These characters aren't mine. I'm just borrowing them from Janet Evanovich.

Time Out

Ch2

Since it was Sunday, I was going to have to wait to contact the law office. That would be first on my list of things to do Monday morning. I took the time to read through all the documents in more detail. There was a house and its contents located in a town called Jacksonville in Illinois. There was money in a bank somewhere. There was money invested diversely. All told, it came to about three million dollars in assets, before the inheritance taxes. There wasn't anything that said who Elizabeth Price was in relation to me. I hoped this wasn't a mistake. I didn't want to get too excited in case the lawyers sent this to the wrong Stephanie Michelle Plum.

I tried calling my mom, but apparently the phone was still unplugged from the earlier incident. Looking at the clock, I saw that I just barely had enough time to get to my parent's house for dinner at six sharp. I grabbed my purse, the pile of legal papers, and my keys, and steered Big Blue back to my parent's house. Again, Mom and Grandma were standing on the porch waiting for me. How do they do that? It was just my mom, dad, grandma, and me for dinner. Thankfully the Kloughn family circus decided to stay home that night. After stuffing my face with pot roast, mashed potatoes, and mom's truly excellent chocolate torte, I was ready to talk.

"Do any of you know Elizabeth Price?" I asked. Grandma sucked in a gasp.

"What?" She shook her head. "Spill it please, Grandma." I asked again.

"Where did you hear that name Steph?" Grandma asked quietly, with an almost pained expression on her face. This is weird. Grandma is never quiet.

I reached into my purse and hauled out the stack of papers I received in the mail. "I got this in the mail. It's from a law office in Illinois. Someone named Elizabeth Price named me her sole beneficiary in her will. I don't know anyone by that name, so I'm a little worried the lawyers sent this to the wrong Stephanie Plum." Grandma took the papers from my hand. She read the cover letter, and sat there with her head bowed. She looked up at me after a minute and there were tears in her eyes.

"Elizabeth was my sister," Grandma said simply. Mom, Dad, and I gaped at her. We didn't know Grandma had a sister! "Elizabeth was quite a bit older than me, and had a falling out with our father. He basically disowned her by telling her that if she walked out the door, she could never come back and to not bother trying to contact any of us. She left and that was that. My father never mentioned her again. It was like she was erased from our lives and had never existed."

"Wow, Grandma. That's a horrible story! How do you know she's your sister then. Wouldn't her name have been the same as your maiden name?"

"Well, she exchanged letters with her best friend here in the 'Burg for a few years and Janie filled me in on the sly. Elizabeth met an older well-to-do man after she left home. He was from somewhere in the Midwest. He swept her off her feet and they got married. Apparently they traveled around the world for a few years before her husband passed away suddenly. They never had children. The last Janie heard from her, she was headed back to Mr. Price's hometown to bury him. She never heard from her again."

"But why would she leave me her estate?" I wondered aloud.

"Knowing my sister, I bet she kept tabs on what was going on here in Trenton over the years, even if she never contacted us. You actually remind me a lot of her, Stephanie. Elizabeth was so stubborn and determined to have an interesting life, that was the main problem between her and my father. Maybe she read up on your exploits here in Trenton and decided to give you a chance to have an adventure."

We all sat there for a few minutes contemplating all we'd just heard. My father finally sighed and stood up. Kissing my head, he muttered, "You'll figure it out Pumpkin" and went to the living room to watch some TV.

"Well, Stephanie, this could be a real opportunity for you," my mother stated hesitantly. "Despite my nagging, I know you'll never want to live a life like mine or your sister's. Maybe this could give you the chance to figure out what you want to do with the rest of your life." My jaw dropped. My mother finally admitting that she knew I'd never turn into a 'Burg wife? Is the world ending?

"Don't give me that look Stephanie. I'm still your mother and I only want what's best for you. I'm just acknowledging you and I have different ideas about what is 'best'."

"Sorry, Mom. And thanks, I think. It means a lot to hear you say that." Darn it, now I'm starting to feel emotional.

The Plum family doesn't do emotion well. We express our feelings with food. Which is why my mom quickly stood up and headed for the kitchen, calling over her shoulder, "how about some more cake?"

I left my parent's house with a large paper bag filled with leftovers. After stowing the food in my nearly empty fridge, I flopped down on my bed in my thinking position. What to do? My life could definitely use a change. I liked my job, but I'm seriously lacking in skills to do my job safely. I have trouble paying my rent and filling my fridge and my furniture is dorm room thrift store chic. My life is a great source of entertainment for a variety of people. I tend to attract crazies and stalkers more than is healthy. A five year old could break into my apartment no matter how many locks I have on the door. Worst of all, I loved two men.

One is a hot Italian cop with whom I have a very tumultuous relationship. I loved him, but I don't think it's the kind of love that'll survive being married. I don't even want to get re-married most of the time and I'm not too sure I want kids ever. I want to fly and if it has to be solo, then so be it. Joe is ready to get married and have a family now. Talk about opposite goals.

The other is a gorgeous Cuban mercenary. Ranger's love comes with a whole list of qualifiers, like condoms and no rings. That'd actually be okay with me, but he doesn't share about his life. And while marriage isn't necessary, it'd be nice to have more of a relationship than hit and run sex.

Thinking about it like that, neither Joe nor Ranger is the man I should be looking at but you can't choose who you love. Unfortunately, it's too easy to give in to both of them since they are in close proximity most of the time.

Maybe I need some distance. Maybe I need a new life. Maybe I need a vacation. Maybe I could do all of that.

Ordinarily I couldn't afford any of it, but if my long lost great aunt Elizabeth really did leave me her fortune, then the money shouldn't be a problem. Calling that law firm would still be first on my list of things to do in the morning. On that note, I drifted off to sleep, dreaming of warm sandy beaches and a hot cabana boy bringing me fruity drinks and applying sunscreen to my bikini clad back.