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"That's good. You can get to bed early."
"I don't know if I can go to school tomorrow," Megan said doubtfully.
"We'll figure that out in the morning."
"It's not like school is that important," Megan added. "I'm not going to go to college."
"Why not?" Drew cut in, curiosity in his eyes.
Megan hesitated. "Well, it costs a lot. And we don't have the money."
"There are scholarships," he pointed out. "A college education is important."
"Tory doesn't have one," Megan said.
That piece of news took him by surprise. Ria could see the discomfort in his eyes, but she wasn't about to make it easy for him. He'd butted in for no reason; now he could figure a way out.
"I didn't realize," he said slowly, turning to her. "Why didn’t you go to college?"
"I was sailing around the world. I learned a lot more on my travels than I would have learned in school."
"And you have no regrets?"
"About skipping college?" She shook her head. "For me, no, but I think Megan should leave her options open. Certain jobs require degrees."
"Exactly," he said. "Until you know what you want to do, you should keep everything on the table." He glanced back at Megan. "Do you have any idea what you want to be when you grown up?"
Ria stiffened. While the question was one most high school juniors were asked over and over again by helpful relatives and school guidance counselors, for Megan, there was no simple answer.
"I don’t know," Megan said. "I'd like to do something adventurous. But I don't like boats as much as Tory does. Maybe I could fly helicopters like you do."
"You could, but that would take some education."
"Are there a lot of female pilots?" Megan asked.
"Not a lot, but quite a few, and I've worked with some excellent female pilots," he answered. "I can introduce you to some of them if you ever want to know more about the job from a woman's point of view."
The last thing Ria wanted was for Megan and Drew to start developing a relationship, but that relationship had obviously begun while she'd left them in the car alone together.
"Megan has a long time to decide what she wants to do," Ria interjected.
"Not that long. Doesn't she have to start applying for college in the fall?"
"Does she?" Ria asked in dismay. She hadn't realized college would be coming up so soon.
"Sure. And there are all the tests you have to take as a junior," Drew continued. "I'm sure Megan's counselor has gone over all that."
"She has," Megan said, taking a sip of juice. "She keeps bugging me to sign up or take a prep class."
"You didn't tell me that," Ria said, feeling like a bad parent for not making sure Megan was on the college track. She'd been so busy concentrating on their safety that she'd let a lot of other things slide.
"It's not a big deal."
"Maybe it is," she murmured, realizing she needed to focus a little more on the future as well as the present.
"I'm going to lay down," Megan said, pushing back her chair as she stood up. "I'm tired."
"I'll check on you in a while," Ria said.
"You don't have to check on me; I'm not six." Megan turned to Drew. "Maybe you could give me a ride in a helicopter some time."
"I could definitely do that," he agreed.
Megan took her plate to the sink then headed into her bedroom.
"Nice kid," Drew said when they were alone. "How come she gets the bedroom?"
"She needs privacy more than I do. She's a teenager. And, no, I couldn’t afford a two-bedroom apartment."
He set down his fork. "Megan told me your parents are dead. Is that why you're raising her?"
She couldn't believe Megan had told him that, but at least he still thought Megan's parents and her parents were one and the same. "Yes, I'm raising Megan now, and as you've already noticed I'm not doing the greatest of jobs. I had no idea college applications started so early. I need to make sure Megan isn't missing any important dates."
"So you do want her to go to college and not follow in your wandering footsteps?"
