“The sea-green one with the buttons shaped like seashells down the front. I can’t find it anywhere.”
Leave it to Addie to forget where she was but remember the exact description of her favorite sweater.
“I’ll help you find it,” Jane assured her. She tried to keep the frown off her face and out of her voice as she stood and turned toward the dresser. Unfortunately, despite searching through the dresser and the closet under Addie’s supervision, she didn’t find the sweater. “I’m sorry, Mom, it’s not here.”
“I knew it!”
“Knew what?”
“Sadie Thompson took it. She’s always borrowing my clothes and not giving them back!”
Sadie Thompson had been her mother’s best friend in high school. Apparently, they’d had some sort of falling out back then and hadn’t spoken in years. When her mother’s memory had first started to slip, she’d mentioned Sadie a few times. It was funny how the mind worked.
“I don’t think it was Sadie. Let me have a look through Tides and see if I can find the sweater for you.”
Addie beamed. “Thank you. I have to wear it tonight for my big date with that nice Bradford fellow!”
Jane smiled. Addie had a crush on the owner of the new bread bakery in town, Rob Bradford. Rob had been very sweet to Addie and had actually been the one who had told Jane about Tall Pines. No point in telling Addie that Rob was young enough to be her son and that he’d fallen pretty hard for Jane’s friend Claire. Since her mother thought she was still a teenager sometimes, she’d let her mother believe what she wanted to believe about Rob.
Jane kissed her on the cheek. “We’ll get it to you in time. I have to go now. Goodbye, Mom.”
Jane hurried out of the room. She didn’t want to be late for her meeting with Wendy Martinelli, the finance director for Tall Pines. Having her mother’s future at Tall Pines secured financially would be a huge relief.
Wendy Martinelli was in her forties, with only a hint of crinkles around her eyes betraying her age. She had round cheeks, a ready smile, and straight white teeth. Jane liked her immediately.
“Hi, I’m Jane Miller. We spoke on the phone. Am I late?”
“Right on time.” Wendy indicated for her to sit, and Jane folded herself into the chair opposite her desk.
Wendy clicked a couple of keys on her computer and opened a manila folder in front of her. “You’re here to inquire about Medicaid for your mother, Adelaide?”
“Yes. I signed the release forms for you to check into her credit history and dropped off the completed form last weekend when we moved her in.”
The woman nodded, a strand of blond hair falling across her cheek. “Yes, I see that here.” Her smile dimmed as she closed the file and set it lightly atop her keyboard. “Unfortunately, we have a problem.”
“What sort of problem? Did I forget to sign something?”
Wendy’s eyes softened as she met Jane’s gaze. “I’m afraid your mother doesn’t qualify for Medicaid.”
How was that possible? Jane had discovered that Addie had spent what little retirement savings she’d had over the past few years, and with bookings almost nonexistent at the inn, she had no income. “You must have made a mistake. It’s there in the financials. She doesn’t have much in the way of retirement savings. Every penny has gone into the upkeep ofour family inn, Tides.”
“That’s the problem. Tidesis a premium beachfront property. That’s too large an asset to qualify for Medicaid. If you sold the inn, we might be able to discuss this again, but you’d probably have too much money to qualify then.” Wendy looked at her with sympathy. “Unless your mother had signed the property over to another family member at least six years ago.”
Jane shook her head. As far as she knew, the property was still in her parents’ name. “So my only option is to sell it?”
Sell the inn? For a split second, she considered it. No more dealing with guests. No more worrying about food deliveries and room cleaning. Jane would havefree timeagain. But she’d promised her mother she would never sell. It was their family legacy.
“If you sell, then you could use the proceeds to pay for your mother’s care. Once that money runs out, then maybe we could revisit the option of Medicare.”
“Maybe? What if the money runs out and she gets denied?”
“I’m afraid that’s a possibility. The money would last for a while, but we have no idea what the laws and rules will be in a few years. You might have to care for her at home.”
Jane almost laughed. She’d lost money on the sale of her modest home so she could move in to Tides to care for her mother and help her run the inn. If they sold Tides, there wouldn’t be any home in which to care for Addie, never mind any money to pay for the care she now needed.
Jane took a deep breath. She’d have to figure something out. “Okay, thanks for your time.”
They shook hands, and Jane left the office.
