Chapter 23 Mandy rolled her eyes . " I'd be thrilled if you and that jerk divorced ! If you two split up , I can sleep with his dad without feeling guilty ! " Tracie was speechless . Sighing , Mandy continued , " I just feel bad for grandma . She took care of her in - laws when she was young , only to be abandoned by her husband , and then spent her life with no children , no one to back her up . The whole village used to bully her when she was alone . But after you married Grover , no one dared mess with her anymore . She's seventy - two now , how much longer does she have left ? She's suffered her whole life - doesn't she deserve a little fantasy ? " Tracie's eyes welled up . " Mandy , thank you for caring about my grandmother . " " She's your real grandma , but she's my grandma too ! " " Yes ! " In the afternoon , Tracie , Mandy , and Rico said their goodbyes to grandmother . Chapter 23 Watching Tracie's car drive away , grandmother suddenly began tearing up , her voice trembling as she cried , " Does that mean my son - in - law doesn't want my granddaughter anymore ? I should call Wendi and ask . My granddaughter is such a good child … " With that , she dialed Wendi's watch phone . This time , the call went through , but no one answered . Wendi saw the incoming call on her watch , but her parents had always taught her not to answer calls from unknown numbers . Besides , she was busy that weekend . She had gone to a neighboring city with Grover , his friends , Juliana , and Juliana's friends to watch Juliana compete in a rock climbing contest . Juliana was amazing - she won first place again . That evening , they all celebrated at the beach in Juliana's honor . Juliana drove the jet ski , taking her and Grover across the water , and it was the coolest thing ever . Wendi was beyond excited . She completely forgot to mention to Grover that a strange number had called her watch . Chapter 23 By the next afternoon , it was time to head home . Juliana had some work to handle , so she said goodbye to Wendi and Grover . Both father and daughter felt a little down . Back at home , sitting in the living room , Wendi spoke up first , " Dad , Juliana doesn't hold me while I sleep or tell me stories . I can't fall asleep without that . " " I'll tell you a story and hold you to sleep ," Grover replied flatly . " Your stories are boring ! They're nothing like Mom's … or Juliana's . And you don't smell nice when you hold me - you smell like smoke , and your arms are too stiff! " Wendi complained . Grover was speechless . After a long pause , he said , " I'll pick out your clothes for tomorrow . You've had two fun days , so how about you take a bath and get some rest ? " " Can you pick out your own clothes first ? " Wendi blinked and asked her dad . Grover had no answer . He had to admit that since Tracie left , he and Wendi had become Chapter 23 a bit disorganized with things like meals and getting dressed . They weren't eating well . They weren't dressing well . Before , Tracie would lay out all their clothes , pairing everything neatly and putting them in the right place . Even his underwear- she washed , disinfected , and placed it where he could easily grab it . The same went for his outerwear . Every day , he'd leave the house in neatly ironed shirts , ties , and jackets - everything perfectly coordinated , thanks to Tracie . Now , everything was a mess . Even though there were four maids in the house , it didn't help much . Grover turned to Wendi seriously . " Do you think the house feels a bit chaotic without mom around ? " Wendi lowered her eyes and silently nodded . " Do you like it when mom's at home ? " Grover asked again . Wendi shook her head . " I don't like it . I like you and Juliana Chapter 23 better . I want you and Juliana to get married soon , so we can always be together . " Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Grover . She knew Tracie was her biological parent , that Tracie gave birth to her . Chapter 24