“I thought family shared.”
“Sharing begins with asking the owner.”
Her cheeks reddened. “You don’t even use the cabin half the year.”
“That does not make it yours.”
Paul glanced at the open door, then at the relatives behind him. A teenage boy was carrying a game console. An older woman sat in one of the back bedrooms, confused by the noise. This was no longer a private argument between two people. Every one of them had been placed in the middle of an assumption Karen and Emily had made.
I asked Paul if he could help everyone pack their personal belongings and make sure the older woman had her medication. He nodded. Karen tried to object, but he cut her off.
“Let’s go,” he said. “We’ll sort this out later.”
She stared at him, then at me. “You want to humiliate us.”
“I want my home back.”
She turned away and went upstairs. I stayed near the door, giving them space. Luis waited outside in his truck. I called Mark. This time I answered when he called back.
“Why is a locksmith at the cabin?” he demanded.
“Because your mother-in-law is in my house and says she plans to stay until the end of the month.”
“She told me Emily invited her.”
“Emily did. I did not.”
There was a long pause. “I thought you were selling the cabin.”
“I am considering renting it. I never said anyone could live there.”
“Mom, they have nowhere else lined up.”
“Then you and Emily need to help them find somewhere. You cannot solve that by giving away my house.”
He sighed. “We were counting on the sixty thousand.”
“You were counting on a gift I had not made. I told you I wanted to help with a house, but I did not give you the money or authorize you to spend it.”
“We have a closing next week.”
“Then call the seller and explain your financing changed. I hope you find a solution. I will not put my medical reserve at risk to keep a closing date you chose before I transferred the funds.”
“It’s not just about the money. Emily’s mother thinks you hate her.”
“I don’t hate her. I am telling her to leave my property.”
He fell quiet. I could hear traffic behind him. Then he said, “I’ll come over.”
“Come to the cabin. Please don’t bring another argument. Bring a plan for where they can stay tonight.”
He arrived forty minutes later with Emily. Her face was blotchy from crying. She walked directly toward me, then stopped when I held up a hand.
“First, tell your mother the cabin is mine and she had no permission to stay.”
Emily swallowed. “Mom, the cabin belongs to Margaret. I shouldn’t have told you that you could stay without asking her.”
Karen came down the stairs with a suitcase. “You said she was going to rent it. You said she wouldn’t care if we used it for a few weeks.”
