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Back First Comes Love
Chapters (92)
  1. First
  2. Love Connection
  3. Zero
  4. One
  5. Two
  6. Three
  7. Four
  8. Five
  9. Six
  10. Seven
  11. Eight
  12. Nine
  13. Ten
  14. Eleven
  15. One Month Later
  16. Twelve
  17. Thirteen
  18. Fourteen
  19. Fifteen
  20. Six Months Later
  21. Sixteen
  22. Seventeen
  23. Eighteen
  24. Nineteen
  25. Twenty
  26. Twenty-one
  27. Twenty-two
  28. Twenty-three
  29. Twenty-four
  30. Six Months Later
  31. Twenty-five
  32. Twenty-six
  33. Twenty-seven
  34. Twenty-eight
  35. Twenty-nine
  36. Thirty
  37. Thirty-one
  38. Thirty-two
  39. Thirty-three
  40. I Have Never
  41. One
  42. Two
  43. Three
  44. Four
  45. Five
  46. Six
  47. Seven
  48. Eight
  49. Nine
  50. Ten
  51. Eleven
  52. Twelve
  53. Thirteen
  54. Fourteen
  55. Fifteen
  56. Sixteen
  57. Seventeen
  58. Eighteen
  59. Nineteen
  60. Twenty
  61. Twenty-one
  62. Twenty-two
  63. A Christmas Date
  64. One
  65. Two
  66. Three
  67. Four
  68. Five
  69. Six
  70. Seven
  71. Eight
  72. Nine
  73. Ten
  74. Eleven
  75. Twelve
  76. Thirteen
  77. Fourteen
  78. Fifteen
  79. Sixteen
  80. Seventeen
  81. Eighteen
  82. Nineteen
  83. Twenty
  84. Twenty-one
  85. Twenty-two
  86. Note from the Author
  87. Sneak Peek – To the Stars and Back
  88. Two
  89. Three
  90. Four
  91. Also by Camilla Isley
  92. About the Author

The girl rolls her eyes. “Yeah, just waiting for my mom to finish work.” She points at the door to her left.

I follow her finger to a plaque on the wall.

Vivian Hessington

Attorney at Law

Family Law — Divorce Attorney

The only other door on our floor opens, and a tall guy with a mop of curly dark hair comes out.

We all exchange a polite greeting and then his blue eyes widen when he spots the girl on the floor. “Tegan.”

“Hi, Luke,” the girl says.

The girl and the newcomer seem familiar with each other. Suddenly, I remember the shouted conversation I overheard the first day I came here. The woman was screaming for the man to keep out of her daughter’s life. And the man was yelling back how someone ought to intervene since her mother didn’t seem up to the task. So this Luke is Mr. Meddling. I read the plaque next to his door.

Lucas Keller

Psychologist

Marriage Counseling, Couples Therapy, Family Specialist

Mmm, interesting pairing.

I never noticed we were sharing the floor with a divorce attorney and a couple therapist.

“What is she doing?” Luke asks, sounding mad.

“She’s working late,” the girl says. “Big surprise…”

“Up,” Luke offers her a hand. “Come wait inside my office.”

They disappear behind the door just as the elevator arrives. I attach Chevron’s leash and follow the boss inside.

Richard scoffs. “What’s the point of having kids and then acting like they don’t exist?”

“That seems a little harsh. You don’t know that girl’s mother. The woman is probably doing the best she can.”

“It’s not the first time our neighbors have argued about the girl.”

“Still not your place to judge.”

Richard gives me a hard stare. “You seemed pretty quick on passing judgments yesterday.”

Ah well, Richard, gut-wrenching jealousy does turn me into an ugly person.

I can’t really say what I’m thinking, so I keep quiet, already regretting taking the boss up on his offer for a lift home.

***

Richard drives some sort of vintage sports car. I’m not sure what the make is, but I gather at first glance what the car isn’t: cheap, ordinary, American. The wheel is on the wrong side so I have to mount from the left. Richard hops in next to me, starts the engine, and drives away at an alarming speed.

After only two turns, I’m already convinced I’m going to die. Sitting on the left side of a car in a right-driving country is no fun. It gives me the impression we’ll slam into the opposing traffic at any second. I turn to Richard to protest but find I can’t.

The boss is looking straight ahead with a fierce, assured expression. One hand on the wheel, the other on the gear stick. His feet work the pedals, and our speed increases once again.