None of this surprised me; it was simply the arithmetic of being a mother, the ordinary going-without that no one thinks to call by any grander name.

But Harrison was not finished, and the next thing he said, he said more quietly.

“And I know,” he said, “that lately, your children have been asking questions about your finances.”

Chapter 9 — The Questions

“What kind of questions?” I asked, though something in me had already begun to brace.

Harrison opened the folder at last.

“Trent,” he said, “recently met with an elder-law attorney.” A cold feeling started in my chest.

“Why would he do that?” “Bianca,” Harrison went on, not answering, “has been researching assisted-living facilities.