Page 45 of Now or Never

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? He said he’d callyou. Do you at least have a present for him? Last time you brought him a present.”

“No present. Just me, offering him a ride.”

“Maybe you should get dressed up a little,” Lula said. “Spruce up your makeup. What kind of makeup are you wearing anyway?”

“Eyeliner and a little mascara,” I said. “And lip gloss.”

“Everyone’s wearing false eyelashes now. You should try it. It would add drama to your face. And you’d look good with eye shadow with some glitter to it.”

“Anything else?”

“A dress would be good. And heels. Heels with your jeans might be a good look if you put on a tank top and maybe a little leather jacket over the tank top.”

“I’m not asking him out on a date. I’m offering him a ride to the police station.”

“Just sayin’. Sometimes you want to sweeten the deal.”

I thought Lula raised a good point about my clothes. I couldn’t see myself doing the job in a dress and heels, but I thought I could look more professional. I was wearing the few emergency things I’d bought after the fire. A comfortable hoodie, sneakers, and some inexpensive girly T-shirts. The jeans were nice. I’d spent money on the jeans.

“If I could bring Jug in, I could buy some clothes,” I told Lula.

“As I see it, that’s a lot of motivation,” Lula said. “Let’s go get the crazy old coot.”

I drove to East Gilbert Street and parked in front of Jug Produce.

“I hope you aren’t planning on leaving me in the car again,” Lula said. “I want to see what a fruit tycoon’s office looks like.”

“It’s not that impressive.”

“I imagine it’s not as fancy as the Oval Office, where the president works. I saw a picture of the Oval Office, and it had a big blue rug with an eagle in the middle of it. I don’t know if I could live with an eagle in the middle of my rug, but I guess if you’re the president you have to put up with that sort of thing. Like, it’s his cross to bear.”

I had my own carpet cross to bear. It was named Herbert. He was going to be in my house today supervising rug installation. I did a mental head slap. I should have been more adamant about not wanting the carpet. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

“Are you okay?” Lula said. “You’re making a funny face like you just ate something awful and you might throw up.”

“I’m good,” I said. “Just a touch of indigestion.”

“That’s on account of you didn’t have your usual doughnut in the morning. Once you get your body used to doughnuts, it’s not happy with anything else.”

I suspected Lula was right about the doughnuts, but this morning my gastric reflux was being caused by Herbert. I got out of the SUV, crossed the sidewalk, and went into the building with Lula tagging along. The small foyer was empty. No one behind the desk. I could hear voices not far off. I walked past the desk and took the stairs to the second floor. I walked down the short hallway and stopped at Jug’s office. The door was closed but I could hear talking inside. I knocked on the door and Lou answered.

“Hi,” I said. “Remember me? You gave me a fruit basket.”

“What do you want?”

I stepped to the side and peeked around him, spotting Jug at his desk. “Hi, Mr. Jug,” I called out. “It’s Stephanie. I’m the one who brought you pajamas.”

Lula elbowed Lou aside so she could see into the room. “And I’m Lula,” she said. “I picked the pajamas out. You got a real nice office here.”

Lou tried to move Lula back into the hall.

“Hey!” Lula said to Lou, pulling herself up a couple inches, getting into his bulldog face. “You watch your hands. You get your hands off me. No one touches Lula ’less she wants them to. Did I give you permission to touch me? No, I did not.”

“What’s going on?” Jug asked. “What’s with the ladies?”

“You see?” Lula said to Lou. “There’s a gentleman sitting behind that desk. He called us ladies.”

“Sorry, Bruno,” Lou said. “I don’t know how they got up here.”

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