Chapter 337 - Choices

Chapter 337: Chapter 337 - Choices

Roxie looked toward the restaurant, then back at Zac. "This is humiliating."

Zac grinned as if carrying her across the parking lot was the most normal thing in the world. "The doctor said to stay off it for the meantime. Consider me your feet."

Roxie tightened one arm around his neck and glanced behind them. Karen was walking several steps back with Angela, Dylan, Mason and Kyle, and judging by the color climbing into Karen’s face, Roxie was apparently embarrassing more than herself.

"Everyone’s looking," Karen murmured.

Angela only giggled. "I wish Caleb was here."

Mason immediately leaned toward Karen. "I can carry you too."

Dylan caught the back of Mason’s shirt and pulled him away before Karen could answer, while Kyle smacked him across the head for good measure.

"Ow. What was that for?"

"Preventive measures," Kyle said.

Roxie laughed and looked at all of them. "Seriously, thanks for coming."

Dylan smiled. "Who says no to free food?"

Mason leaned around Zac to get a better look at the restaurant. "I’ve always wanted to eat here." His eyes moved over the entrance before returning to Roxie. "Your dad’s pretty loaded, huh?"

Roxie blinked at the word.

Loaded.

She honestly had no idea.

"I think he has connections," she muttered, looking toward the restaurant again. The place was high end enough that she already felt uncomfortable before they had even gone through the doors. "He shouldn’t have gone this far."

"You just won Nationals," Mason said. "I’d spend a fortune on my daughter too if she did."

Something in Roxie’s chest tightened at how casually he said it.

Her dad.

Mr. Robinson had called earlier and asked if she wanted to have dinner with him, Cynthia and Jayson before everyone left Orlando. Her first instinct had been to refuse. She was exhausted, her ankle hurt, and after several days surrounded by people, cameras, competition music and screaming crowds, hiding in the hotel room sounded much better.

Then Karen heard the restaurant name and suddenly everyone had opinions.

Roxie could say they had pressured her into accepting and she would not exactly be lying, but standing here now, she knew that was only part of it. The Robinsons had come all the way to Orlando for Nationals. They had watched her compete and stayed through everything, and Jayson had apparently spent half the competition asking when Roxie would be on the floor again.

She had wanted to come too.

That was the strange part.

She had not wanted to come, yet she had.

The closer they got to the entrance, the more aware Roxie became that Zac fully intended to carry her inside. She glanced through the glass doors, saw people near the front, and pinched the side of his neck.

He flinched. "Ow."

"Put me down. I can’t go inside like this."

"Yes, you can."

"Zac."

"You tried walking from the elevator to the lobby and almost ate the floor."

"I slipped."

"You screamed."

"I did not scream."

Karen called from behind them, "You screamed."

Roxie twisted enough to glare at her. "Whose side are you on?"

"The side that gets us inside before our reservation disappears."

Zac kept walking, and Roxie groaned before burying part of her face against his shoulder. "I hate all of you."

"You’ll survive."

"That’s what everyone keeps saying."

The hostess looked up when the entire group entered, her eyes moving briefly from Roxie in Zac’s arms to the brace around her ankle and then to the crowd following them. Before anyone could give the reservation name, Cynthia stood from a large table across the restaurant and waved.

"There they are."

Roxie looked toward the table. Cynthia was smiling widely, Jayson was already halfway out of his chair, and Mr. Robinson stood beside him with one hand resting on the back of the seat.

Seeing him still did something strange to her. The tension came automatically, although it was weaker than it used to be, and Roxie hated that she noticed the difference because noticing meant admitting there had been one.

"Sis!"

Jayson shouted loudly enough that several nearby tables looked over.

Roxie laughed. "Hi."

He immediately started toward her until Cynthia caught the back of his shirt.

"Walking."

"I am walking."

"You were about to run."

Jayson slowed with exaggerated care, but Roxie barely noticed because Cynthia’s attention had moved past her and landed directly on Zac.

Her smile stiffened in a way Roxie recognized immediately.

Cynthia had never completely warmed to him. Roxie had explained more than once that their first meeting had been a disaster caused by a very stupid misunderstanding, but apparently a man accusing her husband of keeping Roxie as a sugar baby had left a lasting impression.

Cynthia had eventually told Roxie she would judge Zac for herself, and judging by the way she was looking at him now, the evaluation was still ongoing.

Zac noticed too. His body stiffened underneath Roxie, and she bit the inside of her cheek because suddenly the entire situation became entertaining.

"Zachary."

His entire voice changed. "Mrs. Robinson."

Cynthia’s eyebrows lifted. Karen immediately covered her mouth, Angela turned away with her shoulders shaking, and Roxie stared up at him.

"Mrs. Robinson?"

Zac ignored her and somehow stood even straighter while still carrying her.

Cynthia looked delighted now. "Wow."

"It’s good to see you again," Zac said.

Roxie lost it.

She laughed outright, and Zac looked down at her with narrowed eyes while Cynthia’s smile widened.

"It’s good to see you too," Cynthia said. "You were much more relaxed the first time we met."

Zac briefly closed his eyes.

Mason looked like he desperately wanted to ask what had happened, but one glance toward the table full of food apparently convinced him that silence was safer.

Mr. Robinson came around the table while Jayson hovered beside Cynthia. Roxie suddenly became very aware that this was the first time her friends were properly meeting all of them together, and her cheeks warmed as she tried to figure out how to introduce everyone without making it feel strange.

"Cynthia, Mr..."

The word stopped in her throat.

Mr. Robinson sounded ridiculous.

Too formal.

She was standing in front of her friends introducing the man they all already knew was her father, and somehow calling him Mr. Robinson felt stranger than the alternative.

Roxie cleared her throat. "Dad. These are my friends."

The word left her mouth before she could think about it any further.

For a second, Roxie heard everything around them with uncomfortable clarity. Plates somewhere behind her, a chair dragging against the floor, someone laughing at another table.

Mr. Robinson’s face barely changed, but his eyes did. They reddened almost immediately before he managed to control whatever had moved across his expression.

Roxie looked away before the sight could settle too deeply.

Cynthia was staring at her too, and the gratitude in her face somehow made Roxie feel even more exposed, so she hurried through the introductions.

"Karen, Angela, Dylan, Mason and Kyle. And obviously Zac."

Everyone exchanged greetings, and Cynthia recovered first.

"Well, I guess I should introduce us properly too." She smiled at Roxie before looking around the group. "I’m Roxie’s stepmom. You can call me Cynthia, and you can call my husband Daniel."

Roxie paused at stepmom.

Cynthia glanced toward her almost immediately. The confidence disappeared from her expression for just a moment, replaced by enough uncertainty that Roxie knew she was already wondering whether she had crossed a line.

Roxie gave her the smallest nod.

It was fine.

Cynthia’s shoulders loosened. "And this is Roxie’s brother, Jayson."

Jayson stepped forward and greeted everybody with such seriousness that he sounded like a tiny businessman attending a networking event. Dylan shook his hand with equal seriousness.

"Nice to meet you, sir."

Jayson nodded. "Nice to meet you too."

Everyone laughed.

Then Jayson turned toward Zac and looked from his face down to where one of Zac’s arms was still beneath Roxie’s knees.

"Why are you touching my sister? Are you her boyfriend?"

Roxie laughed so suddenly she almost jarred her ankle. "Yes. His name is Zac."

She reached over and ruffled Jayson’s hair while Zac shifted uncomfortably. Mr. Robinson reached toward him for a handshake, and Zac awkwardly tried to move one hand before realizing Roxie was still in his arms.

His face reddened.

Apparently it had only now occurred to him that he was formally meeting her father again while carrying his daughter.

Roxie chuckled as he lowered her carefully into the chair Cynthia had already pulled out, making sure her injured leg stayed straight before standing again.

Mr. Robinson extended his hand properly this time.

"Good to see you again, Zac."

Zac visibly remembered the previous restaurant meeting. Roxie watched the color leave his face before he took Mr. Robinson’s hand.

"You too, sir."

Sir.

Roxie stared at him.

Mr. Robinson released his hand and gestured toward the chairs. "Sit. Everyone."

Zac sat beside Roxie, and she immediately leaned closer.

"You called him sir."

"He’s your father."

"You’ve never called anyone sir."

"I’m a nervous wreck. I’m meeting your family again after what happened the first time. Sue me."

Roxie bit back another laugh, though the word family landed differently. Her eyes drifted toward Mr. Robinson and found him already looking at her.

He said nothing.

Roxie appreciated that more than she could explain.

Cynthia saved everyone from another awkward pause by lifting her glass. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," Roxie, Karen and Angela answered almost together.

Jayson immediately leaned forward. "I saw you get thrown really high."

Roxie smiled. "You did?"

"Mom had binoculars, and I got to use them."

Cynthia laughed. "He refused to give them back during your routine."

"I needed them."

"For what?"

"To see."

"You were close enough to see."

Jayson ignored her and looked at Roxie. "After you finished, I wanted ice cream. I got strawberry."

Roxie pinched his cheek. "So that was the important part of Nationals?"

"Yeah."

Mr. Robinson laughed while Cynthia shook her head.

"We watched the whole performance," Cynthia said. "I knew you had a chance after that."

"Mom was a cheerleader too," Jayson announced.

Cynthia looked immediately embarrassed. "I was a cheerleader a very long time ago. Ignore him."

Angela leaned forward. "Were you a flyer?"

Cynthia groaned. "Please don’t start."

That was enough to shift the conversation completely. For several minutes Cynthia became the unwilling center of attention while Karen and Angela questioned her about what cheer had looked like when she was younger.

The servers came around for their orders, and Roxie was still looking over the menu when Mr. Robinson leaned slightly toward her.

"How’s your leg?"

She looked up and found his eyes on the brace. "A few weeks, probably. Depends how it heals."

"Did they give you another appointment when you get home?"

"I have one."

"Transportation?"

Roxie blinked. "You gave me a car."

"With that ankle?"

"I have Zac."

The words left her mouth before she thought about how they sounded.

Beside her, Zac looked pleased.

Mr. Robinson looked at him.

Zac’s pleased expression disappeared so quickly that Roxie had to lower her head to hide her smile.

Cynthia reached across and rested her fingers against Mr. Robinson’s arm. The movement was small, but Roxie understood it immediately.

Ease up.

Mr. Robinson seemed to understand too.

"All right. If you need anything, tell me."

Roxie nodded. "Okay."

She expected that to end it, but Mr. Robinson stood and moved the empty chair beside her farther away before pulling another closer.

Roxie watched him. "What are you doing?"

"For your leg."

"Oh."

He positioned the chair so she could stretch the injured ankle without twisting in her seat, then stepped back and checked the angle as if making sure it was right.

"There."

Roxie looked at the chair, then at him. "Thanks."

His smile was small and almost cautious. "You’re welcome."

She put her leg on the chair, and for some reason that small gesture stayed with her longer than all the questions had.

Dinner became easier once the food arrived. Cynthia talked naturally with Karen and Angela, and within minutes the three of them were laughing about something that happened during semifinals.

Mason and Kyle argued over which part of the Finals routine had looked hardest despite using almost every cheer term incorrectly, while Dylan corrected them until he finally decided they were hopeless.

Roxie laughed with them, and somewhere between Karen stealing food from Angela’s plate and Mason trying to convince Jayson that Dylan could eat an entire cake by himself, she stopped and looked around.

It felt weird.

She had never imagined herself sitting at a table like this.

Friends and family were mixed together, talking over one another as though they had done it for years.

Karen was reaching across Angela for another appetizer while Angela complained that she had already eaten half of hers. Dylan and Mason were still arguing. Kyle looked exhausted by both of them.

Zac was explaining football positions to Jayson with far more seriousness than the conversation deserved, while Cynthia kept interrupting whenever Jayson exaggerated something he had seen during Nationals.

Even Mr. Robinson was laughing.

Roxie sat quietly and watched them for a while. There had been years when dinner meant eating whatever she could find at home while Claire was somewhere else.

She had become so used to feeding herself, cleaning up after herself and simply existing around another person rather than with them that she had never spent much time thinking about what a family dinner was supposed to feel like.

Apparently, it was loud. People reached across you. Somebody always wanted something from your plate. Everyone talked at once. It was messy.

And Roxie liked it.

That was the part she had not been prepared for.

Cynthia noticed her looking around. "What?"

Roxie shook her head. "Nothing. I’m tired."

Cynthia pushed Roxie’s water closer. "Drink."

Roxie picked up the glass, but Cynthia’s attention shifted toward her husband.

"Your dad has something to tell you."

Roxie slowly lowered the glass.

Mr. Robinson looked at Cynthia, then at Roxie before clearing his throat.

"There’s something I wanted to give you before you leave."

Roxie immediately became suspicious when he reached beside his chair and picked up a slim envelope.

"What?"

"College."

Her shoulders tightened slightly. "What about it?"

He placed the envelope on the table between them. "I wanted you to have this before you start making decisions about your future."

Roxie looked at the envelope but made no move to touch it.

"What is it?"

"Money that was set aside for you."

"No."

The answer came immediately.

Mr. Robinson gave her a sad smile. "Take it."

Roxie shook her head. "I don’t need..."

"I started the trust when you were five."

Her mouth closed.

Mr. Robinson kept his voice calm. "It was always meant for your education and whatever came after. This isn’t something I decided to give you tonight because you won Nationals. It’s been yours for years."

Roxie stared at him.

Five.

Cynthia smiled beside him. "I’d be sad if you didn’t take it."

Roxie looked toward her, then back at the envelope.

Slowly, she pulled it closer and opened it.

There were documents inside.

Her eyes found the amount and Roxie stopped breathing.

She read it again because there was no way she had understood it correctly the first time.

The number did not change.

It was worth more money than Roxie had ever imagined touching in her life.

Her first instinct was to shove the entire thing back across the table. The documents suddenly felt almost hot against her fingers, and she started moving them away before Cynthia reached across and closed both hands around hers.

"Take it."

Roxie stared at their hands.

Then at Cynthia.

"You have us now," Cynthia said. "And with this, you can make the future you want."

Roxie froze.

Her eyes dropped to the envelope and the number inside it, then slowly moved toward Zac beside her.

He had gone quiet.

His hand was still resting against her knee beneath the table, warm and familiar, and his thumb moved once against her skin when their eyes met.

The future.

Roxie had spent so much of her life thinking about what she could afford, what she could survive, and what she would have to give up whenever she could not have both.

Now, for the first time, the word sitting in front of her was different.

Choices.