Come Alive by Jessica Hawkins

Author:Jessica Hawkins
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: contemporary fiction, series, contemporary romance series, debut, Contemporary, romance, Adult, drama, contemporary romance, new authors
ISBN: 0615785123
Publisher: Jessica Hawkins
Published: 2013-05-30T08:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 13

IN HER BABY BLUE PARTY DRESS, Gretchen twirled when I called her name. “I’m so glad you’re here,” she said, as I approached the hotel entrance. “I need another drink.”

“Don’t you have to work the door?”

“No, not my client,” she said, crooking her elbow in mine. She guided me inside with a quick step. “And don’t try to tell me you didn’t know this was David’s project. Sneaky bitch.”

I bit my lip and considered feigning innocence, but I knew she’d see through it. We were at the soft opening for David’s hotel, Revelin Resort. I’d been there once before with David, when it was under construction, and the exterior alone had had me envisioning sultry black sand beaches. That concept was even more prevalent now as I scanned the interior. The hotel had onyx-colored marble floors veined with pearly silver. Large aquariums with unnaturally blue water flanked the lobby. Even the fish matched the interior.

Someone dressed in head-to-toe black directed us toward a doorway situated between aquariums. We passed under the glass bottom into a sultry lounge. It was darker than the lobby, with low-hanging glass chandeliers that gave the space an ethereal glow. Red velvet seating lined the room, inviting and attractive against shadowy walls.

“I love sexy Liv, by the way,” Gretchen said, raising her eyebrows at my outfit and waving down a bartender.

I smiled triumphantly. With heavy eyeliner and glossy pink lips, I was channeling my inner-retro. My black strapless jumpsuit was skin-tight and proudly displayed my slight but full cleavage.

When Gretchen handed me a drink, we clinked glasses. “Where’s Bill?” she asked after she’d taken a sip.

“He went north with some friends for the weekend.”

“He fucking loves fishing, doesn’t he?”

I laughed. “He loves getting out of the city and yes, fishing too.”

“You’d think he grew up in the country or something.” She checked her phone. “Wait here. I have to get Greg at the door.”

I drifted over to the aquarium that separated the lounge from the lobby, drawn in by the comforting blue glow. I sipped my Belvedere and cranberry while gazing at the aimless fish.

Something about Gretchen’s comment stuck with me. Bill had actually grown up on a small farm an hour outside the city where his very Catholic parents still lived. He worked hard now because they’d instilled that in him as a child. His weekends were spent with his parents, tending to things around the farm. During the week, his parents had him booked solid with all sorts of lessons, tutoring and a part-time job.

He’d had one long-term relationship before we met. He didn’t talk about her often, but I knew that he hadn’t been the one to end it. In the beginning of our relationship, he’d given me the impression that he’d intended to marry her. I sometimes wondered how things would be different if she hadn’t broken it off.

I started when I felt a presence behind me, cursing when I spilled alcohol down my cleavage.

“Olivia,” David greeted, drawing up next to me.

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