Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 117177 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117177 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Once his assistant closed the door behind her, I finally met my father’s gaze. He stood by his desk, his expression neutral. Javier Ortiz was a distinguished, handsome man in his sixties. There were deeper wrinkles around his eyes and mouth than there used to be, and his black hair was now salt and pepper, but he still did not look his age. Perhaps it was the way he held himself.
I’d never seen my father in anything but a sharp, tailored suit, other than a tuxedo. I couldn’t remember a time when I woke up to breakfast to find him sitting in the kitchen in his pajamas, drinking coffee, and shooting the shit with Mom. That never happened. Even on the Christmas mornings he attended (and there were only a few) he was already dressed in a shirt and suit pants when Miguel and I got up to open presents. It was like he wasn’t a real person. More work robot than human.
“He finally deigns to come see his father,” he said as he rounded his desk.
I didn’t bother taking a seat. “How are you?”
“How am I? More to the point, how are you? I’ve been calling and getting no answer. Is that any way to treat your father? Did I raise you to be so disrespectful of my time?”
“No. I apologize.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Is that it?”
“What else do you want me to say?”
His expression hardened. “Why don’t you start with what the hell is going on with your career? Why are you gallivanting around the Hamptons with your aunt? Shouldn’t you be in Houston?”
Here goes nothing. “I turned down their mission offer. And I’ve retired from the air force.”
The atmosphere in the office went from cool to freezing in zero point two seconds.
“You did what?”
I sighed. “I don’t want to go back into space, and I’m absolutely certain that I no longer want to fly jets for the air force.”
My father’s dark eyes ran all over my face like he’d never seen me before. I was familiar with the expression. “Why are you so set toward destroying your own life?”
Another question of his I was familiar with. He’d said it to me when I told him I’d applied to the US Air Force Academy instead of the Ivys. The irritating thing was, he’d probably been right about that one. I had followed Miguel instead of following my own path.
Frustration burned in my throat, but I pushed past it. “I’m not set toward destroying anything. I’m just taking time to regroup.”
“What kind of man takes time to regroup?” he spat the last word like it was filthy. “How can my son be so brave as to fly fighter jets and travel into space and yet be such a lazy disappointment now?”
Though his words physically hurt, like a punch in my chest, I showed no outward appearance of them bothering me in the slightest. “I’m sorry you feel that way. But I’m doing what I have to do.”
“What is that exactly?”
I’d promised myself I wouldn’t cave to his interrogation, but like always, Javier Ortiz had a way of making me feel like that nine-year-old who’d got caught stealing his father’s watch. I’d only done it because I wanted to feel closer to him. To have something of his. And he’d treated me like a common thief. Suddenly the words were coming up out of me before I could stop them. “NASA received some interest in me writing a book, so that’s what I’m working on right now.”
My father’s frown relaxed. “A book?”
“Yes.” Shit. Why did I tell him?
“As in an autobiography?”
“Yes.”
He nodded. “Fine. I’ll want to read it first. And I’d also like you to publish it through one of my companies.”
My father’s company was the parent company of several publishing houses.
And this was why I shouldn’t have said a damn word.
“NASA is going to deal with all of that.” We hadn’t discussed it thoroughly, but I was pretty certain from my conversation with them they would.
“I’ll still want to read it first. I need to make sure that any mention of me or our family isn’t damaging to the company’s public image. And I’ll want to make sure you’re getting the best deal, so I’ll need your contact at NASA.”
There was his arrogance, thinking he could manage this over the efforts of an agency like NASA. I drew myself up for a possible explosive reaction. “You’re not reading it, and you will have nothing to do with its publication. But don’t worry, you’re barely mentioned.”
“Excuse me?” He cut me a dark look.
“The book is about my journey to becoming an astronaut.” It was more than that, but he didn’t need to know that. “You don’t factor into it.”
“I’ll still want to read it first.”
“And I said no.”
“Why?” He took a step toward me, eyes flashing with his growing anger. “Why wouldn’t you let me read it unless you were intending to say damaging things about me?”