Sweetheart Wife novel · Chapter 7 of 24

Chapter 7: Paid in Full

The estate lawyer's office sat on the third floor of a building on Broad Street, above a shop that sold nothing but bow ties.

It was Friday, ten minutes to five, and the afternoon light fell across the carpet in long gold bars.

Delilah was already there.

She sat at the head of the conference table in a navy suit with her hands folded, and the lawyer sat at her elbow.

Lacey slouched in the chair beside her mother, in the pearls.

Dale stood by the window with his back to the room, and I noticed he did not turn around when we came in.

Jonas held the door for me and then took the chair next to mine.

He wore a charcoal suit and no tie, and he had slept two hours beside me.

I had slept even less, and every muscle in my body was sore in a way that felt wonderful and private.

His knee pressed against my knee under the table, and he did not move it.

"Mr. Middleton," Delilah said warmly. "What a surprise."

I looked at her.

She had said it as though she had been expecting him all along.

The call in the dark came back to me, the quiet voice through the speaker.

I had asked him about it in the truck this morning, and he had said only, "She wanted to know if you'd run."

It was not a satisfying answer.

I had decided to wait.

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