“You mean your mother.”
Alice has no idea why Nick insists that their compulsory residence in Alma is Tish and Charles’s imposition. Her father-in-law is the least attention-seeking man she’s ever met, at least when it comes to his son. Charles is a true bon vivant: skilled at playing golf, picking the right kind of whiskey, and somehow surviving marriage to Tish.
“Alice…”
“Your parents can’t expect you to live their lives. And what about me? Don’t I deserve a shot at rebuilding my career? You know I can’t do that here, in the East Coast. We tried. You saw what happened.”
Alice’s attempts at getting back in the job market had been repeatedly thwarted, first by the episode with Professor Keyes, then by her pregnancy, and, finally, by her status as a new mom. Nick insisted she was being overly ambitious, applying to roles that were much too high-profile. Alice didn’t see it that way: she was more than qualified for the positions she sought. Besides, why should she settle? It wasn’t her fault she’d had to leave Wharton two months shy of graduation. None of it was her fault.
“Do you want to move and be penniless?” Nick asks.
Of course she doesn’t. And she’s aware that their situation is complicated. They’re young, but they have a toddler and expensive tastes. Their lifestyle requires a good salary. A very good salary.
“Fine. Don’t invest in Ryan’s company. But can we travel? Spend Christmas in Switzerland?” Alice says. If she can’t move or get a job, then at least she deserves a vacation. “Surely, your mo—your parents won’t be upset if we take one trip. We’ve spent every summer at the Sag Harbor house and every Christmas with them ever since we got here.”
Alice wonders if she should show him the journal. Not the entries (those are too personal), just the notebook. As a prop. No—a symbol. Symbols can be powerful. Alice had found the journal this morning, inside her closet. The notebook was only four years old, but it looked aged. Almost historic. Inside it was the story of how she and Nick found each other, four years ago, at a beach in Mykonos. They’d bonded over their heartbreak: his over an ex-girlfriend named Pearl, hers over Professor Keyes’s offense. Alice cried as she read the dozens of entries about Professor Keyes. Tears of rage, not sadness. But after she met Nick, her entries became happier, lighter. Reliving those early days in their relationship had reminded her of the man he used to be. Adventurous, daring. A traveler who had spent Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro. Trekked the mountainous terrain of Pingxi for the Sky Lantern Festival. Rafted in Slovenia. Explored the ancient ruins of Petra and Machu Picchu. Back then, she thought that meeting Nick was kismet: she healed his broken heart, he soothed hers.
But Alma had changed him.
Something about this town had made Nick regress into a different sort of man. When she met him, he had been so vocal about the town’s shortcomings: how it was riddled with folklore, and how it was so small that everyone probably knew the answer to everyone else’s security questions. Now it’s like he’s morphed into one of the easily led automatons he used to criticize.
Maybe Nick would’ve been happier if he’d married Pearl, and not Alice.
“Please?” Alice says. Her tone is gentler now, sweeter. She resists the urge to lean in and kiss him. It would be the easiest way to avoid a fight. Just being around Nick is enough to turn her on: his body heat, the oaky scent of his aftershave. Their chemistry is, and has always been, off the charts. But it’s not the answer. Sex is a relief, not a solution.
Sometimes she wonders if there is a solution. Maybe there isn’t.
(Cassie wouldn’t approve of this mindset. A positive approach is essential to a happy marriage. It’s in her books.)
Alice considers telling Nick about the pills. Maybe if he knew that she’s taking two Valium to fall asleep and two, sometimes three, oxycodone during the day, he’d agree to a vacation, if only out of compassion. But what if he forces her to quit cold turkey? Or worse: checks her into rehab? The pills are a lifeline. They make life in this town bearable. Pills and sex—the two things keeping her somewhat sane.
Nick shakes his head. “Look, I didn’t want to say anything, but now is not a good time to be making plans.”
“And why not?” Irritation creeps into her voice, partly because she’s horny, but also because she knew Nick would try to bullshit his way out of this. He’ll probably bring up Souliers. It’s his excuse for everything lately. As if there is an actual chance in hell that Bobby will agree to sell.
Nick reaches for his G&T, takes a long sip, and lets out a deep breath. Finally, he speaks, “You can’t tell anyone, but an employee is accusing Bobby of sexual misconduct.”
Now this is a surprise. Alice can feel her eyes widening.
“I know,” Nick says, meeting Alice’s gaze. “I was shocked, too.” Nick goes on to tell her that the accuser’s name is Eva Stone, an analyst. Not an Almanac. Nick doesn’t know much about her, except that she started working there last December, and seems competent: stellar performance reviews, a recent promotion. But today she pulled the head of HR aside and claimed that she and Bobby had an affair for the past several months.
“Hold on. An affair?” Alice repeats, covering her mouth. “Like, a proper relationship?”
“All consensual.” He nods. “She’s demanding his resignation. It’s either that or she’ll go to the press with the story. And I don’t have to tell you that, if she does that, we’re dead. Alma Boots is built on family values. It’s our whole identity.”
“She expects him to resign over this?” Alice feels her jaw slacken. She’s impressed. That’s a big ask. And then, a light-bulb moment. “Nick,” Alice begins, her body buzzing in excitement, “who would step in as CEO?”
