Chapter 4: Destiny

Carlos parked in the lot for Pinno's. He ran around to Stephanie's door to open it for her. She grabbed his extended hand to step out of the car, then walked into the nice quiet restaurant. "Hi, we have a reservation for two under Carlos," he told the hostess when she greeted them.

"Of course. Right this way," the hostess said. She collected two menus off the shelf beneath the podium and guided them to their table.

Carlos pulled out the chair for Stephanie, and she sat down. He sat on the chair opposite her. The hostess placed the drink menus on the table and said, "Katie is your waitress."

"Thank you," Carlos replied. He waited for her to leave the table before asking, "So, this Morelli guy. How serious is it between you two?" Carlos wanted to scoop to see if he actually stood a chance with Stephanie.

"Nothing is going on between Morelli and me. He's just a childhood friend. We grew up together. His family lives in the same burg neighborhood as my family. Nothing ever happened between Morelli and me growing up, and nothing will happen between Morelli and me in the future. He only wants one thing. He has always wanted one thing and one thing only. I'm not giving that to anybody. I won't give it to anyone until I'm married. Anyway, what about you? There's gotta be something about you?" Stephanie asked, trying to get the focus off her.

Stephanie realized she shared more than intended during her rant. Morelli seemed to hook her anger. Carlos looked a little bit shocked when she spilled her guts. He couldn't believe the gorgeous woman sitting across from him was untouched.

He cleared his throat to collect his thoughts. "Well, let's see. I was married once. But while I was serving my country for the Rangers, she decided to two-time and treated me poorly. My ex-wife took me for child support even though the child was not mine. But I wanted to ensure the child got everything that she needed. That's basically my story. I find it difficult to trust people because my ex-wife almost took me for everything I had," Carlos explained.

"OK, now that we know each other's dirty little secrets, I have to say that I like you a lot, Carlos. You are very different from all the guys I have dated in the past. They only want one thing, and because I won't give them that, they throw up their hands and say screw it before screwing the town whore," Stephanie told him.

Just then, their waitress, Katie, approached the table, carrying dinner menus. She handed one to each of them.

"Can I get either one of you something to drink?" Katie asked as she eyed Carlos up and down. She licked her lips and waited for his reply.

"Yes, I'd like a glass of white wine, please," Stephanie replied.

"And you, sir?" Katie purred.

"I will have the same. Thank you," Carlos answered without looking away from Stephanie.

"What does your mother expect from you?" Carlos asked.

"So, Carlos, let me just say that I grew up in the burg," Stephanie said, giggling nervously. "And because of that, my mother expects me to marry Joseph Morelli, who I can't stand. Morelli is a ladies' man and only wants one thing. She also expects me to be the perfect wife to my husband and live at home to raise the kids. Which you can see is not me at all. Now tell me a little bit about yourself."

"I grew up in a different part of New Jersey. Newark. I ended up serving some time with the Army Rangers, as I already mentioned to you. I moved here after my divorce to be closer to my family. I do own Rangeman, which is a security company. We have a lot of clients, and we catch FTAs, as you know. That's about it for me," Carlos said.

After they ordered their meal, they talked some more. They both lost track of time as they ate and got to know each other better. Katie, their waitress, stopped by the table more frequently than she did at her other tables. Stephanie and Carlos ignored the interference. "Would you like your check?" Katie asked, feeling put off by the couple.

They finally noticed the time. "Wow, it is really getting late. I should probably get you home," Carlos told Stephanie.

"Yeah, I think so too. Connie has some more bonds for me tomorrow. I really did enjoy myself, Carlos. I do hope we can do something like this again?" Stephanie asked.

"I would really enjoy that and please if you need any help with anything please call me. You can call me anytime, day or night, and I promise I will answer," Carlos softly told her. Stephanie smiled at him.

Carlos removed cash from his wallet and dropped it on the table on top of the bill. He paid the bill while dismissing the waitress standing with her mouth open in shock at getting ignored. Katie thought the woman was too plain to date a sexy, attractive man.

He drove her home. "Please, let me walk you up to your apartment?" he asked.

"I would like that." Stephanie looked into Carlos's dark eyes. Carlos helped Stephanie out of the Porsche, and they went to her apartment. Stephanie used her key to open her door.

"I would like to kiss you again. May I," Carlos asked. He didn't want to push Stephanie past her comfort zone.

"I would like that," she told him. He cupped her face with one hand as the other wrapped around her waist. Carlos gently pulled her against him, stopping short of pressing her body against his. He bent his head and lightly brushed his lips across her mouth before giving her a passionate kiss.

After the kiss, Stephanie breathily said, "Good night, Carlos. Please call me sometime. Communication goes both ways." Stephanie walked into her apartment and locked the door behind her. She leaned against the door and sighed. The night was perfect.