A few hours later, Dr. Hamilton knocked on my open door. “I can tell you’ve been here a while.”
“Early bird gets the worm, right?”
He stood in front of my desk in his dark blue hoodie and jeans. “I don’t mind doing my part, Atlas.”
“And I don’t mind coming in early. You were gracious enough to keep me at part time.”
“I would do it for any of my employees. You’re doing great things with your time. That’s all I care about.”
“It’s really no big deal. You’ve got a company to run.”
“No. My wife has a company to run.”
I closed my laptop and put it to the side. “She’s the CEO?”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“And she does a much better job than I do. It allows me to focus on the things I care about, while trusting someone to keep the company going in the right direction.”
“That’s a nice partnership.”
“Yeah, she’s great. The only person I could have settled down with. If we hadn’t met, I’d probably be a terminal bachelor.”
“You guys must have a lot in common, then?”
He shook his head. “Not really.”
“Oh.” That was surprising, but I tried not to be rude.
He took a seat in the armchair in front of my desk. “When I moved to Manhattan, she was my concierge for the building that housed my penthouse. I was a bit of an asshole at the time, but she pulled me out of it. She’s so smart, so hardworking, everything I could never be.”
“That’s interesting. I pictured you with a scientist.”
He shook his head. “She’s not a scientist and doesn’t even have a college degree, but she’s very smart. As you can tell because we’re still together. Don’t think we could be together if she didn’t constantly stimulate my mind.”
“Yeah, I can understand that.”
“I’m sure you’ll meet her soon. She hops in and out throughout the day. Comes into my office and bosses me around before she leaves.” He smiled, like that was the most enjoyable part of his day.
“How long have you been married?”
“Since I was thirty-four, so thirty years.”
“You’re sixty-four?” I asked incredulously.
He gave a smile along with a shrug. “Eat well. Avoid the sun. Stay in shape. It’s the fountain of youth.”
“Apparently.”
“If you think I look good, you should see my wife.”
I chuckled.
“She’s still got it going on…I’ll leave it at that.”
As our conversations continued, he showed a different side to himself, slightly comedic, laid-back, open. When I’d first started, he was a bit stiff, giving lots of stares and lots of silence. “I’ll have the numbers soon. When I do, we can discuss what to do next. I’m excited to implement the trials because I think it’s going to be as successful in humans as it is in mice.”
“I hope so. It will be groundbreaking if it is. In my experience, research is never what you want it to be. You can’t have tunnel vision about it because if you look too closely, you won’t see how it could be practical in another way.”
“Good advice.”
“And if this doesn’t work, there’s always the next idea.”
I nodded in agreement.
“And you’re young. You’ve got a long career ahead of you.”
“I think you have a longer career because you look better than I do.”
He gave a slight smile. “This is why I like to work with you every day.”
I sat behind my desk at the clinic, getting through the paperwork I’d neglected over the week. Everyone was already gone for the day, and I had to wave my arm every so often to keep the motion-sensitive lights on.
The lights started to flicker on in the lobby, so I knew someone was here.
And I had a strong suspicion who it was.
Daisy had left with everyone else hours ago, but she’d returned, in tight yoga pants and a workout top underneath a jacket with the zipper halfway down. Her hair was back in a slick ponytail, like she’d just gone to the gym or intended to go afterward.
In the tight-fitting clothing, I could see how lean and toned her legs were, how tight her stomach was, how drop-dead gorgeous she was. I hadn’t really noticed it before because we didn’t get along in the beginning, but I definitely noticed it now. Her thick, dark hair was pulled back, providing a detailed highlighting of the features of her face.
She noticed my lights were on, so she let herself inside. “I’m trying to remember a time when I stepped into the clinic and you weren’t already here.”
I straightened in my chair and ignored the chart I was working on. “That’s a shame because it’ll probably never happen again.”
“You’re a bigger loser than I am.” She set her bag on the armchair in front of my desk.
“I prefer to think of it as dedication instead of lameness.”
“Come on, we’re both nerds. Just accept it.”
“I’m not a nerd. I’m a high-achieving, successful, handsome man.”