Nate opened a can of tuna and spooned it out for the hungry cat. “I’ll see you later, buddy. I’ll be taking you to your new home.”
The cat devoured his meal, not giving Nate an ounce of attention as he left the house.
* * * *
Nate found Toby sitting in Fi-Fi’s kitchen, a steaming cup of coffee on the table in front of him. She was showing him something on her phone.
When Nate first left Brimland Point with his band, Toby promised he’d keep an eye on Fi-Fi. All these years later, he still dropped by.
“Hi, honey.” His grandmother beamed a bright, pink lip smile. “I was just getting Toby’s opinion on what stripper shoes I should buy.”
Toby stared at him with horror in his eyes.
“You’ll never be able to walk into a strip club again without thinking of Fi-Fi and her shoes.” Nate laughed.
Toby dropped his head in his hands.
“These are for pole dancing, not stripping. Get your minds out of the gutter.” Fi-Fi huffed.
Nate wanted to scrub the image of his grandmother pole dancing out of his mind, and judging by the look on Toby’s face, he did too. “I hear there’s a great line dancing class at the Leisure Centre. Why don’t you give that a go?”
Fi-Fi slapped a hand on a hip covered in leopard print spandex. “Why the hell would I want to line dance with a bunch of old people?”
Some would probably be a lot younger than her. But Nate kept that to himself. “Just a suggestion,” he said, sitting at the table next to Toby.
“You heading off in the morning?” Toby asked.
“Yep. I fly out at seven.”
“I’m going to miss you.” His grandmother slid her hand across the table and squeezed his. “It’s wonderful having you home for longer than five minutes. I actually thought you might stay for good.”
He raised a brow. “You did? Why?”
“Because you were playing music you loved and your face beams with joy whenever you talk about it.”
“I was only playing in a bar.” But it did make him happy.
“And drawing in a decent crowd,” Toby added.
“It was nothing important.” The sinking feeling in his gut told him differently.
“And what about the teacher you’re seeing, is that nothing important? Were you only playing around with her too?” Fi-Fi asked.
Toby threw him a serious look. One that said you better not have been fucking around with my friend for the fun and giggles.
“Not with Jade, she means a lot to me,” Nate answered.
“Well, do something about it,” his grandmother said as if she didn’t understand what the problem was.
“There’s nothing I can do. I’m on the road too much for a successful relationship.”
“Then stop going on the road. How many times do I need to tell you that band is making you miserable? Home is making you happy. And that includes playing your own music, even if it is in a small pub. It’s not like you need the money. And a beautiful woman who you’ve spent every minute you can with has put the biggest smile on your face and a spring in your step. If those aren’t good enough reasons to stay, I don’t know what is. Stop trying to walk in your father’s shoes.”
“I promised him, Fi-Fi.”
“He should never have made you promise to give your life away. He was my son and I love him and miss him terribly, but I can tell you he’d become selfish and conceited and wanted the world to revolve around him. Answer me this.” She leaned forward and peered into his eyes. “If your father had never made you make that promise, if you could have any life you wanted, what would you be doing?”
Nate squirmed in his seat. If he lied, Fi-Fi would spot it a mile away. Like she always did.
