Disclaimer: All characters are courtesy of the amazing Janet Evanovich. I am not making any money from this story.
A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! This chapter is the favor. This story is firmly Babe. Though we all know that Hector only speaks Spanish, for the purpose of this story, and my limited time, it will appear as English.
Looking for me? Chapter 3
Previously:
"Babe, I need you to go away with me this weekend."
All I could do was sit there with my mouth open and stare at him. Go away with Ranger? For a weekend? Alone? Him and me? Alone? Together? Us? Did I hear him right? Am I having hallucinations? Alone?
"Babe, you still with me?" Ranger asked. I forced myself out of my stupor and said, "Um, why?" Ranger gave me an almost smile. "There's a high-bond skip that's supposed to be in Atlantic City this weekend. Hector overheard on a wiretap that he should be in a particular bar on Friday night. If we're able to get him then, I though you and I could take the rest of the weekend as a mini-vacation."
Okay, another stupor. I thought only kissing him caused my brain to fog up. This is ridiculous. Man-up Stephanie, I thought to myself. "You want to take a vacation with me?" Ranger gave me a slight nod. "Why?" I asked baldly.
Ranger gave me a raised eyebrow and said, "Can't two friends go away with each other for the weekend?"
"Of course, I was just surprised," I managed. In my head, I was thinking, Friends? Ranger is my best friend, but it's not like we do each other's nails or hang out at the beach together.
He looked at me for a moment and said, "Morelli?"
I shook my head. "No, we're done. Actually, I think you would be surprised. There wasn't a loud Italian yelling match, nothing thrown, nobody was arrested. It was very adult." What can I say? I'm still proud of myself for that one.
I got the blank face in return. "When did this happen?"
"The night after Bluttovitch was arrested. We had been off for a while, but that night we both decided it was permanent." I really didn't want to give him any more details and luckily he didn't ask. "So, about that vacation…."
"Babe, I just got back from a tough job. I could use a break and thought you could, too. The job in Atlantic City makes it easy to stay for a few more days." I was surprised and oddly touched. The fact that he paid enough attention to me to know I needed a break almost brought tears to my eyes.
"Ranger, I haven't had a weekend away in years. Thank you." He reached his hand up like he was going to touch me, but at that moment his phone rang.
"Yo. Be there in ten. Sorry, Babe, I've got to run. Finish your breakfast and I'll have Hector pick you up. I was going to have him bring you the FTA file anyway." He stood up and gave me a quick kiss on the mouth and was gone before I could even turn around to watch him walk away.
I sat there in shock. Ranger had asked me to go away with him for the weekend. Ranger had asked me to go away with him for the weekend. What does this mean? Maybe it really is just what he said. He needs a break and thought I might enjoy a break, too. I had been sitting there musing for a few minutes and looked up to see Hector sitting across from me. I flinched a little bit and he grinned and said, "Bang, Bang" and let out a loud laugh. I'll never live down shooting that damn remote!
Hector handed me a file and sat there while I reviewed it. We got up to leave, got in a black Rangeman Bronco and Hector handed me something. I looked down and it was a black American Express Card. It had Ranger's name on it with mine listed as "authorized user." I looked at Hector and said, "What's this?" Hector; who speaks very limited English said, "Shopping, mall, now."
What the hell? He's giving me a card? Why? What the hell? I looked up at Hector and said, "Why?" Hector just shrugged and started driving. I took out my cell phone and called Ranger. He answered and said, "Babe, just use the card. You're working at least for the first part of the weekend. The FTA likes sexy, not slutty. Low-cut, not too short. Lots of cleavage. Deep blue. Very high heels. Don't forget lots of cleavage" and he hung up. He hung up on me! I looked up at Hector, who was taking in my dumbfounded face and silently laughing.
I hate it when he hangs up on me! I immediately hit redial and he picked up after the first ring. "You hung up on me! I'm not using your card!" Ranger paused for a fraction of a second and said, "Use the card or I'll have your grandma go shopping for you." I was speechless. Would he really do that to me? "Damn straight, I'd do that, Babe. She'd probably pick up something leather from Pleasure Treasures." He hung up again. I looked up at Hector and he said, "Bang, Bang," laughing full on.
We drove to the mall and Hector parked at the Macy's entrance and followed me in. He led the way to the Better Dresses section and started looking around. Hector shopped? We are going to get along just fine. I began looking, but at first didn't see anything more than prom-like dresses. I was looking at a light blue halter dress when Hector walked up with his arms full of dresses. He picked them up one by one to show them to me and then said, "Try" and turned me towards the dressing room. He walked in with me and placed the dresses on the wall mount and walked out, sitting in the husband chair. It certainly was a day for being dumbfounded. I stood in the door of the dressing room and looked at Hector. He looked back and finally smiled and said, "Go, try, now." Language barrier or not, he sounded so much like Ranger and the other Merry Men that I had to smile.
I shut the door and began looking through the dresses Hector had chosen. He certainly does have good taste. There was a beautiful black dress and a sinful red one, but Ranger had said blue. When I got to the last dress, my heart skipped a beat. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life. It was azure blue, with a deep v-neck and a low back. Looking at it on the hanger, it would probably hit me about two inches above the knee. I checked the size and crossed my fingers that it would fit. I slipped it over my head and looked in the mirror. The dress had a built-in bra, so it gave me the most beautiful cleavage I've ever had in my life. In the center of the chest, it had a triangle of silver, with a slightly darker blue stone in the center. The dress did indeed hit just above my knees and somehow it made me feel special. Let's face it, I spend most of my time in jeans and t-shirts and boots. I never felt like a girl anymore, especially not a pretty girl.
I opened the door and waited for Hector to notice me. I was not disappointed. Hector had been scanning the area when his eyes flew back to me and widened. He stood up and twirled his finger for me to turn around. I did so and he put his hands on my shoulders and said, "Stephanie, beautiful. Boss like." I looked up at him and said, "You really think Ranger will like it?" He nodded and smiled, kissed me on the cheek and said, "You change, find shoes."
Hector, who was turning into the best shopping partner ever, found the perfect pair of silver FMP's within two minutes of entering the show section. They had 4 inch, spiky heels and made my legs look much longer than they actually were. Hector drove me back to my place, carried the bags up and swept the apartment for homicidal maniacs and incendiary devices and was gone before I could thank him for his help.
I sat down on the sofa and thought about the weekend. It was only Wednesday and we would leave Friday morning, so I had lots of time to work myself into a frenzy of nerves and lust.
The trip will begin in the next chapter. What would you like to see happen? I now know what authors mean when they say they are frustrated by the amount of hits and alerts to their story, but the relatively small number of reviews. For the love of Ranger people, leave a review!