“She’s going to be very difficult about this, Sarah,” he said in a low whisper.

“I’m not giving away my grandmother’s savings,” I said.

At five o’clock that evening, Eleanor’s white sedan was parked on the gravel shoulder outside my base housing.

She was standing on the narrow strip of lawn in her cream blazer, smoothing her lapels every time a heavy supply truck rumbled down the access road.

“Do you have any idea how much effort went into getting those estate papers from the bank?” she asked before I even reached the front step.

“The trust stays in my name until I turn thirty-five,” I said, stopping three feet away with my arms straight at my sides.