Come Undone (3 page)

She
blinked up at me for a quick second. “Great Liv! I’m crazy this afternoon, but
I’m sure I can squeeze you in.”

I
gave her a tight smile, but she was already ignoring me again. Moments later I
was staring at the back of a short blonde bob that ended in soft pink ends. “Hi.”

A
young girl, who I guessed to be just out of college, turned suddenly. “Hi, uh,
Mrs. Germaine.”

“Are
you Serena?”

“Yes.
Oh, is it Ms. Germaine or Mrs. Germaine? Jenny wasn’t sure.” She glanced at my
ring. “Or something else.”

“Whatever
you like. Call me Liv if you want. I wanted to talk to you about the article
you e-mailed last night. You sent it awfully late.”

“I
know, I’m sorry,” she said, her light eyes widening. “I was feeling so, like,
inspired, and I didn’t want to stop so I was up all night working on it. Next
time I can wait to send it ‘til the morning.”

“No,
don’t worry about that. I’m up late,” I said, waving my hand. “I’m just glad
you got it in early. Makes everyone’s job easier.”

“Oh!”
she said, covering her mouth with her fingertips. “I thought I was in trouble.”

“Nope.
Anyway, I liked the article, but there are some things I want fixed. I’ll e-mail
my notes. In the meantime, Lisa and I will be taking over the annual
Most Eligible
issue. I’d like it to be
the best selection of bachelors and bachelorettes that we can possibly find.
Can you start narrowing?”

“Sounds
good,” Serena said as she made notes on a yellow pad. “How do I know what to
look for? Like, looks-wise or . . . like . . . occupations?”

I
gave her a tense smile, wondering if I’d given instructions to the right
person, and made a mental note to follow-up later. “Grab issues from the last
few years to get an idea of what we’re looking for. I know they’ve weeded out
people already but this year I want the absolute best options out there. No
friends-of-friends or relatives. Set up interviews with the top picks so Lisa
and I can decide from there.”

“K,”
she said. Even though it was just a letter, her voice wavered and her eyebrows
met in the middle.

“I
was an intern once too.” I gave her my best attempt at a reassuring face.
“You’ll figure it out.”

~

“Hello,
dear,” Mack said with a doting smile as I entered the restaurant that evening.
I loved how his smiles deepened the wrinkles by his eyes because they were
always genuine.

“Mack,”
I said, giving him a kiss on 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 together.”

“Oh,
isn’t that sweet.” Mack smiled, ever the romantic.

“She’s
a stylist, right?” asked Davena.

“Yes,
and she works just across the street from me. I’m sure she can help you find
something that’s cute and conservative.”

Davena
made a gagging noise. “I hate that word. Me, conservative? No missy.”

“Why
do you think she made me move from Dallas?” Mack joked.

“So
can you take Liv on this vacation?” Bill asked, nodding in my direction. “This
girl needs some sun.”

I
pouted. “What? I’m not that bad,” I said, pushing up my sleeve as the table
laughed.

“You
stay out of the sun, hon,” Davena said. “Fair skin is in, embrace it.”

I
laughed and nodded. “Sure it is. Pale is all the rage.”

“You
know, Davena, we just finished a case against a doctor who botched a mastectomy
and nearly killed the woman.”

“That’s
horrid, Bill, I don’t want to hear that.”

I
almost rolled my eyes at Bill’s inept social skills.

“Really,
dear, how is your mum?” Mack asked me with a lowered voice.

“I
haven’t spoken to her much lately,” I confessed. “She says she’s working on a
new book but won’t say what exactly. And since Dad no longer owes her alimony,
she claims she’s broke. But between a successful career and my father’s support
all those years, I just don’t see how that can be.” I found Mack’s company
comforting. Because of their history, he knew my mother in a way Bill and my
friends couldn’t. “Bill wants to lend her money, but I think it’s bad idea. And
we really don’t have it to spare, since we are house hunting.”

“Are
you?” he asked, and clapped his hands delightfully. “I’m so happy for you. You
really are all grown up, little Livs. I still remember your first birthday
– such a fabulous event your mother threw, and you, hardly able to enjoy
it. She had that party for herself.” We both laughed.

“What’s
so funny?” Davena asked.

“These
two are house hunting.”

“Oh,
you know Mack and I own quite a bit of property, so we’re nearly experts.”

Bill
smiled proudly and launched into a recount of our progress. It was his favorite
topic as of late, so I let him talk and nodded at all the right times. Davena
was sure to interject when she disagreed with Bill, and I laughed at the
irritation on his face. If there’d been an ounce of religion in my household
growing up, Mack and Davena would have been my godparents. They’d always been
protective and Davena, being a natural know-it-all, didn’t mind pointing out
when Bill was wrong.

During
dinner, I admired Mack and Davena’s easy interaction. They touched often, as if
Mack was reassuring her of his presence. Once, when he thought we weren’t
looking, Mack leaned in and kissed her between bites. She rolled her eyes
playfully and I smiled at Bill, but he was looking at his phone.

When
we’d settled the check, Mack said, “Don’t worry too much about your mother. Leanore’s
always been able to take care of herself. Just remember that she may need
emotional support more than she needs money.” He patted me on the back. His words
rang true, but unfortunately, emotional support had never been my strong suit.
“And if we can be of any service with the house hunt, just call. I’d love to
help.”

“Deal,”
I agreed.

“Have
a great trip,” Bill said as we stepped out onto the sidewalk. He draped his arm
over my shoulder and waved as they walked away. “Hey,” he said, ruffling my
hair. “Bad news. I have to go back to the office.”
“What?” I asked, looking up at him. “It’s Friday night.”

“I
know, it’s ridiculous. I’m so sorry. I’ll make it up to you this weekend.”

“It’s
all right,” I said, running my hand down his long forearm. “I just don’t want
you to burn out.”

“It’ll
all pay off when we buy our new home. Just think, you, me, peace and quiet . .
. . It’ll be so nice to get out of the city.”

 
I opened my mouth to object and closed it
again. I reminded myself that Bill worked hard and deserved what he wanted,
which was a spacious home in a calm neighborhood. It would be hard for me to
adjust to that life after five years in Chicago, but I knew I would eventually
adjust. “You’re right. It will pay off then.”

“So
you’re good to take the train?” he asked. “I might be late so don’t wait up.”

~

I woke early
but left Bill in bed to sleep. He hadn’t come home until well past two in the
morning, and I frowned to think of how hard he’d been working. I threw on my
rattiest t-shirt and black spandex pants before raking my hair back into a
ponytail. As I was grabbing my tennis shoes, Bill turned, muttered something
and hugged my pillow to him.

I
started out the day with some Madonna and bounced down the street, taking a
right, then a left, all the while humming along to
Papa Don’t Preach
. A few songs in, I yanked the headphones from my
ears and pushed into the building. Telltale sounds of a bustling animal shelter
pierced the air; high-pitched meows punctured low, deep barks. I’d been
volunteering at the shelter twice a month since Bill and I had moved to the
area, more if I could manage.

On
my way to the back, I stopped at a floor cage to peer inside. “Well you’re
new,” I cooed to a miniature-sized black and caramel mutt. His big eyes blinked
up at me as he sat motionless. “Don’t worry, you’re in good hands.” I righted
myself and came face to face with George.

“Morning,
Liv.”

“Hi,
George. How are things?”

His
smiled waned. I knew the answer. Life at the animal shelter could be a lot of
things: fun, rewarding, messy, sweet – and quite often, heartbreaking.
Though there were no-kill shelters in the area, they got more volunteers than the
ones that weren’t. And that wasn’t the fault of the animals. They needed
exercise, food and love too, even if they might not last until the end of the
week.

“So
put me to work then. What’s top of the list today?”

“Eureka
needs a walk,” he said, making a face. “She’s been bouncing off the walls all
morning, and no one else wants to take her.”

I
laughed. “That’s why I’ve got my tennies,” I said, curling my leg up. “Bring it
on.”

Once
I heard the emphatic clicking of four sets of toenails against the concrete, I braced
myself. Eureka came flying through the door and stopped short just as she got
to me, straining against her leash.