Chapter 8
When Daniel got home, Kate was still sitting at the dining table.
The bank letter lay in front of her. I settled my daughter, then came downstairs and sat across from Kate.
Before he'd even taken off his jacket, Daniel asked whether she'd eaten.
"Let's settle the living arrangements first," I said.
He pulled out a chair.
"Kate didn't renew her lease. If we ask her to leave now, where is she supposed to go?"
"You should have thought about that before you promised she could stay."
"I wanted you to have someone to take care of you."
"I'd already arranged care. You canceled it, then used taking care of me as a reason to move her in."
Kate drew the envelope closer.
"I didn't just show up on your doorstep. Daniel told me I was welcome to stay. He said you needed help."
"I'll take that up with him. But I never agreed to have you live here long-term."
She looked at Daniel.
"I've already given my landlord notice. I've moved my things out."
Daniel rubbed a hand over his face.
"Emma, you heard her. We have to give her time."
"How much time?"
"At least until she finds somewhere suitable."
"A month? Three months? If she can't find anywhere, does she just stay forever?"
He didn't answer.
I looked at him and asked again.
"When is she moving out?"
"Why do you have to decide that right now?"
"Because she's already made this her new address, and I only found out today."
Kate pushed her chair back, its legs scraping across the floor.
"If I'm that unwelcome, I can pack."
"Kate, sit down," Daniel said immediately.
He turned to me, his voice hardening.
"She came here to help, not to be treated like this."
"How am I treating her by asking when a guest is leaving?"
"She's more than a guest. She's Sophie's mother."
"I'm not asking Sophie to lose her mother. I'm asking for your ex-wife not to live in my home indefinitely."
Kate's face flushed.
"This is Daniel's home too."
"Yes. We bought it together when we got married. That was after your divorce—Daniel and I split the down payment and paid off the mortgage together."
I turned to my husband.
"So the guest room isn't yours alone to offer, and you can't promise someone they can stay here for months without asking me."
He loosened his collar.
"No one's trying to take your house."
"Then stop acting like my agreement is optional."
A brief cry came from upstairs.
I paused to listen for a few seconds, and it went quiet again.
Daniel took the opportunity to soften his tone.
"You're exhausted. Let's talk tomorrow."
"I am exhausted. But we need to resolve this instead of putting it off."
I opened the calendar on my phone and set it on the table.
"There are only a few days left of those two weeks. Agree on a move-out date with her today. Don't keep making me wait until she decides it's a good time."
Kate stared at the calendar.
"I haven't budgeted for temporary accommodation."
"You can discuss that with the person who made the promise. I wasn't part of it."
Daniel glanced at me.
"We can't afford a hotel bill on top of everything else."
"When you canceled the care, you told me it would save money. Now you need to explain why those savings should pay for somewhere for her to stay while I'm still not getting enough help."
He leaned back in his chair and dropped the subject of money.
I waited a moment.
"So what's the date?"
"I'll work something out."
"That's too vague."
He picked up the envelope, then put it down again.
Our daughter started crying again.
I picked up my phone and braced a hand on the table to stand. Daniel didn't stop me.
As I went upstairs, I heard him telling Kate not to worry and to stay for now.