“Maisie Evelyn Cooper,”Grandma bellowed from the living room, interrupting the moment.
A slap echoed loudly enoughthatIwinced. So did Ashley, flinching at the sound.
Instinct took me to theliving room without a conscious decision happening in my brain, and it took allmy willpower—and Ashley’s hand slipping into mine—not to step in front ofMaisie to protect her.
There were tears in her eyesand a red mark on her cheek, and even knowing how awful she’d been toAshley, all my experience told me to stop this.
Ashley squeezed my handagain, and a little of the tension that’d sprung up the moment Iheard his grandma shouting began to drain.
Ashley was safe. He wasbehind me, he was safe, and his grandma wouldn’t have slapped Maisie fornothing.
The fury on her face mademewant to slip back into the kitchen, out of the line of fire.
“Howdareyou,” Grandmashouted. “Howcouldyou?”
She was waving a piece ofpaper—no, a birthday card?—in her other hand.
“Grandma, what’s—”
“Stay out of this, honey,”Grandma said, shooting a glance at Ashley. “You stay behind Logan.”
Ashley’s grip on myhand tightened.
What the hell was going onhere?
“I think,” I spoke up. “Thatmaybe instead of hitting each other, we could talk about this,” I said.
Ashley’s grandma was aformidable woman, and I didn’t doubt she had a damned good reason for slappingMaisie—I thought maybe everyone who’dmether had a damnedgood reason for slapping her—but the last thing I wanted was for this to end ina fight.
People got hurt in fights,and this wasn’twhat Ashley needed right now, whatever was going on.
“You’re right,” Grandmasaid, which was a surprise.
“I thinkeveryoneshould know whatyou’vedone, Maisie. Hank! Lily! You oughta hear this, too.”
What was going on, here?
“Grandma,” Maisie whined,hand still on her red cheek.
Ashley let go of my hand asfootsteps approached, his mom and dad stepping into the room and lookingbetween the four of us. My heart sank, but I understood. Like Grandma had said,he needed plausible deniability.
I wished it wasn’t true, butright now, it was.
“Grandma hit me!” Maisiewailed as soon as her mother stepped into the room, rushing over to her. She’dbeenangrya moment ago,furious,but now she was crying and whimpering.
She wasgood. I couldsee how she’dgotten away with things for years.
I didn’t think it wasanexcuse—Ashley’s parents shouldhave known better—but I couldn’t imagine going up against that day in, day out.My sister always meant the world to me, but I was more grateful than ever forher now. I could have had a lot worse.
“Mom?” Ashley’s dad asked,frowning and looking between the two of them. “Is that… true?”
“You’re damn right it’strue,” Grandma said, turning on all three of them. “And there’s a better thaneven chance I’ll do it again. You wanna tell your father what I’ve just foundout about you, you spoiled little harpy? Or should I do it?”
Maisie looked at her wide-eyedand innocent, but I could see the spark of fear from here.
“Fine,” Grandma said after apause. She turned to Ashley, beckoning him to her side.
Ashleyhesitated—understandably—but I gave him a gentle nudge.
