“Why? Is music good for dementia?”
“I don’t know about that, but it seems to make him happy. You actually gave me the idea.”
“How’s that?”
“I was feeling shitty about news I got today, then Luke Bryan’s ‘Country Girl’ came on the radio. My mind shot back to you dancing at the bar with Violet, and that one memory turned my whole disposition around. I thought maybe I could make that happen for my dad with music that reminded him of my mom.” His gaze went distant and a little smile tilted his mouth. “I may have actually seen a flicker of the Dad I used to know, though it could also have been my imagination.”
His comment paralleling his parents’ relationship with theirs made Miranda’s shoulders tighten. She decided to avoid the topic altogether. “What bad news? Not about your dad, I hope.”
“No. I mean, not really. It’s complicated. Sounds a lot like your family situation, but in a business setting.” He heaved a sigh that carried the weight of the world. “The trouble in my father’s business was caused by his business partner. A man we considered family for thirty years. He took advantage of my dad’s weakened mental state after my mom died to embezzle every penny of the company’s liquid assets.”
Shock hit her, a fist to the gut. “Holy shit. What kind of company?”
“I can’t say right now. This town is smaller than it seems, and the industry is even smaller. Everyone knows everyone, and employees surf between companies for upward mobility. I don’t doubt employees and customers of the firm frequent your bar. I don’t want you to have to worry about slipping. We can’t risk employees jumping ship before we get this situation under control.”
“Is it a lot of money?”
A look of dread crossed his expression before he closed his eyes on a sigh. “So much.” He slid a hand down her side and let it rest on her hip. “My dad didn’t come from money and continues to live a modest life even when he could afford so much more. He built the company from the ground up. His dependability and work ethic helped him get jobs. Solid values kept employees on board for decades. He knew how to grow, you know, slow and steady. He didn’t get ahead of himself, didn’t promise things he couldn’t deliver. This company is his life, second only to my mom and us kids. In a twisted way, I’m glad he doesn’t know what’s happening.”
“Good God. Talk about heavy. How are you keeping things going?”
“Since the company books wouldn’t be winning us any eager loan partners, Jen and I pulled everything from the line of credit Dad has on the house. Jen got a second loan on her home, and I mortgaged my loft. We both took cash advances from every card we have. I sold a few luxury toys I never use—an extra car, a sailboat. Jen, her husband, and I all took loans against our retirement accounts.” He exhaled and tightened his arm around her. “You’re not the only one living paycheck to paycheck at the moment.”
“Jack, that’s insane. I can’t imagine how stressed you must be.”
“You’ve helped more than you know.” He gave her shoulders a squeeze. “Sure, it’s nerve-racking to be on the edge of such a steep financial cliff, but honestly, I’d give up everything if I could have my dad back. You can always start over, make more money, but you can’t always bring back the people you love.”
“Are you going to get through this?” she asked. “Will the company be okay?”
“Things are looking up. Our lawyer won a judgment in court and froze funds in the partner’s account. We have an investigator tracking down the asshole so we can bring him back to the US and prosecute. And my dad had embezzlement insurance, so the insurance company is helping us meet payroll in the short term.”
“Embezzlement insurance? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“Me either. We’re far from out of the woods. I don’t know how things will look when the dust clears. But we’ll figure it out.”
She searched his eyes. “This sounds really complicated, worse because of your dad’s condition.”
“We have a board of directors that’s steering the ship. My sister is a project manager at the company, and she’s been promoted to operations chief temporarily. We’ve both been in the business since we could walk. Jen got a business degree and returned. I took a different route, but we both know enough to keep things going until Dad gets better. It’s really a big sacrifice on her part. She loves her boys, and her husband travels a lot. This has been really hard on her family. Truth is, she’s the one who’s been making all the sacrifices over the last year.” His gaze went distant, and he went quiet. “I need to take some responsibility off her shoulders. I just don’t know how to carry the load here and back home.”
Back home. Those words cooled some of the warmth building in her heart. He’d be leaving soon. She’d be smart to remember that. “What is the load back home?”
“I made partner at my architecture firm about six months ago. It comes with a lot of responsibility, a lot of travel and long hours. I don’t want to let them down. I don’t want to let anyone down.” He refocused on her. “Which brings me to the reason I came to the bar tonight in the first place.”
Dread sank in the pit of her stomach.
“One of the other partners is pregnant and experiencing complications. She’s going to be out of commission for several months, pre- and post-baby. With all the work going on at the firm, they can’t afford to have two partners out. I need to pick up the slack, which means I’m heading to Los Angeles tomorrow to deal with an issue at one of her projects there.”
This was inevitable, she knew. But disappointment and resignation still weighed her down.
“I’ll only be gone a few days, but I didn’t want you to think that this is no big deal or that I ghosted you.”
He stroked the backs of his fingers against her cheek. His gaze softened but was no less intense. She felt a little shaky in the spotlight of his focus.
“Miranda, there’s something special here. You feel that, right? It’s not just great sex.”
She found the surety in his words both curious and touching. Her family mess might be in her past—or would be once Gypsy moved on—but it was enough for others to make judgments and form opinions. She’d seen it her whole life.
Instead of answering, she turned her head and kissed his palm. “Didn’t you promise me pictures of your work? I want to see what you’ve designed.”