He walked over to the table and leaned down, placing his palms flat on the surface.

I could smell the stale coffee and the cold winter air on his jacket.

“We need to secure the estate, Mom,” David said, his voice dropping to a low, hard register.

“We need to put the house in my name, and we need to liquidate the secondary accounts.”

I sat very still, the ticking of the grandfather clock in the hallway suddenly sounding very loud.

“What did you say?” I asked.

“It is the only way to protect what Dad left behind,” David said.

“If you are going to be reckless with your life, I have to protect his legacy.”

“Reckless?” I echoed.

“If you don’t do this,” David said, his eyes locking onto mine, “if you keep seeing Harold, I am going to court.”

Rachel stood up so fast her chair scraped loudly against the floor.

“David, stop it!” she cried.

“I won’t stop, Rachel,” David said, not looking at her.

“I will file to have myself appointed as the sole executor of the estate,” he told me.