Emerson gave a slight shrug. “They met at Johns Hopkins. She was finishing her law degree when he was in residency. She comes from a nice family, was Miss Whatever, beautiful, blah, blah. Of course, the family liked her because they’re pretty accepting to most people, but I never really liked her that much.”
“Really?” My eyebrows furrowed. “You seem like someone who will like anyone, too.”
“Which is true,” she said. “But once I was a part of this family, I started seeing Dex like my own younger brother, so I became protective. I felt like he fell under her spell and cared more about the pretty package she came in than what was truly underneath. Yes, she does philanthropic work through her practice and she smiles brighter than the sun, but I always felt like she wanted Dex because of his success and his looks, not really who he was inside. You know what I mean?”
I nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense.”
“And Dex just didn’t see it. I don’t blame him. It happens. But I never felt like she valued how selfless and dedicated he is to taking care of people, which is a really strong value in this family. When she bragged about him, it was always about his education, their penthouse, his practice, but not once would she tell people that Dex started his charity organization to help people, that he basically works for free for Doctors Without Borders to provide health care to patients who have no access to it. If anything, she was always annoyed when he was gone for a couple weeks.”
All I could do was stare because I was so shocked by the admission. It was those qualities that made me kiss the ground he walked on, that made me so excited to come to work every day, to work ridiculously long hours and help him as much as possible. It wasn’t his wallet, his success, or his looks that made me feel so strongly toward him. It was his heart. “He deserves better, so much better.”
I sat with Cleo at her desk at the Trinity Building, stopping by to give her an update about everything. “I didn’t realize funds were so low until Dex told me a couple days ago. He’s seeing a lot of patients, and since he tells me to accept all patients, regardless of insurance, we’ve kind of turned into a Medicare office.”
“And he’s seeing a lot more people than he used to—because of you.” Cleo had that motherly look in her eyes, drenched in pride, speaking so highly of her son like she worshiped him the way I did.
“I’ve done everything I can to help him, but I really can’t take much credit.”
“Yes, you can,” she said. “When I started helping my husband, every aspect of his life was taken care of so he could do the one thing no one else could—heal people. And he could dedicate all his time to it and do even better than before. It makes all the difference in the world, Sicily. They say behind every successful man is a woman. Well, I think the women standing behind my husband, Derek, and Dex are badass bitches.”
I chuckled loudly, loving the way she spoke her mind sometimes. She was professional all the time, but sometimes she let out a bit of flair and attitude, and I adored it. I knew where Dex got his sense of humor from. It definitely wasn’t his father. “Anyway, I think I need to schedule a gala event to get those donors quickly. I was thinking the Four Seasons? Your brother-in-law works there, right? Maybe he can get us a discount? I’m not trying to be stingy, but we really don’t have a lot of extra cash right now.”
“Oh, he’ll definitely hook you up.” She grabbed a card and wrote down his number. “Give him a call. He’s the general manager there.”
“Perfect.” I slipped it into my wallet. “Oh, and thank you for having my family over for Christmas Eve last week. They had a great time, and watching Daisy sing…was really special.”
She placed her hand on my back and gave me a gentle rub. “You’re welcome, honey. We loved having you. My husband loved the pie, which is saying something because he doesn’t really eat sweets.”
No surprise there…because the guy was ripped.
“And you know Dex wouldn’t shut up about it,” she said with a chuckle.
“Yes, I hear about it every day. I would have my mom make him more, but I don’t want him to need heart surgery himself.”
She chuckled. “Smart move.”
I rose from the chair. “I guess I’ll talk to you later.”
“Thanks for keeping me updated. You’re doing a great job.”
“Thanks. I don’t really feel like I’m doing a job, though…more of a passion.” I shouldered my bag, gave her a wave, and headed toward the front of the lobby where the double doors were located.