Nacho Figueras Presents Read Online Free PDF Page B

they thought none of the damage would be permanent.
    Her father had always been a big, strong man. A man who could fix or build anything, a man who could easily carry her on his shoulders even when she’d been the tallest kid in the fourth grade. But now she had to admit, as she bent over his bed, he looked smaller somehow, shrunken, a little bit diminished, and definitely older than the last time she’d seen him.
    God, how long had it been? Three years since her folks had come to see her in L.A.? Yes, because she’d still been working then, though on nothing much more than a script that had eventually been rewritten by another screenwriter and then left to languish on the studio shelf, never to be made. But at the time, it had seemed of immeasurable importance, and she’d resented every moment her parents had taken her away from it.
    She’d been terrible when they were there, she thought with a wince. She had promised to take them to see all the sights—Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and the La Brea Tar Pits, the Hollywood Bowl, and a tour of the studios. Her mom had even shyly mentioned that they wouldn’t mind spending a day at Disneyland. And instead of showing them around, Kat had blown them off, made excuses, and pawned them off on her assistant while she was holed up in her office with her laptop, desperate to make her deadline for a producer who had already lost interest in the project.
    And to make it worse, they had been ridiculously understanding about the whole thing, insisting that, of course Kat’s work should come first, that they didn’t need her assistant’s help, that they would find their own way around the city if they wanted to see anything, that it was just nice to spend whatever time with their daughter that she could give them. Her mother had cooked dinner for her practically every night, for Pete’s sake, and her father had spent the week fixing whatever he could find wrong in her house. They’d hardly seen more than a five-block radius of her place the entire time they were there.
    And now, seeing her dad like this…She shook her head at her own selfishness. How could she have wasted time with them? How could she just blithely assumed there would always be another visit? Another chance to make up for her negligence?
    Her father stirred and opened his eyes. For a moment, he looked panicked and confused, and Kat’s heart clenched as she reached for his hand. “Daddy, I’m here. It’s me, Kat.”
    Her dad turned toward her voice and, blinking, slowly focused on her face. Relief flooded through her as she felt him relax and a look of recognition sprang into his eyes.
    “Katy, honey?” he said. His voice was raspy but sounded stronger than she’d expected. “What in the ever-lovin’ hell are you doing here?”
    She smiled, happy to hear him sound mostly like himself, happy to see the bright blue of his eyes, filled with the same kindness and laughter as always. “I’ve come to see you, Daddy.”
    He nodded, understanding, and his voice dropped to a whisper. “Let me tell you something important, Katy Kat.”
    She leaned forward to hear him.
    “Getting old is for the goddamned birds.”
    She laughed. “Better than the alternative, though, right?”
    He smiled ruefully. “I suppose.”
    She felt tears sting her eyes. “I’m so glad to see you, Daddy.”
    He shook his head. “Now, Katy, I hope you didn’t stop work just to come out here. I know this might look a little bad, but really, I’ll be fine.”
    She looked away for a moment, trying to gain some control. “Of course you will, Daddy. Actually, I’m taking a little break from Hollywood. Or rather”—she smiled ruefully—“maybe Hollywood’s taking a little break from me.”
    “What about your house?”
    “I rented it to a friend. I can write from here. I just thought it was time to come home for a while. I’ve missed you guys.”
    He squeezed her hand. “Well, then, I’m happy you’re here, baby.” His smile