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Back First Comes Love Save as PDF
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

Not one of drugs or alcohol abuse, abandonment, or delinquency. Simply the story of a business investment gone terribly wrong, and Sally’s inability to get back on her feet after she lost everything.

I keep reading the details of how Sally invested all her money in a business that ran profitably for fifteen years before she had to file for bankruptcy, losing not only the business but everything else she had, too. But it is the conclusion of the article that gives me pause.

Sally told me all this, not with an air of bitter regret, but with sweet nostalgia in her voice. And when I asked her if she’d change any of her past choices, she told me that no, she wouldn’t. She had followed her dream. Sally had bet everything she had and lost. But she’d do it all again, as those years had been the best of her life...

Richard ends the article with a question.

Would you risk everything you have for a dream?

I don’t know, Richard, would you? Seems clear the answer is still no. Is he comparing me to Sally’s business? Saying love will give temporary ecstasy followed by an inevitable hard crash? Why did Indira make me read this? I’m the “someone who once told him,” but she can’t know that. So what’s the message here? My brain and heart are too exhausted for guesswork. Sorry, Richard. If you want to tell me something, you’ll have to say it to my face.

After reading the enigmatic column, I spend the rest of the day battling my instincts. All I want to do is look Richard’s way, but instead, I force my gaze ahead, not straying once.

***

There’s an art in avoiding people. In the next few days, I perfect mine. I time everything so I’ll never risk crossing paths with Richard. Step one, arrive at the office before him and never leave last. Step two, wait for him to come back from his lunch break before I take mine. Step three, whatever else Richard does, make sure I’m always one step ahead or behind so we never bump into one another.

Wednesday night, dead tired after three days of sitting on needles, I’m slouched on the couch when my phone rings, “Umbrella Corporation HR” appearing on the screen. Yeah, I’ve renamed Évoque after the zombie-apocalypse-causing corporation in Resident Evil! What do they want? Aha! They realized their mistake and want me back.

My exile in Brooklyn is over!

“Are you going to pick that up or you’re just going to let it ring?” Nikki asks from the other end of the couch.

Oh, I’m so picking up. “Blair Walker.”

“Blair, good evening, this is Natalie Rivers speaking. I’m Emilia Peterson’s executive assistant.”

“Of course, Natalie. How are you?”

“I’m well, thanks. You?”