“This is our home,” Lily said.

“Not once the thirty days are up,” Vanessa said.

“The buyer will want full possession of the place at closing.”

“Quit talking to the kids,” I said.

“I’m getting them ready for what’s coming,” Vanessa said.

“You never had the nerve to tell them how the real world works.”

Lily looked up at Vanessa’s face, then at me, and bolted for the stairs.

Her shoes pounded on every wooden step until her bedroom door slammed with a sharp crack that shook the hallway frame.