“Grandma?”
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“Can I invite people here when I’m older?”
I smiled.
“Of course. As long as you ask me first.”
She grinned. “And I won’t charge them money.”
I laughed so hard I nearly spilled my lemonade.
“That’s probably a good idea.”
Then she hugged me and ran back toward the pool.
I watched her laughing with her friends.
And I thought about that awful afternoon.
Thirty strangers occupying my backyard.
My neighbor drinking beside my pool.
And my granddaughter sitting outside, crying because someone had told her she didn’t belong.
Mrs. Parker believed she could profit from my home because I was often away and trusted the people around me.
She thought I wouldn’t notice.
And when Lily tried to tell the truth, Mrs. Parker treated her like a problem that should be removed.
That’s the part I’ll never forgive.
Not the money.
Not the mess.
Not even the damaged furniture.
