Yours for Christmas

He blinked, trying to find his way back to the conversation.

“About the furniture?” he asked, the pieces falling into place.

She nodded and slid onto the seat. “I told her we were shopping for furniture, but she thinks we’re getting a new coffee table. I want it to be a surprise.”

He closed her door and walked around to his side. “I won’t say anything,” he promised as he settled next to her.

They headed out of town and got onto the freeway toward Sacramento. There was a sign on the side of the road announcing the opening of the Lucky Lady Casino seasonal ice-skating rink.

“We should do that,” Bailey said. “I mean Chloe and me. Go ice skating. I haven’t in years. Not since I was a teenager. Do you think I’ll remember how?”

“Sure. I skate. I’ll take the two of you, if you’d like. I can catch you if you fall.”

Bailey glanced at him, then away. “I wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself,” she murmured.

“Not possible. I’m athletic.”

She laughed. “I’ve heard that somewhere. You used to play sports of some kind?”

“Very funny.”

She grinned. “I can be.” The smile faded. “Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m nervous about buying furniture. I know this is going to sound crazy, but I’ve never bought this kind of stuff before. Not new, I mean. I’ve always had hand-me-downs or something from the thrift store. When Will and I were first married, we didn’t have any money. And later, we moved around a lot. When Chloe came along, plenty of friends had cribs and changing tables.”

“How did you and Will meet?” he asked.

She glanced at him. “In high school. He was a little nerdy and funny and crazy about me. We were friends more than boyfriend-girlfriend. I was focused on saving enough money to go to college.”

“Was that your dream?”

She nodded. “I grew up in small town in Ohio. My mom took off when I was a baby and my grandmother raised me. She was a good woman, but she’d been through some tough times. I knew from an early age that I was expected to be on my own when I turned eighteen.”

He couldn’t imagine that. He knew that if he told his parents he wanted to move back now, they would welcome him with open arms. Not that it was ever going to happen.

“I had a couple of jobs all through high school. I figured I’d work for two years, save enough to get through community college. Will always told me I could do it. He had a different path. He wanted to join the army.”

“A different way out.”

“Exactly.” She shifted in her seat. “The night we graduated, Will proposed. I was stunned. I said no and he left for boot camp. A couple of weeks later, I realized I had stronger feelings for him than I thought. I drove down to where he was and we talked for a long time. By the end of the weekend, we were engaged. After we got married, I went to community college and worked and he was deployed.”

“Then Chloe came along.”

She smiled. “Yeah. She was a surprise, but a good one.”

“Did you get your degree?”

“Not completely. I have my AA, but not my bachelor’s. My plan is to start taking night classes next fall. Chloe will be a little older and we’ll be settled in our house.”

“You’ll get there,” he said. “You have a plan.”

She laughed. “Yes, it’s all about having the right plan. I’ve learned that over the years. Partly I want to do for myself, but also for Chloe. I want her to see me working hard and succeeding. I think it’s a good lesson for her.”

Everything about Bailey was a good lesson for her daughter, he thought. She was impressive, how she’d kept it all together. He supposed that was one of the reasons he liked her so much.

They drove into Sacramento and found the furniture store. As they walked inside, Bailey pulled a small notebook out of her bag.

“I did some online looking,” she told him. “I thought it would make this go faster. I didn’t want to be overwhelmed by choices.”

“It’s kids’ furniture. How many choices could there be?”

Her expression turned pitying. “And here I thought you were a man of the world.”

He held open the door. “I am.”

“We’ll see.”

Fifteen minutes later, he had to admit he was in over his head. There was a whole floor of kids’ furniture. Fortunately they could avoid the section for babies, but still. There was plenty from which to choose.

One entire corner was devoted to princess beds. Some had canopies and others had scrollwork on the head and footboards. There was white furniture and gilded furniture and padded chairs in the shape of high-heeled shoes.

Bailey stared at all the fantasy setups, with gauzy bedding and fluffy pillows. “I so want to get her this,” she murmured. “But it’s silly. I need to find something she can use until she goes to college. In a few years, she’ll hate her princess bed.”

Kenny wanted to tell her to go for it, but he knew that wasn’t practical. Bailey worked for the city. It wasn’t as if she was going to suddenly double her salary in the next few years, and furniture cost money.

“Bedding isn’t that expensive,” he said. “What about getting a more sensible setup, then buying a fun princess comforter. That wouldn’t cost much to replace in a couple of years.”

She nodded slowly. “I could do that. Add some pillows.” She smiled at him. “How do you know about bedding making a difference in a room?”