” He grinned. “Tina told us exactly what to order.”
“Of course she did,” Elena laughed, grateful for the change in topic. “Why wouldn’t she boss around a bunch of gigantic SEALs?”
Jake grinned. “We’re notallSEALs, but close enough. She’ll make a fine general one day. She’s pure iron will wrapped in charm.”
Elena put a hand on her hip. “Has she ordered any of her troops to bring her a California coconut yet?”
Jake cracked up. “Nope, but chocolate milk’s on the way with the pizza. If that’s not good enough, it’s on Cam to get the coconuts.” Jake ducked back out to the living room.
“I hope I get one just like her,” Rachael said as she went back to arranging glasses in the cupboard.
Elena stacked the unwrapped bowls. “Be careful what you wish for,” she said without thinking. She stopped midway to putting the bowls on a shelf. “Oh, shit, Rachael! Are you telling me…?”
Rachael’s eyes got big and round. “Oh, no, no. I’m not pregnant. Not yet, at least. We’re putting that off for a while, until Jake’s totally settled in at Watchdog and I’ve toured on my first album.”
Elena smiled and shook her head. “We really did it, didn’t we, Chica? We got out of Ross, Nebraska. Out from under Earnest Deal and his company town.”
Rachael’s look was equal parts wonder and gratitude. “We promised each other we would, that we’d go to a warm place by the ocean. And here we are. I am so glad you decided to come out here to start your new life.”
