Read Online Come Alive by Jessica Hawkins - Free Book Online Page A

he
was all man, predatory even as he towered over me.
    He
leaned in further, and my breath caught. I’d been fidgeting with the cap of the
champagne, and he took it from my hands before straightening up again.
    Gretchen’s
head poked through the screen door. “Hurry up, Liv ,
we need that for the mimosas.” She looked between the two of us.
    “We’ll
be right there,” David said without turning around. He twisted the cork, and it
freed with a loud pop.
    “Um,
no, everyone is waiting on you.” Gretchen shot him a piercing look. “Come on,
move it,” she barked. She held the door open and ushered an irritated-looking
David through. She grasped my arm as I followed. “Soon. We need to talk.”
    “Fine,”
I said, wrenching my arm from her grip.
    I
took my place next to Bill and filled my plate with whatever was nearest.
    “What
time do you guys leave tonight?” Andrew’s mom asked Lucy.
    “Late.
We’re sleeping on the plane so we’ll be fresh for Paris.”
    “Ah,
fresh for Paris,” Dani mimicked. “Get over yourself.”
    “Don’t
be bitter, petite Dani ,” she said. “Your day will
come.”
    Dani flushed red. “I’ve been to Paris,”
she muttered.
    “That’s
not what I meant,” Lucy said pointedly.
    I
pushed food around on my plate, tuning the conversation out. I replayed my
exchange with David in my head, suppressing the smile that was trying to break
through. He knew exactly how to draw me in, how to prick the bubble of numbness
I lived in.
    My
thoughts wandered to the previous night. So he and Dani hadn’t slept together. But that didn’t mean they wouldn’t. It was clear, to me
at least, that she wanted it to happen – didn’t he? Knowing how
persistent he could be, I wondered what was stopping him.
    When
I blinked up, David was watching me from across the table. Eat , he mouthed, nodding subtly at my plate. I picked up a
strawberry, bit off the end, and licked my lips. His eyes locked on my mouth as
I slowly took another bite and dropped the stem on my plate. He swallowed and stared
hard. I’d become uncomfortably aroused by his words in the kitchen, and it redoubled
from the way he watched me.
    I
jumped when Bill placed his hand on my thigh and squeezed softly. He gave me a
reassuring smile.
    “And
so,” Lucy was saying, “I wanted to express regret for those who couldn’t be
here to help us celebrate. My aunt and my mother’s sister, Grace, God rest her
soul. As well as Olivia’s mentor and good friend, Davena .”
I clenched my teeth and concentrated on steady breathing. Lucy’s face contorted
as tears welled in her eyes. “Two beautiful women who were taken from us too
early.”
    She
was crying now, along with her mother, and I just sat motionless. Emotionless is more like it . Andrew’s
mother leaned over and whispered as she rubbed Lucy’s back. I inhaled and tried
to wet my eyes as well, but I was drier than Death Valley. Damn it, Lucy. Why are you bringing Davena into this? The table looked at me with overwhelming sympathy, including
Bill, which bothered me most of all.
    “Say
something, babe,” he whispered in my ear, and my jaw tensed.
    I
scooted the chair back suddenly and dropped my napkin on the table. “Excuse
me.”
    I
passed through the kitchen and over to the backyard-facing window. My eyes
scanned the lawn as workers packed up equipment. I thought of Davena . She would have loved the wedding because she loved
all things extravagant and expensive.
    “I’m
sorry,” Lucy said from behind me. I continued staring out the window, watching
as the remnants of the night disappeared into the back of a van.
    “It’s
fine,” I replied.
    “I
only wanted to honor her memory.”
    “I
said it’s fine,” I repeated gently.
    “What’s
wrong, Liv ?” she asked. “You never talk about her.”
    “There’s
nothing to talk about. I miss her, but that’s all.”
    “What
do you miss about her?”
    I
turned from the window and looked Lucy in the eyes. “She was a