He Sent Every Dollar, So Why Was My Daughter Starving? novel · Chapter 17 of 24

Chapter 17: Lunch on Lowell

Emmeline's POV

By noon, the courthouse lawn was covered in white tables.

Bissell Foods vans stood at the curb, and men in green aprons carried trays of fried chicken, pies and sweet tea across the grass.

The judge had let Lowell out onto the lawn with a deputy at his elbow, and he stood at the head of it, shaking hands.

The judge's clerk was eating.

The deputies were eating.

The principal of Maisy's school sat at the third table with a plate on her knees.

"He feeds the whole town and gets away with everything," Kurt said under his breath.

"Not today," I said.

I walked straight across the lawn.

"Emmeline," Lowell said, and smiled warmly. "Please. Sit. Eat."

"I'm not hungry."

"You are, though."

That one landed.

I had not eaten in two days, and he knew it, and he looked sorry for me.

Heads turned at the nearest tables.

"Walk with me," he said. "Just to the oak. Your husband can watch."

Kurt stood twenty feet behind me with his arms folded.

Under the oak, Lowell lowered his voice, but not enough.

"Tanya's recording is a mess," he said. "My lawyers will have it thrown out. A woman who steals from her best friend will say anything for a plea."

"The books are open."

"The credit union's books are open. Bissell Holdings belongs to a trust. It will take a year to unwind."

"Then we have a year."

"Do you?" He tilted his head. "Your husband reports to the base in two days after the hearing. After that it's you, a part-time laundromat counter, and a hungry girl."

"I'll manage."

"You'll manage for a month," Lowell said. "I know exactly what you earn, Emmeline. I know what you owe."

He took a breath, and his face went soft.

"I never wanted a fight. I wanted my daughter and a family. Marry me. I drop the petition today, I pay Tanya's debts, and Kurt goes back to the Army with a clear conscience. You and Maisy never skip a meal again."

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