Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
S ierra
I thought this was insane as I pushed the cart with Ellie in it through the store. It was nothing but a sea of chaos, with people shuffling and pushing their way through to the massive Black Friday sales. Mothers grabbed toys from the shelves, threw them in their carts, and looked for the next toy to grab. I hated Jack for this.
“Pick anything you want,” I told Ellie as I pushed the cart down one of the aisles. “In fact, the whole store is yours.” I smiled.
Before long, the cart was already packed full of toys. Pulling my phone from my purse, I dialed Eric.
“Hello, Sierra.”
“Eric, I need you to come into the store and grab a cart. I’m in aisle five.”
“Coming now,” he said.
“Oh, look how cute this little purse is.” I smiled.
“I want it!” Ellie exclaimed.
“And you shall have it.” I tapped her nose.
Eric met me in aisle five with another cart.
“Jesus, Sierra,” he said, looking at the overfilled cart.
“Jack said to buy her some toys, so I am.”
“Don’t you think you have enough? I mean. Christmas is around the corner.”
“Ellie has nothing but an iPad and coloring books. Oh my God! Look how cute that kitchen is! Do you like this, Ellie?” I pointed to the large box.
“Yes!”
“Eric, put the kitchen in your cart.”
“That is not going to fit in the cart, Sierra.”
“Then go find an associate or a flatbed.”
We entered the aisle with all the barbies. I was in awe when I saw the Barbie Dream House because I’d always wanted one.
“Eric.” I pointed.
“Sierra, if you buy her more toys, there won’t be anything left to get her for Christmas.”
“I already have an idea for Christmas toys for her.”
We pushed our filled carts up to the cashier, along with the kitchen and Barbie Dream House.
“You do know that all of this will not fit in the Escalade, right?”
“Then I need you to call someone to deliver the rest because I don’t think the store will do it.”
“Jack isn’t going to be happy about this,” he said.
“Jack isn’t here, is he? He sent me to shop on Black Friday for his daughter, and that’s what I’m doing.”
After standing in a massive line that increased my blood pressure, it was our turn to pay. Eric looked at me when the cashier gave the total. I happily pulled Jack’s credit card from my wallet and stuck it into the credit card reader. My phone rang. Becca was calling when I looked at it.
“Hello.”
“Where are you? I thought we were meeting for lunch?”
“We are. I’m checking out at the toy store now. I’ll be there soon. It’s chaos in here, Becca.”
“I bet.” She laughed.
Eric filled the back of the Escalade as full as he could and waited for the person he called to come with a large truck to carry the rest.
“I’m meeting Becca for lunch a couple of blocks over. We’ll walk.”
“Call me when you need me to pick you up,” he said.
The snow fell lightly as I held Ellie’s hand tightly while we walked to the restaurant. When we arrived, the hostess took us to the booth where Becca was waiting for us.
“Hi, Ellie.” Becca smiled.
“Hi.” She scooted into the booth.
“God, I need a drink and fast,” I said, removing my coat.
I ordered a glass of wine and an apple juice for Ellie. She sat quietly and colored while Becca and I talked.
“Where are you heading next?” Becca asked.
“Fifth Avenue to shop for myself.” I smiled.
“On Jack’s credit card?”
“Yep. He told me to compensate myself for him making me go out today. You should have seen that damn toy store. It was nuts. Mothers are nuts and complete psychos. I had this one toy in my hand, and the second I set it down, this woman ran over and grabbed it. Want to go to the Louis Vuitton store with me after lunch?” I grinned.
“You’re buying yourself a handbag?”
“You bet I am.”
After we ate, I had Eric pick us up.
“Eric, this is my best friend, Becca. Becca, this is Eric.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Becca.” He smiled.
“You too, Eric. Wow. So, this is what it’s like to be driven around the city.” She smiled. “I could get used to this.”
We walked into the Louis Vuitton store and were immediately greeted by a sales associate.
“How may I help you today?” He smiled.
“I’m looking for a handbag.”
“Very nice. Follow me.”
I looked at the handbags sitting on the shelves. One caught my eye, and I asked to see it. Putting it over my shoulder, I stared at it in the mirror.
“How does this look?” I asked Becca as she held Ellie’s hand.
“I love it.”
“Me too. It’s perfect. How much is this one?” I asked the sales associate.
“$4,700. We also have the matching wallet if you’d like to see it.”
“Of course.” I grinned.
He pulled the wallet out and handed it to me—a zip-around that perfectly matched the purse.
“How much is this?” I asked.
“That one is $1,200.”
“I’ll take it.” I handed him Jack’s credit card.
“Can I see some I.D.?” he asked.
Pulling my I.D. from my purse, I handed it to him.
“I’m sorry, miss, but I can’t accept this card.”
“Sure you can. It’s my boss’s card, which he gave me to go shopping.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t.”
Sighing, I pulled my phone out and dialed Jack.
“Sierra? Is everything okay?”
“I need you to speak with someone, Jack.” I handed the phone to the sales associate.
“Hello, this is Thomas at the Louis Vuitton store. The woman in front of me handed me your credit card for a handbag and wallet she wants to purchase. Unfortunately, I can’t accept it without your permission, sir. With tax, the total is $6,136. He wants to speak to you.” He handed me my phone.
“Yes?”
“Really, Sierra? I told you to buy a nice sweater or something, not a Louis Vuitton handbag and wallet!”
“Really, Jack? Do you have any idea what I went through in that toy store? The swarms of mothers pushing me out of the way to get to the toys they wanted? The chaos, the hell, and standing in line for over forty-five minutes to check out? The screaming kids, the shoving?—”
“Sierra, stop. Hand the phone back to Thomas.”
I handed Thomas my phone.
“Very well, sir. Thank you.”
Thomas handed me back my phone, and I noticed Jack had hung up. He swiped the credit card and boxed up my handbag and wallet.
“Thank you for shopping with us. Have a nice day.” A bright smile crossed his lips as he handed me the oversized bag.
“I want to go home,” Ellie whined. “I’m tired.”
“Me too, sweetheart. Let’s go. Thanks for coming with me.” I hugged Becca goodbye.
“It was fun.” She smiled. “I’ll call you later to make sure Jack didn’t kill you.”
When we arrived home, Eric brought in all the bags. The truck arrived shortly after and delivered the rest. I took Ellie upstairs and put her down for a nap. She could barely keep her eyes open.
Standing in the middle of the living room, which was filled with toys, I opened the Barbie Dream House first, removed all the parts, sat down, and built it according to the directions. It took over an hour, but it was finished. Ellie walked into the living room and threw her arms around my neck from behind.
“You’re up already?” I smiled.
“I want to play with my toys.”
“Have at it, kiddo. Let’s play barbies.” I grabbed the three Barbies I bought and removed them from their boxes.