“He said he has a big trial…”
“Maybe he does, but that’s not why he left your case.”
“Will you please tell me what you’re talking about and not one sentence at a time?”
“He left the case because he’s attracted to you, and because of that, he can’t represent you without risking his career.”
It would be strange to say at that juncture that nothing had ever shocked her more, because she’d had some pretty big shocks in her life, but this one was right up there at the top of the list.
“W-why didn’t he just say so?”
“Several reasons.One, you’re not exactly free and clear for a guy to state his intentions.Two, he’s very determined to remain single and unencumbered, and you’re rather encumbered.”He glanced at the kids, who were playing with Theo’s trucks in the living room while she and Denny sat at the kitchen counter.“Third, he had no idea what I’d think of it until I told him I thought he’d be great for you.”
“You told himwhat?”
“Just what I said.Problem is, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
She didn’t want to ask.She really didn’t.But curiosity would make her crazy.“Why do you say that?”
“The guy doesn’t do relationships.He’s had one girlfriend in all the years I’ve known him.Everything else has been… transactional.”
“Why is he like that?”
“Two reasons.One, he dismantles marriages for a living, and two, his parents went through one of the nastiest divorces in human history, dragging him and his eight siblings through hell for a decade while they fought over them.You don’t remember it being on TV?”
“Not really.I wasn’t paying much attention to anything but my own life back then.”
Isla couldn’t believe what Denny was telling her.Julian Remington had been so attracted to her that he’d bowed out of her case because he’d had to for ethical reasons.But he also had no intention of doing anything about that attraction because he didn’t do relationships.
“Why are you telling me this?”she asked Denny.“What good does it do for me to know this when there’s nothing I can do about it?”
“Who says there’s nothing you can do about it?”
“You just said he wouldn’t be good for me.”
“Maybe you could be the one to crack the code with him.”
“Because that’d be a great thing for me to get into after this mess with Gabriel.”
Denny shrugged.“You never know what might be possible.From what I can see, you both had the same reaction to each other, which is a pretty good place to start.”
“Why are you encouraging this?”
“I like him.I trust him.He’s an incredibly successful, smart, stable, cool dude, and he’s crazy talented.Plays the guitar and the bass and has an awesome voice.I’ve known him half my life, and I’ve never seen him be anything other than an upstanding kind of guy.If I had to trust my sister to anyone, I’d want it to be someone like him.That is… If he wasn’t bound and determined to stay away from cozy domestic situations like you and your sweet little kids.”
“We are not asituation,” Isla said indignantly.
“To him, you are.”
Isla thought about all that for a few minutes as she sipped her wine.Then she reached for her phone and opened a text to Julian.
I’ve been obsessively listening to the music you sent.I listened to “Our House” a hundred times.I could picture the cozy scene in a little house with a fireplace, the cats, the love… The other one I’ve been listening to on repeat is “When Will I Be Loved” by Linda Ronstadt.I can really relate to that one, especially lately.Thank you for introducing me to Laurel Canyon’s musical history.I’ve really been missing out.
“What’re you doing?”Denny asked.
“Texting him.”
“About what?”
