Read Online The Second Heart by K. K. Eaton - Free Book Online

cell
phone call, and she shifted to one side to dig the phone out of her
pocket. Miffed, Sammy jumped off her lap and onto the floor,
disappearing behind the partially open closet door.
    Meredith saw that she had a voicemail from
Miguel, and she realized that she had completely forgotten about
her dinner with him. She dialed his number without listening to his
message. When he didn’t pick up, she entered the code to listen to
his voicemail.
    “Hey Meredith, it’s me.” His voice sounded
strained, and there was a lot of noise in the background of his
message. “I hope you get this message soon, because I could really
use your help. I was coming home from work and got in an accident.
I’m fine, but my car isn’t drivable. I got a ride to the shop with
the tow truck, but I need a ride home. Call me back as soon as you
can. Bye.”
    Meredith glanced at the time, seeing that it
was now well after five. He’d left the message almost an hour
before. She tried calling him again, leaving a message when his
machine picked up. She worried that Miguel was deliberately
avoiding her call, since it was rare for him to not answer his
phone.
    Trying to shake off her feeling of
foreboding, Meredith rose from the bed, walking out to join
everyone out in the living room. She carefully closed the door
behind her so the cats wouldn’t get out of the bedroom.
    On her way down the hall, she detoured into
the bathroom for another dose of antacids. She didn’t bother
looking in the mirror, figuring that she probably was looking worse
for the wear. “No need to depress myself further,” she muttered.
She washed the antacids down with a few gulps of cool water from
the sink and then left the room.
    In the living room, Amelia and Vi sat on the
couch while Rob reclined in an armchair, sipping a glass of red
wine. The TV was turned on to the news, though everyone looked up
when she walked in.
    “Hon, you’re not looking so good,” Vi
observed.
    Meredith made a face. “Yeah, I don’t feel
that great. I think I might be coming down with something.” She sat
down on the floor in front of Amelia, who reflexively started
running her fingers through Meredith’s hair. Meredith leaned back
and closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of her mother’s fingernails
on her scalp.
    “Well, stay away from me,” Rob said, leaning
away. “I don’t want to catch whatever it is you’ve got.”
    “Your empathy is overwhelming,” Meredith said
sarcastically, without opening her eyes.
    Amelia smiled but said with a chastening
tone, “Go easy, Mere. Getting sick at our age is a different story
from getting sick at your age.”
    Meredith flicked her hand in the air
dismissively. “Fair enough.” She opened her eyes and sat upright
again, looking at the TV. “Any new news?”
    “Nope, except now they’ve moved on to trying
to figure out who to blame,” Vi replied.
    “Hmm. That didn’t take long.”
    “It never does,” Rob added, standing up. He
went into the kitchen and refilled his wine glass. “Anyone want
some vino?” he offered.
    “Sure, I’ll have some, Mr. C.” Vi sprang up
and joined him in the kitchen, pulling out a wine glass from the
correct cupboard and handing it to him to fill. She knew her way
around the kitchen as well as anyone else in the family.
    Having a few moments to themselves, Meredith
said, “Hey Mom, I’m sorry about the cats. I just have a soft spot
for anything with fur.”
    “Or scales, or feathers,” Amelia said with a
smile. “Thank you for apologizing, sweetie. I’m serious about the
three days, though. Got it?”
    Meredith nodded glumly, pulling her knees
toward her chest in response to a stomach cramp. “Ugh, my stomach
hates me right now.”
    “Did you get your flu shot?”
    “Yes, like a month ago.”
    “What have you had to eat today?” Amelia
reached around and laid a cool hand on Meredith’s forehead. She
shook her head slightly, as if to say, No fever.
    “Uh, not really anything. Coffee.