“They’re fine.”
“Lift your foot.”
With a dramatic sigh, she raised one boot.
The sole had split open near the toe.
Her sock was completely soaked.
My stomach tightened.
“How long has it been like this?”
“It’s not that bad.”
“How long?”
She shrugged.
“It only gets wet when it rains.”
“It has rained almost every day this week.”
“I know.”
The guilt in her expression broke my heart.
She had hidden it because she knew money was tight.
She was only ten years old, yet she had already learned how to make herself smaller so I wouldn’t have to worry.
“We’re buying you new boots today,” I told her. “No arguments.”
Her face brightened.
“I have money!”
Before I could stop her, she hurried to her bedroom and returned carrying a small purse decorated with colorful beads.
She turned it upside down over the table.
