Page 48 of Wrapped Up In You
“Well, I’ll leave you to it. Don’t be a stranger, okay?” She leaned to the right, peering around me at my father with brows raised in warning. “And you…be good, yeah?”
“I’m always good.”
“I’m serious. Listen to what he has to say. Be open-minded. I happen to like my stepson and don’t want him to become a stranger in this house because his father is too stubborn to listen.”
God, Jessica was great. I was so lucky to have a great mom and stepmom in my life.
“Yes, dear,” my father responded, but there was a smile on his face, and I knew he’d at least try to take her words to heart.
Jessica rolled her eyes, kissed my cheek, and then left me and my father alone again.
This time, I did take a seat, wanting to be at eye level with him. “I wanted to talk to you about the fight we had before Christmas. More specifically, the topic of the fight.”
“Okay. I’m listening.”
I blew out a breath. I was twenty-four. Had been on my own for a while now. Why was this so hard?
“I know you want me to use my degree, but I’ve decided to pursue a career in music. Or at least, I want to try it. I’m going to keep my job at Olive & Vine. I’ve already spoken to my manager. He’s willing to work with me on giving me nights off when I have gigs, as long as I give him plenty of notice, but I’ll still be able to work plenty of shifts so I can pay the bills like I do now.”
“What kind of music gigs?” His expression and tone of voice were neutral. I couldn’t get a feel for what he was thinking, but I took the fact he hadn’t dismissed the whole idea out of turn as a good sign.
“I’m still figuring that out, honestly. I play and sing a lot of styles, so I’m still deciding what my niche might be. And I’m going to start lessons again. On both guitar and voice. My old guitar teacher has an opening starting in February, and he recommended a voice instructor who I’m meeting with next week.”
“So, you’re pretty serious about this then?”
“Yeah, Dad, I am. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time, but I knew you wanted me to use my degree, so I never pursued it. And I—”
“Hayden, did you ever apply or interview for a single job in the business sector?”
Here it comes.
“No, I—”
“Then what’s the real reason you never pursued music? Because you never pursued a job that would have actually used your degree either. I would have supported you on the music thing.”
“You…what?”
“I just wanted you to find your direction. To do something meaningful with your life. Business made the most sense because it gives you a lot of options, but if you’d told me you wanted to pursue music, I would have supported that. You’ve always been talented.”
I was gobsmacked. Completely at a loss for words.
As my mouth hung open, he rose, coming out from behind his desk to lean on the front of it and face me.
“Look, I know I’ve been hard on you. But that’s because I knew you were meant for more in this life. You’ve always been smart, but working as a server for the rest of your life—you could do so much more.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being a server.”
“No, there’s not. But do you still want to be waiting tables when you’re fifty-three? Seventy-two? With no health plan and no retirement?”
“Honestly, Dad, I don’t have those answers. And I don’t know what will come out of this music thing, but I have to try it. It’s the only thing I’ve ever been passionate about, and I want to see where it takes me.”
“So why didn’t you pursue it sooner? It isn’t because you were afraid of what I’d say. If you were really worried about seeking my approval, you would have gotten a job in business a long time ago. Instead, you fought me every time I brought it up. So you clearly weren’t worried about pissing me off. What’s the real reason?”
Goddammit. He knew me better than I realized.
“I…I guess I was scared.”
“Of what?”
