Free The Beach House by Georgia Bockoven Page A

first?”
    â€œThere’s nothing that won’t wait,” Beverly told her.
    â€œWhy don’t you come with us? We don’t have to go right now. We can wait until you’re ready.”
    It was everything Tracy could do to keep from groaning out loud. She’d had no idea Janice was such a suck-up. “Mom never does anything until she gets unpacked. If we wait for her, it will be dark before you get to see the beach.”
    â€œYou go ahead,” Beverly said. “Margaret and I will be down later.”
    Beverly and Margaret dropped the suitcases they were carrying and headed back out to the car for another load. Tracy and Janice were gone by the time they got back in the house.
    â€œI’m sorry,” Beverly said. “Tracy has just been impossible lately. Nothing I do seems to satisfy her anymore.”
    The only part Margaret would question was the “lately.” As far as she was concerned, Tracy had been a monster in the making from the day she screamed her way into the world. “Maybe it’s just a case of teenage angst.”
    â€œClyde thought it might be the way she’s been raised.”
    Margaret had sense enough to let that one go without comment.
    â€œYou know—the constant moving around,” Beverly went on. “Three years is the longest we’ve ever lived in one house, and that was just after Tracy was born. The longest poor Tracy has ever gone to one school is two years. She’s always the new kid, always having to prove herself. Something like that is bound to be upsetting.” Beverly laid Tracy’s garment bag across the bed. “Don’t you think?”
    â€œI know it was hard on me.” Margaret’s father had been in the air force, a master sergeant determined to see as much of the world as possible at the government’s expense.
    â€œHow did you do it?”
    â€œIt wasn’t as if I had any choice.” Margaret dug a little deeper in her memories, looking for something that would help Beverly. “I think it’s probably why I’m still in Fresno today, letting Kevin rub my nose in his new, incredibly happy family life every time I see him. If I hadn’t set down such deep roots when I finally could, I would have packed up and moved away after the divorce. Especially if I’d known how little time Kevin would spend with Chris.”
    â€œI wonder if Tracy will be like that.” She unzipped the garment bag, took out the clothes, and laid them on the bed. “Have you been having trouble with Chris?” The note of hopefulness was pathetically obvious.
    The only thing Margaret worried about with Chris was that he was too perfect. He never stayed out late, always called to let her know where he was, and helped out around the house without being asked. If she feared anything where he was concerned, it was that the divorce had cost Chris the freedom to be a kid and experience the rebellion that brought its own brand of wisdom as an adult. She wanted him to do at least a few of the things that were confessed years later when he had children of his own.
    â€œNot yet,” Margaret admitted. “But I figure it’s bound to happen any day now.” She took a duffel bag with Tracy’s initials into the room with the twin beds.
    â€œYou know I always hoped Tracy and Chris would wind up together. Tracy doesn’t know this, but the real reason Clyde gave up his ticket was that he was afraid if he didn’t, she wouldn’t come at all. With both of them getting ready to go off to college next year, this might be her and Chris’s last chance to connect.”
    â€œI wouldn’t be too disappointed if that doesn’t happen,” Margaret said carefully. “They only see each other one month out of twelve, and to people their ages, that’s an eternity.” Thank God , Margaret added to herself. Even knowing how Chris felt about Tracy, she couldn’t