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“Alright.” He nods, rubbing his eyes.
I hate seeing him like this.
Pulling my phone out, I walk down the parking lot to make the call, and this one better go better than the last one.
Chapter 26
Lexi
Between $50,000 and $70,000.
Possibly upwards of $100,000.
That’s how much it’s going to cost for all the pipes to be replaced, to redo all the work we just did, and replace ruined equipment. And that’s just the estimate.
I think I’m going to pass out.
Insurance, once again, isn’t covering anything because plumbing isn’t in my nonno’s policy. I was going to go over the insurance policy when I got the chance after the improvements, but clearly the universe had the plan of piling shit on top of shit, and forcing me to find a way out of it for us.
Nonno is devastated. He thinks he should just sell the building as it is and get whatever he can from it to retire, but I’m not going to let that happen.
He can’t give up.
First, the building won’t sell for what he thinks it will. Second, what money is he going to live off of while waiting for the sale? Third, where would he live after selling the building? Fourth, what would he do in retirement?
His whole life has been the deli, and he’s told me my entire life that he plans to work until he can’t stand any longer. And even then, he still wants to run the place, only from one of the chairs at a table and not behind the counter.
He’s old school, and seventy is too young for him to throw in the towel.
Which means I’m not throwing in the towel either.
Which also means I have to make a phone call I don’t want to make, but will, for him. I’ll just have to lie a little to get the information I need.
Pulling out my phone, I take a deep breath and tap Charles’s name.
“Hey, Lexi, what’s up?” he asks, the surprise in his voice evident. I never call him.
“Hi, Charles, I’m fine. I have a question for you, though.”
“Sure, what is it?”
“I need to know if you know of any underground poker games in the city.”
“Do you need money?”
“No, my friend does, and I told him you might know of a place he can go where there’d be little to no questions and little to no rules.”
“It’s a male friend?”
“Yes,” I lie. “Does that matter? He’s a friend from school who needs money for his family and needs it quickly. I already told him asking me for suggestions is a path he can’t un-walk down. He insisted.”
“Good. You’re a smart woman, Lexi. I only ask because the place I know of isn’t for the faint of heart and isn’t a place I’d feel comfortable recommending to a woman. There aren’t many there.”
And that’s exactly why I’m lying to him.
I don’t need him or my mom to worry, and I physically can’t bring myself to ask, or take, his money. I don’t see him wanting to help his wife’s ex father-in-law, anyhow.
“That’s considerate of you. But no, he’s a him.”
