I Invited Her In by Adele Parks

Author:Adele Parks [Parks, Adele]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Thriller, Psychological, Suspense
ISBN: 9780008284626
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2018-10-14T13:00:00+00:00

33

Ben

Ben waited for Mel in a café just five minutes from his office. His face creased with concern. He had already ordered a black Americano for Mel; the most functional, grave coffee on offer. She’d texted him that she’d spoken to Liam’s principal and that they had something very serious to discuss immediately. He’d dropped everything for her. For Liam. Naturally.

They sometimes did child-handovers in this café, if one of the kids needed taking to a club or a party and another needed to be elsewhere, because neither Ben nor Mel had developed superhuman powers and, try as they might, they couldn’t be in two places at once. Today, Mel charged into the café, frantic and sweating. There were no pleasantries about whether they should get cookies or cupcakes to take home for a treat, no appreciation of the rich smell of coffee beans and no time to chat with the friendly barista. The stuff they usually did. From the look on Mel’s face it seemed that sort of thing belonged to another world, another life. A life that no longer existed. Ben felt dread surge through his body. What could the principal have said to cause her this much panic?

She sat down opposite him. Suddenly, she seemed lost for words. With a huge sigh, she dredged them up. ‘Liam has been missing school.’

‘I don’t understand,’ he said, confused. ‘Liam likes school. He has plans. He knows how important this year is.’ Plans that Ben and Mel were proud of. Neither of them could ever really get their heads around how smart their son had turned out: smart, kind, funny. Ben thought it was admirable that his son wanted to go into government and try to change things for the better in this world; he liked his son’s optimism and work ethic. He was not the sort to skive off school. If this was true, there had to be a big reason for it. Bullying, gangs, drugs?

‘Why?’

‘I know why,’ Mel muttered, darkly.

‘Then tell me.’

It was clearly difficult for her but she admitted to picking up Abi’s phone. To snooping about. Mel looked ashamed, awkward. ‘I can’t quite explain why I thought doing so was OK,’ she mumbled. ‘I guess the boundaries have got blurred for me.’

He understood more than his wife imagined. He knew Mel thought Abi’s life seemed thrilling and exhilarating, and recently Mel had started to think hers was dreary, a bit humdrum. Abi’s life was full of famous personalities, TV types and sexy dates, Mel’s was packed with picky customers, ironing and sock-pairing. Ben had watched, over these past six weeks, as his wife had tried to cling on to Abi’s coat-tails; obviously, she had wanted to be dragged somewhere fabulous. He’d stood by, confounded, helpless.

Mel confirmed that he did at least know her well when she admitted, ‘I just wanted to be near her. To be a very tiny part of all that is going on for her. I didn’t want to watch her porn, just to find a photo of her new man.

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