Peggy's Apartment
As David rambled on excitedly about the novel Emma, Adam's face took on an odd look. He was sensitive about that name—and the surname too—thanks to his memories of the actress Emma Watson. A funny thought crossed his mind: if David and Linda got married and had a girl, would they name her Emma Watson? With how much Peggy resembled that Emma Watson, it wouldn't be a stretch to imagine them as half-sisters or something. But then he remembered it was already 1998—the real Emma Watson, the magical princess, must've been born in England by now. He chuckled to himself and let the idea go. Normally, kids take their dad's last name anyway, so if David and Linda had a daughter, she'd probably be Emma Grossman.
Knock, knock, knock.
The sound snapped Adam out of his chat with David about the book's plot. He stood up, peeked through the peephole, and saw Lisa with a female bodyguard holding a big food box. Only then did he open the door—better safe than sorry, right? You never know when someone might burst in with a machine gun, security or not.
Lisa and the bodyguard quickly set the table, pulling out fancy dishes from the box one by one. Champagne and red wine? Oh, they were fancy fancy. Once everything was ready, Lisa waved the bodyguard off and glanced at Adam.
"David, Linda, let's eat!" Adam called out with a grin.
In the U.S., once you're tight with someone, it's all first names—no "Mr." or "Mrs." nonsense, no matter the age gap. David had already told Adam to drop the formalities, and Adam just assumed Linda was cool with it too…
"Peggy!" Linda shot Adam a glare but turned to call her daughter. She froze mid-step. Lisa had already leaned in, whispered something to Peggy, and here came Peggy, strolling over like it was no big deal.
At the table, Lisa pulled out a chair for Peggy, waited for her to sit, then tied a white napkin around her neck like she was royalty. She poured a tiny splash of red wine into Peggy's glass and started tackling the seafood, expertly picking out the meat and placing it on Peggy's plate. Peggy dug in like it was the most natural thing in the world—and honestly, it probably was. This wasn't their first rodeo.
Linda, Peggy's actual mom, stood there, a mess of emotions swirling inside her. She finally got what Peggy meant by "Lisa does it better." This kind of pampering? Even she couldn't pull that off. Ugh, damn rich people! she thought. They're out here ruining the sacred bond between mother and child! Because, let's be real—if Linda were in Peggy's shoes, she'd want this life too…
The meal was delicious, but it left a sour taste in Linda's mouth. Especially when she talked to Lisa about Peggy's care and realized Lisa didn't even need her pointers. That stung.
"Let's go," Linda muttered after dinner, feeling deflated. She and David were in the thick of their romance, so even though Peggy's place had two bedrooms, they'd already booked a hotel room for the night.
"Mind if I talk to Peggy alone for a sec?" David asked out of nowhere.
"Of course not," Linda replied, blinking in surprise.
Adam caught David's eye, a hunch forming, and nodded. "Linda, let's head to Lisa's place. She lives right across the hall."
The three of them stepped out. Adam shot Lisa a look , and she nodded back. She'd hang by the door and keep an ear out. David seemed solid, but you can't slack on safety.
Lisa's Apartment
"So, you rented this place just so Lisa could look after Peggy?" Linda asked, poking around the apartment.
"Nope," Adam said, shaking his head. "I bought it."
Linda froze. Freaking ugly capitalism, she thought, always tempting people into this decadent nonsense!
"Adam," she said after a beat, her tone serious, "what's the deal with you and Peggy?"
"Uh…" Adam hesitated. "More than friends, but not quite lovers?"
Linda's face darkened . Don't think I'm too old to know what that means, buddy!
"We're both too young!" Adam blurted, seeing her temper flare. "Peggy's swamped with research, I've got residency training—neither of us has time for anything else for, like, five or six years."
Linda went quiet. That was the exact same thing she'd figured out after grilling Peggy.
"Don't hurt her," she said finally, her voice softer but firm.
"I won't," Adam promised, dead serious. "Never."
"Anything else I should know?" Linda's expression eased up. She was trying to have a real talk with him now. Sure, she had her gripes, but Peggy picked this guy, and he was pretty flawless—except for a few red flags she couldn't shake.
"Well," Adam started, thinking it over, "I also bought the apartment downstairs for bodyguards…" He laid out his plans and why he'd made them.
"No way," Linda gasped. "Is college that dangerous? We never ran into anything like that!"
"It's because Peggy's a public figure," Adam explained. "She sticks to her routine—home, school, back again—doesn't party, and you were always with her, so it makes sense you didn't see trouble. But it's not a big cost, and better safe than sorry, you know?"
Linda just stared, speechless. After a long pause, she gave a wry smile. "You handle it."
Everything she could think of—or couldn't—Adam had already covered. What else was there to say?
"Boss," Lisa popped in, "Mr. Grossman and Peggy are done. They're asking for you guys."
"Got it," Adam said, catching Lisa's glance and guessing what was up. He motioned for Linda to go first, then followed with Lisa behind him.
Back at Peggy's place, Linda pushed the door open. The lights were dimmed, casting a soft glow. David stood there, facing the entrance, his eyes brimming with love. Linda stopped dead, her heart pounding like crazy.
David took a few steps forward—no sliding tackles here, folks—dropped to one knee in front of her, and gazed up with total devotion. Slowly, he pulled a ring box from his pocket and popped out the classic line:
"Linda Jane Watson, will you marry me?"
"OMG!" Linda clapped her hands over her mouth, barely holding in a squeal .
"I already got your dad's permission," David said, his voice warm and steady, "and just now, Peggy gave me her blessing. Linda, will you be Mrs. Grossman?"
In the U.S., traditional guys don't mess around—they get the father-in-law's okay before popping the question. Take Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory: he checked with Amy's dad first, and if the guy had said no, Sheldon would've bailed on the whole plan. (Though, let's be honest, Amy's dad would've been toast—stuck with a controlling wife and a ticked-off daughter, no safe haven left.)
David went the extra mile. He'd cleared it with Peggy's grandpa and asked Peggy, Linda's daughter, for her blessing. Clearly, this busy startup guy didn't just drop everything to visit his girlfriend's kid for no reason. He had a mission: get Peggy's approval, then propose to Linda.