Ben started to call for Caddie. Then he realized that he didn’t want Carol to talk to her. She was still angry at him, and he feared that if her mother set her off in any way, she would try to get back at him by telling Carol what she knew.

“She’s not here,” he lied. “She went to the aquarium with Brian.”

“All right,” said Carol as Ben closed his eyes and leaned against the wall. “I’ll try later tonight. Or if she wants to call me, I’ll be in and out.”

“I’ll tell her,” Ben said, his throat tight. He listened as Carol hung up, then remained leaning against the wall, looking at the broken coffee mug, until the strident beeping of the receiver forced him to move. Then he placed the phone in its cradle and went to clean up the shattered pieces.

CHAPTER 41

CHAPTER 41

“The topography is shaped likea bowl,” Ben told Caddie. “Once you hit the edge of the water, it just drops off. That’s what makes it so hard to get out.”

Caddie ignored him. She turned to Brian. “Can you help me put this on?” she asked, indicating her BC.

“No problem,” Brian answered, although he was already wearing his gear and Ben was in just his dry suit and could have done it more easily.

“Thanks,” Caddie said. She faced Ben as Brian lifted the BC up so that she could slide her arms through the straps. Ben tried to catch her eye, but she looked away.

She hadn’t spoken to him at all. During the drive to the beach she had sat with her arms across her chest, looking out the window. Only when Brian had appeared had she come to life, making a big production out of kissing him hello. Even Brian had seemed surprised at her enthusiasm, and Ben resisted an urge to inform the young man that it was largely to annoy her father that Caddie was acting this way.

“They call the sand here monster berries,” Ben said, as if Caddie had asked him to explain. “They’re hard to walk through, so be careful.”

Caddie ignored him, stomping off into the gravel-like sand with great purpose. Brian, staying behind, looked at Ben. “She’s ready to go,” he remarked.

“Have you dived here before?” Ben asked him. He was finding it hard to dislike Brian, even though his irresponsibility regarding Caddie’s dive education rankled. He planned on having a serious discussion with him about that later. Right now, though, his mind was focused on Caddie.

“Once,” Brian answered.

Ben nodded, saying nothing but feeling even more relieved that he’d forced himself into the party. He balanced his BC on the open tailgate of the car and backed into it. Brian, watching, made no offer of help.