“To be honest, I think my mom enjoyed having your mom indebted to her. At least at first.” She pushes her cat to the floor and takes a long swig of tea. “April never paid her back.” She lets this bit sink in. “My mother even went to your house in the city, but you’d left. Moved to Seattle, apparently?”

I suddenly feel so tired I can barely nod in response. “My mom said the change would do us good.”

“But my resourceful mother did some digging and found out the name of your mother’s lawyer. She sent an offer through him, saying she’d forgive the debt if your mom signed Avril Island over to her. Your mom flat-out refused, which seems pretty strange, since she never even came back to the place.”

“Did my mother ever pay yours back?” I think I already know the answer, but I want to hear it from Leslie.

She shakes her head. “Nope. So my mother tried to sue her for the money, through the lawyer.”

“And?”

“Your mom went right to my father, who was divorced from my mother by that point, and got him to write an affidavit saying the money was a gift. Since it came from their joint account while they were still married, there was nothing my mother could do about it.”

The knots in my stomach tighten even further. “Wow” is all I can think to say.

“She ranted about your mother right up until the day she died. Said if your mother ever stepped foot on that island again, she’d burn the cottage down to the ground with her in it. My mother just never got over the betrayal from either of them.”

“Of course she didn’t. It’s terrible what my mother did.” I do my best to console while at the same time processing this new bit of information about my mother. “I’d like to pay you the money.” The sentiment comes out of my mouth without a second thought. “I inherited some money when my mom died, so technically some of it belongs to your family.”

Leslie holds up her hand. “Money is an evil thing, June, and it can’t right the wrongs that have been done. My mother suffered because of what your mother did, and me getting that money now won’t do a damn thing about that. So thank you, but no thank you.”

“I can’t say I agree, Leslie, but I respect how you feel. If you do happen to change your mind, the offer will be a standing one.”

She gets up from her chair, and I get the sense that the visit is over. I feel as though my offer of money has insulted her, but I can’t understand why.