“I’ll deal with my mother,” Daniel said.

“We just have to make sure all her legal papers end up consolidated in the house safe.

Mom needs structure.”

“She has to understand this is our home, not some permanent arrangement,” Renee said.

I stepped back along the carpet runner, careful not to let the edge of the towels brush against my clothes.

I went down the hall to the linen closet, set the folded towels neatly on the middle shelf, and shut the wooden door without a sound.

I went out the back kitchen door, crossed the dark flagstone patio, and stepped inside the casita.