Page 107 of Now or Never

“I have some in the back,” Connie said. “There are several different kinds. They should be on the first rack by the coffee machine.”

I picked out a couple cards and got coffee. “I’m ready to roll,” I said to Lula.

“Me too,” Lula said. “I want to see Harry’s office. I have to see if it’s as good as Jug’s.” She looked at me and shook her head. “Harry’s going to be real disappointed when he sees you in that T-shirt.”

Lula was wearing a red spandex dress that barely covered her hooha. The top of the dress had a low V-neck, and her giant nipples were straining against the spandex. I didn’t think Harrywould notice what I was wearing if I was standing next to Lula. I disappeared when I stood next to Lula.

We went to Jug Produce first. The fruit basket was waiting at the desk as promised, but I needed to get the card written out and signed. The woman at the reception desk made a phone call and told us we could go on up.

Jug was at his desk, and Mr. Big was curled up in a blue velvet dog bed placed on a corner of the desk.

“Boy, this dog has the life,” Lula said.

“You bet your sweet aunt Mary,” Jug said.

I gave Big some ear scratches and handed Jug a blank card. “I thought it would be nice if you sent a thank-you note to Harry for writing your bail bond.”

Jug took the card, wrote his thank-you, and handed the card back to me.

Dear Asshole,

Thanks for nothing.

Bruno

“Short but sweet,” I said.

“No point getting too nasty,” Jug said. “I try to be classy and show some restraint.”

“It looks like you’re back at work,” Lula said to Jug.

“Yeah, my babysitters let me go out of the house, but I’m stuck here at the office. They don’t want me talking to the press. They think I’ll say something stupid.”

“What do you think?” Lula asked. “Would you say something stupid to the press?”

“Probably,” Jug said.

We left Bruno’s office, picked up the fruit basket, and went backto my Trailblazer. I took a fresh blank card out of my messenger bag and wrote:

Dear Harry,

Thanks for bailing me out.

Bruno

I tucked the card into the fruit basket and drove to Harry’s office on Beryl Street. Lula and I went in with the fruit basket and stopped at the reception desk.

“We’re here to give this fruit basket to Harry,” I said to the woman behind the desk.

“He’s in a meeting,” she said, “but I’ll be happy to give him the basket when he gets out.”

“Are you sure he’s in a meeting?” Lula said. “Because I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t be happy to have missed me.”

The woman looked at Lula. “You could be right. Seventh floor. I’ll tell his assistant you’re on your way up.”

The assistant was waiting for us when we exited the elevator. He looked at Lula and grinned. “You have a fruit basket?”

“Yeah, and it’s a big one,” Lula said, nodding in my direction.

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