Chapter 3

Beckett went still. So did Sutton.

It took him a moment to understand. The lunch had been for him and me, and he had given my share to her.

Sutton panicked. "Mrs. Hale, I'm so sorry, I didn't know! Let me go get you something. What would you like?"

I lowered my eyes and began gathering the containers. "It's fine."

Her eyes were already filling. "I really didn't mean to. Mr. Hale told me to eat, so I just..."

Beckett looked from me, quietly packing up, to Sutton, who looked close to tears, and finally spoke.

"All right, this isn't your fault. I forgot." He turned to me. "But you should have said something, Sloane. If you'd told me you hadn't eaten, I wouldn't have given it to her."

He took out his phone and sent me five hundred dollars.

"There. Get something on your way out."

I didn't answer. I fit the containers back together, closed the lid, and stood.

"Okay."

As I turned to go, he caught my wrist. His voice was low and apologetic.

"I really didn't do that on purpose."

"I know," I said.

His hand slowly let go.

Downstairs, I dropped the lunch bag into the trash. Then I drove to the mall.

I don't know whether I was trying to punish him or only trying to let something out, but I ordered a whole table of food and ate it slowly, until I was full. Afterward I walked through the stores for a while before I went to pick Wren up from preschool. Then I took her back to the mall, and we had a big dinner together.

Beckett called to ask why no one was home.

"We're eating out," I said.

He sounded wounded. "You didn't wait for me?"

"You didn't wait for me at lunch," I said.

He had nothing to say to that.