Ava quickly shook her head.
“No, ma’am.”
Angela’s eyes narrowed slightly, irritation building the way storm clouds gather over a quiet lake.
“You want everything to be easy,” she said.
The little girl lowered her gaze.
“No, ma’am.”
But the conversation had already soured Angela’s mood.
She marched toward the door and swung it open, letting icy wind pour into the house like an unwelcome guest.
“Come outside,” she ordered.
Ava obeyed immediately, struggling across the wooden porch while snowflakes settled on her thin sweater.
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