At First Sight - Nicholas Sparks [65]
“How did you know about that?” Jeremy demanded.
“I don’t know . . . I guess you must have mentioned it earlier.”
“No,” Jeremy said, “I didn’t. I didn’t learn about it until this morning. And I didn’t tell you. So again, how did you know?”
It was in that instant, while staring at his friend, that he felt the pieces suddenly fall into place: the untraceable e-mails . . . Alvin’s brief infatuation with Rachel and his offer to let her visit . . . the fact that Alvin had made a point of bringing her up in conversation, which meant he was still thinking about her . . . Rachel’s recent unexplained absence coupled with Alvin’s need to hang up the phone because he had company.
Jeremy found himself holding his breath as the rest of it came together like the neatest of puzzles, too far-fetched to believe, too obvious to ignore. . . .
Rachel, who had been Lexie’s best friend for years . . . who had access to Doris’s journal and knew what was in it . . . who would have known that Doris had given it to Jeremy . . . who was having trouble with Rodney because of Lexie . . .
And Alvin, his friend, who still talked to Jeremy’s ex, old friends who shared everything . . .
“Rachel was here, wasn’t she,” Jeremy finally said, his voice cracking with anger. “Rachel came to visit you in New York, didn’t she.”
“No.”
“You sent those e-mails,” he went on, the depth of Alvin’s betrayal finally penetrating. He stared at Alvin as if he were a stranger. “You lied to me.”
People around them turned to watch; Jeremy barely noticed. Alvin took an involuntary step backward.
“I can explain—”
“Why would you do that? I thought you were my friend.”
“I am your friend,” Alvin said.
Jeremy didn’t seem to hear him. “You knew how stressed I’ve been. . . .”
He shook his head, trying to grasp the full reality of the situation. Alvin reached for his arm. “Okay, yeah—Rachel did come up, and I was the one who sent the e-mails,” he admitted. “I didn’t even know she was coming until the day before when she called, and I was as surprised as you were. You’ve got to believe me on that. And as for the e-mails, I only sent them because I care about you. You haven’t been yourself since you went down there, and I didn’t want you to make a mistake.”
Jeremy said nothing. In the silence, Alvin squeezed his arm and went on. “I’m not saying that you shouldn’t marry her. She seems nice, she really does. But you rushed into this thing, and you weren’t listening to reason. She might be the best lady ever, and I hope she is, but you should know what you’re getting into.”
Jeremy exhaled, still unable to face Alvin. “Maria told you, didn’t she,” he said. “About the real reason we divorced.”
“Yeah,” Alvin said, seemingly relieved that Jeremy seemed to be getting it. “She did. She said there was no way it could happen. She was even more suspicious than I was, if you want to know the truth, and it just got me thinking, so I sent the e-mail.” He sighed. “Maybe I was wrong to do that, and I honestly figured you’d blow it off, but then you called me and you were upset, and I suddenly realized that you were having the same doubts about how she got pregnant that I was.”
He stopped, letting that sink in before going on. “And then Rachel shows up, we have a few drinks, and she starts telling me about how much Rodney still cares about Lexie, and I’m remembering the fact that Lexie copped to the fact she’d spent the evening with Rodney. Meanwhile, the more Rachel talked, the more I found out about Lexie’s past—about this guy she’d dated and how she’d gotten pregnant before—and it just confirmed how little you knew about her.”
“What are you trying to say?”
Alvin drew a long breath, choosing his words carefully. “I’m just saying that this is a big decision, and you should know what you’re getting into.”
“Are you saying that you think the baby is Rodney’s?” Jeremy asked.
“I don’t know what to think about it,” Alvin answered, “but that’s not the point—”
“No?” Jeremy said, his voice rising. “Then what is the point? You want me to dump my fiancée while she’s