Page 30 of Snapshot

I look around the room and watch the ripple effect of nods and mumbles of support.

“A very nice sentiment,” Tori says with a look of reluctance on her face. “But unfortunately, you don’t have the power to do that. You’re an advisory board. Not a board of directors. Your minimal shares were gifted, and any and all of your input was implemented at Mrs. Hessler’s discretion.”

Peter Richmond chimes in next, a newer board member but a pioneer in eCommerce. He was brought on about five years ago as a lynchpin in our new merchandising endeavors. “I don’t mean to sound crass here, but all we need is a marriage certificate for the inheritance, right?”

Tori peers at him quizzically. “Yes. It has to be a legal marriage.”

“Then…uh, can we just hire a wife?” Peter turns his attention to me and widens his eyes. “Or, pardon me. I shouldn’t assume… Wife or husband?” he asks.

“Wife,” I reply.

“My niece is an aspiring actress. She’s twenty-two and a little ditzy, but I’m sure she could slip on a ring for the right price and pretend to be married to Dex for a year until she could relinquish the shares. She doesn't have a lick of common sense, but she’ll sign the papers where we tell her to.”

Tori looks at me and lifts her eyebrows. She’s probably the youngest person in this room, yet suddenly seemingly the most level-headed and sensible. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t just hear a ploy to fraudulently fulfill this will?—”

“It doesn’t have to be fraudulent,” Peter assures her.

Wonderful. Apparently, my board of advisors not only provides counsel for my company but can fetch me a wife at the drop of a hat. The epitome of resourcefulness.

“And anyway, it’s a dangerous game to play,” Tori advises. “There is no red tape here. Whoever claims the company as Dex’s spouse will be directly stepping into Mrs. Hessler’s business shoes, so to speak. But she’s not inheriting any wealth. Just whatever salary comes with being the CEO of Hessler Group.” Tori gestures to me with her palm toward the ceiling. “In an effort to access a mass fortune, she could sell Hessler Group off in pieces, absolve the company, fire you all, dismiss your pensions. She would have the power to drive this company straight into the ground and walk away with history’s biggest personal payout.”

“She’d never,” Peter says.

“Are you sure?” I ask as the sickening realization overcomes me. “What do you think a twenty-two-year-old would choose if billions of dollars were in reach? Sixty-hour work weeks in an office, or a life of luxury, jet-setting across the globe?”

Peter shudders. “Okay, good point. Plan C?”

“There is no Plan C,” Denny says as she points to the stack of papers in front of me. “We could continue to offer futile suggestions, but I assure you, knowing Dottie, she already thought of them all. There’s only one solution here.”

“Which is?” Hank asks, his voice full of snippy agitation. He’s always had a mild irritation with Denny, who has no problem inserting herself into business matters of Hessler Group. On more than one occasion, he told her to mind her place. But all she wanted was to protect Grandma and me, and she had no qualms going toe-to-toe with the powerful men in the room.

Denny doesn’t address him and instead tilts her head to the side, meeting my eyes with a pitying stare. “Dex, I think you should return to Las Vegas, take a couple days to rest, and get your affairs in order. You should have time to mourn Dottie in peace. I’ll take care of all of this for you. I’ll find you a wifewho can run Hessler Group for a year, then hand it right back. Someone we can trust.”

A wife I can trust?

At this point, resurrecting Grandma seems like an easier feat.

8

Lennox

Present Day

Las Vegas

My ass is aching from the hard ground, but I don’t care. I’m in a good mood today. The lukewarm breeze is so pleasant. It’s a perfect park day. Alan and I packed a picnic of all things. The weather is unseasonably warm for December, so we thought we’d take advantage of his day off.

I’m munching on baby carrots as Alan tries to prep me for my interview as the day shift concierge at Camden Hotel on Bateman Street. I caved and took the interview he set up. Mostly by accident. After our awkward encounter where he caught me with a vibrator in my hand, I just wanted to do something to stay on his good side. When I brought it up, he was so excited to help me get back on my feet. But it was a stupid move. I don’t know what I was worried about. Alan only has good sides. He wasn’t angry with me. And now, I’m about to interview for yet another job I’ll despise.

“So, I wouldn’t bring up the fact that you got fired from Advantage Insurance. If they ask, you do have to say you were terminated, but make sure you mention it wasn’t for anything violent or issues with other team members. Camden is big on camaraderie. At least for the management track, so just something to keep in mind.”

I’m only half paying attention to Alan as I tuck the extra fabric of my short sundress between my thighs and clamp my legs together. Then, I lie back on the polka-dot picnic blanket. The breeze catches something delicious-smelling—funnel cake, churros, something fried and sweet. If I had more motivation at the moment, I’d go hunt down a snack.

I grab my phone and turn it face down on my belly, but as soon as I do, it buzzes, tickling me.

Dex

Professional panda cuddler. But you’d have to move to China.

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