Page 78 of Snapshot

Denny lets out a sharp laugh. “Never heard that one before. I may need to borrow that,” she says.

I smile wide. “All yours.” The ice is melting, and I’m far more comfortable now. Maybe a little transparency and vulnerability is all we needed.

“Speaking of a paycheck,” Dex murmurs, then rises and disappears into the house. He returns with a document mailer. “Denny, thank you for having this overnighted.”

She smiles and ducks her head in a short nod. “Of course.”

After settling back into his seat, he rips the envelope open, then surveys the documents inside one by one before handing them to me.

“What’s all this?” I ask.

“Your new bank account information. This one is your private account. The card is attached,” Dex says, flipping to the second page of the document. “It’s already activated and here is your current balance at the bottom. I deposited your entire year’s salary as an advance. This isyouraccount. I’m not even on it. Do as you please without worrying about anyone invading your privacy.”

I nearly vomit when I see the bottom line. I’ve never seen seven digits on anything except math problems in school. It’s surreal. And even more so because I don’t feel like I earned this in any way. “Dex, you shouldn’t have given that to me upfront. You’re supposed to work and then earn a paycheck. I haven’t done anything for this.”

He wets his lips and pulls out another envelope. Inside, there’s a sleek black card with no markings. At the bottom corner, it simply reads Mrs. Hessler.

“Don’t worry about the name. It’ll work as Lennox Mitchell or Lennox Hessler. Whatever you decide. There’s no limit on this one. This is a shared account, but whatever you want, it’s yours.” I don’t take the card, so he sets it on the table in front of me. Dex grabs my hand between his. “Len, everything is about to change. If I’m not traveling, I’m in meetings. I work sixty-hour weeks and that’s just my professional obligations. Then, there are the personal responsibilities that accompany the Hessler name. I’ll never be able to spend as much time with you as I want. There are very few perks to being my wife…this is one of them. Try to enjoy it at least a little, okay?”

I wish Denny wasn’t here. I just want to crawl into Dex’s lap and comfort the anguish right off his face. “Okay. Actually, there are some things here I need to take care of. When do we need to leave for Miami?” I ask.

“Well, I’m headed there now.” He glances towards his suitcase through the glass doors. “I can come back for you or arrange a flight for you to meet me at home.”

Home.It takes me by surprise. Dex just referred to Miami as home. My new home. I committed to blindly following this man wherever he leads, and for the first time since we got married, this makes a little less sense.

“You put over six million dollars into my bank account. I think I can afford to arrange my own flight. I just want to talk to my parents first.”

“Shit,” Dex exhales. “I forgot we were going to do that. I can come back.”

In lieu of calling the day after we got married, Dex and I decided showing up in person to explain our unexpected nuptials and my new job might be a better idea. “It’s okay. Go take care of what you need to. I’ll meet you in Miami by this weekend. How’s that?”

He tilts his head. “You sure? I feel like I’m letting you down.”

“I’m a big girl,” I say with a wink. “I can talk to my parents by myself. All is well.”

“We’ll fly them out sometime, maybe? Show them your new place. Which reminds me”—he turns his attention to Denny—“could you arrange for the condo to be cleaned and the fridge and closets stocked? Len can give you her sizes. We’ll need an on-call chef. Then, she’ll need a driver.”

Denny nods along, holding up her fingers one by one as if she’s keeping a mental list. She seems completely unbothered by the way Dex is listing out chores for her. “Security?” Denny asks Dex.

“Just for travel,” he replies. “But I want candidates run through the most thorough background checks possible.”

“Got it,” Denny says with a short nod.

“One more thing,” Dex says, his eyes now on me. “Can you set up a private meeting with that jewelry designer Grandma worked with? I forget his name—something Italian. I want Lennox to have her dream ring made.”

Denny nods again. “Sure. Anything else?”

“What do you think, baby? Did I forget anything? Just ask Denny. She runs the Hessler’s lives better than we can, I promise you that.”

“Um…”

“What do you need?” Denny asks. “Don’t be shy in asking. It’s literally my job to take care of the family.”

It’s a calculated, robotic response. I see it in Denny’s eyes. Like when somebody is on autopilot.

“You don’t need to buy my clothes, Denny. I can do that. And I really don’t think we need a chef, do we? Dex cooks. I’ll grocery shop and do dishes. I mean, a driver? Security? Is that all really necessary?”

Dex blinks silently for a moment, darting his gaze to Denny, then back to me. “Not if you don’t want.”

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