Page 4 of Snapshot

“Well, I’m putting time on your side. Go have a life all your own while you can, Dex. Make memories. One day, those memories will carry you through the bad days.”

“Grandma, I can’t leave you by yourself.” He grabs the deed, glances it over while shaking his head, then hands it back to me. “I won’t.”

Refusing to take it, I answer simply, “You have to. You’re fired, and now you own a dive shop.In Las Vegas.” Crouching down, I kiss his cheek, then his forehead. “I’ll expect you at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and whenever else you’re missing home.”

His chuckle starts as disbelief, then turns eager. It’s as if I can see the acceptance slowly saturate his face. “What about income? Am I just fired, or are you kicking me off the bank accounts, too?”

I smirk. “I just bought you a dive shop. Perhaps sell some flippers.”

He scowls and then mutters, “Sassy,” under his breath.

Laughing, I ruffle his hair before taking my seat and cradling my drink once more. “How about an allowance from your trust?”

Dex stands to inherit everything once I’m gone. But for now, his trust is allocated at my discretion. Harrison and I both agreed that no teenager or young man needs immediate and total access to his billion-dollar fortune.

“What’d you have in mind?” he asks.

“I think exercising a little humility in Las Vegas might help you attract a different crowd than you do in Miami. No household staff or personal assistants. Establish your own accounts. Buy a house. I’ll release twenty million from your trust. That should be enough to support the dive shop. And you always have your black card for emergencies.”

“Okay. Good idea.” His words are drawn out and distracted. His eyes shift to the left, and I can feel his trepidation.

“Is that not enough?” I ask.

I didn’t raise my grandson to chase luxuries. He’s not one to purchase ostentatious cars or houses to prove a point. His only real indulgences are travel and extravagant diving trips. I’ve happily supported that hobby his entire life. Scuba diving keeps his anxiety under control, and I can’t remember the last time he got in the ocean. He finished grad school and then barricaded himself in his office.

He nods slowly. “More than enough.”

“Then what’s on your mind?”

Dex shakes his head then runs his hand through his hair. “I’ve never actually had a utility bill in my name. Or grocery shopped, for that matter. I guess I have a lot to learn.” Dex pats the tops of his thighs, and the loud clap thunders through my quiet office. He stands. “All right, it’s late. Are you ready?”

“You go. I need to finish my letter. Joe has the car outside. He’ll drive me home. Are you staying at your penthouse or headed back to the estate?”

“I can spend the weekend at the estate. Want to have breakfast tomorrow?”

“Lovely idea. I’ll have the chef make that brioche French toast with the berry sauce and bring it out to the marina.”

Dex gently grabs my hand and kisses the top of it. “As long as there’s bacon.” He smiles. “Goodnight, Grandma. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

He stops in his tracks halfway to the door. “Hey, I have a question about your friend.”

My heart knocks, my adrenaline bubbling in my veins.Did I say too much?“What about him?”

“You said he passed away. Why are you still writing letters?”

Because true love transcends death, Dex.“Like you said…lost apologies, sweetheart. Now, get out of here. Give your grandma some privacy.”

He closes the door gently behind him. For a moment, I sit in silence. Forcing Dex to move out of this bubble, even temporarily, means I’ll truly be alone. My heart sinks at the impending reality, but the look of relief on Dex’s face confirmed what I already knew. He needs this.

After a few more swigs of my drink, I uncross my stiffened legs and will my aching body to move back to my desk.

I pick up my pen and start off on a new trail of thought.

I missed you by a sliver, and I’ll never stop wondering if maybe you looked me up, too. Did I fool you? Did you think I was happy?

Did you honestly think my happiness could exist outside of you?

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