AN:Ranger's still not mine... sigh.
Following from the garage through a small mudroom to the kitchen, Ranger was able to get a better look at the home. The interior of Jessie's house was furnished from top to bottom. Glancing around Ranger figured that this was once the show home for the community's Realtor as there were just too many things in the perfect place. The kitchen was a bit different. It was appointed with all of the latest and best appliances, beautiful countertops and dark wood cabinets. It would have been beautiful if it wasn't such a cluttered mess.
In fairness, the mess wasn't filth or even dirty dishes. Instead, it gave the impression that Jessie had been primarily living out of the one room alone. There were books stacked up on one section of the counter, next to a pile of clean and folded laundry. A pile of neatly organized papers was resting on top of a radio that looked older than both of them put together. On the small breakfast bar, a large basket of yarn leaned precariously against a laptop and three cases of Pepsi. A well worn yoga mat sat on the floor just beyond the refrigerator. It was obvious that Jessie was living in transition.
Ranger was anxious to step into the planning phase of this job, but he knew he needed more information. Opening his mouth, he was met with a hand in the air signaling that he wait. "Give me a minute" Jessie sighed "I know you have a million questions, but that's not how this is going to work." He raised his left eyebrow at her assertiveness, she raised her right one in return. Jessie stood there, arms at her sides, stare firmly in place and waited. She believed she could win this small battle of wills if she was just patient enough.
Their Mexican standoff was only broken when a shuffling noise under the breakfast bar drew their attention. With a poke of a nose and then a stretch, a sleepy brown dog appeared, deciding it needed some attention. The 50 pound furball walked over to Ranger, sat down near his feet, and stared at him. It was not a menacing look but more like it was waiting for something, appraising him. Now he was really at a loss, so he kept the patented blank face in place and stared back.
Jessie walked over to a Tupperware on the counter and opened it, the dog turned his head and watched her hopefully. She reached in a pulled out a handful of jelly beans. With a hand gesture, the canine immediately walked over to her and sat down. She tossed the beans into the air and he caught each one before it hit the ground. "This is Wyatt, my best friend" her loving pat on his head told Ranger that the two of them were close "he has a small candy addiction." As the dog worked to get the jelly beans unstuck from his teeth, he nudged her leg gently. "I'm OK big man, you can go back to sleep." Wyatt yawned, looked once more at Ranger, and crawled back under the breakfast bar.
Jessie motioned to the two stools at the bar and sat down. Ranger noticed she was moving a little more slowly. She turned to him as he joined her, assessing the best way to say what she needed to in order to avoid drama. "I understand you are here to protect me, and I know this is not a job you volunteered for. I am going to do what I can to be cooperative, but there will have to be some compromises along the way." She attempted to look both stern and sincere.
Ranger, not known for cooperation, almost laughed. "I don't compromise" was his curt reply "I am here to do a job, to protect you. That means that we are going to do things my way." He finished his sentence with a look that meant business. Under the breakfast bar Wyatt quietly growled. Jessie shushed the dog and cocked her head to the side, almost like she was considering his demand and about to concede. "Diesel really didn't give you much information did he?"
She sighed, her resigned tone signaled both annoyance and fatigue. "I take my safety seriously, but I am not some wilting flower that needs a man to make all of her decisions. You are here to help protect me, you don't need to save me from myself." With a deep breath she sat a little straighter and continued "Diesel has told me you are one of the best, that between your power and your honed skills you are someone that is usually feared. Understand right now, I am not going to be one of the people who fears you or follows you blindly. Not to mention, I've spent the last 35 years protecting myself."
At Ranger's look of disbelief, she decided a demonstration was in order. Jessie stood and walked to the sink, more to give her something to do so she didn't let the frustration take over. When she reached the farthest point in the kitchen she causally asked Ranger, "what type of music do you like to listen to, please be specific." Taken aback by her query, Ranger half shrugged and answered that he liked classical music, Beethoven. Her muttered "should've figured" didn't go unnoticed. Without moving, Jessie blinked her eyes twice and the ancient radio on the counter came to life playing Beethoven's 9th symphony.
Ranger just looked at her, pretending that she had not just done something unmentionable. To further illustrate her point, she walked over to the radio, picked it up, and tossed it to Ranger. When he caught the relic that was playing one of his favorite tunes, he realized that it was merely an empty shell. There were no actual radio parts inside, no guts to produce the sound. Raising an eyebrow he deadpanned "neat parlor trick."
Jessie blinked again, before Ranger could comprehend what had happened, his 9mm Glock, 380 Sig Sauer, and 10 inch combat knife were sitting on the kitchen floor nearly six feet from his position. All the while, Jessie had never moved. She looked at him pointedly, "If you were a threat, I could have shot you with your own gun and you would've never seen it coming." Taking deep breaths, Ranger tried to rein in his growing anger. He couldn't blame her for pulling out the big guns, literally. But he did NOT like being embarrassed and did not have the foggiest fucking idea how to proceed without making an ass of himself. Truth be told, he also didn't appreciate not being armed.
Jessie waited, she knew this was a lot to take in. When she thought he had been given sufficient time to cool down, she tried again. "Why don't you put those back on and we'll start over." Cautiously, Ranger stood and retrieved his weapons. Plastering a somewhat forced smile on her face, she thrust out her hand for a first shake, "Hello, you must be Ranger. I'm Jessie." For a brief moment Ranger hesitated, no one would fault him for being a little uncertain about touching her, not after that display. Finally, he judged her to be genuine and shook her hand. Wyatt let loose another low growl from below the breakfast bar.
