Grinning as if he’s got me good, he says, “I don’t know, man. Haven’t heard another calling yet. Guess I’ll stick around here for now.”

“Good to know.”

Finn has spent his twenties as nomad as can be. He’s traveled the world a few times—spent a year couch-surfing in Australia while working in some kind of ranch, even at some point went to live with a German girl he met on Instagram, just to learn the language. I don’t know if he actually likes working here or if he’s just staying to help me, but I’m grateful for it either way.

We return to our silent work—well, I’m silent while Finn sings through what seems like the complete album of some rock band, his voice so off-key it’s almost painful—until we hear gravel crunching from the driveway that leads to the house. I recognize the car immediately.

We’re far enough in the field that Wren probably can’t see us, or at least doesn’t know to look for us, but we see her. She gets out of her car, dressed in a black suit and heels, the same thin beige coat on her shoulders I saw her freezing in yesterday. She looks so put together, she could be in a TV show. Her spine is straight as she walks toward the house, her dark hair pulled tight in a bun. It’s hard to look away from her. She’s the kind of person who commands attention, no matter what she does. I’ve known that since the moment I sat beside her at that bar, like a gravitational pull from one large planet to a smaller one.

“Who. Is. That?” Finn asks, practically drooling as he looks at her while she knocks at my parents’ front door.

I hit his stomach with the back of my hand. “No one you should be looking at.”

I love Finn. He’s one of the best guys I’ve ever had the chance to meet. He’s also the biggest playboy I know, so there’s no way I’ll let him approach our lawyer.

He turns to me, mouth gaping. “Really, who is it?”

“No. One.” I point to one of the trees. “Now get back to work.”

“Oh, come on, man,” he says as I turn around and walk to another tree we need to cut down. “You can’t keep all the hot ones for yourself.”

I give him the finger over my shoulder, and his laughter resonates behind me. But this is no joking matter. I worked hard enough to get her to take on our case. He can do whatever he wants once she’s done here, but in the meantime, there’s no way I’m letting Finn—or anyone—mess it up.

Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

Wren

I learned about early onset familial Alzheimer’s disease when I was eighteen.