Of him.
Of being his wife.
Of everything.
They ordered their food—a couple of cheeseburgers and a large French fry—and slowly made their way to the wide pier that extended out over the lake. The support pilings were covered in mussels, and the sound of the water as it sucked at the poles and lapped gently against the beach was a balm to Rachel’s bruised ego. Sunlight danced on the water, and farther down the lake, she could see tiny white sails. Her spirits rose marginally.
Despite being early in the season, the pier was crowded with people fishing over the railing. Rachel and Jamie paused several times to watch as someone reeled in a fish. Greedy ring-billed gulls swooped low in the hopes of stealing the catch, and had to be waved away.
“They look as hungry as I feel,” Jamie commented. “Let’s sit over here.”
He indicated one of the benches that had been built into the pier, and Rachel sat down as Jamie rolled his chair beside her, careful to keep his extended leg out of the flow of human foot traffic. He opened the paper bag on his lap and handed Rachel a burger, and then set the fries on the bench beside her.
They ate in silence for several minutes. Rachel tried and failed not to watch Jamie. He ate with gusto, making appreciative noises that caused several people to smile as they passed. For Rachel, those sounds caused her imagination to run riot. Was he that vocal during sex? She suspected he might be. The very thought caused her skin to heat in a way that had nothing to do with the afternoon sun. She took a small bite of her burger and pretended not to hear his sounds of pleasure.
“So Deke-wad really did a number on you, huh?” he finally said, taking a long swallow of water from one of the bottles she’d packed.
Rachel lowered her burger and stared at him. “How do you—what would make you say that?”
Jamie shrugged and reached for some French fries on the bench beside her. The back of his fingers brushed against her thigh, and she forced herself not to react.
“Just a hunch.” He ate his fries and then leaned back in his chair, studying her from behind his sunglasses. “I don’t read the tabloids because most of that shit is just that—bullshit. But I know guys like Deke Narducci, and they’re threatened by anything or anyone who steals their limelight.” A smile touched his mouth. “And I’m pretty sure anytime you two were in public together, you stole the show.”
A wave of pleasure washed over her at the compliment. Still, she had to disagree. “If you believe that, then you obviously don’t know Deke. His outfits alone stole the show.”
Jamie made a scoffing sound. “He dresses like a clown. Has anyone told him how ridiculous he looks?” He made exaggerated gestures with his hands. “All that long hair and those bizarre hats he wears—” He shook his head in disgust. “Someone needs to tell him M.C. Hammer wants his pants back.”
This time, Rachel did laugh. She couldn’t help herself, his expression was so priceless, and there was a part of her that appreciated how he didn’t gush over Deke, the way most people did.
“There it is,” Jamie said, grinning. “There’s that smile. That’s what I remember most about you from when we were kids; your smile could just lay me out flat.” He fell back in his chair with his arms flung out, as if he were dead.
Rachel laughed again. “Thank you,” she finally said.
Jamie straightened. “Anytime. But I’m being sincere. That guy did not deserve you, and if he has half a brain, he’s already regretting having signed those divorce papers.”
Rachel pretended to be absorbed in wrapping up the remains of her lunch. “No,” she finally said. “He’s not regretting a thing. In fact, he’s already moved on.” She smiled brightly. “Several times, in fact.”
“Which just proves my point. He’s an idiot.”
Rachel shrugged. “I’m over it. But you’re right—he didn’t do my self-esteem any favors.” She gathered up the paper wrappings and stood to toss the trash in a nearby bin. “Ready?”
He peered up at her. “Where to now?”
“I thought we could take a walk through the downtown, but if you’re getting tired, we could head home.”
“Are you kidding? I feel great, and this is by far the best day I’ve had since I’ve been home.”
They made their way back along the length of the pier, maneuvering slowly through the small groups of people and anglers.
“So what happened over there?” Rachel asked. “I remember seeing it on the news, and my mom told me a little bit about it, but not much.”