Chapter 202

“Just because your mom didn’t like it doesn’t mean it was bad. It just means she didn’t like it,” Andy pointed out. “It’s just a place. It has good things and bad things, like every place does.”

“Uncle Scooter says you’re fr’m New York City,” Billie said. “You like this more?”

“Most of the time. There are things that I miss about New York, but there’s stuff I’m glad to get away from, too. And Scooter’s here, so that’s where I want to be.”

She flipped a few more pages. Six or seven-year-old Scooter on a bike with training wheels. A few shots of what looked like a fishing trip. A certificate for some school award. Another picture of Mace at some kind of party, one arm around—oh, God, was that a teenaged Mark Johannson? And Simon, skinny and sullen just behind them? Oh, God!