Page 99 of Stuck With You
She chugs her wine and stares into her glass. “He’s always seen me for me, you know. Not the rich girl, or Eve and Reggie’s daughter, or the wild screw-up who won’t get her life together.”
“You’re not a screw-up,” I say, knowing Roxie is like the rest of us. She’s looking for someone to love her in a way she never has been. Someone she can be her whole self with. “So, what happened?”
She shrugs. “I told him it was nice to see him, then climbed in my car.”
“That’s it?!”
She nods. “Yep. I got the hell out of there as fast as I could. One more second of that, and I would’ve made choices that wouldn’t have been good for either of us.”
“So, that’s really it?”
She smiles. “Yes, and now I have to let that man go. That kiss had to be sayonara for good.”
She has been in love with him since she was sixteen.
I let my head fall to the side. “Just like that. After all these years, you’re just shutting it off.”
“Yep,” she says, popping the P.
“And how are you going to do that?”
“Funny, you should ask?” She sits up a little taller. “I’m getting married.”
My mouth falls open as I stare at her. “Uh. . .what now?”
“That’s what my dad wanted to talk about. Apparently, he’s sick and will be retiring. He’s getting things in order, and if I want any part of the family name and assets, I have to demonstrate that I will take managing them seriously. I’ve been informed I can begin to prove that by getting married.”
I frown. “I don’t understand. What does getting married have to do with anything?”
She picks at her nail. “I cannot be trusted to make good decisions.” She lowers her voice. “They need proof I understand the obligation and duty I have to my family before they will entrust any portion of the Steinbeck legacy into my care. ”
“Rox.” It’s my turn to guzzle my wine. “And who exactly are you marrying?”
She extends her glass, and I grab the bottle from my nightstand to refill it. “Do you remember Leo?”
I meet her gaze. “Leonard, your brother’s best friend?”
Leonard Roland had a massive crush on Roxie when they were kids. He’s been her brother RJ’s assigned best friend since birth. Their parents are cut from the same couture cloth. Although Leonard wasthe quietest nerdle out there. He was short and scrawny, with wire-rimmed glasses, but the brains of a mathematician.
When she started dating Declan, he transferred to a private high school out of state. Was it a coincidence? Maybe. After, he attended Yale with RJ. Last I heard, the whiz kid was climbing Wall Street and spending his summers in the Hamptons.
“Have you lost your mind?” I’m pretty sure I’m dreaming, or this wine has made me delusional.
“Nope. We both know it’s only been a matter of time before I was sucked into their plans for me.” She sips as if this is resolute.
“Rox, you can’t marry Leonard. You don’t. . .love him. You don’t even know him. When was the last time you even saw him?”
Her eyes roll to the ceiling, thinking.
“See. If you have to think about it . . .”
She shrugs. “It could be worse. He was at least a decent guy. Sometimes, even kind of. . .sweet in an innocent, fragile bird-like kind of way.”
“Oh, somebody help me.” I run a hand over my face. “Was, Roxie. Hewasa decent guy. Who knows what he’s like now? Roxie, you cannot marry him.”
“Ooooohh, but I can. I emailed him and explained my situation. After a few rounds of questions, he said yes. Turns out he’s been contemplating returning to take over his family’s investment firm.”
I stare at her. “You’re serious about this?”
