“That way neither of us has to worry about legal confusion or tax questions down the road.”

“Why would there be any legal confusion?” I asked.

“Because you went to the bank on December twenty-eighth,” Margaret said.

Her tone stayed sweet, but her eyes narrowed a little as she looked up at me.

“The branch manager mentioned that you asked for two years of notarized payment records.”

“I asked for those records because I paid your mortgage while you told everybody I was ungrateful,” I said.

“Bring your tea into the kitchen,” I added.