LITMIR.BIZ

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inspection. Shoes shined, tie straight. His dad was Navy to his bones. “I’ll come out in a week or two.”

      “Saturday, the fifteenth? I’ll let her know.”

      “That depends….” But the last thing he needed was another argument with his dad. “All right. The fifteenth.”

      The admiral was silent on the other end. He had something else on his mind or he would have gone for Penny. These conversations were as awkward for him as they were for Jake. “Made any progress, son?” he finally said. That was Admiral Renner code for settling down—having a real job, a wife, becoming a man with responsibilities, debts, burdens.

      “Every day is progress, sir,” he said with a sigh. He’d be damned if he’d do anything in life the way his dad had done it.

      Silence. Then his father said tightly, “I’ll get your sister.”

      Why did Jake’s heart thud after these exchanges? He was almost thirty years old. It was the shame in his father’s voice. His only son was a footloose bum he couldn’t brag about with the other officers, whose kids were in the Academy or the diplomatic corps or were lawyers or computer whizzes. He felt the shame heat his face. Ridiculous. What did he care what his narrow-minded father thought? Unlike his father, Jake enjoyed life. Enjoyment was not a duty, so Admiral Renner didn’t make room for it.

      And as far as being footloose, that was something he’d learned as a kid, thanks to his father’s transfers from naval base to naval base—Virginia to Florida to California. Jake had learned how to let go when he needed to. Now, when things got weird or dull or troublesome, it was easy to just leave.

      As a kid, it had hurt, being forced away from things he loved—the swim team, girlfriends, great buds, even teachers who’d inspired him. But he got used to it and it taught him to be flexible, open to new things that were just as worthwhile.

      Moving around had been tough, but that was only the launching pad for his struggles with his by-the-book father. Jake had never met a rule he liked, and he made sure his father knew it.

      “Hey, Jake,” Penny chirped.

      “Hey there, Squirrel, how are you?”

      “Good. I got second place in the swim meet.”

      “Terrific. Did the Admiral stop picking on you about your grades?” It wasn’t until he’d left home that Jake realized that Penny might be paying the price for his rebellion. His parents were overprotective and kept her close to home, under watch.

      “He wasn’t picking on me. He was concerned about me, that’s all. Parents do that. It’s a duty.”

      “There’s more to school than grades, Pen. Don’t let him browbeat you.”

      “Chill, would you? I want good grades, too. For college.”

      “There’s plenty of time for college. You have to live life.” As soon as she graduated high school, he was making sure she got to spend a year in Europe. That was what she wanted, though she’d stopped talking about it. He’d seen the flyer on her desk when he was home at Thanksgiving—Study Abroad. See Europe and earn college credit. He’d asked her about it and she’d sounded so jazzed until she read him the costs. Then her enthusiasm faded. Too much money. She didn’t have to say it.

      That was when he decided he would make it happen. He’d pay her way, arrange everything, including running interference with the old man. Jake would not let Penny suffer for his sins. As soon as she had her high school diploma, he’d break her out of the brig his parents kept her in.

      “So, I can’t wait for this weekend,” Penny said. “You can teach us to surf—I’m bringing Sheila. She wants to sailboard.”

      “Um, that’s kind of why I called,” he said, hating to disappoint her. She asked for so little from him—or anyone. “We’ll have to postpone the trip for a couple weeks.”

      “Postpone it? Why?”

      “The living situation has changed. It turns out the owner sold the cottage and now I’ve got a landlord living here.”

      “So, we’ll bring sleeping bags and crash on the floor.”

      “Not yet. She’s a little touchy right now.”

      “She? Your landlord’s a woman?”

      “Yeah.”

      “She single?”

      “Why does that matter?”

      “So turn on the Jake charm already.”

      “I’ll be lucky if she doesn’t kick me out on my ass.”

      “Does she have eyes? Ears? A libido?”

      “Libido? That is not a word you should even understand, let alone use.”

      “I’m sixteen, Jake. I’m a woman. With womanly needs.”

      “That’s enough of that.” The whole idea creeped him out. “You take it slow. You have your whole life to get involved in…that stuff….” He felt himself flush. Penny needed a solid guy who would look out for her, worship the ground she walked on, and only when she was mature enough to get serious.

      “Yeah, yeah, whatever,” she said. “You sure I can’t come?”

      “Sorry.”

      “I guess Mom and I will rent movies or something.”

      “Go out with friends. Don’t let them trap you at home.”

      “They don’t lock me in a tower. If you’re so worried about me, talk your landlord into letting me stay. What’s her name?”

      “Ariel.”

      “That’s pretty. Is she? Pretty, I mean.”

      “She’s all right.” Compactly built, with everything in the right place from what he could see through the business suit. For a moment, he thought of sleeping with her. Bad idea if he wanted to live here through the summer and maybe beyond.

      Sleeping with a roommate was a mistake he’d learned from Charlotte. She’d agreed they’d keep it light, just enjoy each other, but then she wanted to know where he was every minute, pouted if he wasn’t home for dinner, acted like a wife, for God’s sake. Then he’d hurt her feelings. He’d hated that. Why did women think they could change him? Why did they even want to? He was who he was and that ought to be enough.

      “So, why not…see what happens?” Penny said.

      “We are not having this conversation, Pen.”

      “Okay. I just wish you’d find someone special so you’d stop hassling me.”

      “I’m just looking out for you.”

      “Then get me invited to the beach house.”

      “I will. As soon as I’m sure I’m staying.”

      “If she’s a woman, you’ll be staying.”

      He wasn’t sure how to take that and did not like his sister even hinting about his love life. “Do something fun this weekend,” he commanded, then hung up, his roommate jumping into his mind. She’d be hot in bed, he’d bet—active, motivated, goal-oriented. Useful traits in the sack. Hmm.

      Nope. He needed Ariel as a roommate, not a playmate.

      A PUFF OF DAMP AIR blew Ariel awake. Had she left the window of her London flat open to the drizzle? She opened her eyes just as a wet, black blob snorted at her. Focusing one eye, she made out an animal muzzle and realized it was attached to the dog that had burst out of the house when she’d first arrived. Pleased that he’d awakened her, the dog pranced a couple of steps, then shook itself mightily, spraying water and sand everywhere.

      The reality of Ariel’s situation came back to her like a belly flop in the pool of her

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