Nobles

Ch. 19: Solar? What's wrong?

As they were exiting the small diner, where they had met for a quick lunch, Solar's phone started ringing. Pilar smiled and stepped to the side to give her privacy if it was work. She just stood there, observing people like she always did. Quietly living other people's lives though them, seeing beauty in things they probably took for granted.

They had been meeting as often as possible for lunch since Solar had come back from Madrid. Nothing majorly time consuming just a chance for Pilar to get out of her apartment and motivate her to go places. Solar had been more than willing to spend her lunches with Pilar, it gave them sister time, and she felt she was helping without it having to be hard work.

Every little smile from Pilar made it worth the effort.

Usually, after their lunch Pilar would walk Solar back to her office and grab her car, that she parked in their parking garage while they ate. And then she would drive somewhere and take pictures. Or sit and observe people.

The beach.

The park.

Just walking downtown.

Pilar had been venturing out more and it did not bother her like it had in the past. She still hid behind her camera, but she hid in plain sight.

The studio had asked her if she wanted to go abroad for a project but she had declined, she wanted to stay home and focus on her own work for a while. Do what she had promised herself for years. Maybe see if she could get a small gallery showing or enter a contest. Just something to show off her work.

Pilar felt it was the right time.

Solar picked out her phone and smiled back at Pilar, appreciating her understanding. She saw Kenneth's name in the display and accepted the call. He rarely called her in the middle of the day, he would text her between meetings, but not call.

"Darling," she breathed with delight into the phone.

"Hi sweetheart. I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you, but I need a favor."

"What can I help with?" That was unlike Kenneth to ask.

She felt uneasy with the tone of his voice, there was a sense or urgent desperation to it she was not used to.

"Do you think you can get an hour or two off?"

"I don't think so, I have a client meeting and it's scheduled for the entire afternoon. What's wrong?"

"They called from that temporary school I placed the kids in. Apparently, Coven got into some trouble, nothing to worry about, but he got punched in the face and Harrison went to defend him. They called from the school and asked me to pick them up because Avery was crying her heart out at the sight of the boys fighting."

Solar could hear him swallow hard to control his emotions. His fatherly instincts and the guilt in him for not being able to be in two places at once made her want to help him. The desperation in his voice made perfect sense, his kids needed him.

"But you're in San Francisco and your flight isn't until later," she said like they were not both aware of that fact.

"Hence the favor, darling."

"I can't, I'm really sorry Kenneth. What about the nanny?"

"I tried, she's not available until 3:00 pm, I knew that, but I called and asked anyway. She was supposed to pick them up after school and bring them home and stay with them until I got there."

"Solar? What's wrong?" Pilar was gently pulling at Solar's jacket sleeve worried with how her sister spoke. She had only heard one side of the conversation, but obviously there was a problem that Solar and Kenneth had trouble fixing.