I open my mouth, but he doesn’t let me respond.
“Please…” He reaches for me and pulls me into a hug, “Do this for me and for you—for your family business. It’ll be in name only. What you do on your own is up to you.”
I look at him, and the weight of all this feels even heavier. Now it’s not just the future of the Reinhardt family business, but my best friend’s livelihood as well? How did we get to the point that this marriage is the only possible choice?
I pull him in tight. “I fucking hate our parents; I hate their snobby attitudes, and I hate that we’re in the middle of their ridiculous focus on merging the businesses. I could care less about their wishes, but to liquidate everything my great-grandfather, grandfather, and father built isn’t how I was raised.”
“I agree,” he says, muffled into my shoulder. “And you’re the best hope for Elite, too. As I mentioned, I certainly have no skills.”
My maternal great-grandfather was the founder of Hudson’s department stores. My paternal great-grandfather founded Reinhardt’s. Both stores were started as five and dime stores after the Depression. They were intense rivals. Over time, both my grandfathers grew their businesses into high-end department stores and focused their growth in opposite parts of the United States. Reinhardt’s was the leading department store in the west, and Hudson’s was well-known in the east. Finally, once they got older, they came up with the idea of the future merger of their companies, and they arranged the marriage of my parents. For a while, my father had a thriving law practice, but when my grandfather died, to meet the terms of the will, he had to take over the family business.
My father knew swings in the economy affected the business, so he diversified the stores, creating the current crown jewel in our fortune. Going back to the roots of the five and dime, we opened a discount retail store called Bullseye. The long hours and push for perfection meant my father was rarely home, and my mother spent a lot of her time involved in the community. We knew he’d grown close to his long-time secretary, Nancy, and rumors swirled about an affair. Then when I was in middle school, my dad launched a mid-level department store he called Murphy’s—also the name of his secretary’s son, and he acknowledged that my siblings and I had a half brother.
Around the same time, Alex’s grandfather started Elite, an electronics store in downtown Minneapolis. It became the place where everyone bought anything that plugged in. When Alex’s father took over the business, he got advice from my dad and grew his own business into one of the largest high-end electronics stores around.
I ease myself out of bed and check the clothes in my closet. “Would you care if I wore sweatpants today?”
“No, but your mother might.”
I roll my eyes. Instead of sweats, I pull out a beautiful designer outfit made just for our stores and put it on.
“You look lovely,” Alex says. “Your mother will be very pleased.”
Once I’m dressed, we walk together downstairs to the kitchen. Hazel, our housekeeper, has made a beautiful breakfast, and my mother is there reading the newspaper. She glances at us as we enter. “I knew Alex could get you out of bed.”
I give her a plastic smile as I walk over to Hazel and give her a tight embrace. “Thanks for making my favorite breakfast. You’re the absolute best.”
She nods.
I don’t want my mother to go too crazy over my affection toward the housekeeper, so I point her toward the chocolate crepes with whipped cream and strawberries.
“You do have a wedding dress to wear soon,” my mother notes. “Hazel, we’re going to need to put her on a diet.”
“I’ll go with an empire waist and no one will know.”
“They’ll think you’re pregnant.” She looks over at Hazel to make her point. “No more than a thousand calories a day.” Picking up her phone, she types out a message. When she’s done, she looks up at me. “I just confirmed Rachel to meet you each morning for a long workout and a run.”
“Is that really necessary?” Alex asks. “Curves look good on Maggie.”
She gives him her laser death stare, and he sits back.
“Mom, you can force us to do this, but it doesn’t mean I’ll do it happily.”
“Yes, it does.” She gets up and leaves the room.
I groan. “I hate the way she leaves the room so you either have to follow her out to reply or she gets the last word.”
Hazel pats me on the back and fills my cup with strong coffee. “Don’t worry, sweetheart.”
“Thanks,” I mumble.
After my teleconference for the Foundation—which feels rushed because I know Mother is counting the moments until I’m done—Alex and I spend the afternoon with her, meeting with the wedding planner and going through all her plans. Mother and the planner, Veronique, have decided my bridesmaids will wear lavender silk dresses. They’ve also decided who will be in the wedding party. I hardly know one of the attendants, but when I protest, Mother gives me the ice stare that tells me to get in, buckle up, and shut up; this is their ride, not mine.
The day evaporates, and before I know it, we’re home for dinner.
“I’m eating in my room,” I announce.
“That’s fine,” Mother says. “I had Hazel clear out your snack drawer.”
I roll my eyes. “I don’t care. I just need to recharge and be alone.”
I hate this more than I can say. Opening the door to my room, I spot my cell phone, which I accidentally left behind all day. There are sixteen messages. My so-called friends are getting excited, but it’s not like they don’t know Alex is gay and this is a sham, so I’m not sure how seriously to take their support. They’re all just people Mother has put in my life anyway. Then I see the text message. My heart stops and crumbles all over again.
Jonnie: I miss you.
Tears pool in my eyes. I’m tired, hungry, and miserable. I never knew it was possible to fight within myself so much. This is what has to be done, so why does it feel so awful? And poor Jonnie. I thought telling him I was getting married would be the end of it—who wants to bother with that? But he genuinely seems to want to understand, which means I have to find the strength to talk it through with him. Strength I’m not sure I have.
My brothers have left me to fend for myself, and until I had Jonnie, I didn’t feel like there was anyone in my life I could truly share this sort of thing with. I miss him. Over those few months before my father’s death, he’d become the best thing in my life. And right now he’s the one genuine person I can think of. I’ve always called Alex my best friend, but I think that’s just because I didn’t know what was possible. He was never interested in the business side of my life and now he’s acting weird about all this wedding stuff.
I pour myself a glass of wine, and after a little while I respond.
Me: I miss you, too.
Jonnie: Can we talk?
Me: I’ve been wedding planning all day. I’m exhausted.
Jonnie: How’s that going?
Me: I have no control over anything. I learned today who my attendants are and the color they’ll be wearing, the flowers they’ll be holding, and what my bouquet will look like.