“That house is family property, Valerie, and Trevor is the head of this household whether you’re in Dublin or Munich,” Colleen said, her clipped voice tightening further.

“You’d be wise to remember that before you accuse my son of falling short of his duties.”

She hung up without waiting for an answer, the line cutting off with a sharp metallic tone.

I got up, went to the narrow wooden desk, and flipped my laptop open under the harsh halogen bulb.

My fingers felt stiff as I typed in the address for our joint checking and savings account at First Ohio Federal.

I skipped the usual balance summary page and went straight to the tab for the secondary high-yield savings account.