“I don’t understand.”
Megan said, “We want to take your case.”
“But I can’t pay you.”
“We’ll handle this on a contingency basis.” Sol glanced at his watch. “Sorry. Megan will walk you through the terms. I need to be going.”
When Ian remained silent, Megan asked, “Is this agreeable?”
He swallowed hard, forced out the words, “This is amazing.”
Sol rose to his feet, offered Ian his hand. “My wife and I saw you last year in Dallas. Your performance, it gave the music wings. Perhaps you’d join us for dinner sometime?”
Ian nodded.
“Good. Now I’ve got to dash.”
After Sol departed, Megan asked, “Are you sure I can’t get you something?”
“I don’t believe this is happening.”
“We’re a long way from certainty about how the finish line will look,” she warned. “You’ll probably be forced into some form of mediation. Which means compromise over reimbursing some part of the missing funds. Right now, it’s important you take this in stages. Be prepared for what may be a long haul.”
Ian took a long breath. It felt like steel bands had been released from his chest. “Okay.”
“First things first. We need to access your accounts, halt their pretense of stealing your home, and show these jokers they can’t railroad you into bankruptcy. But that, too, will take time.”
“How long?”
“Certainly a few weeks, possibly longer. Which brings up my next question. How will you make ends meet until your funds are freed up?” When Ian did not reply, she went on, “Do you intend to restart your career?”
“No.” He felt all the tumult rise until it threatened to cut off his air. “I need a break from the whirlwind my life’s become. Desperately.”
“Does that mean you wish to step away entirely from music?”
The internal turmoil only grew worse. “It’s all I know. All I have.” He swallowed, then corrected, “All I had.”
Megan spoke with the calm deliberation of a professional long accustomed to handling difficult issues. “Back to the key question. Until we can unfreeze your accounts, how will you live?”
“I haven’t thought that far ahead. I know it sounds silly, but all this has hit me so fast . . .”
“I imagine Sol will guarantee a loan, if that’s required.”
“No. No more debt. What about Amelia’s will?”
Megan hesitated, then replied carefully, “You probably don’t want to rely on your aunt to see you through this period.”
Ian pondered a long moment. “I suppose I could teach. To be honest, though, I’m not happy with the idea. I loathed most of my instructors.”
“So you are not intending to back away entirely from your music. Is that what I’m hearing?”
“I can’t. Not and eat.”
“In that case, I wonder if you’d allow me to suggest an alternative.”
“Absolutely.”
Megan rose to her feet. “Why don’t we shift this over to our conference room?”
