“Let’s not do the whole goodbye thing because I’m fucking cold.” She moved to the sidewalk and whistled loudly to attract a cab. She got one quickly then turned to Mason. “Babe, come on.”
He ignored her and extended his hand to Sicily. “Nice to meet you.”
“Yeah, you too.”
He came to me next, and when he shook my hand, he leaned in close. “In case you haven’t noticed…she wants you.” Then he walked off and joined my sister at the curb. She scooted into the cab first, and then he joined her. The cab pulled away.
Sicily turned to me. “It looks like you two buried the hatchet.”
Once the headlights were gone, I turned my gaze back to her, standing with my hands in my pockets. I looked at her bundled up in my coat, her cheeks pale like the snow on the ground and her eyes bright like the stars we couldn’t see right now. “Yeah, I guess he’s alright.”
“That’s great.” She tightened her arms over her chest to trap the body heat from my coat against her. “Well, I think that went well…for the most part. Thanks for inviting me.” She started to remove the jacket.
My hand moved to her shoulder. “Keep it on.” I nodded toward the street and stepped to the curb to grab us a cab.
She came with me, holding on to that coat like it was her favorite blanket.
When the cab pulled over, I opened the door for her.
“Are you sure you don’t want it back?”
“You can give it to me after I walk you to your apartment.”
Her eyes lit up at the offer, like I was Prince Charming. “Dex, you don’t have to do that—”
“It’s late, and the only reason you’re out is because of me. Come on, get in.”
She slid into the seat, and I joined her. The cab surrounded us with warmth, but it also surrounded us with the scents of all the other passengers who had sat in these same seats, and it smelled like the worst part of the city.
When we arrived at her apartment, I walked her to the front door, and once she got it unlocked, she stepped inside and shed the coat she’d become so attached to. Her petite figure was revealed once again, her hourglass frame in the tight cardigan with the buttons that went down the deep V in her top. She was in black jeans that were skintight and black boots, her curled hair falling around her shoulders when all the layers of warmth were gone.
Yeah, she was definitely attractive.
I noticed it the first time I looked at her.
Damn, she was fine.
I didn’t realize it so much at the beginning of the night because I was flustered about the situation, but now it was impossible not to notice. If we were sitting in the same bar, I’d definitely be the most charming man on the planet to get her back to my place so she could sit on my face.
But…she wasn’t doing that.
She was my assistant.
My friend.
That was it.
I scrubbed my jawline and the coarse hair that had grown in since this morning. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Alright.” She smiled at me, but her eyes showed her disappointment, like she didn’t want me to leave.
I ignored it, ignored what Mason had said, and stepped into the hallway.
“Dex?”
“Hmm?” I turned back around, disappointed that I had to look at her rocking body and those emerald green eyes that looked like they belonged in a cartoon rather than reality.
“I know that was…a bit weird, but I think you did great.”
My eyebrows furrowed. “Are we talking about the same thing here?”
She released a quiet chuckle. “I know it was bumpy, but I think it’s really sweet that you care so much about your sister. Yeah, you may have come off as an asshole a little bit, but it’s just because you care—a lot.”
I cared too goddamn much. That was my problem—with everything. “Thanks.” I grabbed the coat and put it on before I turned to leave again. “Thanks for joining me. It was definitely better than going through it alone.”
Her eyes had their own special smile. “You’ll never have to do anything alone, not when you have me.”
The office was quiet because it was lunchtime. I had thirty minutes to eat and go over paperwork before the next person came in. Most offices had an hour lunch, but we simply didn’t have that kind of time.
My door was open, so I heard voices from the lobby.
“Hey, Sicily.” His deep voice carried into my office, immediately recognizable because that voice had been an essential part of my life. “How are you?”
“I’m good, Dr. Hamilton,” she responded. “How are you?”
“Please, call me Deacon.”
“Alright,” she said. “You guys are all alike.”
Dad didn’t respond to that. “Is my son available? I’m at the hospital today and have a break. Thought I’d stop by.”
I didn’t make Sicily go through the motions. “Dad, come in.”
His footsteps became louder and louder as he approached the open doorway. He stepped into my office, wearing his blue scrubs, his watch, and his wedding ring, and scanned the room. “You’ve got a nice setup.”
“Thanks.” I got to my feet and gave him a quick hug. “You want to split some lasagna?”
He ignored the question altogether and took a seat on the couch across from me.
I sat back down and continued to eat. “Have some downtime? Never seen that happen before.”
His knees were wide apart as he sat comfortably on the couch, one elbow propped on the armrest. He looked out the window for a moment before he turned back to me. “We never have time. We make time.” His closed knuckles propped against his cheek. “How’s it going over here?”
I leaned back and continued to eat. “You know, too many patients and too little time.”
“But you never turn anyone away, right?”
“I do my best, Dad.”
He gave a slight nod in approval. “Good.”
“How are things with you?”
He considered the question for a long time before he answered. “My research team recently got approval from the FDA for a new drug that’s effective against a certain type of cancer cells, and I’ve administered it to my patients during this round, and it seems to be working.”
“That’s great, Dad.”
He nodded. “Yeah, I’m hopeful. You have surgery tomorrow?”
“Yep. A couple, actually.”
He looked at me, his eyes open with an observant stare, like he just liked to look at me sometimes.
I was used to it at this point. “How are you and Mom?”
“Good. Finished our Christmas shopping.”
Oh shit, I totally forgot about Christmas.
“Are you coming to the cabin?”
“Ugh…I don’t even know what my schedule is.” I turned to the doorway. “Sic? Do you have my schedule for the month?” I honestly didn’t know what the date even was. I knew the day of the week, but that was it.
Sicily walked in a moment later and handed me the paper she printed out. “I didn’t schedule you for the week since Christmas falls on a Wednesday this year.”
I took the paper and stared at it.
Dad turned to her. “What are your plans?”
“I’ll stay with my parents in Connecticut,” she said. “My brother will probably come down too. What about you guys?”
“We usually spend the holidays at our cabin in Connecticut,” he answered. “Looks like we’ll be in the same—”
“This isn’t going to work.” I looked up at her. “I can’t just take this time off. That’s so many appointments and surgeries that are off the table. I just need the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth off. That’s it.” I set the paper on the coffee table.
Sicily brought her hands together in front of her waist, in a long sweater dress with high boots, a belt keeping the fabric tight around her waist. She looked like a supermodel…like always. “Dex, I think it’s acceptable to take the week off. You’ve b
een working a lot, and it would be nice for you to spend time with your family.”
“Uncle Tucker will be joining us,” Dad said. “He’d love to see you.”
“Dad, it’s not that I don’t want to spend time with you guys. But I have commitments.” I turned back to Sicily. “Put me back on the schedule, alright?”
She fidgeted with her hands like she didn’t know what to do. I was her boss, so she was just supposed to do whatever I said. “Dex, Andrea and I have already made plans—”
“I can manage on my own.” It was just for a few days. It might be hectic, but whatever.
Sicily looked at my dad, like she was silently asking for help.
Dad stared at me. “Son, the time is already scheduled off, and you’ve been hustling like a madman. We’re thrilled you’re back at work, but you need to take time for yourself. Work will still be there when the holidays are over. Patients understand that.”
Sicily turned her gaze back to me, waiting for my reaction.
“When is Christmas?” I asked.
“Next week,” Sicily said. “We could pencil patients in, but lots of people make plans for the holidays too, so you probably wouldn’t be as booked up as you’d normally be anyway.”
Fuck, I didn’t realize it was so soon. “Alright…” I needed to get presents for my niece and nephews pronto.
Dad turned to Sicily. “Whereabouts in Connecticut are you located?”
“About twenty miles north of Overton,” Sicily said.
“What a coincidence.” He dropped his closed knuckles from his cheek and straightened. “Our cabin is about fifteen minutes away. You should stop by and celebrate with us.”
“Oh, that’s so nice of you to offer.” She turned to me, as if waiting for my permission.
I was only partially paying attention because I was completely unprepared for Christmas. “Yeah, the more, the merrier.”
“Well, thank you for the invitation.” She excused herself and left the office.
Dad turned back to me. “I’m excited to spend some time with you. This is my favorite time of the year because I can have snowball fights with my kids and grandkids, have Mom’s special hot cocoa, and decorate the tree with you guys.”
I took my commitment to my patients seriously, but when my dad looked at me like that, I realized I had a commitment to my family too, the people who’d always been there for me, who loved me in a way no one ever would. “Yeah, me too.”
When the day was over, Sicily came into my office. “I’m going to head out. I have a couple errands to take care of before tomorrow.”
I got to my feet and left my paperwork behind. “Actually, I wanted to ask you for a favor.”
“Anything. It’s what I’m here for.” She came farther into my office and took a seat on the couch, crossing her nice legs, her head slightly tilted so her hair slipped off her neck and fell farther down.
“I totally did not know Christmas was next week.”
A knowing smile came on to her lips. “Yeah, I picked up on that.”
“So, I need to hustle and get my Christmas shopping done.”
“Well, I already grabbed a couple boxes of French chocolates from this special chocolatier here in the city. I thought you could give that to your parents, your grandmother, your siblings, and your aunt and uncle. I also picked up a couple toys for your nephews. I grabbed Lizzie a nice sweater.”
Stunned, I just stared at her. “Uh…you didn’t have to do that.”
“I know.” She tried to suppress the smile on her face, one of those warm looks that reflected everything going on inside her body, like she was happy she’d given me this pleasant surprise. “But my job is to make your life easier, so I made sure that carried over into this holiday season.”
I started to feel like a goddamn king, having a servant who did my bidding without my even having to ask. “Well…thank you.”
“Of course.”
“Now I just need to get you something.”
She made a loud scoff. “I got myself a box of chocolates, so you’re covered.”
I wanted to get her something else anyway, as a thank-you for everything she’d done for me, but I was drawing a blank at the moment. All I really knew about her was that she dressed nice, had a big heart, and liked chocolate, apparently. “It’s a small world, huh? That your parents live so close to my family cabin.”
“It’s a really small world,” she said. “I had a hole in my heart that could have killed me, and now I work for a heart surgeon. And come to find out, my family lives just a few miles from yours. It’s funny.”
Yeah, funny.
“I know your dad invited me because your parents are, like, the nicest people in the world, but I don’t want you to feel obligated to have me over or anything. You see me twenty-four seven, so I’m sure you could use a break.” She flipped her hair and released a laugh.
“I don’t mind at all. Bring your parents too, if you want.”
She gave me an incredulous look.
“Like I said, the more, the merrier.”
7
Sicily
I would never say it to Dex, but it was really nice to have some time off.
I was hustling all the time, taking care of emails and other things when I was at home in the evenings. Even when I wasn’t physically in the office or at the hospital or the research center, I was still working.
Didn’t have much of a life because of it.
But the pay was unbelievable and I loved my boss, so I would never complain.
My parents had a small place on a little land in the countryside. They used to have an apartment in the city where I grew up, but when my grandmother passed away, they moved in to her old house because it was a lot more affordable. My dad was a manager at the grocery store, and my mom stayed home.
After my surgery drained their savings, they never really recovered.
I always felt guilty about that, but after a couple more paychecks, I was going to send them on a nice trip to the Bahamas or some place tropical.
My parents never, ever went on vacation, and they deserved it.
I stayed in the guest bedroom, and we watched Christmas movies and did our holiday traditions, like decorating the tree, making homemade pies, and just catching up. I hadn’t seen them much since I started my new job.
My mom scooped the filling into the pie plate lined with uncooked dough. “So, it didn’t work out with that man you were so excited about?”
I knew this was unavoidable, so I just pushed through it. “No, Ma. I already told you that.”
“But I thought you guys might work it out…” She smoothed out the pumpkin pie mixture in the pan.
I worked on the blueberry one. “No. He’s history.”
“Hmm…what a shame.”
No, it was a shame we were together in the first place. “I’ve moved on, so it’s fine.”
“You’re seeing someone?” Her head popped up so fast, her eyes wide with joy. “Why didn’t you bring him? Baby, what’s he like?”
“Whoa, Ma. Calm down.” I continued to work on the pie. “I’m not seeing anybody. I just mean I’m over the guy.”
Mom pressed her lips tightly together, so disappointed that she couldn’t even try to hide it.
“This is the twenty-first century. Women don’t need to settle down at eighteen anymore.”
“I understand that, baby. I just want to know you have a good man to take care of you because your father and I won’t always—”
“Knock it off.” I hated it when my parents turned morbid, like they were on death’s doorstep when they were fine. They acted like they were older than they really were, I swear. “I can take care of myself perfectly fine.”
“Not the same, baby.” She shook her head. “Not the same. Have you even dated or anything?”
There was nobody on my radar—at all. “Honestly, I’ve been really busy at work.”
“Well, that jerk of a doctor needs to give you some time off
.”
“Ma, he’s not a jerk. He’s a really great guy, actually.” And the only person that I was remotely interested in. Honestly, he made it even harder to date because no guy would ever compete with Dex Hamilton. He was not an option, but my mind continued to wander to him, to notice the way his clothes fit his chiseled body, to feel my heart ache when I watched him selflessly take care of people as if they were his own family members. The guy was a fucking dreamboat. “He gave me the week off, didn’t he?” Not willingly.
Mom and I continued to work, to make more pies than we could possibly eat so we could give them to the neighbors and other friends and family.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, so I pulled it out. It was Dex. Hey, want to come for Christmas Eve tomorrow? Appetizers, hot cocoa, booze, some music… It’ll be a good time.
I should just keep my distance since I already spent so much time with him, but I couldn’t turn him down, because spending Christmas Eve with Dex sounded really nice. His family was great, and he was honestly my closest friend right now, because we spent so much time together. Sure. I’ll be there.
Invite your folks too.
“Wow, look at that smile.” Mom placed the first set of pies in the oven then pulled off her mitts. “Who are you talking to?”
My smile immediately dropped. “My boss. He invited us over to spend Christmas Eve with him and his family.”
“In Manhattan?” she asked incredulously.
“Actually, they’re staying at their cabin just fifteen minutes away.” I returned my phone to my pocket. “I’ll probably go over there for a couple hours, just to be polite.” That was a total excuse. I wanted to ditch my family to see my super-hot boss, but I didn’t feel guilty about it because I’d been with them for days, and they had me all day on Christmas and the day after.
“And we’re invited?” she asked in surprise.
“Yeah,” I said. “They’re like that, pretty open to everyone.”
“Well, it would be nice to meet this boss of yours. The way you talk about him, he sounds like a superhero.”
“Because he is, Ma.” I said it proudly because I’d never been so proud of anyone in my life.
The Doctor Who Has No Closure (Soulless Book 10) Page 7
