Come Undone Read Online Free

the cheek and then leaning over to his wife Davena.
    “How
are you, honey?” she asked, her down-home drawl a stark contrast to Mack’s
elegant British accent.
    “Bill
should be here any minute. He’s been at work late every day for the past two
weeks, but he’s on his way,” I explained.
    “No
problem,” Mack said breezily. “Let’s sit and get a drink.” He indicated to the
hostess. I let them go ahead and admired how their hands never separated while
they maneuvered through the restaurant.
    “How’s
work?” Davena asked once we were seated.
    “Wonderful,”
I said, letting her know the news of my potential promotion.
    “I
knew you’d work your way up quickly,” Davena said. “I never put my stamp on
anyone I don’t believe in.”
    “Thanks,”
I said with a genuine grin. It was Davena’s recommendation to a different
senior editor that had secured me the internship years earlier.
    “Don’t
waste your energy on the competition. If I know you, she’s the one who should
be worried,” she added, studying her menu.
    “And
your mother?” Mack asked. A grey strand dropped over his forehead and he blew
it back. “How is she?”
    “She’s
well.”
    “Anything
in the works?”
    “Sure,”
I said lightly. “Isn’t there always?”
    He
grinned appreciatively. “I always tell everyone what an outstanding writer she
is. Brilliant artist,” he mused. “I look forward to her next novel.”
    “Well,
she certainly has an artist’s temperament,” I muttered.
    “You
know that Max, from her first novel, was based on me? A sprightly British cad,
come to university to terrorize the young ladies of the U.S. of A.”
    “Of
course she knows that Mack, you remind her incessantly,” Davena teased.
    “Oh,
rubbish,” he said, giving me a devious smile. “She was quite the girl, your
mother. Walked right into the university’s newspaper office and demanded they
print her piece on corporate sexism. I knew then that we’d be great friends. No
surprise she became editor of that paper soon after. A real go-getter, like our
Liv, here.” I frowned, and he laughed. “Oh, there’s Bill.”
    I
spotted him through the diners and cringed when his elbow accidentally struck a
woman in the head. His shirt was gold when he’d left the apartment in the
morning, but the restaurant’s lighting turned it mustard.
    “I
was here on time,” Bill said, breathing hard, “but parking is impossible.” He
leaned over and gave me a lingering kiss on the cheek. “Congrats on the job,”
he whispered, before turning to Mack and Davena. “What’d I miss?” he asked,
dragging his chair out.
    “We
were just reminiscing about old times,” Mack said. “Here, have some wine.”
    “What’s
new with you guys?” Bill asked. I looked at him gratefully. He knew how I hated
to talk about ‘old times.’
    “Well,
Mack and I are headed on a last minute trip to the Amalfi Coast, so we’ve been
shopping ourselves silly.”
    “Correction, she has been shopping herself silly,”
Mack interrupted. “I’m just the human credit card.”
    “Oh,”
Davena said, waving him off. “I only needed a bathing suit to cover my new
scar.” She pointed to her side. “No more bikinis for me,” she scowled, “just
old lady one-pieces.” I eyed her petite but athletic body – she was the
picture of health with olive skin and cropped, wavy blonde hair. Her fiery eyes
were surpassed only by her sassy attitude.
    Even
with the discovery of her breast cancer three years ago, I’d never seen her
without a twinkle in her eye. Pity was not a word in her vocabulary, and I’d
learned long ago that normalcy was the best medicine.
    “You
really should go see my best friend Lucy,” I said.
    “Which
one is Lucy?”
    “Her
college friend, Mack, try and keep up,” Davena teased.
    “Liv
and Lucy rushed the same sorority,” Bill said. “When they were accepted, they
decided they liked each other better than any of the other girls and dropped
out