by Corman, Ana
Catherine was defenseless. She took Olivia’s face in her hands. She skimmed her thumbs beneath those torrid amber eyes, and along the outline of her jaw. She felt the heat of Olivia’s hands as they formed to her hips and glided across her lower back, pulling her away from the door. She leaned into Olivia’s embrace, unable to resist their shared desire.
Catherine touched her lips to Olivia’s and plunged into a kiss that rendered her mindless. The softness of Olivia’s lips, the gentleness of her touch, the unmitigated desire churned deep in Catherine’s soul.
They both struggled to catch their breath as Olivia pulled Catherine in tight and held her with her waning strength. She brushed her lips against Catherine’s temple. “That certainly did nothing to strengthen my patience.”
Catherine smiled. “It’s your fault. You started it.”
Olivia reached down for Maya’s pet carrier. “Let me walk you to your car before I don’t give you the opportunity to leave.”
Twenty-One
CATHERINE CAREFULLY PLACED THE TRAY holding her cup of lemon herbal tea and bowl of homemade chicken soup on her desk. She settled into her chair and tucked herself into her father’s old mahogany desk. As a child she spent countless hours sitting in her father’s lap as he tried patiently to explain the infinite rows of numbers he processed for the clients of his accounting firm. She could still remember the scent of his cigars that always sat in the crystal ashtray on the edge of his desk. She swiveled in her chair and smiled at the screen-saver image of her favorite photo of her parents. They looked so blissfully happy. Neither knowing that would be the last carefree photo taken of them together. Her father was diagnosed and died that same year. It was so hard to believe that was eight years ago.
She held the cup of tea in both hands and breathed in the fruity aroma. She leaned her head back against the rich leather and looked into her father’s crystal blue eyes. “I wish you were here to meet Olivia, Dad. She’s so incredible. But you know me and all my insecurities. I question everything. I wish you could tell me what to do. I just need a sign.”
Catherine was jarred from her thoughts by a soft knock at her door. “Come in.”
She swiveled in her chair and saw Olivia standing in the doorway. She stood. “Olivia! What are you doing here?”
“I told Ruth I needed to escape for a bit at lunch. I wanted to see you.”
Olivia opened her arms and Catherine stepped into them, luxuriating in the intense heat of the embrace. She spread her hands wide, feeling the contours of Olivia’s back through the plush suede of her jacket as the light scent of her perfume filled her senses.
She brushed her cheek against Olivia’s before hesitantly stepping back and taking her hands. “Olivia, it’s so important to me that we’re open and honest with each other. I need to say this. I hate mind games and I would never do that to you. My body wanted what happened last night, intensely. I don’t regret that kiss at all, but I’m not sure my heart was ready for it.”
“I know that. And I respect your request for time. I’m not going to push you in any way, Catherine. I’ve made it perfectly clear that I want you. It’s now up to you to decide what you want from me. I feel blessed to have your friendship. If that’s all you give me I’ll learn to live with it. But I want you in my life in whatever capacity you’ll allow. No demands and no pressure. I came here this afternoon mainly to tell you that. Special Agent Laura even pointed me toward your office.”
Olivia trailed her hands down Catherine’s arms, squeezed her hands once, then let go. She looked with admiration around the spacious office, decorated beautifully in bright greens and gold. Catherine’s forest green leather executive chair and large antique mahogany desk were nestled by a small window. Four filing cabinets filled one wall and a shelf of pictures and plants filled the opposite wall. A gold suede love seat sat nestled among four antique chairs. In the center of the circle of chairs sat an old wooden chest as a coffee table.
Olivia walked to Catherine’s desk and picked up a small treasure chest sitting beside the computer. She balanced the treasure chest in the palm of her hand. “This must be the treasure chest you told me about, where you put all your dreams and wishes.”
Catherine stood before her. “It is. I love treasure chests. I love their mystery and intrigue. The coffee table is an old chest my father’s family has owned for six generations. The one you’re holding is very special. My parents bought it for me in Dublin when we went on our first family vacation there. I was five at the time. That’s where I put our fortunes from our fortune cookies.”
Olivia placed the chest gently back in its rightful place. “Have you been following your heart lately?”
“I’ve been trying.”
“Good girl.” Olivia reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out a small emerald-silk purse-string pouch. She held the bag before Catherine and dropped it into her outstretched palm.
Catherine opened the pouch. She peeked inside then shook several puzzle pieces into the palm of her hand. She looked up at Olivia with a questioning frown.
“Every day for the next two weeks I’m going to give you thirty-six pieces to this puzzle. The puzzle has a total of five hundred pieces. The completed puzzle has a message for you that I’d like to convey. Once you put the puzzle together, we’ll see if the message means the same to you as it does to me.”
Catherine looked both pleased and perplexed. “I was never very good at puzzles. I wouldn’t even know where to start, with so few pieces.”
“The beginning’s the hard part. But the pieces will keep coming. In the meantime, it’s up to you how much time you want to see me. You know the demands on my time. I just want what’s best for you.”
Catherine returned the puzzle pieces to the pouch. “Right now, I don’t want to let you go. But I convinced myself this morning that I need a few days without seeing you. That may be the only way I can put things in perspective. I think I need to honor that.”
“Then I will, too. I know this has been an intense time for you, Catherine. You’ll receive your puzzle pieces every day, but other than that you won’t hear a word from me.”
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 house
mate 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
RUTH 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.”
