“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.