River’s End

She looked down, saw her hand in his. With baffled shock she noted her fingers had linked with his and curled tight. Mortally embarrassed, she shook free.
    “Stand up, for God’s sake. All I need is someone coming in here and seeing you kneeling at my feet.”
    “I wasn’t kneeling.” But he straightened up, then opted to sit on the corner of the desk.
    It was more than her hair she’d changed. This Olivia was a hell of a lot tougher, a hell of a lot edgier than the shy college student he’d tumbled for.
    “You did speak with Jamie, didn’t you, about my wanting to talk with you?”
    “Yes.”
    “Why didn’t she tell you that Sam was dying?”
    “We argued.” Olivia leaned back in her chair. Her head didn’t feel light any longer. She just felt tired. “We never argue, so that’s one more thing I have to thank you and your book for. If she’d intended to tell me, I suppose it got lost in the fray.”
    “He wants to tell his story before he dies. If he doesn’t, it dies with him. Is that really what you want?”
    The need she’d worked so hard to bury tried to claw its way free. “It doesn’t matter what I want, you’ll do it anyway. You always planned to.”
    “Yeah, I did. And I’m telling you straight out this time, up-front. The way I should have before.”
    “I said I won’t discuss that.” And just that coolly, she snapped the door shut. “You want what you want. And as for him, he wants to purge himself before it’s too late, and look for what? Forgiveness? Redemption?”
    “Understanding, maybe. I think he’s trying to understand himself how it all happened. I want your part of it, Liv. All the others I’ll talk to are pieces of the whole, but you’re the key.
    Your grandfather claims you have a photographic memory. Is that true?”
    “Yes,” she said absently. “I see words. It’s just . . . my grandfather?” She leaped to her feet. “You spoke to my grandfather.”
    “Just after breakfast.”
    “You stay away from him.”
    “He came up to my table, which from what I observed, he’s in the habit of doing with guests. I told him who I was and why I was here. If you have a problem with his agreeing to talk to me, you’ll have to take it up with him.”
    “He’s over seventy. You have no business putting him through this”
    “I should be in such good shape at seventy. I didn’t strap him on the rack and crank the wheel, for Christ’s sake.” Damn it, would she forever make him feel guilty? “We had a conversation over coffee. Then he agreed to a taped interview in my room. And when we finished the session, he didn’t shuffle out bent and broken. He looked relieved. Sam isn’t the only one with something to purge, Liv.”
    It shook her enough to have her running a nervous hand through her hair. ““He agreed to it? He spoke with you about it? What did he say?”
    “Oh, no.” Intrigued. Noah studied her. “I don’t prime the pump that way. I want what you tell me to come from you, not to be a reflection of what other people think and feel.”
    “He never talks about it.”
    What was that, under the surprise, Noah wondered. Hurt? “He did today, and he agreed to at least one more interview before I leave.”
    “What’s going on? I don’t understand what’s going on around here.”
    “Maybe it’s just time. Why don’t we try this? I’ll talk to you, tell you about my wild and exciting life and all my fascinating opinions on the world in general. Once you see how charming and brilliant I am. you’ll have an easier time talking to me.”
    “You’re not nearly as charming as you think you are.”
    “Sure I am. Let’s have dinner.”
    Oh, they’d gone that route before. “No.”
    “Okay, that was knee-jerk, I could tell. Let’s try again. Let’s have dinner.”
    This time she angled her head, took a steady five seconds. “No.”
    “All right, I’ll just have to pay for you.”
    Her eyes went molten, a deep, rich gold that made him think of old paintings executed by masters. “You think I care about your money? That you can bribe me. You sleazy son of a—”
    “Hold it, that’s not what I meant. I meant I’d have to hire you—as in ask for information on our day packages, including hikes guided by one of our professional naturalists. The professional would be you. So which trail would you recommend for a nice, scenic hike tomorrow?”
    “Forget it.”
    “Oh no, you advertise, you follow through. I’m a paying customer. Now do