“I get it,” Jimmy laughed. “You’ve given this some thought.”
“I haven’t even got to the image boards with all the photographs on yet.”
“What if we worked on getting all your American paperwork sorted out? I’d guess it’s pretty easy to get you citizenship, seeing I’m American. I did a quick search this morning and it looks like we just have to go through the acquisition of citizenship by birth. What if I wanted you to work out here with me? What if you could get that experience here?”
Cerys’s heart dropped several ribs and bounced back into her throat. “What?”
“You’d have to go back to the UK temporarily, I think, and you’d probably want to sort out your things and pack and ship things. But I’ve enjoyed working with you, Cerys. And you’re really good. You don’t need your own studio if you could come and work at this one. And we could get to know each other better. I can’t make up for all the time we lost, but I can try to make it right.”
“Dad,” she gasped. “That’s a lot.”
“I know. Although, I like that you’ve started calling me Dad.”
“Because you told me to call you Jimmy, and it was too late for all that, remember?”
“I’m an idiot. But I’m proud that you’re my daughter, Cerys. And I only just realised how much I lost because of my own stupidity. I don’t want to lose you again so soon.”
The perfect job.
And her father.
But her mum, who had stuck by her and made sacrifices for her who she missed dearly.
And Jase. Who she’d fallen in love with.
And Zoe, who’d never admit she needed her.
She sighed and then placed her palm on her notebook. “If you were in the UK, this would be an easier decision. I need to go home, Dad.”
Jimmy leaned back in his chair and crossed his ankle over his knee. “Jase.”
The word was loaded with disappointment.
“Lots of reasons. Mum was the first reason I thought of. And Jase. I have a friend who is going through some life-changing stuff. It’s been fun being here, and it would be incredible to become a citizen so I could travel here a little more easily to see you. And it’s been amazing spending time with my grandparents.”
It was the truth. Judith and William Palmer had arrived in a swirl of deep tan and golf clothes. With her father being an only child, they’d resigned themselves to never having grandchildren. Now they had one, they were overjoyed. They’d attempted, and failed, to teach her how to play the card game euchre. She’d eaten more homemade apple pie than she could poke a stick at. And she’d received Judith’s mother’s watch. A vintage Longines with a silver rectangular face and black strap that worked perfectly with her bracelet stack.
They’d berated their son for keeping her from them and cried when she’d played Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto no. 3 on the huge piano in Jimmy’s house. William had recorded it on his phone to show his golf buddies back at their second home in Florida.
“I didn’t know how badly I needed to know I had more family when I came here. I’m glad I do. But my place is back home.”
Jimmy sighed. “I wish I could persuade you to stay, but I realise that’s selfish of me. So, here’s plan B. Hear me out. I think you’ve got a ton of talent, and I have clients that would prefer to record in the UK. So, I’ve been thinking. What if we opened Bexter Recording Studios, London?”
The words processed in order. It never got old hearing her father say she had talent. She’d be working for him, not herself but . . . Holy shit . . . A recording studio. But London?
Jase was in Manchester.
“I don’t know what to say, Dad.”
Jimmy smiled. “I thought you might look for a location while you were here. Maybe we could fast track renovations. Perhaps start building the equipment and ordering the instruments. I’d get someone to build the tech infrastructure for bookings and stuff. You have another three weeks left here before you head back. But I thought we could get the ball rolling. Line up places for you to go see when you get back.”
“I’m slightly shell-shocked. But thrilled by the idea. I’d love to take it on. And I’ll take it in London if that is where it has to be.” She thought of Jase’s comments that they’d figure it out, wherever her work took her. “But would you consider Manchester?”
Jimmy pursed his lips, then blew out a breath. “Jase again?”
Cerys nodded.
“I thought we talked about…how that isn’t such a great idea for you. How it’s easy to confuse the way the two of you work together, the intimacy of that, sharing his deepest feelings with you, and how that can easily be confused with love.”
“We’re stronger than you think. If I have to be in London, Jase will be there too. Assuming this isn’t a dealbreaker. Like, you can work in my studio as long as you don’t see him again, in which case, I’m out.” Cerys stood, but her father grasped her wrist.
“Sit down, Cerys. That’s not what I’m saying at all. And to prove it’s not, you can have the studio wherever you want, as long as it is within reasonable distance of a major airport and train station.”
Cerys lowered herself to her chair, hurt churned her stomach.
“I think it’s natural to feel protective of your kid, Cerys. To not want to see them get hurt. So, don’t rush into your relationship with him when you get back. Take it slowly. Being here, in this bubble of time, put you all under pressure. And to answer what you are thinking about the studio. It’s not a bribe. It’s also not a gift. This is a business unit of my group of companies, and you’ll have financial objectives and goals you’ll need to achieve, just like everyone else. The job is a gift because I have faith in you. Because you are talented and have potential. Okay?”
Cerys let out a sigh. “Okay.”
“Consider it. Let me know what you think in the morning.”
She wasn’t sure what to think. It was so close to her dream, and while she assumed it was natural for fathers to meddle if they thought their kids were going down the wrong track, as an adult, she didn’t appreciate the way it made her second guess herself.
And there was one person she wanted to discuss it with.
Three hours later, the perfume of the flowers Jase had arranged to be delivered scented the air of her bedroom as she climbed beneath the sheets. The mix of black orchids, roses, black and orange calla lilies and copper-coloured leaves was as stunning as it was fragrant.
It was unfair to him to let her father unsettle her.
By the time she’d finished her other work at the studio, grabbed dinner, and taken a shower, it was midnight. The hours didn’t bother her. Her life had run on a late-night schedule while performing as a pianist and in the recording studio since.
The shower had revived her spirits a little, but as her head buzzed with ideas, her heart ached. It was clear her father lacked confidence in Jase, and in truth, his words, sincerely spoken, had rattled her own.
Again.
She needed to talk to him, to feel the connection between the two of them, even though it would be six in the morning where he was.
Tentatively, she picked up the phone.