“Emergency?” Max asks, taking Brandy from me.

I grab a brush and start on Remy’s back. “I guess.”

He spins the cap on his head, and it makes the top part of his hair stick out. I wait for him to ask why I let Olivia win, but he surprises me by saying, “Did you want me to see what I can find out about your grandma? I know you guys are close, so I get why you want to know what’s up.”

I’m about to answer when Clay’s excited shouts grab my attention. Gram’s van is pulled up by the barn, and Clay is holding his stuffed elephant out the window. Gram waves me forward. “Hurry, Lulu, I’m late.”

“Go ahead,” Max says. “I’ll finish this.”

“Thanks.” I turn to leave and then pause. “Can you double-check where she was born?” I ask in a rush. “Like, if I can give you a country or some place to search?”

He holds out his hand. “Give me your phone.”

I give it to him, and he punches in his number. His phone vibrates, and he waves it at me. “Text me all the info you have.”

I shove my phone back in my coat and run to Gram.

“Hey, what are you late for?” I ask her. I know her schedule as well as my own, and there are no appointments that I’m aware of. I’m usually the one who keeps track of that for her.

“It’s with my friend who’s a doctor. Remember the one I told you about?”

“Yeah.” I try not to sound skeptical.

Gram hands Clay a cracker while I toss my riding gear in the trunk. “Yakov said I could meet him at his office in ten minutes. He’s squeezing me in.”

“Yakov? What kind of name is that?”

She’s quiet for a second before she turns on the van. “Just a name,” she says, her voice quivering.

I swallow past the lump in my throat.

12. Frontal Lobe

There are lobes in the brain that are super important. They aren’t like earlobes, with no purpose other than to dangle jewelry. The frontal lobe makes something called dopamine, which helps nerve cells in the brain talk with one another. We use this part of the brain to make plans.

What was Gram’s plan?

The doctor’s visit lasted all of ten minutes. Gram is back in the car before Clay finishes his juice box. It’s barely given me time to text Olivia to see why she had to leave so quickly.

“That was fast.”

“I’m as healthy as a horse,” Gram says with a brilliant smile. “Yakov took one look at me and gave me a clean bill of health. He promised to call your dad tomorrow with the results.”