Embarrassment and humiliation made her squirm. “Why did I trust him?”
“Dad or Kip?”
An excellent question, she thought glumly. Right now she couldn’t trust either of them.
“I’m going to ignore all my problems until we get to California,” she said.
“Uh-huh.”
She shoved his arm. “I mean it. Now tell me why you wanted to talk to Dad.”
“No way. You’ll freak.”
“I don’t freak.”
“You freak all the time. You’re incapable of emotional maturity.”
“You can’t talk to me like that. I nearly died from cancer.”
“More than a decade ago. That’s the best you have?”
She grinned. “I use what works. How about this? I’ll keep my freak-storm inside.”
Austin looked at her, then returned his attention to the road. “I want to go to college.”
“That’s hardly freak-worthy. It’s also something you should have thought of six months ago.”
“I wasn’t ready. I’m still not. I need the year. But I’m going to apply.”
She sensed there was more to his announcement.
“I want to join the navy. Through ROTC.”
“What?” Her voice was louder than she’d expected. She cleared her throat. “What?”
“Freak much?”
“That was volume, not freak. We’re not a military family.”
“I know, but that could change. I’ve been thinking about UC San Diego. If I can get in, I’ll join ROTC.”
Her brother in the navy? “You want to fly jets? Like that old movie?”
“I want to captain a destroyer.”
She stared at him. “Are you serious?”
“Yup. Mom doesn’t know.”
“Oh, I’ll let you tell her. That will be a freak-storm for the ages.”
“She’ll be fine with it.”
Harlow laughed. “Uh-huh. Have you met our mother? You joining the navy? She’s going to lock you in a closet and never let you out.”
“You’re wrong. She’ll be okay with it. Dad wouldn’t listen.”
Suddenly Austin’s quitting made sense. “That’s what you wanted to talk about,” she said.
“He’s good ignoring us.”
“He is. So what’s the plan?”
“I’m going to hang with Mom and Lillian for a while, then head down to San Diego and talk to a few people. If everything works out, then I’ll ask Lillian if I can move in, get a job and establish residency.” He glanced at her. “That way college is a lot cheaper.”
He sounded confident, she thought. “You’ve been thinking about this.”
“I came up with the idea senior year, but I knew I wasn’t ready, so I waited. By next September, I’ll be anxious to go. In the meantime, I should be able to get a job with a charter company.” He grinned. “And work on my surfing.”
“I’m impressed,” she admitted. “You’re going to do this.”
“I think so.”
She meant what she said—she was impressed. And a little envious. A month ago she’d been as confident about her future, but now she was less sure about everything. She’d completely misread her father’s interest in buying the business. She was confused about Kip, worried how she would fit in with his family and starting to think she might be a whole lot more of a spoiled brat than she’d ever considered. It was kind of a lot. And unlike her brother, she wasn’t sure she was up to the challenge.
* * *
Living all over the world had not prepared Mason for life in Santa Barbara. Every morning he gazed at his incredible ocean view, wondering how a poor kid from West Virginia ended up here. He’d thought adjusting to civilian life after more than twenty years in the army might be tough, but it had been nothing when compared to learning his way around Lillian’s house, where cats were always willing to trip him. More often than not, he had a sense of having slipped into an alternate universe—where a beautiful neighbor spilled her secrets and occasionally kissed him. He had no idea how he’d gotten so lucky, but he’d be grateful every day for the rest of his life.
Between the weather, the views, Lillian and Robyn, the sprawling garden and the fact that Charles II seemed to have adopted him, he was out of his depth and loving every second of it. But there was at least one constant he could count on—Costco.
He liked bulk buying. A man never knew when he might need twenty-five D-cell batteries. He enjoyed the bakery, where the pies were big enough to feed a squad. He always fantasized about one of his books showing up on the big tables. Unlikely, but fun to think about.
Today he headed directly for the meat. Robyn’s kids were coming, and she’d wanted steaks. When he’d offered to do the shopping, she’d given him a list. They were about to jump from three people living in the house to five, and she’d warned him Austin and Harlow both liked to eat.
Thirty minutes later, he’d filled his cart. He’d bought fruit, salad, four whole chickens, steaks, two pies, a cake and the giant cookie assortment. On the way out, he grabbed three bouquets.
He loaded everything in his car and started back toward Lillian’s house. A Toyota 4x4 followed him up the long driveway.
He pulled in front of the garage and got out. The truck pulled in next to him, and two kids got out.
He recognized them immediately. Austin looked less like his mom, but there was still enough there for Mason to like him. Harlow looked enough like her mother to be make him wonder if there had been a father at all. He saw how Robyn would have looked twenty years ago and decided he liked the more mature version better.
“Hello,” he said, crossing to Austin and holding out his hand. “I’m Mason.”
“Oh, right.” Austin grinned. “Harlow, this is the guy who’s going to inherit the house.”
Harlow eyed him from a safe distance. “Nice to meet you.”
Mason walked to his trunk. “Let me get these groceries inside, then I can help you with your luggage.”
“There are only a couple of bags,” Austin said easily. He glanced in Mason’s trunk. “Costco, huh? Did Mom send you with a list?”
“She did, but I also bought cookies.”
“Good man.”