I opened it.
Power of attorney.
Financial authorization.
Account management permission.
All drafted by a lawyer I had never met.
I looked up.
Mom smiled warmly.
“With everything Naomi is going through, you shouldn’t be worrying about money. Let me keep handling the finances like I did while you were gone.”
Kendra nodded.
“You’ve got enough stress.”
I almost admired the arrogance.
Almost.
I closed the folder.
“So you want control of the new payment too?”
Mom reached across the table.
“Caleb, I’m your mother.”
There it was.
The sentence people use when they’ve run out of legitimate reasons to deserve your trust.
I leaned back.
“What did you buy with the first ninety thousand?”
The room went silent.
Kendra stopped chewing.
Mom’s smile disappeared.
“What?”
“The money I sent home.”
“I used it for the household.”
“Which household?”
