Page 318 of Safe With You

“You put down two Draw Twos.”

“They were the same color.”

“That is not how Uno works.”

“It is at Auntie’s house.”

I looked across the kitchen table at Tasha.

She didn’t even bother looking up from her phone. “Leave me out of it.”

“You taught her this.”

“I taught her how to win.”

“You taught her how to cheat.”

Mila gasped.

I pointed at her. “Don’t act surprised. You know what you did.”

“I’m six.”

“That’s not a defense.”

“It should be,” Tasha said.

I shook my head and reached for the four cards Mila had decided I owed her anyway.

Sunday afternoons at Tasha’s had always been like this.

Too much food even when nobody asked her to cook. Mila and Jacob arguing over something neither of them would remember tomorrow. A television playing somewhere in the house with nobody actually watching it.

Normal.

Jacob had disappeared into his room almost twenty minutes ago after deciding Uno was boring, which I was pretty sure had more to do with him losing twice than the game itself.

My phone buzzed against the table.

I glanced at it.

I found glitter on my couch.

A smile pulled at my mouth before I could stop it.

Sounds personal.

Three dots appeared almost immediately.

Your child brought those pens into my life.

You bought them.

Under duress.

Nobody forced you.

I was manipulated by a six-year-old.