The New Ship
Chapter 2
Grace wasn't sure about being a senator, but she loved her state. She believed in service so she had accepted the nomination. Post Red Flu, campaigning wasn't the same and she really didn't have a lot of competition.
Her kids, specifically her son, Eli, struggled. Olivia, her seven-year-old seemed to have adapted, thanks to her parents who had moved with Grace. They lived in the guest house connected to Grace's townhouse. She walked into the townhouse and found her mom and the kids in the kitchen.
"Ah, you made it for dinner. I was worried you wouldn't." Grace's mom, Mary said.
"I am glad I did. Where's Dad?" Grace asked.
"Ran to the grocery store. Liv is wanting a certain marshmallow and cereal treat." Mary said. Liv gave an ornery smile, with her two front teeth missing.
"You lost the other front tooth!" Grace exclaimed.
"I told her the going rate was five dollars a tooth." Eli remarked. Grace noticed how his voice was changing every day.
"Not quite." Grace answered. Eli had just turned fourteen. It was a reminder that her oldest, Lily, would have been sixteen soon. A painful reminder.
"Do you have this weekend?" Mary asked.
"I do. I need to do a bit of research this weekend but it'll be pretty relaxed." Grace answered as she played with Liv's curls, so like Lily's had been.
"I have basketball practice in the morning, Mom." Eli said.
"How early?" Grace asked, dreading the answer.
"Six, but Matt's mom will pick me up. She asked if you could pick us up and if Matt could stay here 'til she gets done?" Eli asked.
"Deal. What time will practice be done?" Grace asked.
"I think about ten." Eli answered.
"Sounds good." Grace answered.
"Your dad is also picking up take-out. I didn't want to cook." Mary said.
"I could have…" Grace said.
"Yes, but we didn't know what time you'd be off work. You can tomorrow night." Mary answered.
"Homemade Pizza?" Eli said in a begging tone.
"That might be arranged." Grace said.
"Can you tuck me in?" Liv asked.
"Of course." Grace said. She kissed the top of Liv's head and smiled down at her. She was finding being a single-parent more and more exhausting, and she had it easy. Her kids were well-behaved, her parents helped and she had a good salary. But, her parents went to their guest house and it was up to Grace to do everything.
Its not like Grace could go to the bar and pick someone up, or meet someone on the internet. She was also very careful with her kids. They had lost their father and sister at a young age, and moved from Texas to Washington. It had not been an easy move and Eli was just now adjusting and making friends. Introducing a new man into that would be insanity.
So why had she given Admiral Slattery her cellphone number and email? She found him interesting and honestly, attractive. But would he be interested in her? Time would tell, depending on if he called or emailed her.
After they ate, her parents went home and the kids were in bed, Grace settled into bed with a glass of wine, and her laptop to do her own research on Admiral Slattery. Due to his history, there was a treasure trove of articles about him. Not as many as Tom Chandler, but still a fair amount.
Born and raised in Chicago to working class, blue-collar parents, he had married his high school sweetheart not long after they both graduated. He worked his way through the police academy in Chicago, had two kids there and after September 11th, joined the Navy. Due to shortages, he was fast-tracked through the Naval Academy, one of the few married cadets to ever graduate from there.
His degree was in Engineering but he was also a Navy Seal and had climbed through the ranks at a fairly quick speed. Not as fast as Tom Chandler, but he also hadn't bounced around from CIC, field work, the Bridge and all the other areas that Tom had worked. He was highly decorated even before the Red Flu and his colleagues spoke highly of him. Politicians less so.
On a personal note, he and his wife had had a third child, a son, after he joined the Navy. She and the kids had followed him and she seemed to have been a devoted wife. His kids were beautiful, a perfect combination of their parents. His oldest daughter looked just like his wife, Christine. His younger daughter was a mix and his son looked just like his dad.
He lost his son during the Red Flu while he was in the Arctic and never located his wife or daughters after the Red Flu. It seemed that Admiral Slattery had spent a small fortune trying to, but finally got confirmation just before Mayport was attacked that their remains had been located. He flew back from Portugal, buried them quietly and without fanfare and flew back to Portugal to rejoin the 'Great Fleet.' He had barely missed a step despite it being a crushing blow.
There were no reports of him dating. He was a devoted friend and favorite 'uncle' among the Nathan James crews' kids. He donated money to children's charities and charities for veterans. Admiral Chandler had always outshone Admiral Slattery but they seemed to be the best of friends. Admiral Slattery was loyal…to the Navy, to his ship, to his crew, his wife and children and to his friends. Just the sort of person Grace wouldn't mind having around Eli and Liv.