It's been quite some time since my last post because I've been thinking quite hard about how I want these next few chapters to go. For those who have read all the other parts of this story and expressed your dislike of Casey, I have two words: unreliable narrator. In any case, this should be the second or third last part of this story, and then I'll be moving on to something else. Thank you all for reading, but a small warning β this part is plot-driven, with little action, and serves to set up Part Five.
* * *
We spent the ten minute drive to the Mercers' in silence, my few attempts at conversation angrily rebuffed or ignored. As I turned into the driveway and parked my son continued giving me the cold shoulder, flinging off his seatbelt and slamming the door behind him as he stalked up to the house. He was angry, and some would say rightly so. I knew he was busy, and I knew that he was angry at being forced to use up what little free time he had to clean somebody else's pool.
But I couldn't tell him the truth.
Alice greeted us at the door, hugging Andrew warmly and beckoning us both into the house. She was wearing a fluffy white robe and her eyes were red, so I knew she'd been crying again. Alice had been crying quite a bit lately. She tried to put a brave face on it, but I had known for some time now things weren't going so well for her and Paul, and I was determined to finally get to the bottom of it.
"Thank you so much for coming Drew, I know you must be busy so I really appreciate you coming by," Alice said, and with some satisfaction I noticed Andrew was (if only temporarily) mollified.
"It's no problem Mrs Mercer," he said awkwardly, and made his way outside.
Alice watched him go with what was supposed to be a smile on her face, but she couldn't quite pull it off. "He's growing up into a fine young man Casey," she said. "I'm sure all the women will be chasing him soon."
"Don't try distracting me from what's going on," I told her, steering her into the kitchen and sitting her down as I started to make us both tea. "I could barely understand you on the phone last night, and you've been avoiding me and all of your other friends for nearly two weeks. We're worried about you, and something is clearly the matter."
I served Alice her tea and sat opposite, waiting expectantly. She said nothing, avoiding my gaze. "I'm not going anywhere until you talk to me and you know it," I told her gently, taking a sip.
"I don't want to talk about it," Alice said abruptly, pushing her tea away untouched.
I pushed my tea to one side and leaned across the table, taking her hands in mine. "Well, I think you need to. When I've tried talking to you on the phone, you've dodged the question. The last four times I've tried to arrange times to meet up or I've dropped by here, you've avoided me. We've been friends for a long time, and frankly your behaviour is beginning to worry me." I rubbed her hands in what I hoped was a sympathetic manner. "I want to help, but I can't unless you tell me what's bothering you. So please, just tell me."
Tears beaded in Alice's eyes, and I quickly passed her a box of tissues. I sat there in silence, rubbing her hand as she dabbed at her eyes and got herself back under control, hoping she'd finally tell me what was going on.
"Paul's having an affair," she suddenly sniffed. I was stunned. I'd known Paul almost as long as Alice; he was John's best and oldest friend. He was practically an uncle to Jessica and Andrew.
"An affair?" I said flatly, not wanting to believe it. But I knew Alice, and she wasn't one to jump to conclusions without evidence. I also knew that if it was true, their marriage was over. Alice's father had cheated on her mother multiple times, and she'd always put a lot of weight in remaining faithful in a relationship. It was such a big thing to her that she'd almost cut ties with both Paul and I after the drunken accident that lead to the four of us swinging together.
Alice nodded, wiping her eyes with her hands. "I think it's been going on a while now," she said, her voice somewhat unsteady. I felt a stab of sympathy. "One of Amy's friends, Kylie told me."
"And you believed her?" I asked, surprised. Kylie was a lovely girl but tended to be a bit of a scatterbrain and was easily confused.
"Not at first, no," Alice said, understanding what I'd meant. "But she made a lot of sense, and she had a friend to back her up." She paused for a second. "It turns out Paul's slept with two or three of Amy's friends, and at Amy's last birthday party he hit on Kylie."
Alice paused and her face screwed up, so I passed her another tissue. She thanked me quietly and blew her nose.
"Kylie said she didn't say anything then because she thought Paul was just kidding or had had too much to drink, but then she saw him with her roommate. Or, rather, she walked in on them as they were going at it in the living room."
"Oh," I said, at a lack of what to do. I mean, what do you say to your best friend when her marriage of twenty-plus years collapses?
"The girl Kylie brought was from Amy's year at school β not one of her close friends, but still in her class. Her name was Sarah or Sophie or something. Anyway, she was one of the other girls that slept with Paul; she said they were together for five months. She met him while he was meant to be visiting Amy at university, and she didn't know who he was until she saw a Facebook post. She broke it off after she realised he was married, and seemed genuinely upset about it when she spoke to me."
I pause briefly, then asked as gently as I could, "What are your plans now then? If you need somewhere to stay, you're more than welcome to stay at our place. Amy too, if she wants."
Alice smiled. It was watery, but it was there. "That won't be a problem," she said. "I've already told Paul to get out. He argued over it, but after I spoke to his mother and told her to expect a visitor, he had no choice. She wasn't very pleased to hear what he'd done, and I'm sure he'll find the next few months very unpleasant."
"So your marriage is over, then?"
"Yes," Alice said. Her voice trembled slightly, but apart from that she looked remarkably composed. "I've already spoken to a lawyer but I'm sure Paul will want to settle this out of court. He's up for a big promotion, and he won't want his chances sullied by being involved in a court case, even if it is just for a divorce."