Page 14 of Final Approach
Nathan chuckled. “I believe the words you used were something like, ‘Ask her out, man.’”
They were. “Zip it.”
Nathan laughed.
FOUR
Kristine walked through the door of her townhome and stopped with a gasp. “What are you doing here?”
Her father rose from the couch and faced her. He was a tall man, just a hair over six feet, with dark hair and gray eyes. Many women found him handsome—especially when he turned on the charm. “I needed to see for myself that you were okay.”
“I’m fine, so, again, what are you doing here?”
“Well, it seems to me it’s time to quit this foolishness you call a job and help run the agency.”
She sighed. He had to start in as soon as she walked in the door? At least he’d led with making sure she was all right. “Dad, just because you enjoy being a private investigator doesn’t mean I would. That’s not what I want to do with my life.”
“You could have died today! The plane was hijacked! You need to quit now before—” He clenched his jaw and raked a hand through his thinning hair. He’d gone from zero to sixty with his demands. Just like when she’d been a child, terrified to set him off, then a teen who didn’t care. Then an adult who cared but refused to be controlled.
It was all she could do not to tell him to get out. She loved the man, but this conversation seemed to be the only one they had anymore. She was beyond sick of his telling her what she shoulddo, what sheneededto do. How to live her life. He’d done that ever since she could remember. More so since her mother’s death. And yet, in spite of his tendency to want to control her, she knew where his fear was coming from, so she bit her tongue. “I’m not Mom. Just because she died in a plane hijacking doesn’t mean I will.”
“But you could!”
“Yes! Yes I could.” She sucked in a deep breath and controlled her tone. “And I could get hit by a car crossing the street. Or slip and fall in the shower, hitting my head, or...” She waved a hand.Or stroke outwhile arguing with a difficult parent.“Please, Dad. Stop with this. I can’t take much more of it. You can’t just show up like this. It’s not right.”
“I’m your landlord.”
“I know. For another six months, then you’ll need to find another tenant. We’ve talked about this.” She’d hoped renting this townhome from him would pacify him, give him the sense that he had a semblance of control over her. She saw now that it was a mistake. A huge one. But she wouldn’t break the two-year lease agreement he’d made her sign. Six months. She’d survive. Maybe.
“Stop trying to distract me. My point is, your job is dangerous!”
“Life is dangerous,” she said, her voice low. She refused to yell or lose her cool again. “That’s why you’re smart and take precautions while doing what could potentially be a dangerous job. But the local fast-food worker puts their life on the line every day as well. Not to mention teachers and doctors and nurses and police officers, paramedics,private investigators. Dad, drop it. Please. I’m not changing careers.”
He groaned and grabbed his hair with one hand while he paced to the fireplace and back. “Do you want to get married one day?” he finally asked.
She blinked. “Yes. Maybe. Eventually. I’m not in a hurry.” Although, at the age of thirty-two, she supposed most would think she should be. “What’s that got to do with anything?” She finally walked into the kitchen and set her backpack on the counter. Looked likehe might be staying a while. “And I thought we agreed you’d only use my key in the event of an emergency.”
“I’d say you almost getting killed qualifies.”
“I didn’t almost get killed. Wasn’t anywhere near getting killed.” Not that there hadn’t been a few harrowing moments. “Back to the marriage comment. Where are you going with that?” She opened her freezer to search for a nonexpired microwavable meal.
“Just that if you get married and have kids and you tell them that their grandmother died when a hijacker took down the plane she was a flight attendant for, then every time you walk out the door, they’re going to be terrified you won’t walk back in it.”
Kristine froze. Then she shut the door and turned to face her father. “Always have to go for shock value, don’t you? And for the record, why do you think I would even tell them? There’d be no reason for them to know until they were older and started to ask questions. Then my husband and I would figure out a nontraumatic way to explain it. And why am I even discussing this with you? You just crossed a line. You can leave now.”
He met her gaze and swallowed hard. Tears welled and dripped down his cheeks. “I’m sorry, Krissy,” he whispered. “I’m just terrified I’m going to lose you.”
She didn’t know if the tears and soft words were real or manipulation but decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. It had been a hard day. Apparently for both of them.
In an uncharacteristic move, she went to him, wrapped her arms around his waist, and laid her head on his shoulder. He stiffened, then sighed and held her for a moment. He wasn’t a hugger, never had been, but for some reason, she felt compelled to push it. After a few seconds, she pulled back and cupped his face in her hands. She couldn’t let him leave mad. She just ... couldn’t. “Listen to me very closely. There’s more than one way to lose someone.” She’d had enough of his control-freak antics to last her well into eternity. But she wouldn’t let him leave with cross words between them.
He sighed, closed his eyes, and nodded. “Ten-four.” He hesitated.“Before I go, you know your sister is leaving tomorrow for that trip with her friends. Have you looked into them?”
“Who? Her friends? No. Why?”
“I did. They’re troublemakers. You need to tell her she needs to stay home and find some new friends.”
Kristine refused to close her eyes and groan. “Dad—”
