“Dex says he wants to stay at his place.”
“Well, that’s too bad,” she said simply. “Because we got him a place. When we have the keys, I’ll hand them over to you, and you’ll get together with a designer and start furnishing the space.”
I stared at her in shock for a few seconds. “Uh, I think that might upset Dex.”
“Oh, I’m sure it will. He’ll get over it.” She cut into her food and took a bite. “He’s a very proud man, but once his life is back on track and everything is going smoothly, he can buy the place from us. I’d rather get it set up, so when he’s ready, the transition is easy.”
I grabbed my fork and started to eat, and after I took the first bite, I was glad she’d asked me to come over. If I’d gone to my apartment, I probably would have ordered takeout or something.
Deacon spoke after he drank his wine. “Dex is very resistant to help because we paid his tuition until graduation, so he doesn’t want to take a penny from us. But we need to get him back on his feet, and once he’s there, he can pay us back if it’s that important to him. I wouldn’t take that away from him.”
“Yes,” Cleo said in agreement. “I don’t want you to think we’re the kind of parents that control the lives of our children, but with Dex, he really needs the help to get reestablished. He’s been through a lot, and we just want him to do what he’s meant to do. The financial part of it is unimportant. We can deal with that later.”
My curiosity got the best of me, so I voiced it. “I know it’s none of my business and I’m not trying to pry, but Dex was a world-renowned heart surgeon for many years. Why does he need financial help to do all this?” I had no idea what the salary was for someone of his caliber, but it had to be several million dollars on an annual basis. He should be able to buy that office on his own, and also his new apartment. Did he have a gambling problem or something? He didn’t seem like someone who would.
Deacon continued to chew his food as he lifted his head and made eye contact with his wife.
She stared at him for a while as she considered my question, an unspoken conversation happening between them.
I shouldn’t have pried. “It’s none of my business. I shouldn’t have asked.” If I was going to run his life, I wanted to know everything about him and give him the greatest chance of success.
Cleo turned back to me. “No, it’s fine. I would not normally share this information with someone, but I think it’s relevant to what you’re trying to do.” She paused again as she considered how she would word her explanation. Her eyes dropped as she absentmindedly reached for her glass of wine. “Dex had a really messy divorce. He didn’t sign a prenup, and since it’s a community property state, he basically lost everything.” She brought the glass to her lips and took a drink like she needed the alcohol immediately, not just to calm her nerves but to clear away the bile that rushed into her mouth.
I was shocked, and I was certain that it showed on my face. All I could do was stare at her as I thought of Dex in a whole new light. His strange comment at the gala months ago completely made sense now. That meant he’d only been divorced for a year…no wonder why he said he was fucked up. “Oh…I’m so sorry to hear that.” I had no idea what happened in their relationship, but I immediately put the blame on her. I couldn’t imagine Dex being unfaithful or dishonest, so she was the idiot who let a good man go—and took everything he’d worked so hard for.
“Don’t mention it to him.” Deacon continued to eat. “He doesn’t like to talk about it—ever.”
“I wouldn’t.” If he wanted me to know about it, he would have mentioned it by now, especially when I told him about my affair with a married man. That was his opening, but he didn’t take it. “I arranged for him to return to his position at Kline Clinic, and I contacted Columbia, and the second I dropped his name, they offered to give him a position there. I also contacted Doctors Without Borders to get him on a quarterly rotation.”
The look Cleo gave suggested she was impressed. “That’s great. What did he say?”
“Said he needed to think about it.”
“That’s better than a flat no,” Deacon said in between bites.
“I think letting him start with those things is a great idea,” Cleo said. “Getting him in the operating room…that might take a while.”