Then he put on his glasses and read them again.

“Loretta, you didn’t make an outright gift.”

He laid the promissory note on the table.

I recognized my signature, then Daniel’s beneath it.

The money was a loan with a defined repayment schedule starting when the property was sold or refinanced, and a maturity date.

A recorded mortgage secured it.

The contract also included a clause saying a default would permit legal enforcement subject to notice and the usual process.

“Does that mean I own the house?” I asked.