Prologue

It’s too bad you’re not my brother and I’d embroider your whole initials.

You don’t have to be a man’s sister to embroider their shirt.

I don’t want you to misjudge me, Mr.Mr. Stevens. I’m not the kind of a girl that talks to strangers. My friends would die if they knew I was talking to a man whom I had not been properly introduced.

You don’t need to be scared of me, girlie. I treat all women like they was my sister. Till I find out different.

A girl alone in New York can’t be too careful, especially a girl in my position. You take at Dr.Dr. Quinn’s, where I work⁠—he’s one of the best dentists there is, and he has lots of men patients that would be only too glad to start a little flirtation. Why even Doctor himself was fresh, the first day I met him. It turned out he wasn’t really, but it seemed that way. He put his arm around my shoulders and I jumped away from him like he was a leopard or something, and I told him, I said, “Doctor, I guess I don’t care to work here after all.” Then he laughed and said forget it, that he was just testing me. He said he didn’t want an assistant who was inclined to flirt. And from that day he’s never made any advances, except once or twice.

He’d keep his distance if I was around.

I wish you could be.