A Celtic Knot Read Online Free PDF Page A

out his tongue and shoved it back down his throat.”
    “Well, in that case I wish Olivia had been delayed a little longer.”
    Dana laughed. “As far as I’m concerned, Olivia made everything right again the moment she stepped into the examination room. However, Catherine felt a little differently. I wasn’t sure who she wanted to kill first, Olivia or Dr. Snyder.”
    “Olivia told me. She feels really bad about the way things ended today with her and Catherine. She hopes to have a chance to talk to her, once the dust settles.”
    Dana crossed her legs and stretched her arm across the back of the couch. “That could be wishful thinking. You should have seen them together, Ruth. There were murderous sparks flying all over the place. It’s amazing we all walked away from that unscathed.”
    Ruth laughed. “Do you think there could be something there between Catherine and Olivia?”
    “That’s a lovely thought, but I don’t think so. The last person I could imagine Catherine getting involved with would be a surgical oncologist.”
    “What a shame. We could each find a partner for someone we love in one little match-making venture.”
    Dana smiled. “After what I saw today, that’s highly improbable. How are you, Ruth? You must be exhausted after everything you’ve been through today.”
    “I’m tired. I’ll make sure my mom’s settled for the night then I’m heading to her house to get some sleep. It’s been a stressful day for you too. But I wanted to congratulate you on your clean mammogram and breast exam. It’s been five years now, Dana. You can stop taking your Tamoxifen.”
    Dana skimmed her fingertips across the seam in the plush suede. “I needed to hear it from you before I felt totally comfortable with it.”
    “You have my permission to stop taking your meds. You’ve made it to five years without recurrence, Dana. I’m so happy for you.”
    “Thank you. When I dreamed of achieving this milestone I promised myself I’d toss my remaining pills out to sea. Now that the time is here I’m terrified to let them go.”
    “I know. It’s like letting go of a trusted friend.”
    Dana anchored her foot on the antique black cherry coffee table. “I couldn’t have done it without you, Dr. Ratcliff.”
    “I’m thrilled to have been there with you every step of the way, Dana. I’m even more thrilled to be considered a friend. I’d like the opportunity to celebrate your five-year mark with you. I’d also like to find a way to make it up to you for what you went through today.”
    “I rather do enjoy dinner with you.”
    “Sounds wonderful. It’s a date. I should get going, unfortunately. But I can’t tell you how much hearing your voice has calmed me.”
    “It was great talking to you, Ruth. Can I call you tomorrow to check on both of you?”
    “I’d like that.”
    “Good night, Ruth. Take care of yourself and your mother. Know that you’re both in my prayers.”
    “Thanks, Dana. That means a lot to me. Goodbye, my friend.”
    Dana clicked off her phone and held it to her chest. “Goodbye, my friend.”

Five

    O LIVIA SLICED THROUGH THE WATER of their indoor lap pool at a breakneck pace. She reached the end and executed a perfect underwater turn and headed in the opposite direction. Olivia saw the feet dangling in the shallow end and slowed her frantic pace. She reached for the edge of the pool beside Echo’s legs and surfaced. She gasped her next breath and pulled her goggles off her face and placed them on the deck. Olivia dunked herself to get the hair out of her eyes and wiped at the water on her face. She swiftly hauled herself out of the pool and sat beside Echo.
    Echo handed her a plush pink towel. “You look like a woman hell bent on beating the water into a foam rather than swimming in it.”
    Olivia lifted her face from the towel. “It’s been quite a day. Is Zoë asleep?”
    “She’s been sound asleep since nine. I was working on my paper about women and heart disease