Hulk Read Online Free PDF Page B

her the only person in the area who was capable of doing so. “When did we
start
talking? When do we ever start? You talk, I listen. That’s about as far as it goes!”
    “That’s as far as it needs to go,” Ross told her. “Is it true? What Glen told me? That you broke it off with him?”
    She drew herself up. “Yes, that’s right.”
    “Why the blue blazes would you do that?”
    “Because I only went out with him to make you happy, Dad, believe it or not. And he was talking about marriage. About building a life together.”
    Ross’s eyes widened. “And what’s wrong with that? He’s an up-and-coming lieutenant! I brought him out here because he’s going places and—”
    “And because you wanted to hook him up with me. I’m not stupid, Dad. You’ve had your eye on him ever since Maryland.”
    “And what if I did?” demanded Ross. “I’m just watching out for your best interests.”
    “It’s my best interests if this was 1962! You want me to get married and be a good little army wife, throwing nice demure parties when hubby brings home officers, raising as many children as my husband chooses to produce, and otherwise keeping my big mouth shut!”
    “It was good enough for your mother!”
    Her face went ashen, and she could see that the moment the words had escaped his lips he regretted having said them. Before he could recant them, she said coldly, “I’m not Mom. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to live up to her example. Maybe I should have just died and then you’d be happy.”
    “Betty!”
He looked taken aback. “Now you’re just saying things to try to hurt me, is that it?”
    Indeed, that was true, and she was as sorry for it as much as he’d been moments earlier. But she wasn’t about to back down, not now. She looked at the tops of her sneakered feet and said, “You just don’t understand, that’s all.”
    “Then explain it to me,” he said. “We’re both intelligent people. You should be able to explain why you tossed aside a man like Glen Talbot, why you—”
    She sighed in exasperation. “Dad, Glen isn’t what you think he is.”
    “Oh? And what do I think he is?”
    “You. You think he’s a young version of you. But he’s not, I’m telling you. I got a chance to know him . . . really know him. He’s always making plans. . . .”
    “And what’s wrong with that?” demanded Ross. “We need more strategists in—”
    But she shook her head. “Not strategies, Dad, and maybe ‘plans’ isn’t even the right word. ‘Schemes’ is probably more accurate. He’s got a lot more up his sleeve than his arm, Dad. I mean, we’ve had our disagreements, heaven knows.” He rolled his eyes at the understatement, but she continued, “But there’s one thing I’ve never doubted, and that’s your love for this country. You place it and its citizens and your responsibility for protecting them above everything. Even me.”
    “That’s not true, Betty.”
    “Yes, it is,” she said, and forced a smile, “and that’s not automatically a bad thing. And maybe someday, when I’m older, I won’t take it so personally. The point is,” she continued before he could interrupt, “Glen’s an opportunist. An opportunist and a power seeker. I just . . . I just know it. Watch your back with him when I’m not around.”
    “Oh, really. And where might you be going?”
    She took a deep breath, preparing for the plunge. “I’ve been accepted to Berkeley.”
    “What?”
He gaped at her. “That’s absurd! What do you need with college? For that matter, you’re only a high school sophomore!”
    “Dad, did you
ever
look at
any
of my transcripts? All I’ve taken are accelerated courses and extra credit on top of that, and aced them all. While you were busy getting Desert Base organized, I was blowing through high school. You were just too busy to notice. I nailed my SATs and got accepted for early admission.”
    “You couldn’t have applied,” Ross said defiantly. “You have to