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Chapter One

"This is a joke--right?" Shana Berrie said uncertainly as she talked to her older sister, Ali, on the phone Ali was the sensible one in the fa up her entire life, buying a pizza and ice-crea over in a new city Oh, no, only soe--correction, a drastic change--would do soree to this parenting plan"

Her sister was a Navy nurse stationed in San Diego, and several years ago, when she’d asked Shana to look after her niece if necessary, Shana had immediately said yes It had seemed an unlikely prospect at the time, but that was before her sister became a

"I did, didn’t I?" she muttered lamely as she stepped around a cardboard box Her rental house was cluttered with the s of her new life and the remnants of her old

"It isn’t like I have any choice in theher thick, chestnut-colored hair away froainst the kitchen wall and slowly expelled her breath, hoping that would cal heart "I said yes back then because you asked reat," Ali assured her

"I know, but--but…" she sta is, I’ point in my own life and I’m probably not the best person for Jazmine" Surely there was a relative on her brother-in-law’s side Someone else, anyone else would be better than Shana, as starting a new career after suffering a major roanized Chaotic Add a recently bereaved nine-year-old to the ht happen

"This isn’t a choose-your-ti on you, and so is Jazmine"

Shana nibbled on her lower lip, trapped between her doubts and her obligation to her ed sister "I’ll do it, of course, but I was just wondering if there was someone else…"

"There isn’t," Ali said abruptly

"Then it’s me" Shana spoke with as h she suspected it must sound pretty hollow Shana hadn’t had et her chance to learn She was about to becoiver while her sister went out to sea on an aircraft carrier for a six-month deployment

Shana truly hadn’t expected this When Ali filled out the "ide availability" form--with Shana’s name--she’d explained it was so the Navy had docu Jazmine would have so that Ali was combat-ready It had seemed quite routine, more of a formality than a possibility--and of course, Peter was alive then

Ali had been in the Navy for twelve years and had never pulled sea duty before now She’d traveled around the world with her husband, a Navy pilot, and their daughter Then, two years ago, Peter had been killed in a training accident and everything changed

Things had changed in Shana’s life, too, although not in the saic way Brad--Shana purposely put a halt to her thoughts Brad was in the past They were finished Done Kaput She’d told her friends that she was so over him she had to force herself to reain? That was how over him she was Over Over and out

"I don’t have"The Woodrow Wilson’s scheduled to leave soon I’ll fly Jazmine up this weekend but I won’t be able to stay ht"

Shana sed a protest For reasons of national security, Shana realized her sister couldn’t say any more about her schedule But this weekend? She still had to finish unpacking Further with the former owners of her restaurant Then it occurred to Shana that she ht not be the only one upset about Ali’s sudden deployuess at her niece’s reaction "What does Jazmine have to say about all this?"

Ali’s hesitation told Shana everything she needed to know "Oh, great," she muttered under her breath She remembered her own childhood and what her mother had terht, andwith Jaz her poor mother had endured

"To be honest, Jazmine isn’t too excited about the irl barely knew Shana The kid, a true child of the ton State, then Italy and, following the accident that claio, California They’d just settled into their Navy housing, and now they were about to leave that In her nine years Jazmine had been moved from country to country, lost her father, and now herfoisted on Shana No wonder she wasn’t thrilled

"We’ll be fine," Shanaher best to sound positive She didn’t knoho she was kidding Certainly not her sister--and not herself, either This was going to be another in a long line of recent disasters, or life-changing events, as she preferred to call them