Crumpled bills. An envelope with coins. A shutoff notice stamped FINAL WARNING in red ink. And a battered notebook that had fallen open to a page covered in careful handwriting.
The word EVICTION was written at the top.
Beneath it, a list. What we take first if we have to leave.
“Lizie,” I said. I could barely get the words together. “What is this?”
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She froze. Her fingers went to the hem of her hoodie.
Sam had come in behind me. “Lizie. You didn’t tell me it was this bad.”
Dan appeared in the doorway, reading the room before reading anything else.
I held up the envelope. “Sweetheart. Are you and your dad in danger of losing your home?”
She stared at the floor. When she finally spoke, her voice was so quiet I had to lean forward.
“My dad said not to tell anybody. He said it’s nobody’s business.”
