Sam and Jesse were at the loft working on their latest job while Michael scurried around the loft, getting dressed and doing chores. Close to one o'clock, Michael went outside to open the doors for Grace. Just as he opened them, she pulled into the lot.
"You must be psychic" she said as she stepped out of the car.
Michael said dryly "Maybe I am good at reading the clock. Stay here, I need to run upstairs to get something."
When Michael arrived back upstairs, he could hear Sam and Jesse pretending to be busy. "I know you guys were watching."
"Hey Mikey, she's pretty cute. She single?" asked Sam, winking at Jesse.
Michael looked up from the bank statements he was planning on bringing with him. "She is single. Anyway, haven't you run into her at my Mom's?"
"Just passed by her a few times. Never talked though." Sam said, smoothing his hair down.
Jesse looked out to door again and turned back to the men. "You should ask her out Mike. She's got some nice..." Jesse paused as he searched for the right word "Assets."
"I'm heading downstairs and talk to her. Maybe introduce her to the 'Sammy Charm'. I'll talk you up so you can make your move."
Michael, who was half listening, realized what Sam said and shouted after him as he descended the stairs "Sam, leave her alone. She's just a friend."
Michael walked out of the loft and downstairs, laughing to himself as Grace shot him a look and rolled her eyes as Sam talked to her. Saying goodbye to Sam, she got in the car.
"Lock up when you are done. I don't know when I will be back." Michael said.
"Mikey, she is great. Funny, quick thinking and very pretty. I think you guys would make a nice looking couple."
Michael put his sunglasses on and said "She's a friend Sam, don't get excited. I'm not even thinking about getting into a relationship right now, so don't get any ideas."
Sam smiled. "Maybe I can set her up with Jesse. They might make a cute couple."
"She's off limits Sam. You are not setting her up with anyone. End of discussion." Michael rounded the car and climbed inside.
As they pulled out, Jesse descended the stairs. Seeing the devious look in Sam's eyes, he groaned "I know that look in your eyes. You are planning something. Do not tell me you are going to get them to hook up. You heard him. He isn't ready for that."
Grinning broadly Sam teased Jesse "Mikey is a better man when there is a lady he cares about by his side. So get me a diaper, a bow and an arrow because Sammy is going to play Cupid."
Jesse shook his head "Go ahead and try it, but he isn't over Fiona."
"She moved on and so should he. There is no reason he shouldn't be happy. We just have to give him a push in the right direction, that's all I am providing."
As Jesse began to pack the car so they could meet their client, he thought outloud "I just hope this push doesn't send him over a cliff if it doesn't work out."
Sam threw the keys to jesse and said "Trust sammy. I have a good feeling about this one."
Jesse muttered to himself "Good luck Mike, you are about to go on a wild ride."
After Grace and Michael had been on the road towards the first dealership, Michael looked straight ahead and said dryly "Don't be surprised if Sam tries to convince you we should go on a date. I have a feeling he's going to try and set us up."
"Would that be the worst thing in the world?" Grace asked. Seeing Michael stiffen, Grace laughed and quickly added "I'm teasing! I didn't think that would get you so tense."
Michael looked out the window as they drove, noticing being in the car with Grace was different. She played with the radio as she drove. Fiona never drove with music playing, so she could concentrate on driving and her surroundings. Grace payed attention to the road, but was very relaxed. It was surreal to be with someone who had no worries about being chased or shot at, someone constantly on guard. While Michael thought about how he missed the constant action, he also realized how nice it was to be with someone who didn't know of the violent ugly world he had been stuck in. Little by little, he was beginning to enjoy Grace's world.
The first car dealership had nothing that Michael was interested in buying. The cars were overpriced and a bit on the small side. The next lot he found two cars that were promising, but something was holding him back. The last lot proved to be the more welcoming as the salesman greeted them at the door and said out loud "Hi! I'm Lou and I must say I've never seen such a fine looking couple in my showroom!"
Michael's eyes widened as the dealer asked "How long have you kids been together? You look like you are high school sweeties. Probably dated through college and married right after you both graduated. Am I right?"
Just as Michael was going to correct the salesman and explain they were just friends, Grace jumped into the conversation and said "We are high school sweethearts that got married! How did you know? You must be psychic."
"No ma'am! I am just a good judge of character. I also am a good judge as to who will be driving away in a car today. I think that is going to be you folks." the dealer said, nudging Grace's arm. He excused himself to get some car keys of vehicles he wanted to show the couple.
Turning to Grace, Michael quickly said "What are you doing?"
"Just relax and play along. He wants to sell us car. I'll be the wife who likes the shiny cars here and you'll be the husband who is worried about money. We'll good cop, bad cop this guy and get a good deal. Here he comes." Grace said quickly.
Michael played along. He guided Grace towards several cars that he liked, calling her 'sweetie' and 'honey'. While he was talking money with the dealer, he looked over towards Grace and saw her sitting in a car they had looked at when they had first arrived in the showroom. When the dealer went to talk to his manager, Michael walked over and leaned in the passenger's side window.
"I think you like this one." he said.
"I do. It was like driving on a cloud. You should get this one if you are going to buy one."
He opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat. "You need to get this car more than I do. I think you should buy it."
"I have a car." Grace reminded him.
Michael smiled and leaned closer to Grace. "I think you are forgetting why you need a new car." He said. Continuing his explanation, he said slowly "You stole your ex's car. I'm sure he's either going to come looking for it or have the police arrest you for stealing it when you left. Get the car today and I will help you figure out a way to get that wreck of a car back to your ex so you are free of him."
"You have an excellent point. I didn't even think about the car being stolen. I can't go to jail. I would never survive and you'd have to come bust me out." Grace said, gripping the steering wheel tight. Michael immediately flashed back in his mind to when Fiona was in jail. The salesman jarred him from his thoughts when he came to the car. Michael helped get a decent deal, while Grace put the car in her name, telling the salesman they kept their finances separate.
"You should take your wife out for dinner after a day of car shopping." Grace gushed.
Michael leaned against the older car they arrived in, and sighed. "I think I should just follow you home and we'll call it a night."
Grace wasn't taking no for an answer. "Come on! We need to do something fun after all this shopping and I didn't have lunch, so I am starving!"
"We can get something to eat and we'll talk about how to get the car back to your ex." Michael said. Trying to think of a place to eat that wasn't crowded or too fancy, he kept thinking of Carlito's. He was hesitant to go there as he and Fiona alway ate there. It's just a restaurant he reasoned to himself. "How about Carlito's?"
Agreeing to Carlito's, Grace got in her new car and entered the roadway, followed by Michael. They arrived at the same time and were seated quickly. Grace looked around after they ordered and said "I haven't been here in ages. When I turned twenty one, Nate took me here for drinks. I got so drunk and poor Nate had to fend off all these disgusting old guys who kept hitting on me."
Michael leaned back in his seat, took a sip from his drink and laughed. "Did he put the moves on you himself?"
"He did not. Nate may have been a lot of things, but he was always a gentleman. He never put the moves on me. He was sweet."
Grace noticed Michael's face change when she had finished talking about Nate. She realized he was somewhere else in his head. Wanting to bring him back to the moment they were in, she said "Tell me where you went after you left school. What happened to you? My mom said you joined the Army."
"Let's just say I traveled. Europe and the middle east. A little bit of traveling in Asia. South America, but that was a disaster..." Michael said as his voice trailed off.
Realizing that Michael's eyes became sad and darker, Grace squinted her eyes and crinkled her nose while apologizing. "I am sorry Michael! I didn't mean to make our conversation so depressing for you."
"I'm fine." Michael tried to assure Grace. "Let's focus on you. My mom said you've done your share of traveling too. Where have you been?" Michael said, leaning taking a bite of his salad that was brought to the table to the waitress.
As Grace told Michael of where she has traveled, they were unaware that tucked away in a corner of the bar was Sam and Jesse, both enjoying a drink. Sam and Jesse both watched as Grace told her tale to Michael, and they watched in shock as Michael listened. "Jesse, do you see Mikey. He looks..."
"Relaxed." Jesse finished Sams sentence immediately. "He even looks kind of..."
"Happy" Sam said, this time finishing Jesse's sentence. Pulling out his wallet and paying their bill, Sam said to Jesse "Let's leave and give them some space." Both men quickly left. Inside their car, Sam looked at Michael and Grace one more time before driving away. "We need to make sure this works. Mikey deserves a shot a happy life, a new life. She's going to be good for him. I can tell."
Jesse sighed. "I hate to admit it, he never looked like he did tonight when he was with Fiona. Don't worry. I'll help make you play cupid, but I am NOT wearing a diaper. Maybe a nice swimsuit, but no diaper." Both men laughed as they drove off.
When dinner ended, Michael and Grace waited for the bill. "Since I am helping you with your car problem, tell me about your ex. Why did you two break up?" asked Michael. Seeing that Grace looked anxious, he quickly added "If I know why you left, then I can better figure out his frame of mind. Once I know what kind of man he is, it will be easier to return the car."
Grace nodded and took a deep breath. "He is a really cute guy. He's funny and really sweet when you are getting to know him. We dated, I moved in with him and then he started to hit me. First time I thought it was a fluke because he was drunk, but then it happened more and more. I ended up in the ER and after I got home, while he was off on a jog, I packed and ran out of the apartment. He has another car so I thought it wasn't like he was totally without a car." She looked off into the distance and said "I just knew I had to run or else he'd end up killing me."
"Let's focus on the car. The easiest way to handle your ex problem is to leave the car at the mall. Hide the key in the wheelwell, on the tire or if he has a spare set lock the keys in the car. If you leave the car, then you don't have to worry about seeing him again. We'll drop the car off tomorrow, then you can tell him where we left it. Call him now and tell him you are going to leave it at the mall."
Grace pulled her phone out dialed her ex's number. Watching Grace, he was amazed at how fast she changed from a self-assured and funny woman into a scared girl. When the phone call began to get more hostile, Michael grabbed the phone and hung up. "It will be ok." Michael tried to reassure her. They parted ways for the night, Grace allowing Michael to take her ex's car back to the loft. Around eight in the morning they would drop off the car and then she would bring Michael back to the loft as she had some chores to run for her mother the next day.
The next morning, Michael and Grace dropped off the car as agreed upon. Not knowing what the ex looked like, Michael scanned the area but didn't see anything or anyone that acted suspicious. Grace looked around too and didn't see him. Relieved that this would be an easy situation to fix, Grace smiled at Michael and gave him a quick hug. "How can I thank you for helping me? I can offer you money, but i don't have much..."
Flashing her a smile, "How about we do something together again." Michael felt better seeing the smile return to her face.
"Kinda like a date?" Grace gently teased.
"Let's just say its 'two friends getting to know one another better'. I am not ready to date just yet. When I am, you'll be the first to know."
Grace blushed as she walked back to her car. Not knowing what the next few days had in store for them, both secretly felt that there could be a new life waiting for them.