Chaos Theory (Nerds of Paradise #2)(73)
A single blink was the only indication Will had that his dad was at all phased by the show of defiance. “What is wrong with you?” he demanded. “I have bent over backwards for you for years to secure you a position at NASA. You knew full well that they were on the verge of making you an offer when you joined this ridiculous competition. I told you not to do it, and you disobeyed me with impunity.”
“I joined the orienteering competition because I wanted to,” Will said. Inwardly, he was shaking with fury. But he was an expert at swallowing his anger where his father was concerned and putting on a neutral face. “Melody is right in saying I am my own man.”
“You are not. You’re my son,” his dad growled. “I have worked my whole life to give you the things I never had, and I’ll be damned if I let you throw it all back in my face now.”
His dad took a step closer. His right hand clenched into a fist. One time. His dad had only ever struck him one time, but the visceral fear from that one time had never left Will. His gut clenched, but for the first time, instead of fearing for his own safety, all he could think about was Melody. He sidestepped in front of her to block her from his dad’s wrath.
“If you think—”
“Ah! There you are. There’s our winners!”
Howie’s bright and cheerful exclamation as he waltzed into the lodge was as jarring as if someone had popped a balloon. Will sucked in a surprise breath, breaking eye-contact with his dad. He turned to Melody instead to make sure she was all right. She looked as though she was the one who had popped the balloon with a sword, and had ideas about where she wanted to thrust that sword next.
“Come on, come on.” Howie’s cheer was in no way dented by the crackling atmosphere between Will and his dad. “We’ve got an awards ceremony to get through. Everyone is out there waiting.”
“Excuse me.” Will’s dad turned to Howie, deep offense etched in his face. “Who the hell are you?”
Howie stepped boldly into the space between Will and his dad. “I’m Howard Franklin Haskell IV, owner of Paradise Space Flight, host of this competition, and your son’s boss. Who the hell are you?”
Melody snorted, then clapped both hands over her mouth. Will had never loved her more.
“I’m William A. Darling, Sr.” His dad tried to respond with equal authority, but fell short. It was all Will could do not to grin at that.
“Well, now that we’ve got that out of the way.” Howie turned his back on Will’s dad, facing Melody and Will instead. “Come on. I can’t wait to announce the two of you as the winners. You have no idea how happy I am that those two cheaters didn’t win. I should have put something in the rules against that. Still, they went about it in a clever way.”
He kept talking as he whisked Will and Melody away from the wet bar and back out to the deck. Will’s dad tried to wedge his way in again, but Howie did a fine job of blocking him. He wasn’t lying when he said that everyone was waiting for them outside either. All of the competitors and the folks who had driven up from Haskell for the finish were spread out on the lawn below the deck. Katrina sat on a bench at the far end of the deck with the same doctor who had treated Will’s hand working on her ankle, but Ed was nowhere in sight. Quintus Haskell and Jonathan were waiting at the edge of the deck with an absurdly large trophy. Howie pushed them in that direction.
Will’s dad tried to follow, but Jonathan and Quintus blocked him from the front of the deck.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Howie began, spreading his arms and beaming out over his employees and the Haskellians. “I give you our orienteering challenge winners, Will Darling and Melody Clutterbuck!”
A round of applause rose up from the crowd. Will raised his bandaged hand to wave. A flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye was the only warning he had that his dad had broken through Quintus and Jonathan’s hold.
“I’m sure you’re all as eager as I am to learn where these two choose to go on their prize vacation,” Howie went on. “I hear there are some fabulous national parks in Hawaii. I’m sure the two of them will—”
“I don’t know about her, but Will is headed to Florida,” Will’s dad cut in.
The people watching let out a collective gasp. Will imagined that was the first time anyone had seen Howie interrupted mid-speech. He wasn’t so much shocked as mortified. He balled his hands into fists, wincing at the stab of pain that caused in his injured hand. That pain was a sharp reminder of how bad things could get if he handled the whole thing wrong.
“So help me God,” Melody murmured at his side. “If your dad embarrasses you in front of everyone…” She let her threat fade.
“He won’t.” Will reached for her hand with his uninjured one. “I won’t let him.”
Four tiny words, and yet they carried the biggest rush of freedom with them that Will had ever felt in his life.
“Will is heading to Florida,” his father went on, a slight, puzzled crease forming between his brows when no one took the bait of the hint he’d dropped. “I’m so proud of my son. He’s been accepted for a position with NASA.” He held out his arm, gesturing with his hand, as if he wanted Will to step forward and be publically embraced.
Will stayed right where he was. He didn’t so much as crack a smile. He didn’t bother to contradict his dad either. He just held his ground, Melody’s hand in his, staring right at his dad.