“I can get assistance but not a full schorship,” expined Will. “Fact is, when I look at my options it doesn’t offer much more than going to A and M and not pying at all.”

  She didn’t even know what Will wanted to major in. Whatever it was, he’d better commit to some college or another or he’d be facing the draft. “But this pce is more prestigious, right? Your academics helped get you in.”

  Will gave no more than a distracted nod to this. “You know,” she ventured, “if finances are an issue you could go to Edison. Like Joey.”

  “Yeah, or An. Don’t think I haven’t considered it.” He reached across the tabletop to take her hand. “Let’s not worry about it anymore today.”

  He was the one who had been worrying. Kris was afraid she would too, now. She knew the military was still in the back of her boyfriend’s mind. That would solve any financial problems, but at what new cost? Suddenly, unexpectedly, she felt tears come.

  “What’s the matter?” Will sounded concerned, surprised, baffled, all at once.

  “It’s all just—just so much. Why do things have to be so hard for you? For everyone?” Yes, her too. She was feeling sorry for herself, she realized, and tried to call up a stern inner voice to tell her to knock it off. She rose from her patio chair. “Let’s do something. There’s no point in sitting here.”

  “Sure,” he said. Will came around the table to her, put an arm around her shoulders. She turned, wrapped her arms around him, buried her face in his chest. The stifled sobs still managed to break through.

  “We have so little time,” she whispered. “Then you’ll be gone. Everyone will be gone.”

  “Yeah, Kris, I know. All we can do is make the most of it.”

  That wouldn’t be enough. She knew it wouldn’t. But maybe she should pretend it was. “Where’d everyone go?” she asked. Her eyes were dry now. Mostly wiped off on Will’s shirt.

  “In the house, I think. We could go in—um, are you sure it’s okay with the Summerlins for me to be around here?”

  “Jam says it is. Ask him yourself, if you want, ’cause here he comes out the door.” Followed by Joey and Ronnie.

  “Did Jelly abandon you already?” she called to them.

  “Oh, she went upstairs to put her guitar away,” answered Jam. “She treats it like a baby. Probably better than she would a real baby.”

  Kris wasn’t sure Angelica Summerlin should be issued a baby. “Ronnie can py guitar some,” she volunteered. “Her father taught her.”

  “She might prefer I didn’t tell my sister that.”

  Ronnie shrugged. “It doesn’t matter much. An pys too, or so he cims.”

  They began to walk in the direction of the Gulf, without any particur intent. “Where’s the other sister?” asked Joey.

  “Sleeping in. She’s still on New York hours. Maybe she’ll rouse herself enough to shop ter.” He smirked, just slightly. “Probably steal one of the cars, too.”

  “You could do that,” Joey reminded him. “Or don’t you have a license?”

  “My speedy three-speed is all I need,” he replied, avoiding the question.

  “How much longer is Lin staying?” asked Kris. “Didn’t you say a month vacation?”

  “Yep. She rolled in the night I ran into you all on the beach and she’ll head back the weekend after the Fourth. The Sixth or Seventh.”

  “I think we ran into you,” said Joey. “You weren’t moving fast enough to run into anyone.”

  “True enough. You know, I haven’t smoked weed since that night.”

  “There’s a lot of summer left,” Kris reminded him and then remembered she’d just been saying the opposite to Will. It was enough to make her chuckle aloud. Barely aloud, but Ronnie gave her a curious look.

  “This looks like as good a spot to sit down as any,” Jam said. “Do I hear differing opinions?” He didn’t wait for any but sank onto the impeccably mowed wn. The others followed his example.

  Kris gave Will a sidelong gnce and then spoke. “William wants to be assured no one minds him being here. So assure him.”

  Jam looked innocently into the air. “Well, I don’t mind. How can I speak for anyone else?”

  Joey gave him a shove. “Assure, boy!”

  “Okay, okay. Everyone loves Will. Oh, Lin probably doesn’t notice him and Angelica doesn’t care about much of anyone and Mom is more a snob than a racist. Hey, there’s a pretty good view of the Gulf from this spot, isn’t there?”

  “Yeah. The beach is getting crowded,” said Joey. “If we want to swim we’d better do it soon. Is your An coming, Ronnie?”

  “Hun-uh. He’s on kennel duty. And he’s not ‘mine.’”

  “Yeah, sure he isn’t. How about your father, Jam?” Kris did want Will to be thoroughly assured.

  “My father would go out of his way not to appear racist. I used to think that was hypocrisy but I know better now. Dad makes a real effort to rise above the prejudices of his upbringing.” There was the touch of a grimace. “I’m afraid there is no hope for my grandfather, however.”

  Will’s forehead wrinkled into a sort of frown. “Isn’t what is inside us what is really important?”

  “Spoken like a true Protestant,” quipped Joey. “Just believe the right things and you’re okay. Or believe you believe them.”

  “Now, now, be nice, Joey,” James admonished, but a brief smile followed. “I think it is important to be able to recognize racism in ourselves and in our society. But it’s more important not to do racist stuff. Doing the right thing will help turn your mind and your world around. Ha, a sermon! I’m already sounding like a priest.”

  Joey looked skeptical. “That doesn’t sound like anything I’ve ever heard in church.”

  “You haven’t been around Jesuits.”

  A brief silence was broken by Ronnie. “I think I like your father,” she said. “Maybe I should be a wyer.”

  “I’ve given that some thought myself,” came a voice from behind them. “You should talk to our dad.”

  “It wouldn’t hurt,” said Jam. “Sheesh, now I’m being agreeable to my sister.”

  “I’m sure it will pass.” Jelly sat down with them, between Ronnie and Kris.

  “Donny might be on that path too,” Kris told her.

  She only nodded, rather disinterestedly. “By James’s reckoning, then,” Jelly said, “Will is doing our father a favor by being here and letting him practice being not racist. Have I got that right, brother mine?”

  “I guess so. Anyway, everyone is gd to have you here, Will.”

  “Um, okay, I think. You could have just said that to start with.”

  “Oh, that would be no fun.”

  “Swimming would be more fun,” decred Jelly, rising again to her feet. “Who’s with me?”

  She doffed her loose white shirt—it looked like a man’s dress shirt, down to the little stitched monogram on the pocket—uncovering the skimpiest bikini Kris had ever seen. “You’re not,” she said, turning to Will. “Remember you’re with me.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he replied, but she couldn’t miss that his eyes strayed.

  Angelica only smiled and headed for the sand.