I knelt to help. “EVICTION” stared up at me in bold letters. Underneath, in neat handwriting: “What we take first if we get evicted.”
“Lizie…” My voice caught. “What is this?”
She froze, lips pressed tight, fingers twisting her hoodie.
Sam gasped. “Lizie, you didn’t say it was this bad!”
Dan walked in. “What’s going on?” He saw the papers.
I held up the envelope. “Lizie, sweetheart… are you and your dad losing your home?”
She stared at the floor, clutching her bag. “My dad said not to tell anyone. He said it’s nobody’s business.”
“Sweetheart, that’s not true,” I said gently. “We care. But we can’t help if we don’t know what’s happening.”
She shook her head, tears forming. “He says people will look at us different. Like we’re begging.”
Dan crouched beside us. “Is there anywhere else you can go? An aunt or friend?”
