He squinted and studied his sister’s list. Baby towels and washcloths? Onesies? Judging by his closet, Lucky wasn’t capable of choosing his own clothes, let alone someone else’s. Maybe coming back with Charlotte and Bo would be better.
For the kid anyway.
Jeez! Were used cribs supposed to cost this much? Lucky removed his cellphone and scrutinized the list Bo and Charlotte had made for him, budgeting how much for each item he should expect to spend. Okay, so this crib didn’t come close to what Bo reckoned.
He made a note of the larger pieces and packed the smaller ones into a slightly rusted shopping basket with “Winn Dixie” on the handles. No telling where the thrift store got the four-wheeled relic.
He got to the counter with his purchases. “I want a crib and changing table in the furniture section, but they won’t fit into my car. Can I pay for them and come back to get them later?” Working on a tight deadline didn’t leave him a lot of time. “My sister also has things she wants to donate, so I’ll have to bring them back too.” Why hadn’t he thought to borrow Bo’s truck earlier?
The young woman behind the counter beamed. “How far away do you live? Our truck will pick up within ten miles of the store. We can drop off your items at the same time and save you a trip.”
Really? “About four.” But… delivery meant a stranger coming to his house, possibly while he wasn’t there.
To be met by a fully armed sister. “Yeah, that could work.”
Spending far less than he’d expected, he tucked his billfold back into his pocket. “When can you come?”
“Just a moment and I’ll check.” The woman punched a few keys on the world’s oldest still-working laptop, and grinned. “It turns out our delivery driver will be near you around two this afternoon. Does that work?”
Wow! That fast. “Sure.” Still wincing at giving a stranger personal information, he jotted his address on a Post-it pad, along with Charlotte’s number so she could buzz the truck through the gate—if the gate happened to be working today.
Business concluded, he strolled out of the store, pulled out his phone, and called his sister.
“Hey, Lucky, how’d you do?”
He couldn’t help grinning. Domestic success. Wouldn’t Bo be proud? “I found some pretty good things, I think. The thrift store is going to deliver around two. Will you be home?”
“Sure. You want me to set things up or wait for you?”
Telling her to do the work would save him some trouble, but Bo might want to make a family effort out of fixing up the nursery. “How about we save that for after supper, when we’re all there?”
A smile came through in her voice. “Sounds good. I can’t wait to see everything.”
“Now don’t get too excited. The furniture will need some work.”
“We’ll handle it. I shopped Goodwill for Todd’s baby things.” She didn’t add that Lucky, courtesy of a drug-lord lover, provided much better things for Ty. If only he had the disposable cash now he’d had access to then. No problems.
But didn’t planning, saving, and working with what they had make Bo’s eyes light up? The man could squeeze a penny until it screamed, and made a game out of saving money.
Lucky’d come in under budget with his purchases. He wasn’t looking forward to Bo’s praise. No, not at all. Okay, maybe a little bit.
“See you tonight.” Lucky ended the call and checked his phone for the time. Oops, better get back to work.
***
At three o’clock Charlotte called. Lucky, at his desk, checked right and left for eavesdroppers and took the call. Anyone witnessing one of his conversations on this particular topic might mistakenly think he possessed a softer side. “Hey, girl. What’s up? Did the furniture come?”
Silence.
“Charlotte? Is something wrong?”
“Um… Did you say you went to the thrift store by the CVS?”
“Yeah, why?” His heart fell. He’d been so sure he’d gotten a good deal. What if he’d spent his and Bo’s hard-earned cash on rubbish?
“A truck came, all right, but it wasn’t from the thrift store, and I don’t think this is what you picked out.” She lowered her voice. “Lucky, this is all brand new. Crib, child’s bed, matching dresser, changing table, rocking horse, bouncy chair, swing, state of the art car seat. Plus, towels, washcloths, comforter, rocking chair. I asked the driver if he’d made a mistake, but he assured me this was for us.”
“What the hell? Leave everything in the boxes. We’ll figure this out when I get home.” Surely Bo hadn’t gone crazy and spent a fortune. While they’d like to give Alejandro the best, their budget didn’t allow new. They needed to save their money for possible medical expenses not covered by insurance.
