Stephanie wiped away a single tear, tossed her ice cream on the table and devoured Mary Lou in a bear hug. The best friends, swayed and cried in each other's arms until someone rang her doorbell.
They pulled apart slowly, and Stephanie made her way to the door. When she flung it open she saw a very angry, a very pissed off, and a very wet Joseph Morelli.
Steph In The Right Direction
Chapter Ten
Stephanie took two steps back, spread her arms wide and motioned Joe inside as she uttered, "Come on, let's get this over with."
Mary Lou giggled as she scuttled passed Joe, kissed Steph on the cheek and let herself out of the apartment.
Joe stopped in the middle of the living room then roared, "Let's get this over with! That's all you can say?"
"What exactly is it that you expect me to say Joe." Steph said calmly.
"For one you could give me a damn apology."
Stephanie smirked, "Me? What about you? Don't you feel the least bit guilty for your behavior tonight?"
"My behavior! You're the one that acted like a total bitch!"
Stephanie felt her fury rise. She used every bit of self control she had not to leap at the man in front of her and give him the Burg whooping he deserved. But then she forced herself to stop and think. Getting angry is what the old Steph would have done. She would have yelled and argued and once again nothing between the two of them would be settled. She realized it was time for one of them to take the high road, and obviously it wasn't going to be Joe.
"Joe. I don't want to argue with you. Let's just sit down and talk. I know you're upset and so am I."
Joe stood frozen in front of her with his fists drawn tight against his hips. After mentally counting to ten he forced an 'ok' from his clenched teeth.
"Ok Joe. This has been a long time coming, and I think we both probably know that. We were always good at only two things, fighting and making up."
"We were best at making up." Joe grunted.
Stephanie smiled, "Yeah, I'll never argue about that. But fighting and sex doesn't make for the most functional relationship."
"We are slightly dysfunctional, but I do love you cupcake."
"I love you two Joe. But we both know you aren't in love with me, and I'm not in love with you."
Joe began to protest but Steph held up her hand for him to hear her out.
"Just listen a second Joe. There's no doubt that we both love each other, but it's just not the happily ever after kind of love. I'll always be your friend and I'll always want you in my life, but we can't stay in this same routine. I think we've both become too lazy to go after what we really want."
"What is it that you want Stephanie?" Joe questioned.
"I want it all Joe. I want to find a man who will give me all of his attention when we're together. I want a man that will make me feel safe, and I want someone that makes me feel like I matter to him."
"You do matter to me Steph."
Stephanie shook her head. "I know I do Joe, but not enough for you to put me before work. Or not enough for you to notice me for more than just sex."
"Is this about the phone calls?" Joe asked.
"No Joe. It's about much more than that. Think about it. You deserve to be with someone you truly and deeply love. Someone that will sweep you so far off your feet that you can't do or think of anything but her. You need someone that will make your job feel like a distraction instead of someone that distracts from your job. I'm not that person Joe and I never will be."
"But we were always so..." Joe stopped as he searched for the words.
"...so easy." Stephanie finished. "That's just the point Joe. We became a routine. We didn't have to work for each other's affection. It made us lazy and ultimately it nearly convinced us both to settle for less than we deserve."
Joe stood for a minute then paced in front of the couch he had been setting on. When he finally spoke, his voice nearly cracked. "So this is it? This is the end of us?"
Stephanie rose and joined him, placing her hands around his neck. "There will never be an end to us Joe. I meant it when I said that I always wanted you in my life. I need you as a friend. I just can't be your lover anymore."
Joe slid his arms around her waist and pulled her warm body against his. "I'm going to miss that. But deep down I know you are probably right."
She rested her head against his chest. "I'm going to miss that too. But this is really for the best. And trust me, there are plenty of Burg girls out there waiting for this relationship to finally come to an end. I don't think your dry spell will last too long."
Joe's chest rumbled with laughter, "I can say the same thing about you. Half the force will be knocking on your door before you know it."
Stephanie laughed back, "No thanks. I've had enough cop to last me a lifetime."
Both of them laughed then held on to each other for one last time. When they finally pulled apart, Joe leaned into her and gently placed his lips against hers. She pushed back lightly and slowly every emotion they had felt passed on to one another. The kiss was slow, deliberate and tender. For the first time in their relationship they kissed out of love instead of lust.
When Joe lifted his head he beamed a smile at Stephanie and said, "Just getting it out of my system."
"Same here." she replied.
"I should probably get home and out of these wet clothes before I catch pneumonia."
Stephanie released her hands from his shoulders and took a step backwards. "Speaking of wet clothes, what happened to you?"
"You know that extra Lobster you ordered?" Joe explained.
Stephanie blushed slightly thinking of her childish behavior. "Yeah."
"Well, when I realized what you had done I got slightly pissed off. I grabbed the lobster and threw it across the restaurant. The owner didn't really care for that so he threw a bucket of ice water on me to help me cool off."
"Shit Joe, sorry I did that to you." She said trying her best not to smile.
He returned her grin and said, "It's ok. I figure I deserved it after the way I treated you. Let's just call it even."
"Deal." Steph said.
"Deal." Joe replied.
Just as Joe was about to open the apartment door to leave someone knocked from the other side. He pulled it open on instinct and came face to face with Ranger. The men stared at each other for a moment then Joe turned to Steph and said, "This wasn't really about him was it?"
Stephanie shook her head and answered, "No. This really was about us."
Joe shook his head in acceptance and said, "Just had to check. Take care cupcake." Then he stepped around Ranger and disappeared down the hall.
"What was that about babe?" Ranger asked.
"Just finishing up some business with Joe. What brings you here?" Stephanie asked.
"Just thought I'd check on you before heading home. How's the noggin?"
"Feeling much better. I think most of the swelling has gone down." She said as she gently rubbed the spot.
Ranger took a step closer and instinctively tucked a curl behind her ear before checking out her forehead. He rubbed his thumb gently across the spot and tilted her head back and forth as he examined her. When he stopped he allowed his hands to fall to her shoulders then gently roll down her arms. He leaned in as if to kiss her and she froze. But just before their lips were to meet he pulled back then took a step away from her.
"Sorry Steph. Old habits die hard."
"Some habits don't have to die at all Ranger."
Their eyes locked on each other as they stared in silence.
Ranger was the one to look away first. And as quickly as he appeared, he turned to leave. Just before he stepped through the doorway he stopped. "You and Joe?" he asked, not taking the time to look back at her.
"What does it matter to you?" she asked.
He shot a quick glance at her and without saying anything he slide through the door and shut it behind himself.
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The next morning Stephanie was up and ready to go by 8am. She had grabbed one the new outfits she bought when she was at the coast and prepared for the day.
She arrived at the office about 15 minutes later and endured the welcomes from Connie and Lula.
"Oh my god girl! You're looking good!" shouted Lula.
Connie agreed. "Steph you look so great. All rested and tan and check out those clothes! This really is the new and approved Stephanie."
Stephanie did a quick twirl for effect. "Thanks girls. I feel great. I threw out all of my flannel, had my hair trimmed and I honestly feel better than I've felt in years."
After spending 30 minutes catching up on the events with each other, Stephanie headed out the door for her first skip since being back on the job.
Lucky for her it was an easy one. The skip had merely forgotten the appointment so he quickly agreed to ride with her to the station to make arrangements. She was in and out in 15 minutes.
The rest of her day went about the same. She picked up a total of three skips and each of them had been fairly easy. After dropping off her body receipts at the office Stephanie set out for one last errand of the day.
While she was at the coast she had spent hours learning karate. Not only did she enjoy it but it was also some of the best exercise she had ever had. She missed the joy from it and decided to hunt down a nearby gym that offered classes.
She remembered seeing a flyer in the lobby of her apartment building for a gym close to her home so headed there to sign up.
When she walked into the gym she noticed how friendly everyone seemed. She was greeted by pretty little blonde behind the reception desk.
"Hi, can I help you ma'am?"
"Yes, I saw a flyer for karate classes and I wondered if I was too late to sign-up?" Stephanie asked.
"Not at all Ms…"
"Plum. Stephanie Plum. You can call me Steph."
"Nice to meet you Steph." The young girl extended her hand in greeting.
Stephanie returned her handshake. "You to."
"Ok, are you interested in the karate classes only or would you like to join the club. I'd suggest you join the club because that way you can use any of the equipment anytime you want and the classes are free to members. Otherwise you have to pay each time you come."
"I'll go ahead and become a member, maybe it will help me stay motivated." Stephanie laughed.
The girl behind the counter laughed as well, " I know what you mean." Then she leaned across the counter and whispered, "If it wasn't for all the sexy men that come to this place I would never show up."
"Sexy men huh?"
"Oh yeah. The owners are all hot. In fact, they take turns teaching the karate classes so you'll find out exactly what I mean."
"Great! I can't wait." Steph said.
The girl searched for the class schedules as Stephanie filled out the paper work.
"Ah ha. Here they are. I swear someone keeps rearranging stuff back here and I can't find a thing." The girl said as she handed the schedules to Stephanie. "As you can see by the chart beginner Karate is Monday and Wednesday afternoons and the intermediate is Tuesday and Thursday. But just between me and you, if you're here and see one of the instructors you can usually talk them into doing some private lessons."
"Oh really? Well you make this place sound awesome, I can't wait to start." Step said cheerfully.
"Well you don't have to worry about it. There's a class starting in 10 minutes why don't you go ahead and start now."
"Hmmm.. Well, why not." Steph said.
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Stephanie stood in the large empty room with the seven other people waiting for the class to begin. She did a few stretches to loosen up and was nearly standing on her head when the instructor entered the room.
"Everyone ready to start." The man's voice boomed across the room.
Stephanie was on the front row so she jerked her head up quickly. She was about to say she was ready when she recognized the man at the front of the room.
When she rose, he noticed her as well. So for the next few seconds, Stephanie and Tank stood frozen and silent as they stared at one another.
To Be Continued…
