Her reaction stopped him.
“What is it?”
Lisa looked down.
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Gran-Barbara told me to throw it away.”
Brandon’s face changed.
“You showed it to her?”
Lisa started crying.
He looked toward his mother.
Then he unfolded the drawing.
There were four stick figures standing together holding hands.
Lisa had labeled each one with purple marker.
MOM.
DAD.
ME.
GRANDMA.
Except GRANDMA had been crossed out with two thick blue lines.
Beside it, written in unmistakably adult handwriting, was one word.
NO.
Brandon stared at the page.
Then he held it up.
“Did you do this?”
Barbara lifted her chin.
“Yes.”
The room went completely silent.
“I corrected it,” she said. “I’m not her grandmother, and I never will be.”
Brandon’s jaw tightened.
He looked back at Lisa.
