“It wasn’t a cow I saw under the water.”
Terri was peering around the corner. “Della is searching for you.”
“Sure it’s not you she wants?”
“As she loves to tell people, she used to change my diapers. There isn’t much of anything that she doesn’t know about me. Uh-oh. She’s coming this way.” Again Terri took Nate’s hand, led him past the bathroom into her bedroom and shut the door.
Nate immediately stretched out on the bed. “People sure show up early for parties here.”
Terri glanced out the window. “If I could, I’d turn on a neon sign saying I told you so. These people have nothing else to do except party. And since Mr. Do-Gooder you went around asking what everyone used to do, they now want to show off. In my house.”
Nate gave a one-sided grin. “You don’t sound like you hate it.”
Terri flopped down on the other side of the bed and looked up at the ceiling. “It’s been nice.”
“What has?”
They’d always had a lighthearted teasing between them, but she grew serious. “What you’ve done here has been good for all of us. Dad and I tend to be so focused on getting the work done that we forget to have fun. Aunt Aggie used to have parties, but she invited her favorites and...” Terri turned to look at him. “You include everyone in what you do and everybody here likes you.”
Instead of the smile she expected, Nate frowned. “Don’t sell yourself short. What you do to run this place is extraordinary. You’re like a tribal chief keeping everyone in line. I’m just the clown.”
She looked back up at the ceiling. “You’re more than that. You work a lot too. You—”
“Hey!” He cut her off, as though he wanted to stop this serious talk. “Are you hungry?”
“Not especially, but I’d put money on it that you are. I’m sure Della would love to have lunch with you.”
Nate got off the bed. “It’s 3:00 p.m. and I haven’t eaten since breakfast. I’ve been listening to stories of how great each man used to be. It seems that today we whippersnappers don’t know what real work is. This was said while I was pulling some black strings off my arms. Got them while diving for trash.”
“You shouldn’t have gone shirtless.” She stood up.
“If a pretty girl is watching me, I tend to strip off. Can’t let all those bench presses go to waste. Why don’t we—”
There was a knock at the door. “Terri? Are you in there?”
“That’s Della,” Terri whispered.
“I can’t find that nice young man who is engaged to marry Stacy Hartman,” Della said through the door. “He isn’t alone in your bedroom with you, is he?”
“Subtle,” Nate whispered, then slid open the door to the outside. “Follow me.”
Terri practically ran past him.
Outside, there were two men attending the big barbecue grill that had magically appeared at Terri’s house. It was covered with sizzling meat. When Nate grabbed sausages and bread, Terri opened a cooler and took out three small bowls of food. She had no idea what they contained.
“Here,” Elaine said from behind her, and handed her a big pink tote bag. “I put a jug of lemonade inside. Take your time. This party hasn’t officially started yet.”
Terri knew she should protest that she and Nate weren’t running off to some love tryst, as Elaine seemed to be implying. They were escaping Della’s nosy questions. But Terri just smiled. “Thanks.”
Minutes later, she was running toward her boat, Nate close behind her.
And not far behind him was Della Kissel calling to Terri.
“Go!” Nate said and Terri stepped up her pace.
They practically leaped into the boat. Nate untied it while Terri started the engine. She took off so fast that Nate nearly flew out the back, but he just laughed.
Terri headed toward Club Circle, where all the shops and public buildings were, but then she made an abrupt turnaround and headed back toward her house. She thought Nate would ask what she was doing, but he didn’t. She stayed close to the east shore, went into a little cove, then came back out near one of the three bridges. It was a place Nate had not seen before.