Paint It Black by Michelle Perry Page A

Grandma.”
    She nodded and scampered up the stairs. I listened until I heard her bedroom door shut, then turned to Grady. He wouldn’t meet my eyes.
    “Thank you, Elizabeth, for picking her up, but if you’ll excuse us, I really need to talk to Grady about this.”
    She gave me a wide-eyed, indignant look that was so much like Grady’s I might’ve laughed under different circumstances. “No, I will not leave. Not until I’ve said what I came here to say.”
    Trying to keep my voice even, I said, “And what is that?”
    She twisted her pearl necklace. “I’m tired of the two of you taking this child for granted. It’s time for the both of you to grow up and stop being so selfish. Can’t you see you’re hurting her?”
    “Elizabeth—”
    “You’re parents now. It’s time you started acting like it.”
    I was in no mood for a parenting lecture from anyone, much less the woman who’d turned Grady into such a spoiled brat. I took a step toward her, and Gradymoved between us.
    “Mom, just go,” he said. “I said I was sorry. Let that be enough.”
    She took a deep breath and smoothed a wave of blond hair from her forehead before peering over his shoulder at me. “Denise, I think you need to decide what’s more important to you, your job or your family. I don’t think you can have both.”
    Even though I was about to take time off from work, her words provoked me. I shot Grady a baleful glance and wondered what he’d told her. Today was his fault, not mine. I’d be damned if I let him pin the blame on me. “What about Grady? Why is it me who has to decide between career and family? Why not him?”
    She gave me an exasperated look. “Because he’s a man, dear. Women are different. Mothers are different. Once you have children, you can’t carry on like you did before. You have responsibilities.”
    “What about Grady’s responsibilities?”
    “Grady’s job puts him under a lot of pressure—”
    I folded my arms across my chest and laughed. “And mine doesn’t?”
    “Don’t twist my words. I know you’re under pressure, too—that’s what I’m saying. You don’t have to be! You don’t have to work. Grady can support you both. None of this would be happening if you didn’t spend half your time at work—”
    Anger flashed over me like a lightning strike. “No, Elizabeth. None of this would be happening if your son didn’t spend half his time in the bottle.”
    Elizabeth blinked at me, then stared up at Grady. “You’ve been drinking?”
    Grady scowled at me. “No, I—it’s nothing, okay? I had one drink today, and Necie flipped out. I’m not drunk.” He spun in a slow circle. “You can see I’m not drunk.”
    “Whatever,” I said, and shoved past him.
    “Necie, wait,” he called, but I ignored him while I hustled up the stairs to Abby’s room.
    She lay on her pink bedspread, staring at the ceiling. I stretched out beside her and wrapped my arm around her waist.
    She covered my hand with hers. “Are they still fighting?”
    “I think they’re winding down,” I said. “What do you say we get out of here for awhile? I’ll take you out to eat, anywhere you want.”
    Her eyes brightened. “Anywhere?”
    “Yup.”
    She giggled and sat up. “Let’s go!”
    Grady and Elizabeth were starting round two when we snuck downstairs. They didn’t even see us when we slipped through the kitchen. Abby slowed, but I tugged her along.
    In my car, I got her belted in, then popped in one of her Disney sound tracks. Soon she was singing along, the shadows in her eyes vanquished.
    I was halfway into the city before I realized I’d left my purse at home. I didn’t have my driver’s license, and I didn’t have a dime on me.
    “Fantastic,” I muttered. What was I going to do now?
    Then I remembered I had forty dollars in my locker from where Tucker had paid me back for some auto parts I’d picked up for him. I’d chance the driver’s license and simply hope I wasn’t pulled over. I