Far From the Tree

Grace returns to Whisked Away to spend time with Rafe, and they continue their routine of having lunch in “the same dark booth as the sandwich place around the corner” (228). She fills Rafe in on the details of her last meeting with Maya and Joaquin, explaining that Maya’s mom is an alcoholic who was just sent to rehab. Grace tells Joaquin about the letter he received from Peach’s adoptive parents and how “it made [her] start thinking about maybe finding [her] mom” (229). Rafe encourages Grace to come clean to her brother and sister and tell them about her baby, but she insists that “they think [their] mom is basically a demon for giving all of [them] up,” so she thinks they won’t be understanding if she tells them that she “did the same thing to Peach” (231). Rafe says that she should give her siblings a chance to support her. When Grace gets home, she learns their neighbor called and told her parents that she saw Grace “with a boy at the shopping center” (234). They tell her that she shouldn’t be dating anyone right now, and Grace becomes angry and asks if she will ever be allowed to like boys or date again.