Come Alive Read Free

was
unavoidable, even when I looked away. We left early.
    Although I was dubious in my belief of an afterlife, I sometimes prayed
to Davena for relief. In my head, I confessed
everything; that I was a sinner, an adulterer and a liar. That
I only felt remorse for deceiving Bill, not for the crime itself. Sometimes I believed maybe she heard me. Sometimes I imagined she would make
everything right.
    “Did you look at the article yet?” Lisa, my least
favorite coworker, glared at me from the doorway with crossed arms.
    Her words rattled in my head a moment as I shifted back into reality. “Which
one?”
    She exhaled her annoyance. “The guide to Logan Square.”
    “It’s on your desk already.”
    “Oh.” She pivoted and stalked away, revealing Serena behind her.
    “She’s always super grouchy on Friday morning,” Serena said with a warm smile.
“And Monday. And Tuesday. Wednesday, too . . . . You
get the idea.”
    “Where did your hair go?” I asked.
    “I’m taking a cue from Hollywood and embracing the pixie cut. What do you
think?”
    “Cute,” I remarked, turning back to my computer.
    “So, boss lady, are you excited for this weekend?”
    I blinked my attention back to her. Serena had taken to calling me ‘boss’
since her promotion from intern to assistant editor.
    “The wedding?” she asked uncertainly.
    “Yes. Lucy has been planning her wedding for as long as I’ve known her,
so it should be impressive.”
    “I love weddings, I mean they are just, so romantic, and everyone is just
like, so happy to be there. And it’s supposed to be a gorgeous weekend, I mean –
”
    “Serena, I’m really swamped here.”
    “Oh. Sorry. Actually, I have an idea I want to run by you.”
    “Shoot,” I said while tapping out a quick e-mail.
    “It’s about the Chicago’s Most Eligible Bachelors and
Bachelorettes issue – ”
    “What?” I froze mid-keystroke.
    “Well, um – I think we should do a follow-up piece on the website. I’m
sure the people we featured like, went on dates and stuff. Maybe some even
found relationships because of the article. We could even do, like, a teeny-tiny
article in the mag next month.”
    I shook my head rapidly. “No, that won’t work. Let’s try and come up with
some new concepts, not beat the crap out of old ones.”
    “Oh, okay, cool. I like that too.”
    She lingered a second longer and then scurried away. I hadn’t meant to shut
her down, but I couldn’t risk a run-in with David. Bachelor number three ,
I thought. I didn’t want him anywhere near me.
    I had gotten lucky at the launch party for the Most Eligible issue
two months earlier. Every bachelor and bachelorette had shown up to the event,
the best in the magazine’s history. Except for David Dylan. I’d overheard Lisa say
that he accepted a job in New York and absolutely could not attend, even though
she’d begged him. Knowing he was out of town was no more painful than knowing
he wasn’t right next to me. He was gone forever, and the physical distance
wouldn’t change that.
    I couldn’t ignore his presence at the party, though. Despite his
non-attendance, his smiling photo, which far outshone the other attendees’
pictures, was everywhere. Lisa had gleefully taken over David’s segment for me,
and the way she’d styled the photo shoot, it could have been an ad for any top menswear
designer. He was all teeth and hard muscles in the three-piece suit Lucy had sold him. Clutching his
jacket casually at his side, he was the definition of roguish businessman.
    I’d given my boss the issue for final approval without ever proofing
David’s spread. The wounds were too fresh. Even now, I still hadn’t had the
heart, or the guts, to read about David Dylan: wealthy, charming and handsome
Chicago bachelor. Every girl’s dream catch.
    I got up and locked my office door, allowing myself a minute to lie down
on the couch. I was thankful for my weighty sweater to block the blasting A/C
unit above.
    I’d