Chapter 15 Miles
FIFTEEN
Miles
What a night. Ainsley stayed overnight, sleeping on the couch since Lucy is in the guest room now. When she had mentioned marriage to the two of us, I’d wondered if I could ship a sister away in a UPS package. Although Prime would be faster.
I was worried that she would scare away my roommate if she stayed too long, but luckily, she said she had to head home this morning. The three of us ate breakfast together, then went our separate ways. Lucy looked eager to get out of there. I don’t blame her—poor thing.
My sister had just proposed to her. For me.
The idea of being married to Lucy has taken root in my mind like an invasive weed. And it just doesn’t make sense. Of course I wouldn’t marry her. But the idea doesn’t make me sick to my stomach like it did Lucy.
When I get home from the office, Lucy’s already home, sitting at the kitchen counter with a cup of coffee in her hands. It’s my cup. But she clutches that Stud Muffin mug like it’s her lifeline.
I kick off my shoes and set them on the shelf.
“You’re home early,” I say tentatively.
We haven’t spoken since Ainsley left. Nothing like a little sister to drop a bomb and ruin the entire mood I’d had going on with my roommate. Lucy is missing her characteristic smile, so I know I’m in deep trouble.
I’m gonna have to pull out the big guns. “Willa, Kingston, Meyer, and Archie invited us to their group dinner tonight, but I was thinking maybe we could just order a pizza and watch Love & Lies.”
Lucy blinks and looks at me as if she just realized I was home. She finally says, “I think we might get in trouble if we keep disappearing at the same time. We’re gonna have to coordinate our introverted recovery times.”
I nod. “We have ditched a couple of things lately, haven’t we?”
“Someone’s bound to find out that we’re not actually the life of the party,” she says.
I walk to the coffeepot, pour myself a cup, and sit down next to her, deliberately taking the barstool as close as possible. I’m a little scared that if I give her too much space, this will be even more awkward. We were getting along so well until Ainsley suggested we get married.
Lucy doesn’t even shift or move away from me, so I guess that’s a good sign.
“What happens if you do win this bet for Ainsley?” she asks, running a finger around the rim of her coffee cup.
The question surprises me. I thought she would avoid the topic at all costs.
“Well, I’d have to find someone to marry first.” That goes without saying.
“Obviously. But I don’t think you’d have a hard time. You’re a nice guy. You could probably find someone relatively normal to date and marry within a couple of months.”
I look at her with raised eyebrows. “Relatively normal?”
She waves her hands through the air. “You’re not gonna find someone completely normal who’s willing to marry you in two months. You’ve got to have realistic expectations.”
I clink my coffee cup against hers in agreement. “Excellent point. Any suggestions on who?”
“Do you need the money?”
“No. Winning the bet wouldn’t hurt, but I’d be in it more for the sake of not letting Preston and his girlfriend win it.”
“Must be a jerk.”
“Yeah, he took great joy in tormenting Ainsley all throughout high school. And since he also poached my girlfriend, we don’t really have a whole lotta love lost between us.” I chuckle.
Lucy’s eyes go wide. “She didn’t tell me the details. Spill.”
“Not much to tell. Carly met Preston at a family dinner that I’d brought her to, and he wined and dined her in front of my eyes. She told me he was on a higher level than me.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Meh, he’s more into appearances. And Carly was too. They actually seem really similar, so maybe they’re a good fit for each other. But Preston has never lost the opportunity to remind me that he stole my girlfriend from me,” I say with a laugh.
I look at her. “What about you? What would you do with fifty thousand dollars if you had it?”
She finally looks me in the eye. “I would pay off the student loan that I told you about the other night.”
There is no hesitation on her face. It makes sense.
The reason she’s living with me is that she needs to be able to get out from under that loan.
We had a long talk about financial woes while we were sitting in the living room, scrolling through TV shows together.
That was when I learned her student loan interest rate had increased recently, and she was feeling stressed about it.
I shake my head. “I can’t believe that they stuck you with such a high percentage. It’s so predatory. Especially when pursuing a career that demands a degree. You couldn’t do what you do without going to college. They’re taking advantage of people who have no other option.”
Her lips tip up a little. “Thanks for being mad for me. And thanks for being such an awesome landlord and roommate.” She clinks her mug to mine this time.
“So,” I say, looking at her, “you don’t seem horrified by the idea that Ainsley suggested we get married. I was scared you’d pack up and be gone by the time I got home today.”
“I’ll admit, I was surprised when Ainsley said something about it.”
“She has a way of surprising people with things,” I tell her.
“I can see that,” Lucy says with a laugh. “But the way she described it honestly makes sense. Is it strange if I say I’ve been thinking about it all day?”
“Wait—you’ve been thinking about us getting married?”
Lucy nods slowly.
“Are you saying you think we should get married?”
Lucy’s eyes go wide. “No, no, no. That’s not what I’m saying. Unless, of course, that’s what you think.” She looks at me with raised eyebrows.
“Well, it’s not that I think it should happen,” I say. I try to read her body language because I don’t have a good read on what she’s implying. “But it could happen.”
Lucy laughs nervously. “There’s so much that could happen.”
“And if you needed it to happen to pay off student loans, then we could make it happen. Hypothetically of course. Because if we were to get married and win the bet, I’d agree to you keeping 70% of the money.”
Lucy taps a finger against the countertop as she stares at me. “Are we both talking about getting married right now?”
“Yes, I think so.” My heart starts beating loudly enough that I can practically hear it. There’s nothing like talking about getting married to send a person into full panic.
Lucy looks at me with wide eyes. “I feel like I’m drowning in debt, Miles.”
“I know. But just know that whether or not we get married, you are welcome to live with me however long you need.”
She blinks slowly. “But, of course, we won’t get married.”
“Right. It was silly of me to suggest it. But if you want to pay off your student loan, just let me know, and we’ll do something about it.”
“And by ‘do something,’ you mean get married…”
I shove away from the counter. “I’m going to need something stronger than coffee.”
“I hid a bottle of Dead Guy Whiskey above the fridge,” Lucy admits.
I glance at the cupboard above the fridge, then back at Lucy. “How did you get it up there?”
“It wasn’t easy. It involved a chair and sitting on top of the fridge,” she says with a sheepish smile.
I walk over to the fridge and soon find out the cupboard is even too tall for me to reach. “Hey, come here for a second.”
Lucy walks around the island to me. I bend down and wrap my arms around her knees, hugging her to my chest as I lift her up and step closer to the fridge.
“Find that whiskey,” I mumble against her stomach, and my heart starts beating irregularly again.
“Are you sniffing my stomach?” she says.
“I like your laundry detergent.”
The cupboard door slams.
“Got it!”
I slide her back to the floor and try to focus my attention on the whiskey bottle rather than the woman who’s having such a powerful effect on me.
“Want ice?” she asks me in a hoarse voice.
“Sure. I should go change out of my work clothes.”
“Hold on.” Lucy pours a generous amount of whiskey into a glass and holds it out to me. She looks solemnly at me as I reach for the cup. “Miles Granger, will you marry me?”
I nearly let the glass slip through my hand. I mean, we’ve just been talking about it, but to hear her say the words makes it feel more real.
I clear my throat. “Gladly.”
She doesn’t smile, but she does look relieved. She takes a sip from her glass. “That was weird.”
“Definitely. But you won’t regret this. We’ll get married and nothing will change—except you’ll get to pay off those student loans.”
She freezes. “A wedding! What if your family expects a wedding?”
I shake my head. “I’ve always told my parents that I would elope when I finally found the one. If we have a small courthouse wedding, it would seem like the most normal thing to them.”
Lucy smiles briefly. “That’s good.”
And then she drains the rest of her glass in one big gulp.
“You won’t regret this,” I promise her. But she doesn’t look like she believes me. “I’ll take care of everything. Okay? This is going to work out just fine.”
It’s the most optimistic lie I’ve ever told someone.
After a quick shower and a change into sweats, I walk out of my room and hear Lucy on the phone. My fiancée.
“Hi, baby!” she says loudly. “I miss you so much. I love you. Yes, you’re a good boy. You’re doing so good.”
I can’t hear the response, but when I walk into the kitchen, I see that she’s sitting on the counter, sipping whiskey while she’s talking on a video call.
She glances up in surprise. “Oh, I’ve got to go. Talk to you later.”
Then she sets the phone down and points to another glass on the counter for me.
“Thanks.” I take a sip and decide that I can trust Lucy with her whiskey choices. It’s a good one.
“Do you…have a child?” I don’t know if it’s weird that I feel hesitant asking about it. Because, for one, I would think she would have said something before now. And, for two, it would mean she’s nervous to tell me about him or her.