Chapter 311 The Gift
"Three million bucks? Holy crap, how many lifetimes would I need to save up that kinda cash? So, she's gotta be loaded. Yancy, you know her?" Mia asked.
Yancy, seeing Mia start a convo, threw his arm around her shoulder, grinning. "There was this old family in Regalia, the Taloy family, same last name as Jenny. My grandpa told me something went down ages ago, and they all moved up north. Haven't kept tabs on 'em, but Jenny's probably from that Taylor family."
"Are you sure about that?" I asked, totally confused.
How could Yancy be so sure Jenny was from the Taylor family he knew?
"I just got a killer memory. The first time I saw Jenny, she looked super familiar, like I'd seen her before. Last time I was at the old house, I saw this old pic of my grandma and it clicked. Jenny looks a lot like the girl in that photo. My grandma said that girl was a friend's daughter and was tight with the Taylor family. She even had a kid for them. I think Jenny might be that woman's daughter."
"Why didn't you say that earlier?" Mia grumbled, swatting away Yancy's arm.
Yancy, grinning like a fool, held on tight. "Didn't think it was a big deal at the time. Just remembered when Jane brought her up. If you wanna know for sure, I can have someone dig into it. No biggie."
"Do you wanna check?" Mia asked me.
"If it's easy, sure. If not, no big deal."
And so, we dropped the whole Jenny thing.
I didn't make it back to Sunhaven after all. Helen even called me, bawling, making me promise I'd come back early for the next holiday.
October 15th was Brad's birthday, so I wanted to get him something that'd blow his mind.
With two days off, Mia and I decided to hit the town.
The gift for Brad didn't need to be pricey, just something cool and unique.
Yancy had some fancy party at his place and wanted to drag Mia along, but she flat-out refused. Bummed out, he went solo, and we headed out early to have a blast.
"Jane, we've been walking all freakin' morning and hit like a hundred stores. Nothing catching your eye?" Mia plopped down on a bench, fanning herself.
I was beat too and flopped down next to her. If I'd known we'd be walking this much, I'd have worn flats. Heels were a terrible idea for shopping.
I usually rocked casual shoes or flats at school. This morning, I went with a long dress and heels. Looked great, but my feet were killing me, and my calves were on fire.
"I'm hunting for something that hits me right in the feels, something irreplaceable. Suits, ties, briefcases—they're all just stuff, no matter how pricey. Brad's gift has to be one-of-a-kind."
"One-of-a-kind? That's a tall order. But I know something unique. If you're down to give it, Mr. Pitt will totally dig it."
"What is it?" Her words got me all excited, and I sat up, eyes sparkling, waiting for her to spill the beans.
"Jane," Mia said.
Me?
I stared at Mia, confused. Her sun-kissed face had this cheeky grin. "Yeah, Jane, there's only one of you in the world. Isn't that unique enough?"
I suddenly got what Mia was hinting at, and my face went beet red. Embarrassed and annoyed, I started tickling her. "Mia, you looking for trouble?"
"Am I wrong? If you can't find the perfect gift, book a hotel room. Let me deck it out, and then you wrap yourself up on the bed. Mr. Pitt will lose his mind."
"Get outta here."
After goofing around, we grabbed some lunch and kept shopping in the afternoon.
We shopped till noon on October 7th. We were dead tired but still hadn't found the perfect gift.
Mia and I, totally bummed, decided to hit this last street before calling it quits.
"Heading back already? We haven't found anything yet," Mia said.
"Yeah, if we don't find anything here, we'll head back. Worst case, I'll bust my butt for a few days and paint him something. Might not be super original, but it's handmade by me. He should like it."
"Jane, check it out." Mia nudged me with her shoulder. "What's that?"
I turned and saw a set of Smurf figurines in a big display window, each one super cute.
I loved Smurf characters. Naturally, that set of Smurfs had enough charm to pull me in for a closer look. If I liked them, they were coming home with me.
Inside, I found out it was a small handmade workshop.
The small door led to a deep interior with different areas, decorations, and projects. If customers wanted, they could make stuff themselves with some pro guidance.
I stood by the workbench, watching a long red string twist into various shapes under the teacher's nimble fingers, totally amazed.
My eyes scanned the display of finished products, and suddenly, I had a lightbulb moment.
Brad always came off as serious, unsmiling, and all gentlemanly. He often wore dark clothes, and everything around him was so simple it was almost boring.
His keychain was just a plain ring, his car keys had no decorations, and even his car interior was all serious and somber.
Why not give him a set of keychains this time? They might not be worth much, but Brad never cared about money. I knew his personality well. Plus, if I made them myself, it would be a heartfelt gift that matched his style. He'd definitely love it.
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