I quickly moved to the door and closed it to make sure Sicily couldn’t hear my sister’s crassness. “Can you tone it down a bit?”
“Tone down what?” She already had one candy unwrapped, and she popped it into her mouth.
“You know.” I sat on the couch across from her then waved my hand in a circle in front of her. “All of this.”
“Sorry, hun. This is how I come. No returns, exchanges, or discounts.”
“Well, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t objectify my assistant and throw out the word bitch while in my office.”
She sucked the candy then rolled her eyes. “Coming from the guy wearing jeans and a hoodie from Target…”
I ignored the jab.
“Seriously, that woman is fine. You think you’re gonna be able to work with her and not get up on that?”
“You sound like the one who wants to get up on that.”
She chuckled then opened another wrapper. “So typical. A woman compliments another woman, and that can only be possible because she’s gay. Come on, Dex. You’re better than that.” She placed the candy in her mouth. “If I see a woman who looks amazing, has the best dress or the best shoes or whatever, I’m gonna say it. That woman is a fine piece of ass, and that’s just the truth.”
“You think I don’t already know that?”
“So, you’re gonna for it, then?”
“No.” Daisy didn’t have a problem talking to me about my personal life because she didn’t have that protective-older-brother instinct like I had. She treated me like a friend without a filter.
“Oh… That must be mean you’re gay, right?” She narrowed her eyes, hitting back at my previous comment.
My only response was a glare.
“Alright, alright.” She relaxed into the couch and scanned the office, looking at my bookshelves and the large wooden desk next to the window. It was a cold day, but the sun shone through and brought some heat to the office. “I like your setup here. It’s cozy. It’s not anxiety-inducing like other doctor’s offices. But I have one recommendation.”
I stared at her.
“You have some fitness magazines in the lobby. Chuck them. Who wants to think about working out while waiting to see the doctor? Actually, who wants to think about working out at all? Replace them with some Sports Illustrated swimsuit editions and hot firefighter magazines for the ladies.”
I shook my head slightly. “Sometimes I can’t believe you’re this brilliant doctor, with all the shit that comes out of your mouth.”
She shrugged. “I can’t believe it either sometimes.” She opened another candy and placed it in her mouth. “You want to get together later tonight? Derek invited us over to watch the game.”
If I got together with my family, they would ask me about my appointment with Mr. Torres, and since I didn’t know how that was going to go, I wasn’t sure if I’d want to discuss it. “I’ll let you know.”
She studied my gaze as her face slowly turned serious. “Sure.”
25
Sicily
Daisy stopped by my desk before she left. “Keep up the good work.” She winked then headed to the coatrack to grab her jacket and walk out. With perfect grace and poise, she stepped into the elevator then disappeared.
I noticed she had the same eyes as Dex, but she also had that dark hair like her father. She was the most laid-back family member I’d encountered so far, making jokes and never taking herself too seriously. It was strange to meet a woman so classically beautiful and intelligent but also down-to-earth.
I had no idea what made that family so humble.
How did they get that humility while being so beautiful and brilliant?
Dex came out a few moments later and walked up to my desk. His arms rested on the counter, his sleeves pushed to his elbows, showing off those tight forearms covered in a web of veins. “I know Daisy is a lot. Hope she didn’t offend you.”
“Why would she offend me?” I asked, eyebrows furrowed.
“Well, she’s…” He paused as he tried to find the right words. “Just a bit much.”
“I like it. She’s fun.”
“If you say so.” He glanced at the clock on the wall to see the time, clearly counting down the hours and minutes until his first patient stepped into the office.
I tried to get his mind off it. “She’s really beautiful.”
His eyes moved back to me. “Yeah.”
“You sound disappointed by that.”
He thought for a moment before he shook his head slightly. “She’s like a beacon of light that attracts everything around her, the good and the bad, and I just never want the bad anywhere near her.”
“Meaning?”
He shrugged. “There’s no guy out there good enough for her, basically.”
My eyes softened. “That’s sweet.”
“I understand why other cultures do arranged marriages where the family chooses the spouse of their children because it’s just easier that way. Safer. I never want her to get hurt. Never want her spirit to be crushed.”