“Joanie, I didn’t know one single thing about this whole plan until Austin put his birthday money on my kitchen table forty minutes ago,” I whispered.

A sharp gasp hissed through the receiver, followed by a long, horrified silence that dragged on for ten seconds.

“Oh, dear Lord in heaven, Claire,” Joanie breathed, her voice trembling with real shock.

“Please tell me you’re joking.”

“I wish with every fiber of my being this was some bad joke, Joanie, but my husband and his mother have been packing up my boy’s room behind my back,” I told her.

“How long were you expecting Austin to live up there with you in Columbus, Joanie?” I asked, needing to hear just how far the scheme went.