“Then do it.”
“I can’t, I’ll disappoint my dad and—”
“Who cares? This is about you, what makes you happy.”
She looked down at the counter and didn’t answer. Tate felt like he had crossed the line, but he was a blunt person, and he believed in Audrey. She had this amazing talent and she was wasting it, sitting behind a desk. She could do so much more if she would let herself do it.
“Question,” she whispered.
Tate looked up. “Yeah?”
“What would you do? If your dad didn’t want you to play hockey but be a part of the family business?”
His eyes never left hers as he said, “I would do what makes me happy. Call me selfish, if you must, but I’m not living this life for anyone but me right now. My dad did what made him happy, and encouraged me to follow my dreams.”
“You know what you want, huh?”
“Oh yeah, always have.”
“I wish I could be like that,” she said sadly.
“I think you could be. You should give it a try.”
“Maybe.”
Tate smiled as he came around the counter. “Come on, let me show you what my mom wanted me to do with my life.”
Audrey gave him a bright grin before he turned and headed up the stairs. He showed her the bathroom, which was extremely plain, then his bedroom, done in a soft beige color with black accents, then they walked across the hall. Looking over at Audrey, he said, “I think this is the room that is connected to your closet. By the way, how do you like it?”
Her eyes went wide and glossy and she nodded in delight. “Oh my God, I love it. It took me hours to put up my shoes, but man, was it worth it.”
Tate chuckled before opening his door. “Good, so this is the room that keeps me busy for hours when I’m not at the rink.”
He watched as she walked past him and stood in the middle of the stark white room. A large musical staff that started with a large treble clef before heading into the notes of his favorite classical piece was painted on a wall. In one corner were Matilda’s and his violins. In another were his acoustic and bass guitars, and in the middle of the room was his vintage piano, which had been passed down from his great-great-great-grandma. It had a dark wood finish, with bright white keys that he had just had redone. It was a beauty, and his favorite thing, other than the goalie helmet Matilda had designed for him.
“Wow.”
Tate smiled as he glanced at her. “This is my favorite room.”
“It’s spectacular. What song is that?” she asked, pointing to the notes on the wall.
“Ludwig van Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata. It’s my mom’s favorite,” he said as pain ripped in his chest. How many times had he played the sonata for his mother? Millions?
God, he missed her.
“That’s so cool, can you play it?” Tate nodded as she looked around the room. “You play violin too?”
“Yeah,” he answered again.
“Wow,” she said, running her fingers along the strings of his violin, “Will you play it for me?”
Tate didn’t even think, he just nodded, picking it up, along with the bow. He shot her a grin before bringing it under his chin and slowly moving the bow along the strings. Audrey watched his every move, but he was too lost in the music to be affected by her intense gaze. His eyes drifted shut as he hit the crescendo of the song, moving his bow as quickly and efficiently as he knew how. When he finished, he opened his eyes to Audrey clapping for him.
“That was fantastic. ‘Grenade,’ right? By Bruno Mars? Fallon loves that song, but I’ve heard it so many times because of her that I hate it,” she said with a laugh. “But no joke, I could listen to you play it over and over again. That was awesome.”
“Thanks,” he said. His grin couldn’t have gotten any bigger as he laid the violin softly down before stretching his arms out in front of him. When he heard the bell, Audrey looked over at him.
“Food’s here, come on,” he said, heading for the door.