Viv’s brows scrunch together as she considers his words. I know from years of working with her that the idea of forging a career without a label has to be as terrifying as it is freeing for her. “You think we can?” she asks, perking up.
“With Sam and Turner Artist Management behind us? Absolutely we can. Look what you did with one song on your own. Besides, if after a couple of years it’s not working out, we can try to get signed then.”
He sighs. “I guess… I’ve spent my entire career chasing someone else’s dream, following a path already laid out. I kind of want to carve my own destiny, you know? Haven’t you ever felt like the things designed to push you forward are actually holding you back?”
Gosh, he has no idea how similar his journey is to Viv’s in a weird way. I picture every hard-fought trial she overcame to get here, every setback he endured.
Her concern melts into a smile. “I actually know exactly what you’re saying, and I agree. Let’s do this on our own and see where it takes us.”
Julian looks triumphant as he slings his arm around her shoulders with a grin. “Exactly. The industry has no idea what’s about to hit them.”
“Yesssss!” Naomi cries, pumping her fist in the air. “Fuck the establishment!”
Julian snaps his gaze to us at her outburst, his eyes widening then narrowing. “Language,” he says, pointing at her.
She shrinks and lifts her hand. “Sorry. I meant, fudge the establishment.”
Julian gives her a wink, and she rushes over for a hug.
“So you get signed by one of the top management agencies in the country, then turn down an offer from one of the top labels?” I ask, glancing over at him as we drive to some unknown destination. Apparently, Julian had his own big surprise planned for today which I thwarted with my nefarious scheme. His words, not mine.
“Duh, because he’s not a sell-out, Aunt Hadley,” Naomi calls from the backseat.
Julian smirks and holds his fist above the center console. Naomi leans forward to tap it.
He nods toward the back. “What she said.”
I huff a breath and settle back in my seat. “Whatever. Where are we going anyway?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“You’ve said that.”
“Okay, so why are you making me say it again?” He cowers before I even make contact with his arm. At least he’s learning.
“I think I know,” Naomi says, her voice suddenly quiet and withdrawn. Julian pulls in a deep breath and flickers a glance in the rearview mirror.
“You trust me, Omi?” he asks. There’s a slight plea in his tone that tugs at me.
“Yeah, but...” She stops and sinks against the backseat.
“Naomi, I need you to trust me, okay?”
I have no idea what’s happening right now as they have a cryptic conversation without me. The rest of the short drive is sullen and quiet, very different from the playful banter of the first part. I’m even more confused when we pull into a mobile home community and circle through the small streets to park in front of what looks like a newly renovated doublewide.
Naomi leans forward for a better look, her brows scrunching together. “Wait. It looks different.”
Julian turns to her. “I told you to trust me. Come on.” He gets out of the car and opens Naomi’s door. She looks nervous, her eyes scanning the home with wary vigilance.
“He’s gone, Omi,” Julian says quietly, wrapping a protective arm around her shoulders. “He moved back to Pennsylvania a while ago. He signed over his rights, remember? He won’t be back.”
She bites her lip, her eyes lifting to his. “You promise?”
“I promise.”
He squeezes her shoulders, and she finally relaxes.
“Okay. So that means the house is empty now?” she asks, and my stomach drops as I clue in to what’s going on. This was Ashley and Naomi’s place, where Naomi lived before she came to Julian’s. With all the history in this lot, why would he bring us here?
“Kind of,” he says. “Let’s go.”
He pulls a set of keys from his pocket and leads us to the front entrance. A newly constructed deck juts out from the back. I can still smell the wood and fresh paint. We climb a set of stairs, and Julian unlocks the door and waves us inside. Naomi gasps when she turns on the lights, her eyes going round with shock.
“You fixed it,” she whispers, glancing up at Julian.
He beams back. “I didn’t just fix it. Look closely.”
She surveys the main living room, her hands coming to her mouth. “It’s all new!”
Julian nods. “I had the place completely redone and stocked with all new furniture and appliances. Check out the kitchen.”
Naomi rushes through the door on the right and squeals. “That’s the biggest fridge ever!” He laughs as we round the corner to join her. She bounces on her toes and spins from side to side. “It’s so pretty! Is that granite?”
Julian smiles with a mischievous look. “Yeah, but this isn’t the best part. Come on.” He leaves the kitchen and crosses through the living area again to one of the bedrooms. Pushing open the door, he steps back so Naomi can enter. She flips on the light and stumbles back a step. Her astonished gaze snaps to Julian, causing a giant grin to spread over his face.
“It’s a studio,” she whispers, turning back to the open doorway. She runs inside and inspects everything from the acoustic tiles on the walls to the large monitor and recording console on the desk. The room isn’t huge by any means, but it’s plenty big to comfortably house a functional home studio. For Naomi, it might as well be the White Flame headquarters.
“Who is all this for anyway?” she asks, still in awe. “I mean, who’d even want a studio in their trailer?”
“I’m hoping you.”
Naomi returns a dazed look, and Julian smiles. “What do you think? Would you be open to moving back here? I know it’s got some bad memories for you, but it’s got a lot of good ones too. I’m going to do everything I can to make sure we have a lifetime more of those.”
She blinks back tears as she stands in stunned silence, staring at her uncle. With a shriek, she rushes toward him and he jolts back to catch her.
“I love it,” she cries. “I love it so much.”
He wraps her in his arms and holds on for several seconds. It’s beautiful and touching—until she jerks back suddenly.
“Wait. If we’re living here... that means Hadley is too, right? When you asked me if it was okay if she lived with us, you meant here?”
I almost choke as Julian’s gaze shoots to me in alarm. “Oh. Um…”
“Julian…” I say sternly. “What’s she talking about?”
He opens his mouth to speak, his gaze crossing from Naomi to me.
“Yeah, so, about that.” He scratches the back of his neck and releases his niece to approach me. “I know this is a long shot, but Naomi and I were wondering… so here’s the thing…”
Naomi grunts. “Oh my gosh. He wants you to move in with us, Aunt Hadley. He’s been talking about it for two weeks now.”