The Marriage by K.L. Slater (any book recommendations TXT) 📕

Ellis had taken out his earbuds and frowned. ‘Will the murderer be there?’

‘Maybe, but you can stay out of his way in your bedroom like you did last time, yeah?’

‘I thought you said school had told you I had to stop going over to Nan’s for a while,’ Ellis had said moodily.

‘We’ll have to see how it goes. She really wants to see you, and … well, it suits me for you to stay there sometimes.’

Ellis had narrowed his eyes. ‘Where are you going? Who was that on the phone?’

His mum had smiled and ruffled his hair. ‘So many questions! I’m popping out on an errand, that’s all. I won’t be long. Be a love and grab what you need. I’ll text your nan now.’

Ellis had huffed and puffed but he’d unfurled his lanky frame from the sofa and headed for the door.

Now, here he was at his nan’s house again, lying on the bed in his room. He got loads more time on his Nintendo than he was allowed at home.

But his mum’s behaviour still niggled at him. It wasn’t only the unusual phone calls that were strange. At home, the fridge freezer and cupboards were suddenly full of the kind of food they usually only had as treats – pizza, ice cream and chocolate, and Ellis’s favourite snack: big bags of corn chips with tubs of salsa and sour cream.

She’d been to the hairdresser’s instead of buying a box dye colour like usual, and she spent ages on the laptop. Although she didn’t realise, yesterday, Ellis had taken a peek at her search history when she went upstairs for a shower, and she’d been looking at houses … at the coast! If his nan knew she was planning on moving house and taking Ellis with her, she’d have a proper meltdown.

Ellis didn’t want to move to the seaside. Not the sort of place that rained a lot and had boarded-up shops, anyhow. But he wouldn’t say no to amusement arcades and skateboard parks. No one would know him there so he’d be able to act super cool, as if he was used to having loads of friends.

He liked the thought of being someone else.

Forty-One Bridget

I put on my noise-cancelling headphones and lay on the sofa, trying to focus on my relaxation app, which was a guided walk by the river.

I visualised looking out over the rippling water the narrator described, watched a couple of swans glide by … It should have been a serene moment, but I made the mistake of opening one eye, and saw Ellis squaring up to Tom.

I whipped the headphones off. ‘What the hell is the matter now?’ I yelled, and the two of them looked at me in astonishment. As soon as Jill had left, Tom announced he had to go back to the gym to get the water cooler bottle he’d left there.

I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but I now knew he’d lied to me.

When he’d left the house and Coral had dropped Ellis off, I decided to put a load of washing in. I’d run up two flights of stairs and emptied out the contents of the linen basket in the en suite. I spotted Tom’s gym bag was at his side of the bed, so I went to get his gym towel to add to the laundry.

I’d pulled out the towel and froze, staring at the new water bottle he’d apparently gone back to collect from the gym.

Now, I felt hot and empty inside. I didn’t want to ask him outright what he was up to and alert him to the fact that I knew he’d lied. I had to be cleverer than that. For now, I was staying quiet and watching.

‘He’s trying to tell me what to do again,’ Ellis said sulkily, folding his arms. ‘He’s always trying to tell me what to do.’

‘He was playing that game when I left for the gym and he’s still playing it now.’ Tom folded his arms too. ‘It’s not good for him, Brid, and besides, he needs to clear some of this mess up.’

I cast an eye at the classy new coffee table I’d bought from Dwell about a month ago. The lacquered white surface was littered with empty cans of pop, congealing slices of pizza and Dorito chips. It was true Ellis should know better, but he was still a kid. With Tom around too, also apparently unable to pick up after himself, it was starting to feel like I had two kids.

‘You can’t jump on him every time he puts a foot wrong, Tom,’ I said.

I wasn’t stupid. I knew how much Ellis resented Tom, but I also understood it. Tom had robbed him of his father and also, Ellis was bound to be a bit jealous. It had been me and him for so long when he came over, and now we never had any time together without Tom’s presence.

I appreciated Tom’s efforts to play a role in Ellis’s life. He’d seemed so genuine on every level, but now I couldn’t think about anything else but the reason he’d lied to me. Where had he gone, if not back to the gym?

I glanced at my watch. Coral had said she’d be gone an hour, so she should have picked Ellis up way before now. I’d called her, texted her, but there had been no reply yet. I’d planned a relaxing evening with Tom, a few drinks to loosen him up before I tried to find out the truth of where he’d been. Coral was really pushing my buttons. One minute telling me I was affecting Ellis’s well-being and it was best if he stayed away from the house, the next, abandoning him here at short notice and with little explanation.

I decided I’d take Ellis home myself soon, and if she was out, I’d wait until she came home to confront