Page 79

“Lennox?” Denny asks. “What’s wrong? You look uncomfortable. Do you want to help me hire staff so you can choose who’s working for you?”
“No. I don’t want anyone workingfor me.”
“Why?” she prods. “You can more than afford it now, honey.”
“It’s something my dad would tell me… He had a lot of wealthy clients who had personal staff. He said that the less people did for themselves, the more they lost their identity. So, if I’m not choosing my clothes, cooking my food, taking care of my home, and earning my money…I’m not really living. Right? I’m just existing.”
“Len, I…” Dex starts but doesn’t finish his sentence. It seems he doesn’t know what to say. Maybe neither of us realized how jarring of a change this whole arrangement was. We were justfocused on how we felt about each other and the bliss of being able to finally admit that.
“Your dad sounds wise. What industry is he in?”
“He used to be a VP at Seaguard.”
“The wealth management firm?” Denny asks in surprise, scooting to the edge of her seat and sitting up a bit taller. “Your dad was aVPat Seaguard? That’s impressive. My mistake. I was under the impression you came from humble beginnings.”
“Denny, don’t mention—” Dex starts.
“It’s okay,” I jump in. Denny was open enough to tell me about her past. I can match her vulnerability. “My family’s broke now. My dad was wrongfully terminated while I was in high school. It was messy, and we lost everything. I’ve been taking care of myself with temp jobs ever since.” I raise my brows at her.
Dex kisses my forehead. “All right, baby. I have to return a few more emails and then get going.” Dex turns to address Denny. “How quickly can you get packed? The jet will be here shortly. I know how much you hate flying commercial.”
Denny hops to her feet. “Yep. Ten minutes. Let me get my bag together.” With one more quick thank you, she’s through the door.
“If you want Denny to move like The Flash, just threaten her with main cabin seating,” Dex says with a laugh. His smile disappears when he sees my face. “What’s wrong? You don’t like her?”
“No, it’s not that. I was just wondering about something.”
“What’s that?”
“Earlier I asked Denny if she wanted a position at Hessler Group. I was thinking that maybe after thirty-some years she was tired of being a glorified assistant.”
“She’s not just an assistant. She’s a manager. She has enough power and access to set up your bank accounts, accessour homes, and arrange medical care. She was my emergency contact growing up if Grandma couldn’t be reached.”
“That’s a lot of trust.” I widen my eyes.
“Grandma raised her. She was my mom’s best friend. When Grandpa got sick, Denny arranged his care and would sit by his bedside for hours watching Westerns with him. She’s not just an employee, she’s family.”
I choose not to correct Dex in that Denny and Melody’s best friendship was more of an obligatory situation. But there is one puzzle piece out of place. “She said she couldn’t work at Hessler Group. Why’s that?”
He rubs his finger back and forth along his hairline as he cinches one eye closed. I can’t tell if he’s trying to remember something or is completely disinterested in this conversation. But eventually, he explains.
“From what Grandma told me, when Denny hit middle school, her mom took off to Europe and Denny didn’t want to go. Grandma was happy to let her stay at the estate and finish school, but I think my grandpa had an issue with it. He didn’t trust her mom, who was willing to abandon her child. He suspected ulterior motives. The compromise was Denny could stay and Grandma and Grandpa would assume responsibility for her with a couple of parameters. Denny could not inherit anything from the Hesslers, she couldn’t be employed by Hessler Group, and she forfeited the right to any civil lawsuits against anyone in the Hessler family.”
“Civil lawsuits?” I ask, repulsed. “What kind of controlling?—”
“It’s like if she’s living at the estate, trips over a rug, and breaks her leg—she can’t sue my family for negligence. That sort of thing.”
“That can’t be a thing… No way…”
“You can imagine how people would exploit any circumstance for financial gain.” Dex leans over and rubs hishand sweetly across my knee. “Then again, maybe you can’t. One of my favorite things about you.”
His hand creeps up my thigh. “Don’t even, Dex. You have a flight to catch.”
“I have an idea,” he says with a sinful smile. “How about you catch this flight with me? You know there’s a really nice bed in the cabin in case of overnight flights. Have you ever wondered how it feels to come at 30,000 feet in the air? Because I could show you.”
I lift my eyebrows. “So, in this scenario, are we just going to throw Denny some noise-canceling headphones and ask her to cover her eyes for a few minutes?”
He scrunches his face. “Excuse me, a few minutes?”