My stepmother called and told me, “You’re banned from the family beach house. I changed every lock.” She sounded almost delighted. I simply replied, “Thanks for the update.” What she didn’t know was that my mom had placed the house in a private trust under my name before she passed away.

down her back. “That wave is bigger than you were when you were five.”

The memory came so suddenly it stole the air from my chest. I had to blink hard to pull myself back into the apartment, back into the present, back into Diana’s smug breathing on the line.

“The house is not yours to ban me from,” I said quietly.

“Oh, but it is,” Diana fired back. “Your continue reading …