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Authors: Ana Corman

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BOOK: A Celtic Knot
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Catherine set the pouch on her desk, not yet ready for Olivia to leave. “Did Ruth make it home safely?”

“She did. I hear she has dinner plans with your mom this evening. I told her she absolutely has to come and pick up Abbott and Costello before midnight or I’ll let them loose in the neighborhood. You can just imagine the barrage I heard then. I told her to bring Dana over after dinner and then she can take those two pains in my behind home with her. She agreed to that plan, thank God.”

Catherine smiled. “Speaking of those two mischievous thrill seekers, how’s your head feeling this morning?”

“Much better than last night. I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to a ferret-free home.”

“I can just imagine.” She paused, not sure she was ready to ask her next question. “Wasn’t your appointment with Emma today?”

“It was. I saw her in my office this morning. I think she’ll do well. She’s a real fighter.”

Olivia held Catherine’s gaze, waiting. Catherine took a breath and managed not to look away. She wanted to hear about Emma but felt fearful of any bad news. She felt Olivia begin to withdraw.

Olivia glanced at the small gold clock on Catherine’s desk. “I should get going, unfortunately.”

Catherine reached for her arm. “I honestly care about what happens to Emma, Olivia. I care about your work and your patients. I’m just always imaging the worst-case scenario. I don’t know how much my heart can take of that. But I’ve got to try and get past my own fears. Please, tell me more about your appointment with Emma.”

Olivia stepped closer and laid her hands gently on Catherine’s shoulders. “I’m going to remove that lump for her. I’ve ordered her a series of preop tests. She said she’s been feeling like her heart’s racing lately so I’m sending her to see a cardiologist. Having a cardiologist for a housemate comes in handy—Echo was able to schedule her an appointment in three weeks. Hopefully she’ll clear her for surgery.”

Catherine stepped into Olivia’s arms. “Emma just wanted a fighting chance, and that’s what you’re giving her. You’re my hero.”

“I like the stories where the hero gets the girl.”

Unable to resist, Catherine touched her lips softly, slowly, and sensuously to Olivia’s and felt immersed in her raspy, wanton moan. She stared into those sultry amber eyes. “I have no self-control when you hold me close. I hadn’t meant to do that.”

Olivia skimmed her thumb along Catherine’s moist lower lip. “I’m glad you did.”

Catherine sat on the love seat staring down at the puzzle pieces spread on her father’s wooden chest. When the door opened, she looked up and smiled to see her mother. “What’re you doing here on your day off? I thought you had a bunch of running around to do today.”

Dana joined her daughter on the love seat. “Most of it’s done already. I was in the area, so I thought I’d stop by and hear the details of the fiasco with Abbott and Costello. I kept visualizing all of you dashing around that bathroom trying to catch Ruth’s beloved pets. Thank God she has no idea the kind of adventure they’ve had.”

“You’re not kidding.”

Dana glanced down at the chest. “Is this a jigsaw puzzle?”

Catherine nodded. “Olivia stopped by the store at lunchtime. She gave me pieces to a puzzle she wants me to put together over the next two weeks. She’s going to send me thirty-six new pieces every day. It sounded fun at first, but I can’t make any sense of it.”

“What a wonderful idea.” Dana leaned closer and picked up one of the pieces. She laid the piece back on the chest and picked up another. “Look how beautiful this one is. It looks like part of the wing of a butterfly.”

Catherine shook her head as she studied the puzzle pieces. Some of them showed lush foliage, others what seemed to be drapery.

“Look,” Dana said. “This one’s an edge piece. Let’s put it off to the side. And this one has some sky in it, so we can put it near the top.”

“You’re much better at this than I am.”

“Just be patient, darling. Every day you’ll have new pieces to work with.”

They tried the pieces in different positions as Catherine filled her mother in on the night before. “Would you like some of my homemade chicken soup? I pulled a big container out of the freezer and brought it in this morning.”

“I’d love to have some of your soup, but I’m off to buy a new outfit for tonight. Nothing in my closet seems right for sushi.”

Catherine tilted her head and looked closely at her mother. “You always say you have enough clothing in your closets to last several lifetimes. You don’t usually worry about having something to wear.”

“I know, but I feel like wearing something new.” She stood, then leaned down and kissed her daughter. “Wish me luck in my shopping.”

Catherine followed her mother out of the office, and watched her wave as she headed for the coffee shop. She leaned back against the doorframe, thinking she couldn’t remember the last time her mother looked nervous about going out with a friend.

Twenty-Two

R
UTH DROVE HER METALLIC BLUE
Porsche Boxster onto Dana’s driveway and put it into park. She locked it with the key remote and headed for the ornate pine front door, a floral pattern etched in the half-moon window above it. This was the third time she’d come to pick up Dana to take her to dinner and each time she thought of how the house perfectly suited Dana and her personality. It was the house that Catherine grew up in and Dana had shared with her husband. The lawns and flowerbeds were always immaculately manicured. It was a beautiful bungalow, with stone pillars and sloped roofs. It gave an ambiance of welcoming warmth.

Ruth rang the doorbell and heard the deep resonant chime that reminded her of church bells. The bolt slid on the door and Dana appeared in the open doorway. She was stunning in a purple-lined tank dress created in two flowing layers. It didn’t matter how many times Ruth reminded herself that Dana was a straight girl. Her heart lurched and her chest felt like it was filled with surging light every time she saw her.

“Welcome home, Ruth. Please come in.”

That harmonic sweet voice always encompassed Ruth like a warm embrace. “Thank you. It’s wonderful to be home.”

Dana closed the front door and kissed Ruth’s cheek, as she’d been doing over the past year when they’d gotten together for dinner. Ruth inhaled her light flowery perfume before tentatively stepping back. “It’s so good to see you. You’re wearing that lovely plumeria scent.”

Dana blushed. “I know how much you like that perfume, so I put it on for you.” Dana touched a strand of light brown hair at Ruth’s ear. “You got your hair cut shorter since you left for Phoenix.”

Ruth ran her hand aimlessly across the top of her hair. “I did. I needed something different. What do you think?”

“I like it very much. The style suits you perfectly. Short and sassy.”

Ruth placed her hands on her hips. “Are you calling me short?”

Dana smiled as she reached into the front closet and pulled out her cardigan. “Hardly. However, sassy suits you perfectly.”

Ruth took the cardigan from Dana’s hands and held it out for her. “You look absolutely radiant this evening, Mrs. O’Grady. I love that purple dress on you.”

“Thank you. You look rather dashing yourself in that cream suit.”

Ruth looked down at herself. “Thanks. I thought it gave me the sassy look I was going for.”

Dana smiled as she reached for Ruth’s arm and guided her out the front door. Ruth unlocked her Porsche and opened the passenger door.

Dana hesitated. “You do remember that we’re picking up Abbott and Costello later?”

“How could I possibly forget? Olivia’s reminded me at least a dozen times today. She even left a Post-it note on my windshield.”

Dana laughed. “Then where do you propose to put them and all their stuff?”

Ruth gave her a charming smile. “I thought I could ask you to hold their pet carrier in your lap. All the rest of their stuff Olivia can bring to work tomorrow.”

Dana rolled her eyes and slipped into the passenger seat. “What I won’t do for you.”

Ruth leaned against the open door. “That’s what I was hoping you’d say. Besides, I wanted to take you somewhere before we head to dinner. The drive is so much nicer in my Porsche than my Expedition.” Dana looked at her quizzically as she slowly closed her door.

Ruth maneuvered down the driveway and turned down the tree-lined street. “How’s you mother?” Dana asked.

“She’s getting better and stronger. They’re getting her out of bed every day and she’s taken several steps with a walker. She hates the thing but she needs the support while she learns to walk again. She’s going to a rehab facility tomorrow for a couple of weeks and then she should be able to go home.”

“I’m so happy to hear how well she’s done.”

“Me, too. She had me worried. But her strong spirit has made me proud.”

Dana smiled. “Like mother, like daughter. How did it feel to get back to work?”

“It was wonderful. I had a lot of catching up to do on my patients and what has happened in the last week. Olivia and our other partners did a fabulous job in my absence. At our staff meeting today, I couldn’t thank them all enough for covering for me. Olivia had the audacity to say that this week just showed them all how dispensable I was.” Dana’s laughter filled Ruth’s soul. “We had a silicone model of the breast sitting on the table and I picked it up and threw it right at her. It was pretty hilarious to see it bounce off her chest and land upright in her lap. Quite the odd anatomical image.” Their laughter filled the car as Ruth negotiated the next curve.

Dana let the rich leather of the seat envelope her as Ruth sped north along Interstate 5. The drive along the winding coastal highway was exhilarating. The homes always seemed precariously balanced on the hillsides as the ocean collided with the land below. Brilliant, abstract streaks of deep orange-red stained the evening sky as Ruth exited Interstate 5 onto Torrey Pines Road in La Jolla.

Dana looked at Ruth as she expertly guided the sleek sports car along La Jolla Boulevard. She never quite understood why she felt so completely safe and at peace when she was with Ruth. She felt a bond with her that seemed ageless and precious.

Ruth saw an intensity and startling warmth in Dana’s eyes. “Penny for your thoughts.”

“I was just thinking how much I enjoy being with you. I was also wondering where you were taking me.”

“We’re going to close a chapter, Dana.” Ruth guided the Porsche up the steep incline to Mount Soledad and pulled up beside an old Spanish church.

Dana was astounded by the huge, white-walled structure. The main building towered high into the sky with six massive bells suspended at the top. The small cemetery to the east was well kept with rows of simple white crosses as headstones. “I know you would never take me to church before feeding your tummy.”

“You’re so right about that.”

Dana could hear the roar of the ocean as they walked across a well-manicured lawn and stopped at a rough-hewn wooden fence. Dana looked down at the jagged cliffs awash with foaming salt water. A group of seagulls cried out to their mates as they swooped onto a treacherous ledge. The abstract splash of red-orange dipped into the ocean beyond the horizon. The gentle breeze swirled the scent of the ocean around them. “This is such a beautiful spot. I’ve never been here before.”

“I was hoping you’d like it.” Ruth slipped her hand into the pocket of her cream blazer and pulled out a pill container. She held it out to Dana. “These are for you.”

“What’s this?”

“It’s filled with pink breast-cancer M&M’s. I was hoping we could pretend they were your Tamoxifen pills. I know you said you dreamed of getting to this five-year mark and finally being able to toss your pills in the ocean. I’d hate to see the dolphins and seals overdose on Tamoxifen so I filled the container with M&M’s instead.”

Ruth saw the tears glisten in Dana’s eyes. She unscrewed the lid and shook the M&M’s into Dana’s hand. “When I was a kid my grandmother would always bring me to the beach by her house. I loved throwing shells back into the surf. She told me that every time you throw something back into the ocean you’re supposed to make a wish. So now that you’ve accomplished your dream of making it to the five-year mark, you have to make a wish of what you want from your life from here on in.”

Dana gently balanced the pink M&M’s in the open palm of her hand. She stepped before Ruth and touched her face. “You’re very special.” She turned and faced the wooden fence and closed her eyes. She brushed away the tears on her cheeks and bowed her head. She stood stone still as the breeze flirted with the layers of her purple dress. Moments later she raised her head. She took one step back and took one M&M from the pile before tossing the rest high into the sky. They both looked down and watched each chocolate treat plop into the raging surf.

Ruth stood close beside her. “What did you wish for?”

“I took the liberty of making a wish for each M&M you gave me. I wish for continuing good health for myself and everyone I love. I wish to walk in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure as long as I can. I wish to visit the Vatican. I want to take a hot-air-balloon ride. I’d like to go back and visit Ireland. I want to see the bookstore continue growing in its success. I want to see Catherine in a happy relationship.”

BOOK: A Celtic Knot
10.26Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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