Page 23 of Free to Breathe
I let out a long sigh. I wasn’t planning on having my raw emotions caught on camera. “Okay. Sure. Fine. But not now. I wasn’t planning on starting until after dinner.”
Setting her camera down on one of the clean worktables, Holly hitches up on a stool. “Late night planned?”
Nodding, I reach down for the bottle of water I’ve been nursing all day. “I just finished the Marino wedding cake.”
“Yum. The one with the cannoli filling?” Holly’s smile is as bright as her magnificent red hair.
“Shh, don’t say it so loud. You know Phil has a radar for leftovers. If you want the extra filling, you can have it later, after you’re done taking pictures.”
She jumps up and goes into the walk-in fridge for a few moments. When she comes out, she’s wearing a smug smile. “What did you do?”
“I used your tape and a Sharpie to relabel it as peas. You know he’ll never go after it then.” We both break out in gales of laughter knowing our brother hates English peas.
“Diabolical. I love it.” Leaning over to give her a high five, I start to feel a bit woozy. I quickly mask it by glancing at the clock. “Damn, is it one o’clock already? I shouldn’t have missed breakfast this morning. I need to eat.”
Holly frowns. “I noticed you’ve dropped a lot of weight, Cori. Why?”
Because I might be dying. Because I’m so self-conscious since Colby came back into our lives. Take your pick.“It was time for me to look at what I was putting into my body and determine what was healthy. I want to be around as long as possible.”
Nothing of what I’ve said is a lie. It’s just not the entire truth.
Then again, nothing since that night with Colby Hunt has been.
Crossing to me, Holly gives me a swift hug. “You’re nothing but skin and bones, Cori. I’m worried. Are you sure this is healthy?”
“My doctor hasn’t objected,” I tease her gently. And Bryan hasn’t. He also hasn’t said anything about it. He’s more concerned about what’s inside my head than what’s swirling around my hips and ass.
“Just promise me that you’re not letting some stupid guy tell you that you have to lose weight,” Holly threatens, cupping my face. “You’re beautiful now, but you were a knockout before.” She bursts out laughing. “What am I saying? You’ve known that forever. Seriously, even Colby had a thing for you back in school. I still don’t know why you two didn’t get together back then. I figure it was just bad timing with everything that happened to us.”
I had just taken a drink of water and choke on it. “Please. The last thing Colby Hunt had was a thing for me. He thought I was a relative of the bovine family, Holly. I even heard him say something to that effect once.” And trust me, once was more than enough.
And just that quickly, the puzzle pieces fall into place for Holly. “That’s why you stopped being friends with him, isn’t it?”
“One of a few reasons, yes. Colby forced me to grow up hard and fast.” It feels good to let some of the steam from the pressure cooker off. Twiddling with my bottle cap, I drop it on the table. “I was nothing more than a game to him.” Without waiting for her response, I continue. “In one breath he encouraged me to trust the world and that it was safe to turn out the lights.” I meet Holly’s empathetic gaze. “Then he plunged me into the dark all the while laughing.” Finishing the bottle of water, I snag the cap off the counter and toss it into the trash. It makes a swooshing sound as it lands. “Why should I let someone like that into my life?”
Holly contemplates her camera. “Does he know you overheard him?”
I bark out a laugh. “If he didn’t want to be overheard, he shouldn’t have said it, Hols. Now, you asked why I doubt Colby had feelings for me? Users don’t have them. He wanted something, he found a way to get it. I just happened to learn that the hard way.” Too hard.
Holly moves toward me and wraps her arms around me, giving me a hug. We stand like that until we’re interrupted by the phone ringing.
Crap. The phone. Bryan is calling with my results.
“Hols…” The phone stops ringing. “I really need to get back to work.” The phone starts ringing again. “Why don’t you come back around—” I glance up at the clock, which reads a quarter to three. “—seven, to watch me decorate the cake? I still have one more to do before then.” Which I hope I don’t screw up after Bryan tells me what he’s going to tell me.
The phone stops ringing. He’ll give it one more shot.
“Okay. But promise me you’ll eat something before you start.” Holly makes her way over to her camera and picks it up. Before I can answer, the phone starts ringing again. She laughs out loud.
“After you answer that call. I’m guessing they’re about to receive an infamous Corinna Freeman tongue-lashing between your being hangry and your schedule.”
You have no idea, sister, I think to myself. Quickly picking up the handset, I answer, “Amaryllis Events, can you please hold?”
“Yes, Corinna,” Bryan’s voice comes through the line, quiet and patient, giving nothing away.
Placing the call on hold, I turn back to my sister. “So, seven? I might start on the cake before that though,” I warn.
She waves off my concern as she makes her way to the kitchen door. “I just need a few good shots, Cori. You probably won’t even know I’m here.”
