coffee shop at four o’clock, right on schedule. He waved at Catherine with a handful of mail and gave her his usual endearing smile. “Top of the afternoon to you, Ms. Catherine.”
“Top of the afternoon to you, Tom. When did a die-hard Texan become so Irish?”
He placed a stack of mail on the counter and dug into his huge shoulder bag. “All these lovely St. Patrick’s Day decorations bring out the best Irish in me.” He pulled three packages out and handed them to Catherine. “Where’s your lovely mother this bright and beautiful Thursday?”
“She headed out to run some errands.” Catherine glanced at the packages. Her heart jumped as she noticed that one of them was addressed to her, from Olivia Carrington.
“Lovely as a rose, your mother is. I’ve been trying for years to get her to have dinner with me but she won’t have any of it. But I’m not giving up. Someday she’ll see what a great catch a Texas cowboy can be.”
Catherine smiled. “Tom, you’ve been married and divorced four times. I think your track record has you hog-tied in my mother’s eyes.”
“Maybe it’s her I’ve been looking for my whole life.”
“I hate to disappoint you, but my mother has said my father was the only man for her.”
Tom heaved the bin of outgoing mail onto his big shoulder. “How am I supposed to compete with that?”
“You’re not. Just be her friend, and she’ll adore you for it.”
“All I can say is your father was one very lucky man for having both of you.”
“Actually, Tom, we were the lucky ones.”
“I believe that to be true. See you tomorrow, Ms. Catherine.”
Catherine slipped into her office and tore open the package from Olivia. She found a stack of articles inside, stapled together with a note on pale yellow paper. Secured to the top right-hand corner of the note was a silver-plated and enameled pink-ribbon tack pin. Scrolled across the ribbon was Find a Cure. Catherine set the pin against the small treasure chest on her desk and read the note, feeling her excitement over the package ebb.
Dear Catherine,
I thought you might find these articles interesting. They explain the current breakthroughs in cancer research, the focus of today’s research goals, and how money is spent on prevention, early detection, treatment, and research. The best article is the last one discussing the success of current breast cancer therapies. I wanted you to see how many people are working hard to prove the power and success of Western medicine. The enemy is working hard to win you over.
I was given a bunch of those breast cancer tack pins by one of our drug representatives. I thought you could put it in your office and every day it would remind you that so many people are truly working hard to find a cure.
Take care of yourself, Catherine. Please give me a call when you have a spare moment.
Warmly,
Olivia
Catherine took a deep breath. It distressed her how easily distracted she was by thoughts of Olivia. She felt challenged by her intelligence and insight, warmed by her sense of humor and charm. But their lives were so different, so contradictory. Contradictions that could never be overcome.
She flipped through the articles. She was deeply grateful this research was being done, and that women like Emma had a chance to fight their cancer because of it. She admired Olivia for immersing her life in the world of medicine. A world she needed to shield herself from to protect her sanity.
She was about to set the articles aside when she noticed a pink letter-size envelope at the bottom of the stack. Curious, she opened it, unfolding a copy of Olivia’s third-grade report card. She burst into laughter as she scanned down the straight A’s and read the teacher’s comments at the bottom of the page.
She sat for a moment, pulled in two directions, then reached for her cell phone and dialed Olivia’s cell number. A fluttering sensation tingled her skin.
“This is Dr. Carrington.”
“Did I
“Top of the afternoon to you, Tom. When did a die-hard Texan become so Irish?”
He placed a stack of mail on the counter and dug into his huge shoulder bag. “All these lovely St. Patrick’s Day decorations bring out the best Irish in me.” He pulled three packages out and handed them to Catherine. “Where’s your lovely mother this bright and beautiful Thursday?”
“She headed out to run some errands.” Catherine glanced at the packages. Her heart jumped as she noticed that one of them was addressed to her, from Olivia Carrington.
“Lovely as a rose, your mother is. I’ve been trying for years to get her to have dinner with me but she won’t have any of it. But I’m not giving up. Someday she’ll see what a great catch a Texas cowboy can be.”
Catherine smiled. “Tom, you’ve been married and divorced four times. I think your track record has you hog-tied in my mother’s eyes.”
“Maybe it’s her I’ve been looking for my whole life.”
“I hate to disappoint you, but my mother has said my father was the only man for her.”
Tom heaved the bin of outgoing mail onto his big shoulder. “How am I supposed to compete with that?”
“You’re not. Just be her friend, and she’ll adore you for it.”
“All I can say is your father was one very lucky man for having both of you.”
“Actually, Tom, we were the lucky ones.”
“I believe that to be true. See you tomorrow, Ms. Catherine.”
Catherine slipped into her office and tore open the package from Olivia. She found a stack of articles inside, stapled together with a note on pale yellow paper. Secured to the top right-hand corner of the note was a silver-plated and enameled pink-ribbon tack pin. Scrolled across the ribbon was Find a Cure. Catherine set the pin against the small treasure chest on her desk and read the note, feeling her excitement over the package ebb.
Dear Catherine,
I thought you might find these articles interesting. They explain the current breakthroughs in cancer research, the focus of today’s research goals, and how money is spent on prevention, early detection, treatment, and research. The best article is the last one discussing the success of current breast cancer therapies. I wanted you to see how many people are working hard to prove the power and success of Western medicine. The enemy is working hard to win you over.
I was given a bunch of those breast cancer tack pins by one of our drug representatives. I thought you could put it in your office and every day it would remind you that so many people are truly working hard to find a cure.
Take care of yourself, Catherine. Please give me a call when you have a spare moment.
Warmly,
Olivia
Catherine took a deep breath. It distressed her how easily distracted she was by thoughts of Olivia. She felt challenged by her intelligence and insight, warmed by her sense of humor and charm. But their lives were so different, so contradictory. Contradictions that could never be overcome.
She flipped through the articles. She was deeply grateful this research was being done, and that women like Emma had a chance to fight their cancer because of it. She admired Olivia for immersing her life in the world of medicine. A world she needed to shield herself from to protect her sanity.
She was about to set the articles aside when she noticed a pink letter-size envelope at the bottom of the stack. Curious, she opened it, unfolding a copy of Olivia’s third-grade report card. She burst into laughter as she scanned down the straight A’s and read the teacher’s comments at the bottom of the page.
She sat for a moment, pulled in two directions, then reached for her cell phone and dialed Olivia’s cell number. A fluttering sensation tingled her skin.
“This is Dr. Carrington.”
“Did I
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