The Billionaire Swap novel · Chapter 4 of 16

Chapter 4: Twenty Dollars

Everyone turned to look at Stuart.

He stood in the kitchen doorway with the twenty sticking out of his pocket.

I watched his hand close into a fist at his side.

Then it opened again.

"I'll think about it, Mr. Hatcher," he said.

Victor laughed.

"Good boy. Know your place and you'll go far."

Trey slapped the table.

Meredith wiped her eyes.

Mom was smiling at Victor.

Nobody looked at me.

That was normal.

I stood up anyway and walked down the long table.

I stopped beside my husband.

I took the twenty out of his pocket.

Then I walked back up to Trey's chair, and I dropped it into his wine glass.

It floated for a second and then sank.

"He doesn't deliver to this address," I said.

The room went dead quiet.

Trey stared at his glass.

"Are you insane?"

"No," I said. "Just done eating."

Mom stood up so fast her chair scraped.

"Abigail Kemp, you apologize this minute."

"Thank you for dinner, Meredith," I said. "The lamb was a little dry."

I took Stuart's hand and walked him out past the man at the door.

Nobody followed us.

It had started raining again.

We walked down the long drive between the lamps, past the fountain, out through the gate.

Stuart didn't say anything until we reached the street.

Then he stopped under a tree and looked at me.

"What was that?"

"I don't know," I said. "I felt like it."

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