“Honey,” Abby says, “it was just a little fire.” Bex crosses her arms over her chest tightly. I wind my arm around her waist, bracing myself for her to move away, but instead she leans into my grip. It’s subtle, but enough to loosen the knot in my chest somewhat. “Little?” she says. “Kyle just told me you need to go live somewhere else while they fix the damage. Everything’s gone, even . . . That’s not little, Mom. You’re lucky you’re not dead.” Abby takes a drag from her cigarette. “Who’s the hunk? You cheating on Darryl now?” “He cheated on me,” Bex says with exaggerated patience. “We
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