“Then the property remains yours,” Patricia said. “No transfer has occurred. The gift, as a legal matter, is not yet complete.”
“I know,” I said.
A pause. “What would you like to do?”
I looked out the window at the stone house, visible from my kitchen across the lower field, its new windows catching the afternoon sun. I had chosen those windows carefully. Floor to ceiling, facing the vines. Richard had always said that what you see when you look out your windows shapes how you understand your life.
“I’d like to think about it,” I said. “For now, I’d like you to know the situation.”
“I’ll note everything with dates,” Patricia said. “Call me when you’ve decided.”
Samantha arrived the following morning.
She came alone, which I had not expected, and she did not buzz at the gate but called my cell from the road, which meant she had discovered the code was changed and had not yet demanded Ben give her the new one, which itself told me something.
