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Chapters (95)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. LABOR DAY, 3:17 A.M.
  4. FOURTEEN WEEKS(AND THREE DAYS) EARLIER
  5. CHAPTER 2
  6. CHAPTER 3
  7. LABOR DAY, 3:19 A.M.
  8. FOURTEEN WEEKS(AND THREE DAYS) EARLIER
  9. CHAPTER 5
  10. CHAPTER 6
  11. CHARLOTTE AND LIVSUMMER BEFORE SENIOR YEARTWENTY-FIVE YEARS EARLIER
  12. CHAPTER 7
  13. CHAPTER 8
  14. LABOR DAY, 3:22 A.M.
  15. THIRTEEN WEEKS(AND THREE DAYS) EARLIER
  16. CHAPTER 10
  17. CHARLOTTE, LIV, AND JULIASUMMER BEFORE SENIOR YEARTWENTY-FIVE YEARS EARLIER
  18. CHAPTER 11
  19. LABOR DAY, 3:23 A.M.
  20. ELEVEN WEEKS(AND THREE DAYS) EARLIER
  21. CHAPTER 13
  22. CHAPTER 14
  23. CHAPTER 15
  24. LABOR DAY, 3:25 A.M.
  25. TEN WEEKS(AND TWO DAYS) EARLIER
  26. LABOR DAY, 3:25 A.M.
  27. TEN WEEKS(AND TWO DAYS) EARLIER
  28. CHAPTER 18
  29. CHARLOTTE, LIV, AND JULIASUMMER BEFORE SENIOR YEARTWENTY-FIVE YEARS EARLIER
  30. CHAPTER 19
  31. CHAPTER 20
  32. CHAPTER 21
  33. CHAPTER 22
  34. CHAPTER 23
  35. LABOR DAY, 3:26 A.M.
  36. EIGHT WEEKS(AND SIX DAYS) EARLIER
  37. CHAPTER 25
  38. CHAPTER 26
  39. CHAPTER 27
  40. CHAPTER 28
  41. CHAPTER 29
  42. CHAPTER 30
  43. CHARLOTTE, LIV, AND JULIASUMMER BEFORE SENIOR YEARTWENTY-FIVE YEARS EARLIER
  44. CHAPTER 31
  45. CHAPTER 32
  46. CHARLOTTE, LIV, AND JULIASUMMER BEFORE SENIOR YEARTWENTY-FIVE YEARS EARLIER
  47. CHAPTER 33
  48. CHAPTER 34
  49. CHAPTER 35
  50. CHARLOTTE, LIV, JULIA,THE INTERLOPER, AND THE BOYSSUMMER BEFORE SENIOR YEARTWENTY-FIVE YEARS EARLIER
  51. CHAPTER 36
  52. CHAPTER 37
  53. LABOR DAY, 3:28 AM
  54. SIX WEEKS(AND TWO DAYS) EARLIER
  55. CHAPTER 39
  56. CHAPTER 40
  57. CHAPTER 41
  58. LABOR DAY, 3:35 A.M.
  59. SIX WEEKS(AND TWO DAYS) EARLIER
  60. LABOR DAY, 3:36 AM
  61. FOUR WEEKS(AND TWO DAYS) EARLIER
  62. CHAPTER 44
  63. CHAPTER 45
  64. CHARLOTTE, LIV, JULIA,THE INTERLOPER, AND THE BOYSSUMMER BEFORE SENIOR YEARTWENTY-FIVE YEARS EARLIER
  65. CHAPTER 46
  66. LABOR DAY, 3:38
  67. FOUR WEEKS(AND TWO DAYS) EARLIER
  68. LABOR DAY, 3:45
  69. THREE DAYS EARLIER
  70. CHARLOTTE, LIV, JULIA,THE INTERLOPER, AND THE BOYSSUMMER BEFORE SENIOR YEARTWENTY-FIVE YEARS EARLIER
  71. CHAPTER 49
  72. CHAPTER 50
  73. LABOR DAY, 3:47 A.M.
  74. TWELVE HOURS EARLIER
  75. CHARLOTTE, LIV, JULIA,TRINA, AND THE BOYSSUMMER BEFORE SENIOR YEARTWENTY-FIVE YEARS EARLIER
  76. CHAPTER 52
  77. CHAPTER 53
  78. CHARLOTTE, LIV, JULIA, AND THE BOYSSUMMER BEFORE SENIOR YEARTWENTY-FIVE YEARS EARLIER
  79. CHAPTER 54
  80. CHAPTER 55
  81. CHAPTER 56
  82. KACISUMMER BEFORE SENIOR YEARTWENTY-FIVE YEARS EARLIER
  83. CHAPTER 57
  84. CHAPTER 58
  85. CHAPTER 59
  86. CHAPTER 60
  87. FOUR MONTHS LATER . . .
  88. CHAPTER 62
  89. CHAPTER 63
  90. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  91. Discover More
  92. About the Author
  93. BY JENNIFER LYNN BARNES
  94. A Sneak Peek of "The Inheritance Games"
  95. CHAPTER 1

Everyone stared at her, expressions ranging from puzzled to concerned.

“And,” Sadie-Grace continued emphatically, “he hates dating.”

“You can do it, honey.” Greer’s voice floated out to us. “I’m here with you. I’m right here.”

“Greer isn’t all bad,” Sadie-Grace went on optimistically. “She just needs help being good.”

My grandmother’s twin shifted her attention back to me. “She take after her daddy?” she asked, jerking her head toward Sadie-Grace.

A little bit clueless, a lot anxious, with a heart the size of Texas? I thought.

Out loud, I said, “Yes.”

That was the absolutely batty thing about this—there was a chance that if Greer told Charles Waters the truth, he would just stare at her for a minute and scratch his head and then start talking about insects.

“Fine, then,” the woman across from me said. “The girl calls her daddy—or has that piece of work inside do it—to tell him the full story, and we do this all legal-like, so long as you three can agree not to say a word about any money that might change hands on the side.”

What did it say about me that I didn’t hesitate to agree with something like that?

In the end, I only had one question for this gray-haired, sun-worn, life-hardened mirror of my grandmother.

“What’s your name?” I asked her right before we left.

“Ellen,” she replied, and then the set of her features softened, just for a second. “Lil used to call me Ellie.”

LABOR DAY, 3:36 AM

“She has to know the drugs are wearing off, Sadie-Grace. You keep saying that she wouldn’t really hurt us, but you don’t know that. This whole situation is insane. You have to get out of this hole. Step on me if you have to. Just get out—and run.”

FOUR WEEKS
(AND TWO DAYS) EARLIER

CHAPTER 43

“It’s not just that Audie’s the cutest baby to ever baby,” Sadie-Grace said on the other end of the phone line. “It’s that he’s objectively a better person than other two-week-olds.”

This was my fourth phone call today detailing the virtues of Audubon Charles Richard Waters, whose legal adoption was currently in process—with Sadie-Grace’s very forgiving father’s full consent.

“Also,” Sadie-Grace continued rapturously, “he’s getting really good at pooping.”

That was where I drew the line. “I’ll see you tonight.” I hung up and turned my attention to a bigger problem. As much as I would have preferred being at Nick’s—with Nick—I had other things on my plate.

Things I found myself wanting to talk to him about. We’ll talk tonight, I promised myself. I’ll see him tonight. But for now . . .