The days ticked by and every day there was at least someone asking me the exact same question as Cal had previously. I knew it wasn't just curiosity in the usual Burg-fashion, but genuine interest. The MerryMen didn't do gossip and curiosity. Well, at least not like most others did.

The frustrating thing for me was that I couldn't really give any of them an answer since I didn't really know myself. It was a hard question the longer I spent time thinking about the answer.

Thing was… I knew there were options. And plenty of them. From previous conversations I knew that Carlos would prefer nothing more than having me around him all day long, working at RangeMen and being in his sight where he knew I was safe. And while I liked the idea of working with and for Carlos it also made me queasy. Ever since I knew Carlos I always felt to some degree like he was dragging me through life. I knew that all his help and offerings were voluntary and not because he felt he had to save me, but I always felt like I was letting him and others down, like I was depending on him way more than I should or what was good for me.

Carlos had always tried making it a point that I was neither a burden nor something he felt the need he had to fix. And while he had mentioned in the past I was a line in his budget and I knew he was only joking (partly anyway) I still couldn't help but feel like it was true. In the past I had relied way too much on my goddamn luck and Ranger if I was honest. On some days Ranger and his men were all I relied on.

The past few months, being on the run had shown to me what I long ago had lost: faith in me and the fact that often enough I was able to get done an awful lot more than what I expected of myself. I had grown accustomed on getting stuff done on my own, of achieving things again.

I felt the need for something new, maybe a little adventurous and different. I knew I was too bad at my previous job to seriously consider going back into that field of profession – at least not by myself. I had a business degree for which I paid fortunes for in tuition fees and previous experiences as a lingerie designer. While that was not a job I was seeing myself getting back into anytime soon – due to non-existing job offers in that field – I wondered whether there wasn't a chance somehow to use these experiences. The past few months I had gained an independence that was hard for me to let go. I knew, I could hit Ranger up for a job at RangeMen and probably find a way of putting that business degree to good use, but I didn't feel it. Not entirely. Working for and with Ranger would have been amazing on so many levels, but it also felt like giving something up. Like giving up my chance of standing on my own two feet and creating something for myself and by myself. I was certain, had I spoken to Ranger about my concerns, he'd have found myself some alternative, like having me run an entire division of RangeMen or the likes, but… that was not what I was looking for. Not entirely again. There needed to be something else, something that would feel righter.

Apart from my plans for the future, money was another thing on my mind. For several reasons. There was of course the cheque that I had received from the Russian mob boss which I tried offering Ranger in order to pay him back for some of the money I took before I fled and the hardship I put him through. He off course declined every attempt and remained unchanged on his position, arguing that it was my money and he didn't want any of it. That I earned it fair and square by bring back Barnhardt and proving my innocence. After three attempts throughout three days I just gave up.

I had never counted the money I had taken and never actually used any of it. I had lived a comfortable enough life without many luxuries and got by well with the money I had taken maxing out my credit card and clearing out my more or less meager account. It had always just been a cushion to use in case I should need more money. Imagine my surprise once being back that I had grabbed almost a quarter of a million instead of what I assumed could be maybe a few grand, maybe fifty thousand at most. So giving that money back to Ranger as well was obvious. Just…. he didn't want that either. Like… at all. According to him he had long amortized the amount with his budget calculations. Arguing that it was his money and that he couldn't argue I had earned it since it was his from the beginning wasn't as easy as I would have expected. Turns out he had a different idea about that and he wouldn't accept the return of that money either. He argues it was his price to pay for having me back. Arguing with him that his argument was rather stupid was met with a shrug, a kiss to my forehead and him leaving his office. This was Ranger's way of ending an argument.

So now I had more than 300 grand that was in my opinion not mine to keep and Carlos who decided that it wasn't his either. I knew there were people in the world who'd probably like to have my kind of problems right now, but… I really didn't know what to do. So before I broke my brain with trying to come up with anything and my head exploding with the next one asking me what I was thinking about doing job-wise I high tailed out of the RangeMen building and invited myself to my parents for lunch. My family hadn't seen me often since I was released from hospital and my mother had called more than once, complaining I wasn't over often enough for lunch or dinner. So without much advanced warning and therefore giving my mother no option in regards of arranging an impromptu date-like scenario with men she'd like to match me up with, I was at my parents place.

"You know I heard Bernie Finkelstein is single again," my mother started before I even had the first bite.

"Good for him," I replied, taking a bite of the lasagna a moment later. "I could see if Connie or Lula would be interested."

I smiled to myself about my attempt about playing ignorant. Knowing my mother would hate every minute of it. The thing is that while I didn't keep my relationship with Carlos a big secret I also wasn't posting ads about it either. My mother wasn't completely clueless and I figured him being by my side at the hospital almost nonstop and also that we weren't entirely strangers before my disappearance either, my mother wasn't entirely happy but at least got the hint. I stopped wondering a long time ago what exactly it was that was bothering her about my choice of man. I mean, he was a successful business man with his own company, nice manners and a rather comfortable amount of money in the bank. According to my calculation he ticked all the boxes for 'perfect son-in-law' for most mothers. Mine apparently wasn't most.

"You can't seriously be considering to date that ….that thug!" my mother exclaimed and… right, that was her reason why she still felt the need to match me with men.

"And you can't seriously consider someone else's opinion on my man. Someone who does neither know nor ever met Carlos. Just because every neighbor and every wannabe gossip columnist in the burg has horizons and opinions as broad-minded and inclusive as their front yard doesn't necessarily mean they are correct or are entitled to an opinion. You can either live with the fact that I am dating Ricardo Carlos Manoso or don't. I actually do not care either way. But I won't sit around here, letting you pawn me off to whatever guy walks past when I have a perfectly good and amazing guy waiting at home for me. It is up to you whether you'd like to see me – or us for that matter – once a week for dinner, or once a month. I don't need you to become his biggest fan and supporter, but I am expecting you to keep your unwanted opinion about one of the best things that ever happened to me to yourself if you can't get over the fact that I'm dating him and it won't be just for a few weeks."

I was expecting lengthy debates, with my mother trying to guilt-trip me into whatever she thought was the right thing. Instead I was met with silence and my mother mimicking a fish. If I wasn't so annoyed I actually would have laughed about the picture in front of me. As it was I was actually expecting this to be then officially my cue to leave and let things be as they are, maybe give my mother space and a bit of time to think about what I just said and just start my way back to Haywood. Leave it to my grandmother to change that.

"You know what you gonna do now that you are back?" she asked and I found it ironic that I had come by for lunch to sort of escape that question, just for my grandmother to bring it right up.

"Not really," I answered, shrugging.

"You getting back into that ridiculous job you had before?" my mother asked, delving into her second most favorite topic right after 'Stephanie and men'.

"I am actually not sure right now what I will do."

"Well," my grandmother chipped in before my mother could get in another word or mention her most favorite suggestion: the button factory. "You could get back into bounty hunting and work for Vinnie again," she suggested and I found her remark rather odd. While my grandmother had always been in my corner in regards of most decisions I ever made, it wasn't like she was a big fan of Vinnie's or me working for him. In her mind she probably thought I'd do a better job at running a bonds office then my cousin and should just take over his business.

"Why should I do that?" I asked partially amused and partially curious.

"Well, after all the businesses you had to run for your cousin – like that deli for example – you could now run Treasure Pleasure. Caroline Scarzolli put her business up as safety for her bond when she was caught shoplifting again. She failed to show up for her court date and now the business is Vinnies."

For a moment I wasn't entirely sure what to say. So many things went through my head simultaneously that it was hard grasping onto one thought only. My cousin being the temporary owner of an adult store was entertaining me on so many levels.

"What is he doing with it?" I finally asked at which my grandmother just shrugged.

"No idea. So far not much. It's closed since about a week and no one knows whether it's going to ever open up again. Which is a shame."

"Your cousin must sell this business! Imagine his wife and the horrid thought of being associated with such an establishment." Of course that was my mother's primary concern. How could it reflect on anyone? Especially anyone who might be associated with her. A hundred bucks said her concerns where neither for Vinnie nor his wife, but rather for herself and being related to Vinnie.

"Ok, first of all it is a legal income and secondly, he isn't selling drugs, or trafficking women through it. You make it sound as if that place is a dump filed with addicts and prostitutes." Ok, given the place sort of was a dump. It was old and left its glory days long behind. Shopwise it was probably in need for some renovation and an upgrade and sure, the line of business was not everyone's cup of tea, but there really were way worse lines of business to be in.

"Why is it closed since a week?" I asked surprised. "Is he still employing Lula? Because… she's almost made for that shop and running it, seeing her previous experiences." And ok, maybe thinking an ex-prostitute had to run that shop was maybe a bit narrow-minded on my end, but every time Lula and I stopped at Treasure Pleasure Lula seemed like she fit right in and had hardly ever issues with the displays and its stock. Occadionally she even had conversations with Caroline about said displays and stock.

Since neither my grandmother nor my mother – who probably had given up on that conversation midway – could answer my question I decided on stopping by the bonds office on my way back to RangeMen. Some answered were best received in person. On my way over to see Connie and Lula I stopped by Tasty Pastry and grabbed a box of Boston Crèmes.

"Hell no, I ain't gonna get stuck in some dark moldy shop all day. This 'ho is made to run free and wild," she said in-between chewing her third donut. Wild and free was also the best way to describe Lula. She was wildly inappropriate dressed and freely distributed opinions that sometimes were best unheard. She was also rather free in regards of using her gun whenever the need arose – or not – and into rather wild hairstyles and colors. Running on the other hand wasn't something that described her since it was her least favorite activity – sportive or non-sportive likewise.

"So… is he looking for someone to… run the shop? Or is he just keeping it closed until Caroline Scarzolli decides on showing up or getting caught?"

"As far as I understood Harry as well as his wife are giving him hell to lose this leg of revenue. Vinnie is starting to get a bit desperate and wants to get rid of it. The sooner the better."

"What is he asking?" I wonder absentminded, munching my second donut.

"Hard to tell to be honest. Last week it was about half a million."

"Half a million?" I almost screamed. "No wonder no one bites. That is a lot of dough for a small shop."

Connie nodded like she was glad someone finally spoke her mind and agreed with whatever it was she had said at some point probably.

"Exactly. But he is getting desperate, so I'm certain if someone walked in and offered half of that, he'd take it as well. As long as he gets rid of it and has no longer Harry or his wife up his backside."

I looked at Connie for a long moment and let my view shift to Vinnie's locked office door. I knew he was in and probably listening to every word that Connie, Lula and me exchanged, waiting for the perfect moment to storm out and order his two employees to be productive. I don't know what exactly it was that made me lose my mind, but someone once said to me to follow my gut and when a crazy idea struck it wasn't always just crazy and weird, but sometimes maybe something amazing could result out of following through with it. So… maybe….?

"He wants to sell it," I mumbled barely audible to myself, doing the Math

"Why are you looking so oddly at Vinnie's door all of a sudden?" Connie asked, but I hardly heard her. Or registered much. Except that a moment after a thought had struck me, I was walking towards Vinnie's closed office door.

"Vinnie," I shouted on my short way to his office. "I've got an offer for you that you won't be able to turn down."

And knowing Harry and Vinnie's wife, he hardly had much choice.

Conny locked like she could have a stroke and I heard Lula asking confused what I was doing and what was going in.

Would my mother be pissed? You bet. Did I care? Not really.

The only opinion I really cared about was Ranger's. And breaking that news could be…. Interesting to say the least.

.

post-A/N: Yes, I am fully aware I wrote that Stephanie was previously a lingerie designer instead of a buyer. Guess what? There's a reason behind my madness. As always... thoughts are always much appreciated.