Chapter Forty-One Confrontation
After a few phone calls, Bastian managed to get a tee time for two in the afternoon at the Stonebridge Golf Course. He let the guys know, and they all left after lunch to spend some time at the driving range before hitting the course. Mirabelle changed into her swimsuit, dug her book out of her bag, grabbed a towel, and entered the pool area, breathing in the smell of chlorine happily. It was mostly empty, with only two other people on lounge chairs and a few teens swimming. From what she understood, most of the rooms were booked by wedding guests, so she figured most of them were either getting ready for the rehearsals or taking advantage of the bride and groom being otherwise occupied and had gone out to do some things around Ann Arbor.
She put her towel and book on a lounge chair near three others since Eleanor, Caroline, and Lila said they had some shopping to do but would check to see if she was still in the pool area when they got back.
She swam around the pool a dozen times, sticking to the edge of the vaguely kidney-shaped pool, then spent some time floating on her back before climbing out, drying herself off, and settling into a lounge chair to read. She wasn't there very long when she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. She looked up and saw Jillian standing beside her. “Hi.” She smiled, looking a little nervous. “Can I sit?”
“Sure.” Mirabelle nodded. Jillian wasn’t dressed for the pool; she actually looked like she was heading out. She watched as the other woman sat next to her and looked around the room, seemingly unsure about what she wanted to say.
“I wanted to apologize for how everything went down at the scavenger hunt.” She started after a few minutes of silence. “I didn't mean to put you on the spot that way.”
“Well, no, you did. You didn't expect me to say what I said.” Mirabelle smiled at her gently. “It's fine, Jillian, don’t worry about it.”
“Okay.” Jillian chuckled softly. “I did. In my defence, what Casey's been saying about you hasn't put you in the best light.”
“No, I'm sure it hasn't.” Mirabelle tilted her head slightly. Bastian had told her what Robert had said about Eddie seeming to be in the dark when it came to Casey’s plans, and the fact that Jillian didn’t mention Eddie talking badly about her made her start to think it was true.
“You really walked in on them?” She asked quietly.
“Yep. I got a text from my neighbour across the street telling me I needed to get home as soon as possible, and I walked in on them, finishing up on the couch. Casey later admitted to it going on for a year, to which Eddie bravely told her to “Shut up!” Which I got on a recording.”
“Wow.” Jillian looked down, studying her nails. “That's awful. And you got other proof?”
“Yeah, Bast had a financial auditor comb our expenses and found he spent about twenty-five grand on their year-long affair, hotel rooms, mini vacations, etc. Then he sent a private investigator to the places listed in the financial audit and got lots of security footage.” Jillian nodded slowly, still looking at her hands as Mirabelle spoke, and she realized Jillian was very upset about something. “Is everything okay?”
“I told you that all the wives and girlfriends in the friend group have had to put up with Casey because she's “One of the guys.” Jillian's mouth twisted. “None of us like her; most of us wish she’d fall off a cliff or step in front of a bus if I’m being really honest.” She sighed and pushed her hair back off her face.
When I told Zeke what you told me last night, I honestly was thinking, “Yes, finally! We’ll be able to get rid of her!” Imagine my surprise when he said, “Yeah, I know. All the guys know.”
“Shit.” Mirabelle felt a pang of sympathy for Jillian. She couldn’t imagine finding out her husband was a liar who hid something so big from her. “I’m sorry.”
Jillian shrugged, “It’s not your fault.” She took a deep breath. “When I asked why the wives weren't told, he said it was because they knew we'd all have a problem with it and would want them to cut Casey and Eddie off, so they went with the other story. They all sat down and came up with the story together. Eddie didn't know what to tell his parents, but the rumours had already started to fly, so he had to own up to some parts of it.”
She shifted, looking uncomfortable and sad. “I told the other wives, and most of them have either gone home or booked tickets to go home as soon as possible; a couple of them have threatened divorce. Zeke's livid with me now. He said I had no right to tell everyone else. So, I told him I wanted a separation, and I’m flying back to New York tonight. I was wondering if you or Bastian would be interested in representing me.”
Mirabelle reached out and laid her hand on Jillian’s arm, squeezing gently. “Yeah, of course. We'll be back in the office on Monday. Do you have a pen?” Jillian nodded and dug through her purse. She handed her the pen, and Mirabelle flipped to the back of the book, wrote the office address, phone number, and email address on the blank page at the back, and tore it out. “Call us on Monday, and we'll set up a meeting.”
“Sounds good. And I can pass this along to the other wives?”
“Absolutely.” Mirabelle looked at her sadly. “I'm so sorry this happened.”
“It's not your fault.” She repeated, shaking her head. “I'm not sure what kind of friendship they have or what she has on them, but they refuse to cut her off.” She stood up. “Sorry to interrupt your afternoon. I'll be in touch next week.” Mirabelle watched her leave, sat and thought for a minute, then got up and went back to the room. After finding her phone, she texted Bastian and let him know what had happened. Shaking her head, she threw her phone back on the bed and went to shower and change. So much for her relaxing afternoon.
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Mirabelle was on her way to the car when she heard someone call her name. She turned and saw Zeke running after her. “Jesus Christ,” she muttered as she turned back around and kept walking, knowing he would catch up. “Zeke,” she said calmly as he came to a stop beside her. “How are you?”
“You really gotta ask?” He ran his hand through his blond hair, frustration oozing off him in waves.
“To be polite, yes.” She kept her eyes straight ahead and walked resolutely to the car
“Right.” He huffed out a sigh, his frustration still on full display. Look, you need to stop.”
“Stop what?” Mirabelle stopped and faced him, folding her arms across his chest. “Stop telling people what happened?”
“Yeah. You're destroying marriages.” He kept going when she stopped and had to turn around to face her, mimicking her stance.
“I'm destroying marriages. Me?” She laughed dryly. “Oh, come on, Zeke, you fucked up. You should have been honest with your wife, although I can't imagine why you would hide that you're okay with adultery from her. I mean, why would that be a problem?”
“I'm not okay with adultery!” He protested hotly.
“Really? How long did you know about Casey and Eddie? Huh? How often did you come to my house, sit at my table, and eat my food, knowing he was fucking another woman and thought I didn't need to know?” She glared at him. “How often did all of you get together and laugh about Eddie and Casey getting one over on me?” His face went red, and he fell silent. “Yeah. Seems to me you had a real problem with it.” She turned and started walking away again.
“Eddie is my best friend, and Casey -” He started to follow her, but Mirabelle was over all the bullshit she had to deal with since she walked in on Eddie fucking Casey on her couch.
“So as long as they're friends of yours, it's fine? Is that what you're saying?” She pressed him. “Because it sounds like that’s what you're saying.”
“No!” He shook his head, looking completely exasperated, which made Mirabelle extremely happy. “What was I supposed to say? Hey Mira, Eddie's fucking Casey?”
“Yes!” She came to a stop again, throwing her hands up in frustration. “Yes! That's exactly what you were supposed to say! I had to get tested for STIs, Zeke! Do you have any idea how fucking embarrassing that was? How upsetting and nerve-racking it was waiting for the results?” She let all the hurt, anger and disappointment show on her face and was pleased to see he was starting to look ashamed of himself.
“And while I was having panic attacks and mourning the loss of my marriage, what were your best friend and his slut doing? Do you know?” She watched as he shook his head, looking like a kicked puppy. “They were fucking harassing me! They harassed me to the point that Bastian had to get an emergency no-contact order so they would leave me alone! Do you have any idea how hard it is to get one of those? How much proof you need to have? And the whole time that was going on, you and your friends were minimizing their actions and making up stories to tell your wives so you could stay friends with them because you all knew that if Jillian and the others knew what Eddie and Casey were actually up to and how long it went on, they would make you cut them off!”
“So no, Zeke, I'm not going to lie to cover your ass, or anyone else's for that matter. If someone asks me what happened, I'm going to tell them. Because you all tried to make me look like a vindictive bitch.” She paused to take a breath and tilted her head at him. “Tell me, Zeke, what would you have done if you were in my position? And what would you do now?” Zeke didn't say anything, and she nodded. “Yeah, that's what I thought. Don't you have a rehearsal to get to?”
She got aboard the car and drove off, leaving Zeke standing in the parking lot. She shouldn't have stayed in the hotel; that was the problem. There were too many people to run into who knew her and had a problem with her. She left the hotel and made the hour's drive to Luna Beach.