Chapter 12—Welcome Home
Stephanie's POV
The last couple of months had gone by so fast. My regular routine was pretty much the same except for the addition of preparing for the Thursday lunches at the RangeMan office. I'd been worried about facing all the guys after my panic attack, but thank heaven for men, they never mentioned it. A bunch of women would have wanted to talk about it ad nauseam.
Each week was better than the last. The guys were opening up more and more, and now seemed very comfortable with me. I'd had great one-on-one conversations with each of them and learned a lot about their life histories and what made them tick. Each man had something special about him and I couldn't help falling in love with each and every one of them. Where were all these great guys when I was actually looking for someone?
Carlos had kept his distance, which I was thankful for, though he was always present and always made a point of talking with me before I packed everything up and left for the week. He hadn't queried me any more about my name. In fact, none of the guys had. I was 'Babe' to Carlos and 'Tiger' to the rest of the men.
Over the past several weeks, I'd given considerable thought about why I had originally felt so strongly about hiding my identity from Carlos. After my last divorce, I'd tried to date, but the men ran from me like I had leprosy. After two failed marriages and then being rejected by one man after another, my confidence plummeted to an all-time low. It made me feel better when I told myself it was my decision not to date, like I was 'in control' again. It started out as a face saving measure, then it became part of my identity. I was determined to never again give any man that kind of control over me or my self-esteem. Mary Lou said I put out 'man hating' vibes. I certainly didn't hate men, but I didn't trust them either.
All I knew was that for the last fifteen years, my heart hadn't been broken once. But when Carlos Mañoso surprised me that hot day in August, my heart started to tremble again. I panicked. Pure and simple. I desperately needed to stay in control. If I didn't let him know who I was…if I didn't let him get close to me…he couldn't hurt me. Or so I told myself. I had a lifetime of living in denial, but the fallacy of it was finally catching up to me.
And then I did a stupid thing. I began to care about him. But I couldn't let go of that final wall…letting him know my name. Silly? Fuckin' A!
After each lunch, we talked about impersonal and casual things such as the weather, current events, books we'd read, food preferences. I asked him questions about RangeMan, how he started it and he explained his business and management philosophy. I learned bits and pieces about his past, that he (and most of the men working at RangeMan) had been an Army Ranger and had done 'special' projects as a contract employee for the government. I got the feeling his 'special' projects involved Black Ops work. It explained a lot about his stoic 'John Wayne' demeanor. The few times he asked me questions about my past, I managed to deflect them and he never pried. That just made me like him all the more.
CadyCakes was running smoothly and the trend of cupcake bouquets and tiered cupcake displays for large events didn't seem to be waning. Our works of art and flour were in high demand and special orders were at an all time high.
Mary Lou was our 'scientific' expert who gave us the nutritional facts, Krishna was the creative genius behind our unique taste and I was the marketing whiz that touted our health and flavor claims. The profits from CadyCakes helped support the diner and our educational efforts. Mary Lou was happy teaching her cooking classes and working with staff at various hospitals and assisted living communities to improve their menus. Donations were up and our home delivery service was booming.
We operated our home delivery service on a sliding scale. Some of our customers could afford to pay full price and others couldn't, but refused to accept charity, so we worked within each client's budget and personal wishes. We operated under the premise that it was the entire community's responsibility to take care of its residents, not just the government's.
One special cupcake order we received several weeks ago was especially fun to prepare. Tank stopped by with a cupcake order for Ram's birthday. Tank wanted a soldier theme and our decorators went all out with red, white and blue, and army men, tanks and rifles. In my conversations with Ram, I'd learned he was a real bookworm and always carried a book with him even into battle. So, amidst all the other action-oriented cupcake army men, I asked Krishna to include one soldier hunkered in a foxhole reading a book titled 'War and Peace.' I knew Ram would get a kick out of it.
Since I obviously couldn't be there for the party, I made Tank promise to take some pictures. Tank seemed more than happy to comply and even made a special trip back to show me, and especially Krishna, pictures of the guys enjoying the cupcakes.
Something was developing between Tank and Krishna. Since they were two of my favorite people, I was very happy for them. I thought they made a cute, though substantial, couple.
Krishna needed someone in her life to help keep her grounded. I'd known her since we were teenagers and she could get a little wild without some structure. I knew a lot about that because she and I had a lot of crazy times together in college. Right after she graduated, she got a job as a business executive in a nationwide investment firm. She was very successful, but she always wanted to be a chef.
When I'd asked her to go into partnership with Mary Lou and I, she jumped at the chance. She and her then boyfriend, Otto, moved out to Vegas and we started CadyCakes. But just last year, Krishna and Otto broke up. She dated a few times, but no one had been able to keep up with her. Tank seemed like someone who could give as good as he got. I planned to keep my fingers crossed for the two of them.
A month ago, I'd passed the big 5-0. I was fifty years old! Mary Lou had crossed that ominous threshold two months ago. She and I went out for drinks, not to celebrate, but to drown our 'old lady' sorrows. We spent the first hour commiserating with each other and then as the drinks kicked in we both let our Jersey attitudes take over.
We convinced each other we still had smoking hot bodies and when Mare dared me to pick up a guy I accepted the challenge. Since she'd been happily married to Lenny for the past twenty-eight years, I didn't make her do the dare too. Within minutes I had a couple guys eating out of my hand. I danced with each of them several times and let them buy me a drink or two. It was heady stuff, though I demanded Mare take me home soon after. I'd never been into casual sex and I wasn't about to start now.
It would also be the last time Mary Lou and I would go 'bar hopping' for a while. Our little section of Las Vegas was normally peaceful and quiet, but after our girls' night out the evening news reported two guys getting badly roughed up in the parking lot of the nightclub where we'd celebrated my 50th birthday. Add to that poor Lester getting beaten up outside his neighborhood bar a few weeks ago and it just didn't seem safe in this part of town anymore.
Our next big business day at CadyCakes was Halloween. Cupcakes were a popular treat for costume parties. And this year, Halloween had been a personal triumph for me. I decided to dress up in a costume for my trip to RangeMan. I knew they'd be dressed in their own costumes: skintight black t-shirts, butt-hugging black cargoes and some form of black boots. But I wanted to push myself.
In my younger days, I liked dressing provocatively and I'd had the body to pull it off. My husband had encouraged me to wear sexy clothes, but he was also fiercely jealous. Even at the annual policemen's ball, Joe wouldn't allow me to dance with anyone else. He'd dance a couple of slow dances with me and then kept me by his side while he schmoozed his bosses. I wondered if he ever married again and if so, if he treated his new wife that way? Mary Lou had told me she'd heard he'd moved back to Trenton, but hadn't heard if he'd remarried.
My days of sexy dresses stopped after Cady was born. Joe repeatedly complained about my weight gain, saying I wasn't as sexy anymore. I took to wearing baggy pants and oversize blouses. My self-confidence took a nose dive.
But my birthday night out with Mare had been fun and it got me thinking. So when Halloween rolled around, I decided to strut my stuff again, but not in a public bar. When Joe and I were first married, I'd thrown a big costume party and dressed up in a sexy Wonder Woman outfit. As a kid, I'd dreamed of being a kickass heroine but with style. Wonder Woman was my role model. I wore the outfit every Halloween until I got pregnant.
Searching through boxes packed up long ago, I finally found the costume. With trepidation, I tried it on. Amazingly, I could still fit into it, but it was way too tight for comfort. Mare was great at sewing so she let it out for me and encouraged me to go for it. I could still wear the wristbands, belt and headdress. I wasn't happy with the cellulite on my thighs so I added flesh colored leggings to hide the lumpiness. Mary Lou also made me a generous red, white and blue cape I could wrap around my tummy when I sat down. Despite all the sit-ups and exercise I did, I couldn't seem to get back my flat stomach.
I couldn't believe I got up enough nerve to wear it to RangeMan for the Halloween lunch I brought and then parade around the conference room like I owned it. I wasn't totally buying the kickass heroine thing, but it was still a brave act for me to do. All the guys made me feel so good about myself, but they did so without obvious leering or mishandling me. Lester did pull me down on his lap once saying he wanted a closer look at my thigh-high boots. Carlos immediately stood up and called out, "Santos!" and that was the end of that. They were all polite, but I noticed their covert appreciative looks and I left feeling great about myself. Still didn't mean I'd want any man to see me naked, though.
When I learned the guys had to work on Thanksgiving just like it was a regular day, I knew I had to do something special. Carlos had insisted I take the day off, but the holiday fell on my regular Thursday and I insisted right back I would be there at the regular time with a special treat. Little did he know I was bringing an entire traditional turkey dinner complete with all the fixings.
We didn't start serving Thanksgiving dinner at Cady's until 3:00 pm and now that I had a car, yeah I broke down and purchased a new Subaru Outback, I could make it to both dinners on time.
I loaded up the Subaru with two huge roast turkeys, a mountain of mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, green bean casserole, candied yams, dinner rolls, a green salad (for Carlos), cranberry sauce, trays of appetizers and finger foods, and several pumpkin, apple and pecan pies with fresh whipped cream. Today was not a day for pinching calories, fat or salt. I thought the guys would appreciate an old-fashioned home cooked holiday meal.
Just before noon, on Thanksgiving Day, I pulled up in front of RangeMan and was surprised to find Carlos waiting outside for me. He leaned his arms against my car's open window.
"Happy Thanksgiving! It was really nice of you to give up your holiday to make us a meal. We don't make a big thing about holidays, they're just another day to a bunch of grumpy old men," he grinned in at me.
He held out a small remote. "This is for you, so you won't have to park on the street anymore." He motioned me toward the gate.
I stared up at him with my mouth hanging open. It was like being handed the keys to the kingdom. Ranger was so adamant about security measures for the building and he was giving me my own access key.
"Does this mean I'm now family, part of the RangeMan team? Do I have to wear black?" I quipped, emotion choking me up a bit.
"Yes, yes and no," he joked back. "Go on in. The guys are waiting for you."
I drove up to the closed gate and hit the green button. The gate rose and I entered the underground garage for the first time since I'd slipped in on my bicycle behind Cal last August. The guys were milling around inside, but when I drove in they stepped aside to reveal a coveted parking space next to the elevator and stairs. Helium-filled balloons bounced above the concrete bumper and my nameplate read 'Tiger.' I was smiling, but tears were filling my eyes.
I pulled into my very own RangeMan parking space and was immediately surrounded by a dozen hunks all dressed head to toe in black. Not for the first time, I wondered if they wore black boxers or briefs…or maybe they went commando, be still my beating heart.
I didn't get out of the car right away, trying to get my emotions under control, and then the car started rocking. I could see Lester, Bobby and Tank leaning on the hood grinning at me through the windshield. I had no doubt the guys could pick up my little car and carry me back through the gate if they wanted to.
My door opened and of course it was Lester. "Welcome home, Tiger," he said as he kissed my cheek and gave me his hand to help me out.
The guys were all leaning on my car grinning at me. I was still too stunned to react. Tank handed me a small black paper bag filled with blue tissue paper and I was encouraged to open it. I pulled out a black t-shirt, a woman's cut, with 'RangeMan' embroidered in blue over the left breast.
That did it! Tears ran down my cheeks as I tried to say something. Words wouldn't come so I just tried to smile through my tears at each of them.
"She's crying! You made her cry, Tank. No one said she'd cry," I heard Hal say in an upset voice.
I stepped over to Hal. "They're happy tears, Hal." I explained and spontaneously hugged him. It was the first time I'd done anything more than lightly touch any of them. He stood there, hands at his side not knowing how to react. I could feel him start to hyperventilate so I backed off. I hugged each of the men getting similar tense responses from many of them until I came face to face with Carlos.
"Thank you," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, and wrapped my arms around his waist. He was warm and hard and smelled incredibly sexy. I didn't want to let go. He held me tight for a minute and then dropped a kiss on top of my head.
Lester broke the tender moment with a shout, "Let's eat!" and swiped my keys from the ignition. He opened up the back of my car and the aroma of roast turkey hit the guys' noses. There were happy cries and exclamations of joy coming from these normally quiet soldiers. They made short work of carting the many bags and casserole dishes to the elevator and stairs. Carlos and I stood side by side and waited for the elevator to return.
"It seems you outdid yourself. We weren't expecting a full turkey dinner. Thank you for going above and beyond the call of duty."
"Hey, I'm one of you now," I said, holding up the RangeMan t-shirt to my chest. "Nothing but the best for my guys. And thank you for my parking space. And not just any space, but the one closest to the elevator. Who'd I kick out?"
"I have three spots assigned to me. I like cars, but I can only drive one at a time. I put the truck over there," and he pointed to a beefed-up black Ford 450. My space was next to his Porsche Carrera. I felt doubly privileged and hoped I never dinged it.
"It's okay, Babe. It's just a car. Dings come with the territory." I did a mental head slap. Carlos still shook me up enough that I babbled my thoughts out loud.
The elevator opened and we went up to join the rest of the crew in the conference room. I shooed everyone out so I could set the table. Normally I brought paper plates and plastic cutlery, but since it was Thanksgiving, I packed my nice stoneware and my Grandmother Plum's Chantilly silverware etched with her (maiden) initials. I'd even brought a couple of white linen tablecloths and a harvest-themed centerpiece. We were going to eat in style today. I finished 'decorating' and called everyone to dinner.
The guys were grinning and shaking their heads. There were comments like, "Tiger, you did all this for us?" "It looks and smells fantastic." And "It's just like home." And of course, "I'm starved. Let's eat," from Lester.
It was Hal who suggested we say 'Grace' and to my surprise all the guys bowed their heads as Hal said a short prayer. Then it was bedlam as dishes were passed around and everyone filled their plates to overflowing. I silently gave thanks to fate or to whatever brought these wonderful men into my life.
