“Ginny,” he whispered. His voice was full of ache, though she couldn’t say if it was for her or for the past. It gave her pause, and she took a small step back. But then his arms were around her, his chest pressed to hers.
“Ginny,” he said again. “Please.” But even as he said it, his lips were moving down her throat. When he got to the nape of her neck, he stopped.
“It’s okay,” she said, pulling him tighter. But already she could feel herself losing him.
They stood together, neither moving, in the center of his kitchen. “I’m sorry,” he whispered just before he broke away from her. “I didn’t mean for anything like this.” His eyes were flooded with apology.
“Me, neither,” she said, stepping back self-consciously. “I should go.”
He walked her to the car and held the door open. “Thank you,” he said. “For coming here. And listening.” He glanced up at the red barn. “For everything.”
“It was nice,” she said, sliding behind the wheel. She wanted to flee; to get out of there as fast as possible. And yet the thought of driving away stung. “Do you still want a hand with the fence?”
Wendell smiled sadly. “I would love that.”
“Good. Call me when you start. I’ll come by when I can.”
As she backed down the driveway, she watched Wendell climb the rise to the barn. He stopped beside the pen, and the horse came to him. Ginny watched as he ran his hand down the horse’s neck. Radcliffe stood very still as Wendell ducked his chin and pressed his forehead to the horse’s.
TwentyJulia
Since theincident—as she now called it—with Candace stealing Radcliffe, Julia had refused to even look at her aunt. As far as Julia was concerned, the woman was dead to her. And that worked just fine; since she would be seeking emancipation, it was time to prove that she didn’t need an adult to take care of them. She could do it all by herself.
As Roberta Blythe had instructed, she’d called the lawyer, Jamie Aldeen. When they’d spoken on the phone, Jamie had taken a lot of notes and asked a lot of questions. At first she’d sounded hesitant, but as soon as Julia told her that Roberta had recommended her and that they’d talked, the lawyer took her seriously. “When can you come in?” She’d promised to call Julia back before the week was over, after she did a little more research. But she had made one thing clear: Julia’s chances would be a lot better if she found a guardian. “There must be someone you can think of,” Jamie had said. But Julia had exhausted the possibilities, shy of asking Sam. Which wasnotgoing to happen.
They met in Jamie Aldeen’s office at Cunningham, Blake & Aldeen. “Your name is on the sign,” Julia said when Jamie invited her into a small glass-walled conference room.
Jamie smiled. “That’s right.”
“But you’re so young.” Right away, she felt like an idiot.
Jamie laughed. “Young, huh? Guess I should’ve scheduled this meeting sooner.” Then, “Thank you, but I’m not as youthful as you may think. And yes, I am a partner.”
Julia nodded appreciatively, hoping that meant Jamie was good at her job.
“So, let’s get down to business.” Already Jamie had compiled a large file. In the next hour, she explained everything about emancipation in the state of Connecticut. It meant Julia would be viewed as an independent adult: she’d be responsible for obtaining her own housing, paying for all living expenses, obtaining and maintaining a vehicle when she was sixteen. And that was all before any mention of Pippa.
“What about my little sister?” Julia asked.
Jamie set the file down on the sleek table and leaned forward. “Emancipation is going to be a challenge, Julia. Guardianship of siblings is another issue altogether. Let’s fight one battle at a time.”
Julia deflated somewhat. She’d looked it up; she’d known what it meant. Hearing it come out of Jamie Aldeen’s mouth in the stark office lighting felt different. It felt impossible.
Jamie must’ve sensed Julia’s concern. “If you decide to retain me, these will be my problems to try to solve. Not yours. For now, let’s compile some information to determine if you have a case.”
Jamie’s questions were to the point: “What’s your GPA in school?”
“I have straight As, and I’m in all honors classes. Well, algebra might have been a B-plus.”
“Okay. Any history of mental health issues?”
Julia shook her head. “No.”
“You’ve been through a lot with your parents’ loss. Any depression, anxiety, any thoughts of self-harm?”
“No!”
“It’s okay. It’s not personal.”
