Page 24 of Daddy's Unexpected Gift

He grabbed the handle to the car seat and picked up Georgie. I hitched my tote bag onto my shoulder and picked up the lunch bag with Georgie’s food.

The elevator slid open, and I got in after him. I was in an elevator right next to probably the single most handsome man in the world and his niece. And we looked like a family. Both Georgie and I were in yellow dresses, and Sterling’s Grand Cayman shirt was also yellow.

It wasn’t until he was strapping Georgie’s car seat into the back of the limo that it occurred to me that I could have pointed out his yellow shirt and given him the opportunity to change. But the butterflies in my middle loved how we looked like we belonged together.

“This looks like a used clothing store,” Sterling said as the limo pulled up in front of the store.

“It probably is,” I said. “It’s called Hand Me Downs.”

Sterling’s brow furrowed and his expression darkened. “I can afford a new stroller.”

“Look, you can be a total snob and refuse to buy a used stroller to use for one day, and we can spend the rest of the morning driving around Dallas looking for a stroller. Or we can go inside and find something that will work for going to the zoo. I know you can afford something very high-end. That stroller is in parts in your living room right now.”

13

STERLING

“Hey, y’all, what can I help you with this morning?” The salesclerk greeted us with enthusiasm.

After the dressing down Cecelia gave me, I followed her inside the store. She was right, there was nothing wrong with buying a used stroller to get us through today. She tended to be right, and she wasn’t afraid to put me in my place.

Her spunk was refreshing in a world of women trying to appeal to my better nature by agreeing to everything I said. I had a few colleagues who wouldn’t just do what I said because I said it. But for the most part, no one challenged me the way she did.

“We need a stroller. We ordered one and it showed up needing to be put together. Until that can happen…” Cecelia told the sales lady.

“Let me show you what we have in stock. Now if that fancy stroller you have at home continues to give you fits?—”

“How do you know it’s fancy?” I asked.

“Oh, it’s always the fancy ones. I swear, the more they cost, the more DIY they require. Anyway, we do offer an assembly service. Now, is this just for this sleeping beauty?” She continued until we were in a row of strollers.

The quantity and variety were a little staggering.

“Only one,” Cecelia said.

“They have strollers for more than one?” I asked.

“Of course. We have strollers for multiple infants, and for infant-toddler combos. You want something you can lock that car seat into?”

“Yes, please.”

We left with a stroller that was more a frame to convert the car seat than an old-fashioned pram. There was an under-carriage storage area that Cecelia insisted on. We were in and out of the store in a matter of minutes.

“Why don’t you have Wayne gather all the parts up to the other stroller and get it delivered here for them to put together?” Cecelia suggested as we continued on toward the zoo.

When she suggested the zoo, I hadn’t realized it was a haven for mothers and babies. Cecelia and Georgie looked like they belonged. I stuck out like a sore thumb.

“Did you know it was like this?” I asked as we waited in the line for entry tickets.

“Crowded? I thought it would be empty on a weekday.”

“I meant all the mothers and kids.” I spoke low so that I wasn’t overheard.

“Kids love animals. It seems like a natural fit to come here.”

I paid for the tickets, and we followed the flow of the crowd into the park.

“Is everything I do with Georgie going to be overwhelmingly mothers and their kids?”

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