“Take it easy, Diane. Madison already told us this place is pretty much theirs.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
**“My daughter does not own this house.”**
Richard shrugged.
**“She will.”**
Those two words stopped me.
One of the guests slowly lowered her wineglass.
“Excuse me, are you actually the owner?”
“Yes,” I answered.
Her expression changed immediately.
“We were told he was managing the property.”
Richard gave a dismissive laugh.
“There’s really no reason to turn this into some big drama.”
But I wasn’t interested in his excuses.
I’d spent twenty-three years caring for this house.
I’d paid the taxes.
The insurance.
The repairs.
And now someone else was apparently collecting money from strangers staying there.
**All because my daughter’s father-in-law believed the property would eventually belong to his family.**
I stepped closer.
“Richard, I want you to tell me exactly what Madison promised you.”
Then I looked around at the strangers occupying my home.
Because I was beginning to realize this wasn’t simply an unauthorized rental.
Richard was acting as though my daughter’s future ownership had already been decided.
**And I needed to know what Madison had told him.**
Richard folded his arms.
“She said when you were gone, the house would be hers. And since she’s married to my son, that makes it a family property.”
I stared at him.
“When I’m gone?”
