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This ti my eyes as I turn around and take a seat next to Adam on the tweed arhties

Adaives it a squeeze "You’ve waited thirteen years You can wait a few et outta here"

He smiles and kisses my cheek "Want to hear a joke while you wait?"

Honestly, I’ to cale to hear him bomb I look at him for a moment before I answer because I can’t believe how lucky I a us who our true friends are, and in this moment I realize Adam is my friend My true friend He drove 135 miles to prove that to me today I don’t feel like I deserve him, but I’ll do my best to keep him And someday I’ll find a way to repay him

"Go for it," I say

He squints at me because he knows lance at the receptionist who appears to be enthralled in whatever she’s looking at on her coo for corny this time," I mutter

"Okay Knock, knock"

"Who’s there?"

"Olive"

"Olive who?"

"Olive You"

"I think I just threw up sourt in my mouth" His eyes widen as he pretends to be offended and I s for you allthat ‘cause I said it, are you?"

"Nope I mean it Honestly and truly Olive You with all my mushy red pirins as leans in to kiss entleray suit, and a kind face

"Are you ready, Claire?" he asks, and I nod as I rise from the chair

Adam stays close behind as I follow Henry down a corridor of cubicles He turns right at the end of the corridor and heads for an open office door We enter the office and he waves at a couple of chairs identical to the ones in the lobby He takes a seat in his leather desk chair and rests his elbows on top of a manila folder in the center of his desk

"First of all, Claire, I just want to say that I’m very sorry about your h school and I was devastated to hear about her death and even more saddened to know the circu to the fact that I was locked in that trailer with ry that he’s brought this ienuinely saddened

"Thank you," I say "But I’m not here to talk about my mother’s death I’m here to talk about this trust account I want to knohere thethe door?" he asks Adam, who’s closest to the office door

Adam doesn’t even have to stand from his chair in this tiny office to push the door softly closed

Henry opens the manila folder and his eyes scan the contents as he flips through the pages "I have hundreds of deposits here They’re all electronic funds transfers frole donor"

"Not my mother?"

He shakes his head solele him to spit it out

"Who?" I ask as I lean forward in my chair

"I’ll need to see some identification first, as we discussed"

I look over my shoulder at Adam and he pulls out his wallet as I slide my two expired IDs out of my back pocket I lay them flat on the desk and Adam lays his driver’s license and a credit card next to mine Henry examines all four IDs for a moment before he slides theuessed, your rantor for the trust and she requested that you not be granted access until your twenty-first birthday" He heaves a sigh as he gazes at the folder in front of him "She wanted you to be provided for"

The way he says thisto live very long I’ addicts feel this way at so feels off about this whole situation

"Are you saying myconfused He thought I already knew this

"Oh, God," I whisper as I bury my face in my hands "I can’t believe this"

"Your mother loved you, Claire," Henry insists

Adaainstto push back thefros ached as I stood in the crack between the refrigerator and the wall How I convincedplace, this time she would be alive How I pissedrooo to the restroom How the policeman who found me cried as he carried ht it was an accident I thought myI went through before that policeman found me and in all the foster homes after that, I never hated my mother Until now