Chaos Theory (Nerds of Paradise #2)(79)

Melody laughed and slapped his arm as he turned to go. It was the last light moment they had. Melody dressed quickly in a green skirt and purple top, colors she felt most comfortable and powerful in. She met Will in the hall a few minutes later. He had put his dirty competition clothes back on, but not his socks or boots. Hand in hand, looking far more motley than Will was probably used to looking, they headed up through the labyrinth of the house and across to the main room.

Sure enough, Will’s dad was sitting at her parent’s table—a polished, mahogany masterpiece that was raised only a foot and a half off the ground with brocade pillows all around as chairs. Her mom’s best Japanese tea set rested on the center of the table. Each of her parents had a cup of tea in hand. Will’s dad had one in front of him. No steam said the tea had gone cold without him drinking any of it. All three of them were silent. That alone struck fear into Melody’s heart. If her dad wasn’t talking to fill space, something was definitely wrong.

Will’s dad practically leapt to his feet as soon as she and Will entered the room. Her parents rose behind him.

“I am through with this ridiculousness, Will,” his dad launched right into lecture mode. “And frankly, I’m disgusted by your insolence and lack of manners. Now get whatever things you brought into this hellhole—” He glanced up at the mobile. “—and come with me now. We’re packing up your apartment and heading straight to Cape Canaveral.”

No one moved. No one said a thing. Melody peeked at Will, bristling with anticipation to see how he’d handle the whole thing. To Will’s credit, he stood stock still, studying his dad as though he were an exhibit at the museum. His dad didn’t take that well.

“Did you hear me?” he demanded. “We’re leaving.”

“You’re free to go whenever you want,” Will said at last, his tone completely calm. “I’m staying here.”

His dad stared at him, eyes wide, jaw tight, face turning red. “Are you kicking me out, boy?”

“I’m sure Mr. and Mrs. Clutterbuck would be happy to serve you more tea, if you’re inclined to be a polite guest.”

His tone didn’t imply that he was being a terrible guest, but then, that much was obvious.

“Cut the bullshit,” Will’s dad snapped. “We’ve been working for years, decades to get you a place in NASA, and that place has come up. I’ll be damned if I stand here and let you turn your nose up at that over some whore.”

Melody blinked. “Excuse me?” She shifted her weight to one hip and crossed her arms.

“I won’t have you calling my daughter a whore,” Melody’s dad said. Melody would have been proud to have her dad come to her defense any day of the week, but the fact that he did it so resolutely and without showing a hint of the fury she knew he must be feeling made her heart swell with joy to be a part of his family.

Will must have been equally as impressed. He turned his head to Dave and nodded. Then he turned back to his dad. “You have been working to get me a position with NASA for decades because it’s something that you were never able to get for yourself.”

“Exactly.” His dad came close to shouting. “I want you to have what I could never have.”

Will shook his head. “You wanted what you wanted, and if you couldn’t have it, you were going to cram it down my throat. And I’m going to have to live with the guilt of letting you get away with that for over thirty years before I had the backbone to put my foot down.”

“Don’t you play insolent with me, Will.” His dad took a step forward, raising a threatening finger, but his expression was closer to one of terror than fury. “You’re coming with me right now or—”

“Or what, dad?” Will’s composure began to crack. “What century do you think we’re in? Fathers choosing their son’s lives for them was unheard of even when you were a kid. What makes you think you have the right to push me around anymore?”

“You’re my son,” his dad answered as if that were a legitimate reason.

“So?” Will shot back.

“So?” His dad balked. He opened his mouth, flapped it a few times, even, but nothing came out. That only seemed to make him madder. “I’m through with this. Either you come with me now, or I’ll call NASA and tell them you’re not accepting their position.”

Will laughed. The sound was so sudden and so free that Melody had to clap her hands to her mouth to stop herself from laughing along with him. Even her parents had a hard time keeping a straight face, in spite of the tension that still filled the room.

“Don’t you get it, Dad?” Will shook his head. “I’m happy here in Haskell. I like my job at Paradise Space Flight. We’re doing cutting edge research, things that NASA doesn’t have the time or interest in doing. Scott tells me I’m in line for a promotion too. But all of that is secondary.”

He reached for Melody’s hand. She grabbed his hand with both of hers and stepped closer to his side.

“I love Melody,” Will said, looking first at his dad, then at her. His expression softened into a smile. “She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I really hope she keeps happening to me.”

“Women are a distraction,” his dad insisted. “You shouldn’t—”