Small Change (29 page)

“Where's Rachel?” wondered Tiffany, looking around the club. Some revelers were dancing; others were sitting at tables, wearing
funny hats. All were drinking. “If she doesn't get here pretty soon she's going to miss midnight.”

“And our big news,” Brian added, taking Tiff's hand and kissing it.

Jess and the band were on break and she was sitting opposite them, nursing a soft drink. “You can tell me,” she said.

“I want you both to be here,” said Tiffany.

“Well, while we're waiting, I have some fun news,” Jess said. “Guess where The Red Hots are going to be playing in February.”

“Las Vegas,” joked Brian.

“Better,” said Jess. “Heart Lake. So you guys can take turns putting me up on the weekends.”

“Oh, my gosh, that will be so fun,” said Tiffany.

“Hey, here comes Rachel with her boyfriend,” said Brian, pointing toward the door.

Rachel still hadn't gotten in for her hot new hairstyle and she was wearing the same velvet pants Jess had seen her in for the last three holidays, but she still looked elegant, the rhinestone jewelry Jess had loaned her making her outfit look more classic than recycled. In fact, she looked well beyond elegant. Rachel had the glow of a woman in love.

“What's that I see on her finger?” Tiff said, pointing. “Oh, my gosh!” she cried, and jumped up from the table, plowing her way through the crowd to hug Rachel.

“It looks like everyone has news tonight,” said Jess with a smile.

Sure enough, Rachel had a ring with a fat diamond to show off. For a man on a budget, Chad had certainly done well. Sudden concern slipped into Jess's mind. Where had this guy gotten the money to buy that bit of bling? Was he in debt up to his eyeballs? Had they talked about money at all yet?

Of course, this wasn't the moment to ask those questions, so Jess smiled and hugged Rachel and said how happy she was for her.

“Have you set a date?” asked Tiff after the men had been introduced and they were all seated at the table.

“We're thinking June.” Rachel smiled at Chad and he smiled back—an intimate exchange that left out everyone else in the room. If ever a couple was madly in love it was these two.

“Let me do the music for the wedding,” Jess offered.

“We can do the flowers for you, too,” offered Tiff. “Oooh, and we can make the invitations ourselves. We'll do a diva on a dime wedding.”

Rachel shot a look in Chad's direction, which Jess found hard to interpret. “I don't think we want a big wedding.”

“Well, you still have to have flowers,” said Tiffany.

“And music,” added Jess.

“And friends, which means you'll need invitations,” Tiffany said.

Rachel laughed. “Okay, you've convinced me. We'll do a diva on a dime wedding. And I'll blog about it.”

“Just so you don't blog about the honeymoon,” said Chad as he signaled for the cocktail waitress.

“This calls for champagne,” said Brian as she arrived.

“I've got it,” Chad assured him, and ordered a bottle of champagne that Jess knew Brian sure couldn't afford. Big spender.

“While we're sharing good news, Brian and I have some,” said Tiffany. She was practically bouncing in her seat.

“You're having a baby,” guessed Jess. Hardly difficult in light of how they'd been acting.

Brian grinned and Tiff nodded eagerly.

“Oh, Tiff, that's wonderful,” cried Rachel, and hugged her. “When?”

“Next month.”

“Next … what?”

“We're adopting,” Brian explained. “Tiff has an uncle who's a doctor. He has a patient about to give birth and she's decided at the last minute that she doesn't want to keep the baby. We're doing a private adoption.”

“My parents are helping us with the bill,” said Tiffany. “As a reward for handling my money so well these past months,” she added proudly.

“When did all this happen?” asked Jess, wondering how Tiffany had managed to keep quiet about it.

“Today,” said Tiff. “Well, the girl made the final decision today. We've been talking all week. I told her we didn't have a ton of money but she said she didn't care. She could tell we had heart.”

“So do you know if it's a boy or a girl?” asked Rachel.

“It's a girl,” said Tiffany. “And guess what we're going to name her? Grace.”

“I love that name,” said Rachel.

Tiffany smiled at Brian with tears in her eyes. He took her hand and held it. “It seemed like the perfect name. Cuz that's what I've been given a lot of lately, especially from my husband.”

The champagne arrived and Jess proposed a toast. “To my friends, who are both getting what they so richly deserve. Happy New Year.”

“Happy New Year,” everyone echoed.

As she drank her champagne, Jess found herself wishing she
still lived in the old neighborhood so she could play grandma and babysit for Tiff. She gave a mental shrug and reminded herself that it could be worse. She could live clear across the country.

Of course, she could still wind up living far away if Michael didn't find something in the area. She took another drink of champagne. Borrowing trouble was not an option, especially on the eve of a new year.

It was mid-afternoon on January first when Rachel's children came home from their sleepovers. She found herself more nervous than she'd ever been in her life as she set a plate of the last of the holiday cookies on the kitchen table. Her engagement ring was burning a hole in her jeans. She hadn't had the courage to wear it today, didn't want to answer any questions until Chad was here with her. What she was going to do if her children didn't like the idea of her marrying Chad, she had no idea.

She thought back to when Aaron started his new life with Misty. He sure hadn't bothered to ask Claire and David what they thought. Well, there was a parenting model she wanted to follow. Not.

The doorbell rang and she jumped. There's no reason to be nervous, she told herself as she let Chad in. Why wouldn't her children be as excited as she was?

He smiled and gave her a fortifying kiss after he came through the front door. “Where are the kids?”

In their rooms, putting away their things. “Claire, David,” she called. “Come down here. We've got company.” She lowered her voice. “I am terrified.”

“No need to be,” he said, and took her hand.

First they heard the thunder of feet on the stairs. Then Claire and David came into view.

“Oh, hi, Chad,” said Claire. Her tone of voice asked,
This is your idea of company?

They'd done everything with him from mushroom-hunting to playing board games. He probably didn't qualify as company anymore. Rachel hoped he qualified as family.

“Hey, Chad, wanna shoot hoops?” David asked eagerly.

“Maybe later,” Rachel said. “Come out to the kitchen, you two. We need to talk about something.” The kids plopped down at the table and Rachel got down glasses for milk to go with the cookies.

Claire eyed her mother as she poured milk. “Is something going on?”

“You could say that,” said Rachel. How hard was it to come right out and say …

“Your mother and I are getting married,” said Chad, taking the whole decision of how to do this out of her hands.

David grinned and snatched a cookie. “Cool.”

Claire looked at her mother, her eyes big. “Really?”

“We want to,” said Rachel. “Are you okay with that?”

Claire's brow furrowed and she started fiddling with her braces. “Um, where will we live?”

“How about on the lake?” said Chad.

Claire's body language changed instantly. She sat up. “On the lake? For real?”

“Awesome!” cried David. “Do you have a boat? Can we water-ski?”

“Probably,” said Chad.

That clinched it. Rachel's offspring looked at each other like two lottery winners who couldn't believe their good fortune.

They weren't the only ones. Neither could their mother. “Pinch me,” she said to Chad later that day, after he came in from playing basketball with David and the neighbors.

Chad took the glass of water she'd poured for him and looked appreciatively at her backside. “I could do that.”

She slipped her arms around his neck. “I never thought I'd fall in love again. I never thought I'd find anyone.”
I never thought anyone would want me.

“That makes two of us,” he said, and kissed her.

“I still can't believe it,” Rachel said to Jess later that week as they talked on the phone. “I feel like any minute now I'm going to wake up and be back in the real world of scrimping and pinching pennies.”

“I guess you won't have to do that anymore,” said Jess.

“Not so much, but Chad is definitely the millionaire next door and I'll still be on a budget.”

“But a heck of a lot bigger one than you had before,” said Jess. “And to think I was worried about him not having any money.”

“I'd marry him even if he didn't,” said Rachel.

“I know you would. But I bet you're finding it just as easy to love a rich man,” Jess teased. “Now, for the most important question: where are you going for your honeymoon?”

“We haven't decided for sure, but it's looking like the Caribbean.”

Jess began to croon the Beach Boys' “Kokomo.” “Need someone to carry your suitcase? Oh, that's right. It's your honeymoon. Clothing optional. You may need to remind Tiff of that. She'll want to help you shop for an entire trousseau.”

“I have a feeling she's going to be too busy with her new baby to worry about my trousseau,” Rachel predicted.

Sure enough. Every time Rachel talked to Tiffany it was baby, baby, baby. Tiffany had already signed herself and Brian up for parenting classes. Amazingly, Tiff hadn't gone overboard with spending though. She had found bargains online and on eBay to round out what her friends had given her at the impromptu baby shower Cara hosted at the salon.

“I can't believe it. Grace comes in two weeks,” said Tiff, as she showed Rachel the finished nursery. Of course, all the trimmings were pink and white, and the room looked fit for a princess. Tiff's smile slipped a little. “Do you think I'll make a good mother?” she asked in a small voice.

“Of course you will,” Rachel assured her. “You're fun and kind. You'll be great.”

“Do you think I'm selfish?”

“If you are, don't worry. The baby will beat it out of you,” Rachel said.

“No, seriously. Do you?”

“No more than any of the rest of us,” said Rachel. She gave Tiff a hug, saying, “Trust me. You'll be a great mother.”

Tiff sighed happily. “Here I was so miserable last year and now this year we're going to have a baby. Gosh, things sure can change in a hurry.”

They sure could. Rachel could hardly believe she wasn't dreaming. If she was, it was the busiest dream she'd ever had. There was so much to decide and plan and do. And every day included Chad, which made every day wonderful, no matter how routine.

January was coming to a close and she was getting her teaching materials ready for an afternoon of tutoring when he stopped by. “I know you're trying to get ready,” he said, “but I wanted to drop off some papers for you.” He held out a fat, legal-sized envelope.