Then I turned around, pushed the door open, and walked back out.
The door closed softly behind me. Barely a sound.
I drove to the driveway outside the villa and lit a cigarette.
The night wind blew in, carrying a slight chill.
In the distance lay the neighborhood's man-made lake. A row of streetlamps lined its edge, their reflections stretching across the water in long ribbons of light.
My phone rang. Felicity.
"Joseph, where are you?"
"How's that business plan coming?"
I was quiet for a moment.
"It's not finished."
"How is it not finished?" Her voice climbed half a register. "You know how important that plan is, don't you? My father's already asked about it two or three times. You didn't present it at today's meeting either, and he was already unhappy about that."
I held the phone. Said nothing.
Part of me almost wanted to laugh.
Otis had said the business plan was critical to the company.
But at today's meeting, in front of everyone, he'd told me to step out. Didn't even give me the chance to present.
Critical? Maybe it was.
I just wasn't.
Felicity must have picked up on something in my silence, because her tone softened.
"What happened today... I know it wasn't fair to you."