Raphael
“No. I mean, how much is Gabriel paying you to take care of my mother?”
For a moment Beth just blinked at me, like she didn’t really understand the question. She looked frightened, but I couldn’t understand why. “He-he doesn’t pay me. We made an agreement that I could stay in the house rent-free, and I would take care of Charlie in exchange.” She twisted her hands the way she did when she was anxious. “I would have done it anyway. I love Charlie.”
I had no doubt that she loved my mother, and I knew my mother loved her too. She always used to say that Beth was the daughter she never had.
I also knew that caring for my mother was a full-time job. She had to be assisted with everything from getting dressed to using the bathroom. Beth was driving Mom to all her appointments, cookin
