“Is Dad trying to take the house back?” Chloe asked.

“He’s trying to slow us down,” I said.

I tapped Gloria’s name on my contact list.

She answered on the first ring.

“I just saw the filing, Alexandra,” Gloria said.

“How bad is it?” I asked.

“Richard is suing you for civil theft and conversion,” she said. “He’s claiming the modular home is worth one point two million dollars.”

“He’s trying to force me to put it back,” I said.

“He’s trying to bankrupt you with legal fees,” Gloria corrected. “He knows you spent your savings on the disassembly crew.”

“What do we do?” I asked.

“We meet them,” Gloria said. “I’ve already scheduled an emergency conference at my office for three o’clock.”

“Bring Chloe?” I asked.

“No,” Gloria said. “Leave her with a friend or in the reception room. This is going to get cold.”

I paid the bill at the diner register, the bell above the door chiming as we left.

The Texas heat hit us like a physical wall as we walked across the asphalt.

I dropped Chloe off at her friend Sarah’s house three miles away.