Chapter 11
Hector smiled when Stephanie gave him the signal to distribute the video. She wanted everyone to know she was alive and how her mother reacted. He waited for Frank Plum's car to exit the parking garage before posting the video on social media. Hector sent the mass emails to the Burg residents, flagging them as highly important.
Frank waited for Hector to call. His phone rang when he drove a few blocks down Haywood. "Hola," Frank answered on speaker.
Talking in Spanish, Hector said, "I sent the emails and posted the video on social media."
"Thank you," Frank said before hanging up.
"It's rude to speak Italian or Spanish in front of other people," Helen snapped.
Frank rolled his eyes, "Helen, shut up. I think you've said enough today." He was disappointed with his wife. She only cared about the Burg biddies' opinions. Her youngest daughter was alive. Helen didn't hug Stephanie, and she didn't make Stephanie feel good about coming home.
Rachel and Ron watched the video that Hector distributed to the Rangeman offices. In the past, she was jealous of Stephanie. She was thankful that Stephanie found Julie when she got kidnapped. But she felt Stephanie only helped because of Ranger. Rachel listened to the men tell Stephanie that they missed her and the sunshine returned in their dark lives. "The way they talked to Stephanie makes me wonder if she's as kind as Julie described," Rachel said.
Ron skipped back a few seconds and paused the video. "Rachel, they genuinely love her. Look at the affection in their eyes. All of the men are happy." He resumed the video and paused to capture Julie's expression. "Julie's laughing. She hasn't laughed in years," Ron pointed out.
"Since she got kidnapped by Scrog," Rachel said, agreeing. "I want Julie to have that carefree life. Ron, I think Julie should live with Ranger and Stephanie."
"Are you sure?" Ron asked.
"Positive. I know Ranger pays for our children's tuition to keep the children together. We won't need his financial assistance if I work more hours. The law firm offered me a full-time position as Bart Candor's assistant. I would get a significant pay raise. My mom could watch the children after school until I get home," Rachel replied.
"Anything you want, Rachel. We'll call Julie tomorrow to give her the news."
"I can make arrangements with Ranger to send her home once a month to visit her brother and sister," Rachel added.
"Sounds like a plan," Ron stated. "Call Ranger to let him know our intentions."
Ranger met with the lawyer to transfer Rangeman shares to Stephanie. Tank, Bobby and Lester readily signed the document, agreeing to add a core team member. He got two contracts prepared for Stephanie. The first gave her a co-CEO role, and the second placed her in charge of the research department. "Miss Brighton's a nurse. She would be an asset to Rangeman," Bobby stated.
"April should work with Stephanie and care for injured men when required," Lester added.
"We have to give April the choices available to her. I can't see her wanting to be away from Stephanie. They became close friends during the past few years," Ranger said.
"Being a nurse, April would be a great fit to manage our clients. She would make our female clients more comfortable," Tank added.
"I like how she handled Helen," Lester said, laughing. "April was so sweet that my teeth hurt."
"She's kind, caring and gentle. Julie loves her," Ranger added. Ranger's phone rang. He looked at the display. "I have to take this." Lester, Bobby and Tank left Ranger's office to give him privacy.
"Hi, Ranger. Thanks for taking my call," Rachel said.
"Julie will be home in a few days," Ranger stated.
"Um. Hold off on sending Julie home. Ron and I watched the video. We haven't seen Julie that happy in a long time. If Julie agrees, would you and Stephanie be willing to keep her?" Rachel quickly asked.
"Stephanie and I would love to have Julie live with us. I can fly her home for birthdays, holidays and every few weeks to visit. Do you want her home to finish the school year?" Ranger offered.
"I'll ask Julie. Whatever will make her happier," Rachel replied. "We love her and only want the best. If it means living with you and your wife, then that's what we will do."
"I'm willing to continue paying for your children's tuition," Ranger stated.
"Thank you for your generous offer, but Ron and I can manage. We appreciate your help in the past to keep the children together. I got a full-time position at the firm as an assistant. The salary increase will cover tuition and uniforms."
"If you need any help, please ask. Stephanie and I will help in any way that we can. Maybe I could fly your family to Trenton for a few weeks in the summer," Ranger offered.
Rachel laughed. "I think Ronnie and Sophia would like that. They heard about Stephanie from Julie and want to see where she lives. I'll talk to Ron and email you some dates."
"When will you call Julie?"
"Tomorrow," Rachel replied.
"Okay," Ranger said and hung up. Rachel stared at the phone. She hated when Ranger ended calls without a proper goodbye.
"Is he on board?" Ron asked.
"Yes. He offered to pay for the children's tuition."
"I hope you declined."
"Obviously. Ranger said to let him know if we need any financial assistance," Rachel added.
"I don't think that's necessary. Someone just paid off our mortgage," Ron said, handing Rachel the mortgage statement. Rachel cried and shook her head. It was too much, but she was thankful.
Ranger smiled after paying off the balance for the Martine's mortgage. He wanted to make it easier for Rachel and Ron to cover the additional expenses. Stephanie wrapped her arms around Ranger's neck. He felt her before she entered his office. "You are a wonderful, generous man. Why did you pay off their mortgage?" Stephanie asked when she read the computer screen.
Couldn't sleep, Babe?" Ranger asked instead of answering her question.
"No. You haven't answered my question, Carlos," Stephanie said, refusing to get dismissed. She wasn't upset that he paid the mortgage, only curious why he felt it necessary.
"Babe, Julie might be living with us permanently. I didn't want her siblings to suffer when I end the support payments," Ranger explained.
Stephanie wiped a tear from her eye. "I'd love to keep her with us. Rachel and Ron are generous for giving her a choice," Stephanie said. "We should invite the family to visit during the summer." Stephanie studied Ranger's face. Smiling, she added, "I can see you already extended the offer." Ranger nodded imperceptibly.
Hal sat in his apartment, staring at April's picture. She looked too familiar, but he had problems placing her. He called his parents to see if they could enlighten him. "Hello, son. What seems to be the problem?" Hal Sr asked.
"Hey, dad. I saw a photograph of a family standing in front of a sailboat called Wave Baby. It looked like Hawaii. The family looks familiar, but I can't place where," Hal replied.
"Wave Baby, you say?"
"Yes, dad. Wave Baby. Hold on for a second. I'll text you the picture."
"Toby, Allison, Tanner and April Brighton," Hal Sr said when he looked at the photo. "I haven't seen Toby since we visited them fifteen years ago. How did you get this picture?"
"I thought they looked familiar. April moved to Trenton today. Her family died in a freak storm while watching the dauphins. Only April wore a life jacket when the boat capsized," Hal replied. Hal heard his dad clack on the keyboard buttons.
"Ten years ago," Hal Sr announced. "Toby and I served together. I think April's close to your age. I'll ask your mother." Hal heard his dad yell, "Hanna, how old was Allison Brighton's daughter?"
"A year younger than Hal, why?" Hanna asked. Hal heard his mother's shoes clomp across the hardwood floor. "Oh no. Was April the only survivor? Poor girl. We should reach out to her. Where is she now?"
"Hal said she moved to Trenton today."
"You should bring her home next month, Hal. We would love to see April," Hanna suggested. "The two of you were inseparable whenever we visited."
"We'll see, mom. Thank you for helping, dad. I'll see you next month," Hal said. He ended the call and stared at April's family. It took a little concentration for Hal to recall the memory. He remembered running down the beach holding the blond girl's hand.
April woke from a dream. She rolled over and felt the picture frame dig into her stomach. "I hope mom kept the photo," April said as she jumped from the bed. April searched for the photo album but came up empty. She called Ella over the intercom, "Hey, Ella. When you unpacked, did you find an old photo album?"
"Blue with yellow, purple and red flowers?" Ella asked. She gave the album to Hector to fix the yellowing photos for April.
"Yes. Do you know where it is?" April asked fingers crossed that Ella had the item.
Ella smiled, "I noticed your pictures started yellowing. Hector is scanning and fixing your photos. He'll keep the original secured in the safe. I can ask if he's finished."
"Oh. Um. Where is Hector's office?" April asked.
"Second floor. Hector's office is in the IT room," Ella replied. "Hector keeps his door closed. Knock and wait for him to answer."
"Thanks. I'll talk to you later," April said. She grabbed her fob and ran out of her apartment. Too impatient to wait for the elevator, she ran down the stairs to the second floor.
Hector's office was easy to find. April raised her hand to knock, but the door opened. "Hola, Angel," Hector greeted.
April giggled. "Hola, Hector. Do you have my photo album? I'm looking for a picture of me holding a boy's hand on the beach," she asked.
He pulled April into the office before saying, "Ah. The picture of you and young Hal." April sat on the stool at the bench with Hector's computer and monitors.
"It was Hal in the picture?" April asked.
"Yes." Hector shifted the monitor for April to see the picture. He split the screen to show the young Hal beside the older Hal. "The face is the same," Hector pointed out.
"I wondered why I was protective of him," April mumbled.
"Do you want the picture?" Hector asked.
"If you don't mind." Hector printed the photo and passed it to April. She leaned over to kiss his teardrops. "Thank you," April said as she slipped off the stool.
April ran into Stephanie outside of her apartment. "Hey, April. Ella invited us for dinner. She wants to spend time with us," Stephanie said.
"Sure. I like Ella. Hey, take a look at this picture I got from Hector," April said, handing Stephanie the photo.
Stephanie took a close look at the children holding hands. "I can tell you're the little girl. Is that Hal?" Stephanie asked, scrutinizing the picture.
"It sure is," April replied. "I wondered why I got defensive when you mentioned his name."
"Come on, sister. We have a date with mama and papa," Stephanie said, speaking with a southern accent.
April shook her head and laughed. "You're a hoot."
The two women knocked on Ella's door. Ranger, Hal and Julie were waiting in the dining room for their arrival. Ella hugged Stephanie tight. "I'm so happy you're home to stay. My daughter in my heart is back stronger than before," Ella said before pulling April into her embrace. "April, my new daughter. Welcome to the family." April wrapped her arm around Stephanie and Ella, holding them close.
Luis laughed and joined them. "My daughter is home, and she brought another hija home with her. Thank you, Stephanie. You made Ella and me very happy," Luis said as he hugged all three women.
"Why weren't you in the conference room when I got home?" Stephanie asked.
"Ella and I wanted to have a private reunion with our daughter. We felt seeing the men would overwhelm you. Ella wanted to finish getting April's room ready. I hope we didn't upset you," Luis said, worried Stephanie would be angry.
"Not at all. You're right. Seeing all of my Merry Men at once was a bit overwhelming. I got a bit scared when the wall of men approached me. They backed off when Carlos pushed me behind him."
"My nephew is a wise man," Luis said.
"Stephanie, you and I need to talk. You can't call Ella mama if she's your aunt," April said, narrowing her eyes and pointing a finger into Stephanie's face.
Stephanie rolled her eyes and said, "Fine! Luis, you're Tio Luis and Ella, you're my mama. Does that make you happier, April?" Everyone laughed.
"Okay, I'll give you that," April said. "I found the picture, mama." April gave Ella the photo to examine. She studied the picture then glanced at Hal. Ella raised an eyebrow. "Yup. It's Hal."
"Let me see," Hal asked, reaching for the picture. His face blushed beet red. "I remember that day."
"Me too," April said as she stared at Hal's face.
Julie was grinning. She grabbed the picture and said, "Awe. Aunt April and Uncle Hal look so adorable." Julie gave the photo to her dad. Ranger raised an eyebrow. "Okay, Aunt April. Spill the story."
Hal mumbled, "April and I kissed after that picture got taken." April blushed at the memory.
"Awe, they are wearing matching blushes again," Julie said before laughing.
"Come on, children. Dinner's ready," Ella announced.
Stephanie and April shared stories from the past two years. The name game got Hal, Ella and Luis laughing until they cried. "I remembered my first name before they got to the letter S, but the game was too fun to quit," Stephanie confessed.
"You played us?" April asked, shocked by the admission. "That was pure evil."
"It was amusing. I couldn't remember anything else, so I needed to get my kicks," Stephanie said, shrugging.
April and Stephanie were getting antsy. They had too much energy to burn. "What's wrong, Steph?" Julie asked.
"I need to burn some energy," Stephanie confessed.
"Me too," April added. "Where's the gym?" Stephanie jumped from the table and grabbed April's hand. They excused themselves as they left the apartment. April went with Stephanie to the seventh floor to change into yoga pants and sports bras.
"Ready, sis?" Stephanie asked.
"You better believe it," April replied as they entered the gym. "Wow. I'm impressed."
"I know. Rangeman's gym has every piece of exercise equipment. Does a five-minute warm-up on the treadmill sound good to you?" April nodded. The women got onto the treadmill to run.
"Should you be running so soon after eating, Babe?"
"I did it all of the time in Hawaii," Stephanie replied. "Besides, we ate two hours ago. I'm good." She stopped running to kiss Ranger.
"Time," April announced. "Let's show these boys what we can do." April winked at Hal. His face turned beet red. April leaned towards Stephanie and whispered, "It looks like all the men are here to watch us. How long will it take for their pants to tent?"
"One minute," Stephanie replied, laughing. "No head shots."
"And no crotch kicks," April added. They wrapped their hands and climbed into the ring.
Stephanie laughed when they got to the minute mark. She knocked April's feet from beneath her and pinned her. "Look around. Like I said, one minute," Stephanie whispered. April glanced around, noticing all the men fixing themselves. She pushed Stephanie off before doubling over, laughing.
"That was totally hot," Zip loudly stated. Stephanie heard the men agree.