“I can handle myself, thank you very much.” Just to stick it to me, she took the beer Rhett bought for her and took a long drink.
Derek cleared his throat. “You’re seeing someone?”
I remembered that pretty boy in her apartment. Fit, good-looking, pulling off a leather jacket like it was made for him. His confidence was dangerously close to arrogance, and he didn’t seem the least bit intimidated that I was her brother—which told me he didn’t care whether I liked him or not.
That meant he wasn’t serious about Daisy.
Daisy answered Derek’s question before she continued to drink. “Yes.”
“The guy from the apartment?” I asked. “Mason?”
She turned to me, her fire simmering down at the change of subject. “Yes, in fact.”
I didn’t like the guy. He was a panty-chaser, bad boy, heartbreaker. My sister was way too good for a player like that. “It’s serious, then?”
“I wouldn’t say it’s serious,” she said dismissively. “I just really like him.”
“What does he do for a living?” Derek asked.
“Uh-huh.” She waved her finger in front of our faces. “We aren’t doing this interrogation bullshit. If and when I’m ready to bring a guy around to be grilled by the two of you, I’ll let you know. The only reason this topic was broached was because a hot piece of man made a pass at me. Not fair.”
I wanted to spit out my opinion of the boy toy she was keeping around, to warn her to steer clear of guys like that, but it wasn’t my place. Besides, I had the worst judgment in people…because Catherine was the biggest mistake of my life.
“We’re talking about you here.” She returned her elbows to the table and pointed at me. “Take the teaching position. Come on, you loved it.”
“Past tense.” I grabbed my beer and pulled it closer.
“The Doctors Without Borders position sounds exactly like something you would enjoy,” Derek said. “There’s no way you can do all three and stay on top of patient care, so I suggest you choose two. I’ve spread myself too thin before, and I don’t recommend it.”
“I don’t know about that,” Daisy said. “Now that you have an assistant, you should be able to juggle everything.”
“He shouldn’t spend all his time working,” Derek said. “There’s more to life than the job.”
“Well, I don’t have a life,” I said with a sarcastic chuckle. I took random women to my apartment and worked out. That was about it. Sometimes I’d hit the bar with a couple friends, but even then, it wasn’t much.
“For now,” Derek said. “But you will.”
I used to picture myself having the life Derek had, coming home to a couple of kids and a beautiful wife. Now that was the last thing I wanted. Derek had kids and Daisy would have kids, so there was no need for me to settle down and start a family. I could be a terminal bachelor and get plenty of ass into my sixties. “Then maybe I’ll do all three. The Doctors Without Borders option is only quarterly, so…”
“True,” Derek said in agreement. “Looks like you’ve made your decision.”
“You like your assistant?” Daisy asked. “Mom said she was great.”
“Yeah, she’s cool,” I said noncommittally, thinking about the last conversation we’d had, when her words had sunk into my flesh and dissolved into my heart.
“Have you seen Mr. Torres?” Derek asked.
I shook my head.
Daisy watched me with her shrewd gaze, and even though she probably had a lot she wanted to say, she chose not to.
Derek moved his hand to my shoulder and gave me an affectionate squeeze. “You’ll get there, Dex. I know you will. I never thought I would launch another rocket, but when the time was right…I did. You will too.”
The elevator doors opened, and I stepped into the office.
I stilled as I surveyed the area because it looked completely different from the last time I was there. The lobby had a large area rug with an assortment of couches and chairs, the natural light coming through the window and giving it a modern sleekness. There were paintings on the walls, and in the entryway was a table with a tall sculpture on top.
Sicily had texted me and said she wanted to show me something at the office.
I figured out what she wanted to show me.
“Sic?” I stepped farther inside and saw the coffee station for patients and then examined the large desk with computers already set up. There were vases of real flowers and subtle music in the background that made the place feel more like a spa than a doctor’s office.
It would definitely reduce the blood pressure of my patients before they came in to see me.
Her voice came from down the hallway. “What do you think?” She left the entrance to the hallway and emerged, wearing a long-sleeved sweater dress with brown boots. There was a brown belt secured around her waist, drawing in the material to show off her hourglass figure. Her heels tapped against the hard floor as she came closer to me, her curled hair bouncing slightly with her movements.