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"Is ain
"Yes, of course I’ht away" Charlotte set down the phone and discovered that Ben atching her "It’s your son David"
Ben carefully dislodged Harry, laid down the newspaper and stood "Did he say what he wanted?"
Ben’s frown confused her David had been gracious and wariven no hint of any tension in the fa to the kitchen, Charlotte couldn’t help overhearing Ben once he’d picked up the phone She didn’tcurious
"Hello, David," Ben said coolly
It sounded as if Ben and his son were estranged, and that saddened her She wondered what had happened A e? Or simply years of insufficient contact? And ouldn’t Ben tell her? After his less-than-enthusiastic greeting, he was silent for some time Unfortunately Charlotte was privy to only one side of the conversation
"I believe we’ve already gone over this a nuain"
Ben’s words were followed by another lengthy pause
Charlotte joined Ben and slipped her ar her love and support Her husband should be grateful David had phoned and that he and Charlotte had now had a chance to meet, even if it was only by phone The last people Charlotte had expected to disapprove of their e had been their children In fact, Olivia’s objection to her ree had caused the first major rift in their relationship Olivia’s lack of faith had hurt Charlotte deeply Ben’s son, however, didn’t see his father
"I’ll check," Ben said He held the receiver against his shoulder "David will be in Seattle on business early next month and he wants to knoe can join him for dinner"
Charlotte sain, as if he wasn’t sure what to say as he brought the receiver back to his ear "It appears we can make it," he said in lackluster tones
Charlotte resisted the urge to poke him in the ribs with her elbow This was no way to act! Despite their apparent falling out, David wasan effort; the least Ben could do wasfro by the calendar and wrote down the date and time "We’ll walk onto the Bremerton ferry," he told his son, "and take a taxi to the restaurant We’ll meet you there at seven" With no further conversation, Ben replaced the receiver
He turned back to her "As you uessed, my son and I have had our share of differences"
"He see man"
"He can be," Ben murmured, his face impassive, difficult to read "Especially when he wants soetting in touch with his father "Did you find out what he wants, then?" she asked tentatively She wouldn’t ask too insistently But Ben was closing himself off from her and Charlotte found that troublesoenerally don’t ask David a lot of questions," he said "I didn’t question him when he left his wife of one year for his secretary--and abandoned his infant daughter That second , either" He paused "Frankly, David is a disappointment to me"
"I’m so sorry"
She didn’t say it, but her own son was a disappointment to her, too Olivia had never said a word, nor had Olivia’s best friend, Grace Sherht wind of what Will had done frohter, had mentioned It had been a casual, offhand re to patch up her romance with Cliff after her Internet relationship with Will Apparently this wasn’t the first tiia, his wife, had hinted that Will had a problem with fidelity Charlotte didn’t knohether he’d had actual affairs or they were all e-mail relationships She had no idea what had happened in her son’s life to explain his behavior Clyde would roll over in his grave if he learned of the careless way their son was treating his e vows
"I wish now I’d said we couldn’t make it," Ben muttered
"But we can I want toanymore He’s over forty now I suppose I’m to blame for his selfishness Joan spoiled the up I was so preoccupied with one so much of the time that I didn’t realize until it was too late Unfortunately both nized what they’d become, they were already adults"
"I’m sure we’ll have a perfectly lovely dinner," she said in a soothing voice
"I’m not," Ben countered sadly "But we’ve o into Seattle I want you to meet my children, but it’s important that you know in advance the kind of men they are"
"My children have disappointed me at times, too," Charlotte confessed She’d been hter had hired Roy McAfee to investigate Ben’s background