Free The Ocean Between Us by Susan Wiggs Page B

the house a couple of times, lookingfor her. “The whole family,” he repeated. “He’s the CAG, and he wants everybody to have a good time.”
    “Then he should count us out,” Katie said.
    “Maybe buy us tickets to a Mariners game,” Brian suggested. “That’d be a good time.”
    “You don’t have to stay long,” Grace explained in her ever-patient tone. But even she sounded a little weary of social obligations. She used to love dressing up, going to official functions and informal gatherings. “Just say hi and eat some barbecue and take notes, because—”
    “Because next year, Dad’s going to be the CAG,” Katie finished for her.
    “Such a bright child,” Grace said with a wink.
    “I heard Mrs. Crowther is a Grade-A, certified b— uh, pill,” Katie said in a gossipy tone. “Brooke Mather says she has these horrible teas and stuff for the wives, and gets all mad if you don’t come. And my friend Rose Marie says that in the winter, you can’t wear a fur to any function, because Mrs. Crowther doesn’t have a fur.”
    “Even if it’s a really ugly fur?” asked Brian.
    “That’s enough,” said Grace with a gleam of suppressed amusement. “We’ll all go, and we’ll be terribly polite and charming and they’ll think the Bennetts are the nicest family in the Navy.”
    Steve had been dealing with Crowther all day, and he yearned to change the subject. He turned to Brian. “So have you had a chance to look at the admissions packet from the Academy?” he asked.
    “You bet,” Brian said. “I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves and start filling in all those bubbles with a number-two pencil.”
    Steve grinned to hide a twinge of annoyance at his son’s sarcasm. Brian was a star athlete with bright prospects, yet he spent every spare minute creating intricate, almost hyperrealistic drawings of some fantasy world. He claimed to be working on a graphic novel, which was beyond Steve’s comprehension. Still, Brian had a serious desire to excel, and Steve hoped he’d choose to do it at the Naval Academy.
    “It’s a little early in the year to burn out on the application process,” he pointed out.
    “I looked at that stuff,” Emma said. “It’s not that different from a regular college application.”
    “Except for the blood test, urinalysis, dental X rays, physical aptitude exam…” Brian counted them off on his fingers. “Oh, and they’re not going to like my tattoo and body piercings one bit.”
    “What tattoo and body piercings?” Katie demanded, craning her neck to study her brother.
    “The ones I might get one of these days,” he said. “Now that I’m eighteen, it’s all up to me.”
    Clearly bored with her brother, Katie turned to Steve. “Can we get a dog?”
    She had been asking all summer. She asked every summer, he remembered. “We’ve talked about this before. A family pet is—”
    “One more thing to worry about,” Katie interrupted, exaggerating his Texas accent.
    “It’s one more thing to love,” said Emma.
    Steve and Grace exchanged a look. Both knew better than to take the bait. The conversation was in danger of turning into a squabble that had no resolution. With characteristic skill, Grace steered the topic around to other matters and brought the meal to a successful conclusion. She did this all the time, he realized, watching her pump Katie for details on the bike trip she’d made with her two new friends today. Grace smoothed out the wrinkles, anticipating trouble before it appeared.
    “I’m proud of you for making friends so quickly this summer,” she told Katie.
    “Like I have a choice,” Katie said.
    “You don’t,” Grace said, getting up from the table. “None of us do.”
    Maybe it was his imagination, but Steve sensed a subtle tension in the air. It was probably all in his head, he thought, watching Grace serve a dessert of strawberries in little glass bowls.
    Sometimes he was so grateful for his family, it made his chest ache. That