Chapter 8: Home Table

Neil was waiting at the dining table with a glass of whiskey and his phone face down beside it.

He didn't get up when I came in.

"Sit," he said.

I sat across from him and set my purse on my lap, with the check inside it.

"Kristen called me in tears," he said. "She says Ian humiliated her in front of the entire school."

"That's true."

"And you stood there."

"Yes."

"Why would you do that?" He pushed the glass aside. "You know how Kristen gets. She hates being embarrassed."

"Ian gave me money he owed me," I said. "Ten thousand dollars. I took it."

"Owed you for what?"

"For babysitting his son. He paid Kristen a hundred and fifty every weekend for a year and a half.

"She kept it."

Neil blinked.

For half a second, I thought I saw a flicker of real surprise.

Then his face smoothed over.

"Okay, that's a misunderstanding," he said. "Kristen probably forgot to pass it on."

"For seventy weekends."

"She's disorganized. It's not a crime."

"I didn't say it was."

He leaned back, folded his arms and studied me.

"You've been different lately, Mags."

"Different how?"

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