All the Beautiful Lies(50)

“She said that Vivienne Bergeron told the police she has proof that we’re involved, that one of her friends saw us together at a restaurant in Portland.”

“That doesn’t mean anything. Besides, who cares, and what does it have to do with what happened with Gina?”

“Nothing. Nothing at all. That’s what I told the detective and she agreed. She says that Vivienne Bergeron is kicking up a fuss, convinced that because they had accused you that night, somehow you got revenge on Gina. She’s been talking about the bite, and how she knows for a fact that Gina would never have gone swimming by herself.”

“That’s stupid.”

“I’m just telling you what the detective told me that Vivienne has been saying.”

“So what does she think I did? Does she think I killed Gina and threw her in the ocean?”

Jake shrugged. “She just lost a child. I don’t think she’s thinking straight. Can I get you a drink?”

They watched TV. Jake let Alice pick what to watch. Mystic Pizza was on USA and they watched that, Alice occasionally flipping over to MTV during commercials. Jake went back and forth several times to the kitchen to get a new drink. When the movie was over, Alice turned the television off and said that she was going to bed.

“Wait a moment, Ali, okay?”

Her body was instantly cold. “Sure,” she said.

“I’d like to talk with you about something.”

Alice’s heart fluttered, and she stood up, and said, “How about tomorrow, okay? I’m too tired to talk.” She knew what he wanted to talk about. She knew that the police detective bitch had said something to him, and now he wouldn’t want to live with her anymore.

“Hey, stop that,” he said, his voice too loud, like it sometimes got when he drank a lot. “Come here, okay?”

She came over and stood in front of him. She realized she was still in the robe she’d worn all day, and her hair was probably flat and greasy. No wonder he was kicking her out. “You want me to leave?” she said, and jutted out her lower lip.

“Alice, no. That is definitely not what I want. Sit down here.”

He patted his lap, and she slid on top of him as he carefully placed his drink on the glass-topped side table. “What I want,” he said, “is for you and me to have a conversation about how we need to be extra-careful from now on.”

“I didn’t say anything to Gina and her mother. They were trying to get me to say something about you, but I swear I didn’t.”

“I know you didn’t. I’m not talking about just you, I’m talking about us. We have to be careful about what restaurants we go to, and how we act, and eventually—not right away—you should get your own place. No, no, don’t worry. You should get your own place even though you can keep staying here most nights.”

“Maybe we should just let people know about us. It’s not illegal.”

“I know it’s not illegal but it’s frowned on. And I wouldn’t care except that I have a position at a bank that’s important. I advise people in this town on what to do with their money, and they’re going to lose faith in me if they think that you and I are together. They won’t understand.”

“What if we got married?”

“Alice,” he said, then took a long sip of his drink, placing the glass back down with a loud clink. “It wouldn’t make any difference. In fact, it would probably make things worse. It’s not just that you’re the daughter of my wife, it’s that I’m thirty years older than you.”

“I don’t care.”

“I don’t care, either, but other people will.”

“Fine. We’ll be extra-careful.”

“That’s all that I’m saying. We have to be very, very careful from here on out. People hate to see other people happy. Remember that.”

Alice went to bed first. She was exhausted, brushing her teeth for less than thirty seconds, then slipping out of her robe and under the covers. She wondered if she was exhausted because of the stress of being interviewed by the frizzy-haired detective, or if she was tired because she’d barely done anything all day. She hadn’t gone swimming since Friday night, the night that Gina couldn’t make it back. Tomorrow she’d swim again. There were only so many days left before it would be too cold, and then she’d have to swim at the Y with the overchlorinated water and the old ladies.

She lay awake thinking about swimming, then listened as Jake got ready for bed, standing for a long time in the bathroom applying his face lotion, as he always did. He climbed in beside her, naked, smelling of vanilla and sandalwood.

He kissed her, the type of kiss that meant he was tired, then said, “I was going to bring it up earlier, but I couldn’t find the right time.”

“What?” she said, her limbs tingling.

“I woke up on Friday night to get a glass of water. You weren’t in bed so I went downstairs to look for you, and I couldn’t find you anywhere. I was nervous, so I looked out the window. I saw you coming back from the beach. Your hair was wet.”

She didn’t respond.

“Alice?” Jake eventually said.

“Why didn’t you say something?”

“When? That night?”

“Yes.”