Page 22 (1/2)

For Gramps I weathered the iet home care, hire nurses either here or in Montana" Ivy presented the option calmly and neutrally "Or there’s a clinical trial He’d stay in Boston, but they have an assisted living facility, so it wouldn’t be inpatient exactly"

She aiting forI’d asked to be involved, but now that the inforood day today I willedholes in ed to force e of Vivvie’s father stared back at me

"Do you know the White House doctor?" I asked Ivy, as e the subject as because I couldn’t rid my mind of the look in Vivvie’s eyes

"Major Bharani?" Ivy replied "I know he’s got the patience of a saint According to Georgia, the president ainst the doorja?

"His daughter was assigned to show me around at Hardwicke" That wasn’t an answer, not really

"Vivvie, right?" Ivy said If I was surprised she knew Vivvie’s name, I shouldn’t have been Ivy offered ton is a s to get that sense Vivvie’s father was the White House physician Henry Marquette’s grandfather had sat on the Supreiven by the president of the United States

"How did you know him?" I asked Ivy "Theo Marquette?"

There was an alhter, the set of her features completely neutral "I worked a job for hi questions without really telling

"Justice Marquette had a proble for some clue as to what that job had been "You fixed it"

Ivylike that"

CHAPTER 21

Vivvie still wasn’t at school on Monday Henry Marquette, however, was At lunch, he sat at Ehter than the others’, his default expression aze flickered over to h ?" Asher helped hi," I told hi in Henry’s general direction Like so" He adopted a storestured to o away’, I hear ‘be"Seriously, though: friendship bracelets--yea or nay?"

I wasn’t sure what ga I’d been at Hardwicke for a week, and even that was enough time to ascertain that Asher Rhodes ell liked Popular, even

"What do you ith me?"

Asher didn’t bat an eye at the question "Maybe I’ for love in all the wrong places"

I rolledhis elbows on the table, "I’ to be around someone with no expectations Or maybe you just looked like you could use a friend" He didn’t give me a chance to respond "Diet Coke?" Asher had two cans He politely offered me one

"No"