The conference room on the eighth floor smelled of lemon polish and old paper.

I sat across a wide mahogany table from Rebecca Sloan on Monday afternoon.

I pulled a thick folder from my tote bag and slid my grandmother Eleanor Bennett’s original home deed across the polished wood.

I placed the three months of printed bank statements from Community First Bank right next to it.

Rebecca reviewed the pages while I waited.

She tapped her yellow legal pad with the blue cap of her pen before speaking.

“Your husband can’t legally transfer joint assets or equity funds to a third party to buy separate real estate,” Rebecca said.