Page 129 of Snapshot

I stomp my foot against the dock. The unsteady board bends underneath my feet. “Needs some maintenance,” I say. “This whole dock has to be rebuilt, and that thing”—I point my thumb over my shoulder—“is a safety hazard. The wood is well beyond rotted. It has to come down.”

Lennox’s eyes bulge. “Mr. Hessler, have you no magic in your soul? You can’t rip this place apart. This is your legacy.” She steps out of her sandals and sits down carefully at the edge of the dock, dangling her feet so the very tips of her toes touch the water line.

“Please be careful, Len,” I say.

“Sit with me,” she instructs, patting beside her. Len seems completely unbothered by the splintering wood. She plants her hands behind her and leans backward. Her flowy tank top catches the breeze, and it melds to the obvious curve of her stomach.

“You’re finally starting to show.” I sit down next to her so carefully, as if my weight could snap the boards and send my five-month-pregnant wife right into the water below.

Lennox cradles her stomach affectionately with one hand. “He’s getting pretty big. But the reason my stomach looks like it’s about to pop is that footlong I just wolfed down.”

I cackle. “Baby, I think that’s my favorite thing about you.”

“What is?” She tents her hand over her forehead, protecting her eyes from the sun as she turns to look at me.

“Two years of being a billionaire, and you still ask for Subway every time we’re on the road.” Lennox craves a sandwich at least three times a week. She’s enjoyed her Italian B.M.T.s all throughout the pregnancy thus far. Just these days she has them nuke the deli meat in the microwave first.

She laughs. “Honestly, I’ve grown to appreciate the fancy shoes, but you will never ever convince me to eat caviar and pâté again.”

“Fair enough,” I respond with a chuckle.

A dreamy smile on her face, Lennox takes in a panoramic view of the entire dock. “Hmm,” she murmurs.

“What’s on your mind?”

“I feel really close to Dottie right now.” She picks up the picture she set beside her, then scoots closer to my side. I wrap my arm around her shoulder, and she cuddles in next to me. “We both sat here, pregnant…in love.” She hands me the Polaroid.

“You can’t know she was pregnant in this picture.”

“Yes, I can. See the way he’s looking at her? Like it hurts… I bet you this was the night they said goodbye. They must’ve taken a picture to mark a memory. She was pregnant and walking away from the love of her life. And it broke him to let them go.”

I stare at the picture, trying to make sense of the situation. “If they were that in love, he shouldn’t have let her go. He should’ve fought harder to make something of himself and take care of his family.”

Lennox turns down her lips and shakes her head. “I guess that’s one way to look at it. You were born into privilege. But when you have nothing and your family’s wellbeing is at stake…that is love. Wanting what’s best for them even if that means saying goodbye.”

I put my hand over Lennox’s stomach. “That’s not my kind of love. There’s no goodbye for us, Len. You’re stuck with me forever.” I wink. “Make your peace with it.”

Lennox

I tuck the Polaroid carefully into the back of my jean shorts pocket. For a while, Dex and I sit quietly, enjoying the tranquility as the sun starts to set. We came back to Miami this week for the big annual board meeting. Over the past year, I’ve been watching and learning for the most part. I never thought I’d have an interest in corporate business. Actually, I still don’t. But I am very interested in people.

I like to understand what motivates people. What makes employees loyal and determined, or what makes them give up. Spencer is my eyes in the corporate office. We offered her a spot on the marketing team, but she really hit her stride as Hank’s executive assistant. She’s loyal and smart, so Hank is attached. Spencer likes that Hank calls her Ms. Brenner, and never asks her to fetch his coffee. It was a good match. Not to mention, now Spencer gets first dibs on all the juicy office gossip and keeps me well-informed on the morale of the company.

That’s my dream for Hessler Group. Dex is busy building a rich empire, while I want to make sure that the people building the empire are never put on visual leadership boards for comparison purposes. They should never have to endure customers calling them profane names as they bite their tongues or face being fired for standing up for themselves. I’m not a numbers girl, but I know this company needs me. It needs a pulse and a heart. I have a voice…a powerful one. I’m learning to use it.

I know Dottie’s end goal was to help Dex find love. But even if it’s just a hunch, I like to think that she had me in mindfor bigger things, too. That I was always a part of the picture. Love, loyalty, and family—all the things Dottie wanted for her grandson and her company. Who knows…maybe I was the key.

“Are you ready to go, baby? It’s about a thirty-minute drive back to our hotel,” Dex says. He squeezes my shoulders before hoisting himself up and holding his hand out for me.

“What’s going to happen to this place?” I grunt as Dex tugs me to my feet.

“I have no idea.” He collects my sandals and slips them back on my feet one by one.

A little off balance with my belly getting bigger, I have to brace myself with my hand on his shoulder. Dex rises and then scours my face as I flutter my eyelashes at him.

“Oh, no,” he murmurs as if he can read my mind.

I nod. “Oh, yeah.”

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