A Diamond In The Snow

‘Grumpy. Worried sick and not admitting it. And I think Mum’s patience with him is going to wear thin pretty quickly.’ Sam paused. ‘You’d do the same, wouldn’t you?’

‘Give up my career and move back home to keep an eye on my parents, you mean?’ Jude asked.

‘I was always going to come back to Cambridge and take over the firm from Dad,’ Sam reminded him. ‘It’s just happening a bit sooner than I expected.’

‘In your shoes, I’d do the same,’ Jude said.

Which made Sam feel slightly better about his decision. ‘I’m not putting the flat on the market until the spring, so I can rescue you from the dragon landladies and give you a key so you’ve got somewhere to stay for your West End run, if you like.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘’Course I’m sure.’

‘I can only afford to give you the going landlady rent towards the mortgage,’ Jude warned.

Sam knew that theatre actors didn’t have the massive salary everyone thought they did. ‘That’s not necessary. I’ll know the flat is being looked after rather than being left empty, and that’s worth more than any rent. But I’m very happy for you to dedicate your first award win to me.’

Jude laughed. ‘You could be waiting a while. Thanks. I accept. And you’ve more than earned that dedication.’

‘I’m heading to London now, to pack. Come and pick up the keys at lunchtime.’

‘Will do. And thanks again.’ Jude paused. ‘Have you told your boss?’

‘Not yet. That’s the next call.’

‘Good luck with that.’

‘It’ll be fine,’ Sam said, with a confidence he didn’t quite feel.

‘Are you insane?’ was his boss’s reaction when Sam told him he was resigning.

‘No.’

‘You were supposed to be visiting your parents for the weekend. And I know you haven’t been headhunted, because that kind of news never stays secret for long. Why the hell are you resigning?’

‘Confidentially, Nigel?’ Sam asked. ‘And I mean it. Not a word to anyone.’

Nigel sighed. ‘All right. Tell me.’

‘Dad was rushed into hospital this week. Mum didn’t tell me until I got home. It was a mini-stroke and he seems OK now, but if he doesn’t slow down he could have a full-blown stroke. I need to be here to keep an eye on them both.’

‘Fine—then take a sabbatical until your father’s well again.’

‘I can’t do that. It’s permanent. I’m not coming back,’ Sam said. ‘If I’d been headhunted, I’d be on three months of garden leave with immediate effect, according to my contract.’ Which gave him the three months in which he needed to convince his father that he wasn’t reckless.

Then it hit him. Of course, his father would know about the clause giving three months’ garden leave; that was obviously why Alan had specified three months working in an ‘ordinary’ job.

‘You haven’t been headhunted,’ Nigel pointed out.

‘But I’m going to take over the family business from Dad,’ Sam said, ‘so that counts as working in the same area and it’s the same thing. I’m pretty sure HR will have me locked out of the computer system at work as soon as you tell them.’

‘What do you want—a pay rise or more responsibility?’ Nigel asked.

‘Neither. This isn’t a ruse to get more money or a promotion. I really do want to keep an eye on my parents.’ The way both of them seemed to have aged twenty years overnight had shocked Sam. As their only child, he knew it was his responsibility to look after them—and, more than that, he wanted to take care of them. They’d always supported him. Now it was his turn to be supportive.

‘You’re serious, aren’t you?’ Nigel asked.

‘Completely.’ Sam knew that people in his world had a reputation for being shallow, but any decent person would do what he was doing. Wouldn’t they?

Nigel coughed. ‘Well, if things change, you’ll always be welcomed back. And I hope everything goes all right with your dad.’

‘Thanks. Do you need me to do any paperwork?’

‘I’ll sort it out with HR. Email me the address where you’re staying so I can get the paper copies to you.’