Chapter 233

Billie felt kind of achy and tired from all the crying, and she’d thought she’d stopped, but the tears started right back up as soon as she saw him. Her breath hitched and she tried to say, “Hi, Mr. D’ante,” but it came out all wobbly and weird.

“Oh, hey,” Mr. D’ante said. He sat on the moss with a thump next to her. “Did something bad happen?”

Billie’s lip quivered and she nodded, but it took her a couple of minutes to manage to talk again. “I hafta have a dad!”

“Well, most people do,” Mr. D’ante said. “It’s not such a bad thing most of the time. Don’t change nothin’. Your uncles are still your uncles. They find your dad, kiddo?”

She nodded. “An’ I’mma have to go live with him and I don’t wannaand they don’t even care!”

Mr. D’ante blinked at her, looking puzzled. “I would be willing to bet you an entire piethat that is not true.”

“Yuh-huh!” she protested. “Uncle Andy said they weren’t gonna keep me and Uncle Scooter said it wasn’t right! I heard!”