For Fourteen Years My Son Lived Rent-Free in a House He Believed Was His

I held the pen above the signature line for five seconds.

The smell of new paper filled the quiet office.

“Is there a contingency clause you’d like to add?” Pamela asked.

“Not one,” I said.

On all three copies I signed Robert Mitchell, Managing Partner, Mitchell Family Holdings.

“I’ll notify the Oakridge real estate board right away,” Pamela said, gathering the signed copies.

“The public listing goes live at three.”

I drove back to the coastal apartment while the afternoon sun still sat high above the water.