Peter sat back down. “My pleasure.”
As Blake entered the kitchen, Suzy became serious. She grabbed Peter’s hand and leaned over the table, speaking in a whisper. “Blake means everything to this family. Please make sure he comes back safely. Sometimes he’s too carefree and reckless and I worry about him.”
Peter brought his other hand over and lightly patted hers. He could sense the strong love she had for her husband. “Blake is an excellent astronaut. He’s one of our best. I promise you, I’ll do everything I can as his boss to ensure his safety.”
Suzy’s eyes locked onto Peter’s. “Promise?”
“Promise.”
“THEY ARE SUCH a sweet couple, and I really like Suzy.”
Peter applied the car’s brake as he approached a stoplight, his stomach full of Blake’s excellent barbeque. He looked over at Anya. “They are. Plus they have some cute kids.”
“Remember you promised Suzy you would take care of Blake; keep him safe.” She put her hand on his leg. “I’m so glad you’re not flying this mission. I understand her concerns.”
Peter tightened his grip on the steering wheel. The light turned green, and he continued through the intersection. Guilt started to creep through him. If he was to have a complete relationship with her, he couldn’t keep secrets from her. No matter the consequences. “I know one way I can make sure Blake is safe.” Peter stole a quick glance.
She tilted her head slightly, her tone growing suspicious. “How?”
Peter wiggled his eyebrows. “If I fly with him.”
He could feel her staring at him as he looked out over the roadway. There was no response. An uncomfortable silence filled the car. He peeked over to see an anxious look on her face.
Finally she broke the silence. “Are you trying to tell me something?”
He took a deep breath and released it, dropping his joking tone. “There’s a chance I might be in that rocket when it launches on the twenty-first. We just learned earlier in the week that Jesse hurt his back. Our hope is he will be ready for the mission, but right now, I’m filling in for him during training. Walter doesn’t want the team losing any preparation time.”
Anya abruptly lifted her hand off his leg. Out of the corner of his eye he could see her turn and look out the side window. After a few beats, she swiveled back around. In a stoic tone she asked, “What are the odds you’ll be aboard that rocket?”
“I don’t know, 50-50 maybe. Believe me, Walter and the team want Jesse in that seat, and so do I. If he recuperates in time, he’s the commander.”
Anya looked ahead, mashing her lips together. After a single beat, she turned and put her hand back on his leg and squeezed. “I made a promise to myself that I would support you and be by your side no matter what. I love you that much. So if you have to fly, I am behind you a hundred percent.”
Peter patted her hand, pleased with her strength. “I love you, thanks.”
18
FINAL APPROVAL
At last there was a break in their rigorous training schedule and Peter could finally sneak in some work for SID. Dressed in his EarthOrbit-issued jumpsuit, he sat at his desk, door closed. He would attempt contacting Jose Calma. Even though it was a long shot, he was hoping the man might be able to help him obtain inside information on Krause Aerospace. After some crafty probing on the phone, and a little deceit, he was finally able to obtain the tycoon’s cell phone number.
Before dialing up the magnate, he received an incoming call from his mother. Ever since hearing he and Anya were getting married, she had been researching churches and reception halls, constantly calling with questions. With everything going on, he finally had to politely tell her to just deal with Anya.
Peter had been encouraged by the improvement with Jesse’s back, happy he was able to participate in some of their training. There was a real possibility the veteran would be able to go on the mission as commander after all, which would be welcome news to Anya.
He double-checked his office door was tightly closed before punching in Jose’s number on his phone. He quickly reviewed his plan on introducing himself. He figured Jose must have been aware of the rescue if he was backing his son on his lawsuit. The question was, did he know who saved Carlos? Peter had made sure to stay out of the limelight after the moon mission, granting no interviews. He doubted Carlos was able to connect the man who went to the moon to the man who saved him. According to Gavin, Carlos thought he was saved by an astronaut named Peter Robinson, so this was the name he planned to use while speaking with Jose. Of course, his biggest concern was if the old man knew he had punched his son. If so, the man would definitely harbor resentment against him.
After a few rings, a strong male voice answered, “Bueno.”
Peter leaned forward, putting one hand on his desk, sure the tycoon spoke English. “Hello, Jose?”
There was an uncomfortable silence. The man probably felt uneasy not knowing who he was speaking to. He answered with a slight Spanish accent, “Yes, who is this?”
Peter looked out across his office. “Jose, this is Peter Robinson. I was the astronaut who rescued your son.”
Jose’s tone instantly changed, now resonating with a receptive welcome. “Peter Robinson? What a pleasure it is to speak with you. I owe you a great deal of gratitude for what you did for Carlos.”
Peter let out a deep sigh, pleased the man was informed of the rescue. But did he know about the punch? “I was just doing my job, sir.”
“Damn that. You risked your life to save those men. I heard the whole story, and I have no ill feelings with you punching Carlos.”
Peter clutched his phone a little tighter.
“After learning about his little stunt that almost got you all killed, I would have punched him too. Sometimes he does stupid things.”
Peter relaxed his hand as he leaned back in his chair. “Well, I guess you could say it was all in the heat of the moment.”
A growing hint of disappointment could be heard in the frustrated father’s voice. “There is no excuse for what he did. I love my son to death, but bottom-line, he’s a spoiled kid who got everything handed to him on a silver platter. I’m sure you are aware of the suit we have pending with Russia’s space program. Though I understand why they were not open about what happened, I have to support my son. I don’t want my son’s reputation ruined.”
Peter leaned forward and set his elbow on his desk, pressing the phone harder against his ear. He had to come across as sympathetic. “I understand. Well, fortunately, we all got back safely.”
“Yes, and for that I thank you. So why the call? What can I do for you?”
Peter was pleased the man had changed the subject. “I’m currently working with a private space company in America called EarthOrbit.”
Jose quickly interjected. “I’m familiar with them.”
“Well, we do business with one of your companies, Krause Aerospace, and I wondered if there has been anything unusual going on that might have given you or your management team any reason for concern.”
The man’s voice became intense. “Why, has EarthOrbit been having problems doing business with them?”
Peter promptly answered in a calm voice as he embellished. “No, nothing like that. I’ve been given the task of investigating all our vendors. Since EarthOrbit is being monitored very closely by the government and we are vying for a NASA contract, we need to confirm all our vendors meet certain requirements. When I saw you were the owner of Krause, I decided to go directly to you. I figured if there were any issues, you could make sure they were taken care of to ensure we could keep doing business with Krause.”
“I appreciate you doing that. Unfortunately, I am not closely involved with their day-to-day activities, so I would need to do a little research.”