Bea watched as Mommy dipped the brush into the blob of blue paint and held it to the wall.
“Noell, are you sure it’s okay if I do this?” Mommy lowered her hand and turned to Noell. “Is it okay if I paint on your wall?” She shook her head and waved her hand over the wall already painted. “Not over that painting.” She moved to a blank wall. “Here. Is that okay?”
Bea held her breath. She already knew it wasn’t okay to draw on the walls in her own room, back in their trailer. Even worse to paint on somebody else’s walls. Mommy might get in trouble with Noell and Bea loved Noell.
Noell smiled and stepped closer to Mommy.
Oh-oh.
All Bea had ever known was hitting. Was Noell—
Noell hugged Mommy. She pulled away to look at her face. “Of course this is okay. This is your house, in a way, too.
