Sol remained bent over Liam’s shoulder. “This is amazing.”
Ryan asked Jenna, “Is he an unwelcome guest?”
“Ryan Eames, meet Sol Feinnes. Sol is a San Lu attorney. Ryan is a detective on the Miramar force.”
“Afternoon, Officer.” To Jenna, “Is there somewhere we can talk?”
They stopped by Sol’s car so he could strip off his jacket and tie. Then they started down the gravel path that began where the road ended, running between the two fields, heading out to the fire-branded ridge. When they were well away from the house, Sol said, “I actually came to see Noah. He’s requested my involvement in a number of issues related to his putting down roots. Apparently I’m part of his making a clean break from LA.”
She searched for the right response, and decided on, “He’s a good man.”
“That’s my impression as well.” They walked on. Then, “What are you doing here, Jenna?”
Because it was Sol who asked, her attorney on all in-house care contracts, adviser on her mother’s estate, her friend for over a decade, Jenna gave him the truth. Even though it left her thoroughly unsettled, speaking the words aloud for the first time. “I like him. A lot.”
A sunset wind gentled its way from the west, carrying with it the day’s first hint of coolness. The grass rustled and whispered, as if wanting to join in their conversation. Sol’s lack of response acted like a goad at heart level. Jenna went on. “Noah has a rare quality that speaks to me. Honesty fits, but it’s not enough.”
“He’s genuine,” Sol said. “I sense that as well.”
But she wasn’t done. The words seemed to rise of their own accord. Carried by a force that simply would not be denied. “I’ve spent the past eight and a half years going from one critical care situation to the next. Dealing with families, caring for the patient’s final needs, being there at the end . . .”
She liked the feel of the wind on her face, the hint of Pacific mist, the descending sun burnishing the dry valley. Sol seemed willing to walk there alongside her for as long as it took. Jenna released the midnight thoughts. The soft worries that drew out tears no one ever saw. “My work doesn’t fit with anything like a normal relationship. Nine years and counting, I haven’t even known a man well enough to have him break my heart.”
Sol’s hand drifted up, settled gently on her shoulder. Then dropped back to his side. A punctuation soft as the sun and the wind. “I understand.”
“I’m not saying Noah is the one. It’s just . . .”
“You want a taste of normal.”
There was no reason why being understood would cause her eyes to burn so. “I’m not stopping with my patient care. I’m simply saying I’m not ready to take on a new assignment. Not yet. For the first time in what feels like forever, I need a break.”
“Sure, Jenna. I get that. A job like yours . . .”
“Any job.”
“What you do is not just any job. Especially when you’re with a patient as long as Dino.”
“Nineteen months.”
“Which brings us to the point.”
She took a hard breath. Decided this was as good a moment as any to draw away from the sunset confessional. She pointed them back around. “I thought you were here to see Noah.”
“Actually, you were why I agreed to drive up after court today. I need Noah to sign some papers. I need you to meet me in Santa Barbara.”
“No, Sol.”
“Tomorrow afternoon, Jenna.”
“I told you, I want nothing to do with Dino’s family. They despise me. You have to handle this.”
“Tomorrow is the official reading of Dino’s will. You’re legally obligated, Jenna. You need to be there.” When Jenna merely shook her head, his voice hardened. The courtroom lawyer coming into his own. “The will is only to be read in the presence of both executors. Dino insisted on this. Which means you and me. Together.”
She kicked a loose rock. “That old man is laughing at me. Looking down. Or up. And laughing.”
“My office. One o’clock.” Sol knew when it was time to accept victory, and changed the subject. “Show me the boat?”
* * *
