With the pastor, both of you, and I’ll pay for every session myself.”

“No.”

“Two sessions.

That’s all I’m asking.”

“I will never keep Maya from you,” I said.

“That’s a separate matter from your son.

But there’s no counseling that turns a forged mortgage into a misunderstanding, and I won’t sit in a room and pretend there is.”

She nodded at the porch boards for a while, then opened her purse and closed it again.