Read Online Butterfly Dreams by A. Meredith Walters - Free Book Online

big deal,” I said quickly, reaching out as if to touch her and then thought better of it. I clenched my hand into a fist and dropped it back to my side. “I know how hard it is to talk about your health stuff. I’d rather poke wooden toothpicks under my fingernails than explain what the hell ARVC is one more time.” I chuckled and it sounded wrong in my ears.
    Corin didn’t say anything and I almost wanted her to.
    “Beckett, Corin, hello!” Geoffery came over, his usual bag of mints open in his outstretched hand.
    “What’s with the mints?” Corin whispered.
    “Just take a few and smile,” I told her under my breath. Geoffery was a good guy. A little over the top with the whole mint thing, but I also knew he had to give up smoking and whiskey sours because of his heart condition. Who was I to begrudge a guy his fixes if they were healthy?
    “Thanks, Geoffery,” I smiled, taking a handful. Corin smiled too and took one, tucking it in her pocket.
    She patted the small lump. “For later,” she assured the older man, who grinned indulgently.
    Geoffery seemed pleased and moved on to hand out the rest of his treats before leaving for the evening.
    “He’s a funny old guy. Odd but sweet,” Corin mused before the silence fell between us again.
    “Well, I’d better get going. See you on Tuesday,” she said abruptly, attempting to put an end to any further conversation.
    “I’ll be sure to work on my tea preparation skills before then,” I said lamely. Corin gave me a strange look and arched an eyebrow.
    “And I’ll work on ways to blow smoke up your ass in order to appease your need for validation,” she quipped, and I laughed. Corin looked startled. Maybe she wasn’t trying to be funny. But I couldn’t help it. After a strained moment she was smiling again and then quickly covered her mouth as though embarrassed to be found enjoying herself.
    “You do that,” I snorted, grinning at her like a fool.
    Corin gave me a thumbs-up with an exaggerated wink. And then I was laughing even harder. She stopped trying to cover her mouth and laughed with me unabashedly.
    We were laughing together.
    Laughing over nothing and everything.
    It felt fantastic.
    I ran my hand over the sore spot on my chest and noticed Corin watching me with questions in her eyes, our mirth fading until it disappeared. The silence that followed was thick and heavy.
    “Why do you touch your chest like that?” she asked bluntly after a time.
    It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her to mind her own business. But she wasn’t asking to be nosy. She simply had a question she wanted an answer for.
    So I pulled down the collar of my shirt to reveal the bandage. “It’s my ICD incision,” I explained.
    “Does it hurt?” she asked, her eyes glued to something she couldn’t see. The thing that was meant to keep me alive.
    “It’s sore from the surgery but it’s not too bad. But I’ve heard it hurts when—” I stopped abruptly. I’m not sure why.
    “When it shocks your heart?” Corin filled in, and I was surprised she knew what it did.
    I nodded, smoothing my shirt back over the bandage.
    Corin was gnawing on her lip again, which was starting to look raw. Her brows were furrowed and she looked deep in thought. She started rubbing at her chest again, something I had noticed her doing during the group. Her dark eyes were clouded and worried. Her breathing was shallow and she looked pale.
    “Are you okay?” I asked, wondering if she was having another panic attack. I took her by the arm and pulled her toward a bench and had to forcibly make her sit. She resisted my help and tried to pull away from me, but I kept my fingers locked around her upper arm, worried that if I let go she’d fall over.
    “I’m fine,” Corin wheezed, and I didn’t believe her for a minute. She was still rubbing at her chest.
    “Take a deep breath. Tell me what hurts.” I knew firsthand the danger of ignoring the signs your body was trying to give