Thanks again for all the fabulous reviews! They really do make my day. :) I'm getting such positive things about this story. I was trying to get to the part where she emails Les, but that will have to wait for next chapter.
Disclaimer: Still don't own the usual suspects. It's the unusual ones I do own. :)
Enjoy!
Chapter 7
Steph's POV
I head upstairs and grab a change of clothes. I go down the hall to the bathroom and I turn on the water. While I wait for it to heat up I go and grab my bathroom necessities. I step under the hot spray and I relax. Everything's going to be okay, I think, as I massage in my shampoo. Once I finish my shower I step out and pull on a pretty sky blue spaghetti strap dress. It hits just above my knees and it's really pretty. It has lace going around the bottom and the top. It has sewn in flowers in the same blue all over. I dry my hair and straighten it. I put my make up on but I keep it natural. Once I finish I toss my clothes in my room and shut the door. I head downstairs and my nose catches the smell of a wonderful aroma coming from the kitchen. I follow my nose and find Eric in the kitchen with an apron on. I almost laugh at the sight.
"So, what are you making?" I ask, coming up from behind him. He flinches a little before turning to me.
"You did that on purpose," he accuses with a smile. I try and bite back my own.
"Who me?" I ask innocently, looking around him. I see the frying pan with the top over it and a strange looking thing plugged in on the counter beside the stove.
"What's this?" I ask pointing to the white pot thing.
"You've never seen a rice cooker before?" he asks an eyebrow raised. I shake my head.
"Nope, I lived in Jersey. We don't usually eat things with rice in it," I tell him.
"Not all of them are white, mine just happens to be. I got it out of storage yesterday," he informs me. I nod.
"What's in the frying pan?" I wonder, trying to take the lid off. He smacks my hand playfully.
"No peaking!" he chides. I sigh.
"Meanie!" I whine. "Why can't I see?" He just raises an eyebrow.
"It's a surprise! Now, why don't you go turn on some music and I'll get out some wine," he tells me. I roll my eyes.
"Sure thing honey bunch!" I say, turning into the living room. I flip on the TV and search for a music channel. I set the remote down and I'm about to turn around when a glass of wine is in front of me.
"When did we get these glasses?" I ask raising an eyebrow. He just smirks.
"I've been busy," he says. I roll my eyes and take a sip of my wine.
"I was only gone a day!" He gives me a wide grin.
"I know!" He chuckles as I shake my head. "I have to go get ready. Just let him in if I'm not down here when he comes to the door." I salute.
"Yes sir!" I say with a smirk playing on my lips. This time he rolls his eyes. He heads upstairs and I sip my wine while listening to the music. I tiptoe into the kitchen and eye the frying pan. I look behind me took make sure Eric isn't about to jump out at me. I set my wine down and I move my hand towards the lid. I'm about to open it when the doorbell rings. I let out a small shriek and put my hand to my hammering chest. I walk to the door and open it. I get to see Kenny for the first time. He's tall, but not as tall as Eric. He has blond hair and brilliant light blue eyes. He's clean shaven and has a scarf wrapped around his neck. He's wearing a navy blue v-neck t-shirt. He's wearing dark wash jeans and Doc Martens. He grins widely giving me a view of his pearly whites.
"You must be Michelle!" he says and if I had any doubts about his sexuality, I wouldn't now.
"Yes and you must be Kenny," I say with a smile. "Come on in. Eric went upstairs to change."
"It's nice to meet you. Eric's told me about you," he informs me with a pleasant smile. I nod.
"Would you like some wine?" I offer. He nods and we head into the kitchen.
"So, did you get all of your business taken care of the other day?" he asks, making conversation.
"Yep, it's all done," I tell him as I hand him a glass of wine. He takes a sip and I see Eric come down the stairs.
"Are you guys ready to eat?" Eric asks with a smile. Kenny and I nod. I turn to go set my drink of the table and when I turn back Eric and Kenny are sharing a light kiss. Eric keeps his arm around Kenny as they turn. I smile. Eric looks so happy and so does Kenny.
"So, now are you going to tell me what we're having for dinner?" I ask Eric with light tapping of my foot. Kenny laughs.
"You mean he didn't tell you what we will be feasting on tonight?" Kenny asks, looking up at Eric.
"You told Kenny?" I ask. "You said it was a surprise!" Eric chuckles.
"It is a surprise Chelley Bean, but for you." I roll my eyes.
"I'll get you for this honey buns," I threaten. Psh, yeah right, I'm all talk. Of course, he doesn't know that. Eric just shakes his head and looks at Kenny. Kenny's just smiling at both of us.
"We eating or not? 'Cause I love stir fry," Kenny asks. Stir fry, sounds yummy. My mother's never made it and I never tried it.
"You guys go sit down and I'll serve up the food," Eric suggests. The table is set and there are candles in the middle. Kenny sits down and I look over at Eric.
"Do we have a lighter or matches?" I wonder.
"Drawer next to the fridge," he tells me as he sets one filled plate on the counter. I find the lighter and light up the candles. I put it back and grab the filled plate. I set it in front of Kenny and I sit down myself. Eric brings over the rest of our plates and we all dig in. Kenny tells us about his day and some asshole from school that he ran into. We told him our day, since we pretty much hung out all day.
After we finished our dinner, which was surprisingly good, Eric got out the tiramisu we had bought earlier today. We each got a piece and continued our conversation over our desert and coffee. I guess I moaned because Kenny and Eric are both smiling at me after my first bite. I blush and mumble an apology.
"Don't apologize Sunshine, I think everyone should love food as much as you," Kenny says, using a nickname he came up with halfway through dinner.
After we moved our party into the living room I tell them I'm tired. I head upstairs and get ready for bed. I snuggle into my bed and drift off to sleep.
I wake up in the morning, and to say I was surprised by Kenny sitting at the kitchen table would be an understatement.
"Morning Sunshine, sleep well?" he asks. I nod and look for the coffee.
"You stayed over night?" I ask, just to make sure. He grins and nods. I roll my eyes. I pour myself a cup of coffee.
The Friday before the Fourth of July we had my car packed up. Eric is making sure we have everything before locking up the house. We decide we're good and get in the car. Eric asks to drive. Who am I to argue? He probably knows how to get there better than I.
"I just moved back up from New York," he informs me. I smile.
"Did you not like living there?" I ask. He fiddles with the radio before deciding to answer me.
"I liked it there. They, of course, have more of a public gay scene, but that's not me. I came back home to live closer to my parents. Of course, I didn't want to stay in the same house with them," he explains with a smile.
"It worked out for about a week, and then I went to the B&B," he tells me, "Maggie, she's my grandma's friend." I nod, not knowing that little tidbit.
"So, are you going to tell me your story?" he asks, turning to look at me. I sigh and nod.
"Before I moved here I lived in Trenton, New Jersey. I'm a born and raised Jersey girl. Although, my name isn't really Michelle Diane Parker. My name is Stephanie Michelle Plum," I start off with. I look over to see his reaction and he doesn't seem mad.
"What made you change your name and move here?" he wonders. I grab the water bottle in the cup holder and take drink.
"I had gotten laid off my job and so I went to my cousin for a job. I became a bounty hunter. The two men who were in my life were Ranger and Joe. Joe had been my on again off again boyfriend for a couple years. He always hated my relationship with Ranger. I guess I love Joe, but I'm not in love with him." Eric nods his head.
"I know what you mean."
"Well, about a two years ago Joe and I called it quits for good. He moved on and got a girlfriend who wanted to get married and have kids. That just wasn't what I wanted back then. Ranger, who was my mentor and...best friend," I explain tears welling up in my eyes. "We had one night together and he said if Joe was out of my bed long enough he would jump in. Anyways, he never did. He always said his love came with a condom not a ring."
"The bastard," Eric spits. "How could he not see the wonderful person you are?" I smile at that. I dig out some snacks from the cooler and hand a pack of crackers to Eric. I then start munching on my own.
"Well, I always got stalkers so it wasn't a surprise when I got another one. Only this time it was because of Ranger. One of the skips he had put in jail wanted to make him pay. So, he came after me. I got kidnapped and hurt. When I woke up, I was married to Ranger," I tell him. I see Eric's eyes widen.
"How the hell could he marry you if you didn't consent?" Eric asked, his blood boiling.
"I don't know and I never figured it out. Shortly afterward Ranger disappeared to Miami where another of his office buildings are located. He only said, 'Babe, this is for your own good.' He had already taken away my choices and here he was again taking them away. He didn't even try and fight for what he had...claimed," I tell Eric, tears running out of my eyes now. I hear Eric growl.
"He gave me free reign over his bank account, which on his part was stupid. I filed for divorce. We're currently separated," I continue with my story. "A couple months ago when the guys, Ranger's employees, insisted I move to RangeMan. I was collecting my things, Rex, my hamster included, when I got kidnapped. Ranger was in Miami and I hadn't had any crazy stalkers of late. I found out it was an old enemy of his coming to kill me to make Ranger pay." I am sobbing by this point. Eric squeezes my hand.
"It's okay Chelley Bean, keep going," he encourages. I nod and catch my breath.
"When I woke up he had Rex on a table in front of me." I let out a sob and tears ran down my face like raindrops rolling down a window during a rain storm.
"He said the way to hurt Ranger was through me. So...so...so he killed Rex!" I wailed. "He killed my best friend! I loved that little guy. I guess he killed him to make sure that even if I did get out alive, that I would blame Ranger for Rex's death." I try not to choke on my tears and Eric hands me a tissue.
"Oh, Chelle, I'm so sorry. I can't imagine what it's like," Eric said sympathetically.
"It's not your fault. My friend Lester, who helped me get over the whole 'I'm married to Ranger thing' saved my life that day. Ugly, what I called the guy who killed Rex, was coming towards me with a knife and was about to hurt me when the shot rang out. As he was falling down he managed to cut my leg. Les came to my side and told me everything would be alright. The rest of the Merry Men, that's what I call the RangeMan employees, called the police and made sure I was okay." I pause and take another drink of my water.
"After that incident I flew down to Miami to confront Ranger. I asked him why he married me if he didn't want to be married. You know what he said?" I paused before trying to intimidate Ranger's voice. "Babe, I'm only trying to protect you. The best way I know how. I guess my love comes with a ring but not a condom."
"He didn't!" Eric said, looking over at me shocked. I nodded.
"Yep, he did. Which means it's only his name and nothing more. Then I asked him how it was protecting me if I had gotten kidnapped since we had been married. He just sighed and said, 'Babe, it's complicated'." I roll my eyes. The arrogance of him!
"Les, was there for me though. He held me when I cried and even stayed with me some nights when I had nightmares of Rex getting killed. He's actually the reason I chose Maine. He said he had a beach house up here and he loves it. Last week I actually flew to Ohio to send everyone I left behind letters, telling them that I was okay." Eric nodded.
"Didn't want them finding you?" I nod.
"So, are you still my big brother?" I ask, just to make sure. Eric scoffs, "How could I have it any other way?" I grin.
"You'll still call me Chelley Bean, right?" I wonder. He nods.
"Of course. It would be hard adjusting to calling you Stephanie instead of Michelle or all the other things I call you," he informs me. I smile and lean my head against my seat. I feel lighter somehow, like some huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. I guess that's what you get when you tell the truth.
"Good," I mumble before drifting off.
Eric's POV
Meeting Michelle was probably the best thing that could have happened to me when I moved back to Maine. Other than meeting Kenny of course. She accepts me the way I am and even wants me to be her big brother. I like knowing that she counts on me. I could tell that her past was troubled. Every since I woke her up from her nap the first day we met. It was like we were both put in the position to meet each other so I could look out for her. Or that's what I think at least. When I told her I was gay she didn't even flinch. She asked if I wanted to go shopping! Who does that? Someone with a big heart. When I told Kenny all about her he was excited to meet her. He's more open about being gay so he's gotten more criticism than I have and he needs to meet someone like her. He said she was great and had even given her a nickname. I knew that he would be taken with her. She just has that effect. It made me tear up when she told me she would tell me her past. She trusts me so much. How could I ever do something to break that trust? And, from what she told me about that guy named Ranger, he obviously didn't know what he had. I know it broke her heart that he had done that. It made me want to cause him pain. I'm usually more of a peaceful guy, but what he did to her...I have no words for. If, I ever met him...it would not end well. Her losing poor Rex made me feel sick. Who does that to defenseless creatures? I'm thinking about getting her a dog. I think she'd like that. That way when I'm working at my dad's hardware store she'll have someone to hang out with. I think that when we met Naomi and her son, that it was fate. Michelle and Naomi got along so well. I think it will be good for Michelle to have some women friends here.
Her little boy is adorable though. When she told me about the teaching thing, I was blown away. I never really thought about it, but once I did, I think it's a great choice. She'd do so well with kids even if she wasn't sure. All the kids would love her. Then, when she spoke of Lester, her eyes lit up. I'm not sure if she's aware of it or not, but she's in love. I just hope he's better than the dick Ranger. How could he do that to someone as compassionate and lively as Michelle? I shake my head trying not to think about it. I looked over at Chelley who had fallen asleep after telling me about her past. At least she survived. There are some weaker people out there who would have fallen apart and given up. That's what I like about her so much. She's not the type to give up. She wasn't like someone else I knew. My thoughts drift back to the past, a place I never wanted to travel to again. A place where pain and suffering are present. When my little sister took her life. I couldn't go back. Not now and possibly never. I take a deep breath and try to focus my mind. I see we're almost in New York. Kenny said he would try and make it up here, but he's stuck at work. He's a hair stylist and has appointments up the yin yang. He has spent the whole week at the house though. Kenny said that when Steph came down the first morning and found him sitting there, she was shocked. Kenny was so surprised that she didn't get disgusted, it just made him love her more. I heard her music turned up at night though, I guess we weren't being as quiet as we thought. She never said anything about it though. I guess it doesn't bother her that much. When I see the New York sign I wake Chelley up to tell her that I am going to stop at a Micky D's soon. She nods.
"I have to go pee," she admits with a smile. I grin and shake my head. Of course. We stop and go inside. We both use the bathroom and meet back out front. We both get in line and order.
"Where in New York do you want to go?" I ask her as we start munching on our food.
Into the mind of Eric. What'd you think? And, now I'm officially telling you guys that it's a Les/Steph pairing. :) My first non Steph/Ranger. So, tell me what you think! Thanks for reading.
