Chapter 28

Steph's POV

Spending the past weekend with Carlos in Miami was just what we needed to fully get our relationship kicked into gear. I still can't believe I held out so long in making love to Carlos because that experience was everything I remembered and then some. I'm pretty sure he's learned a few new tricks in the last ten years. I feel closer to Carlos today than I did on Thursday, and for the first time, I can actually see myself married to him one day.

I was thrilled to see the kids because, of course, I missed them tremendously, but they had a great time with their aunt and cousins. In fact, they want Carlos and I to go away more often to have more sleepovers. I am relieved that the Manosos so fully accept the kids and I into their family.

Yesterday morning, I gave Carlos his first massage, as he seemed to have tweaked a couple of muscles in his back dancing Saturday evening. Let's just say it's a good thing we were alone in our Miami home because we both got a happy ending. I don't think I will ever be able to give Carlos a full-body massage at Rangeman. I'll have to make his appointments for the apartment on the seventh floor.

As always, Carlos was up before me and had the twins' breakfast and lunch ready before I even got out of bed. I don't know how I managed to get out of the house on time before living with him. Living with an early bird is definitely beneficial to this night owl. When I get downstairs, the twins are off getting ready for school, and my coffee and breakfast are waiting for me on the table. I felt guilty about all Carlos did in the morning until he told me not to, that he's up at five regularly and is used to doing it for himself. He explained that Ella is the only one who truly spoils him by cooking for him, but none of the other "RangeMoms" do. So when I saw that we were getting a healthy, cooked breakfast every morning, I stopped complaining. Instead, it gives me time to set up our dinner in the slow cooker. Ella has given me so many new recipes that it has made my life that much easier.

"Thank you, Carlos," I say as I sit down to eat.

"You know you don't need to thank me for breakfast, Babe."

"No, it's not that. Thank you for accepting the twins and me, for becoming part of our lives like I always wished you would be, for being the perfect father and partner for me. You understand me like no one else does and seem to know what I need before I do. I know I don't always show my appreciation for you."

I swear Carlos was speechless. For a normally quiet and observant man, seeing him caught entirely off guard is a rarity. But, finally, he seems to figure out a response.

"Querida, it is you whom I am thankful for. You allowed me to share in your lives, even when you were dating another man. You gave me my children, a family I never thought I would have. You accept everything I have done and see me as a man, not a status symbol or trophy. It is you who knows me so well."

"I guess we are each other's half."

"I guess we are." We meet in a gentle kiss that conveys so much love and support when the twins come barreling in.

"Mom, you need to hurry. The bus will be here in twenty minutes," Alex informs me.

I glance at the clock and jump up. I completely lost track of time. Like a deer in headlights, I'm frozen in place, not sure of what I should do first. I need to shower, get dressed, and prepare dinner for tonight. Shit.

"Babe, I'll get the dinner ready; go get ready."

I run upstairs and quickly take a shower, throwing my hair in my signature ponytail. It's mornings like this that I'm glad that I wear scrubs. I never need to figure out what I'm going to wear. I apply my quick make-up, which consists of eyeliner, mascara, and lip gloss. I glance at my watch. Two minutes to spare. I spritz some perfume and run down the stairs, where Carlos and the twins are waiting, amused at my crazed look. I sit on the bench by the door and put my sneakers on before we walk outside to wait for the bus.

"You know it's not the end of the world if you miss walking them to the bus one day."

"I know, but it's our routine. I can't break it. No matter how hard things were for me, this was one of the activities that helped me get through the day. I can't not do it."

"I understand."

Alex looks at us, "Mom and Dad, our concert is next week. Are you both going to be able to come?"

"What day, mi hijo?"

"Next Wednesday evening."

"We'll be there. Don't worry."

The bus arrives, and we both kiss Lucia and Alex goodbye, wishing them a good day, and watch as it goes up the block. "Are you ready to go, or do you need a few more minutes?"

"I just need to grab my purse and keys, and we are good to go. You put everything in the slow cooker and turned it on?"

"Yes, it's all set."

"Great."

I head into the house, getting my belongings, and double-check the slow cooker. I know that Carlos finds it amusing, but it just settles me. We go to the garage and take the Cayenne to Rangeman.

When we arrive, we ride the elevator together up to the third floor, where I get off to gather my papers for the Monday morning meeting while Carlos continues up to five. I enter the gym and bump into John, almost falling on my ass if it wasn't for his quick reaction.

"Sorry, Steph, I wasn't paying attention," John says as he helps steady me on my feet.

"No, it's my fault. I wasn't looking where I was going. Thanks for catching me."

"Not a problem. We can't have you out of commission. You look good like you were in the sun."

"Carlos and I spent the weekend in Miami."

"Oh," I see a look cross John's eyes and immediately kick myself for not thinking before talking.

"I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. I am more jealous that you got to spend time in the warmth and sun while I was freezing here in Jersey."

"Are you sure?" I ask, still upset over the way things ended between us.

"Yeah. You better hurry up. You don't want to be late for the meeting." I glance at the clock and see I have six minutes.

"You're right. I especially can't be late." I quickly run into my office and grab my files in my red folder sitting in the center of the desk. I decide to run up the two flights of stairs, knowing it will be faster than the elevator. I enter the conference room, thankful to find a cup of coffee sitting in front of my spot with a piece of banana bread.

When I get to my seat, Ranger leans over and says, "Relax, Babe, take a deep breath." I smile, and do as he says, and feel calmer. I wasn't even aware that I was tense. Less than a minute later, Ranger is starting the meeting.

Ranger runs through the meeting, going over the usual reports. I give my two cents when the newest FTAs are named, giving the guys some leads as to where they can look in the Burg. My ears perk up, though, when I hear them mention Walter Dunphy. "Mooner? What did he do?" I ask. Now, Mooner is a sweet guy, but he spends way too much time smoking weed than doing anything else.

"He was caught selling hash brownies to Office Gaspick. Gaspick ate four of them and then went to a meeting with the Chief. He was promptly suspended for two weeks, which lead to Gaspick having another officer arrest Dunphy since he still had two brownies in his possession when he went into the meeting."

I start to laugh, then respond, "You will find him at home, but you need to check the TV guide for classic TV reruns. He tends to watch marathons of Star Trek, Love Boat, really, anything. You might get stuck waiting for an episode to end, but he should go with you willingly."

I see a few of the guys moan and groan, but I know they will be nice to Mooner. The rest of the meeting continues without any more surprises, and soon, the guys are heading out of the conference room. As Manny and I will be conferencing with Bobby regarding the annual physicals set to begin in January, I stay behind. Bobby will come up to evaluate any employees hired after July 1st, while Manny and I will take care of all other employees. Bobby also evaluates anyone who has been deployed within the last year, paying careful attention to their mental health. The medic from Boston, Fred, is a psychologist and a nurse practitioner who will talk to those employees. Even though all employees must get clearance from the psychologist we have on retainer before they can be placed back on the roll, they sometimes start to suffer afterward, and we need to catch it. So Fred does his evaluations twice yearly, just to make sure everyone is okay.

We are finishing up the scheduling when there is a knock on the conference room door. "Enter," Manny says.

"I'm sorry to disturb, but Ms. Kearney is here along with Mr. Plum to see you, Ms. Plum," Tyler, a new hire, nervously says.

"Thank you, Tyler. I'd prefer it if you'd call me Stephanie or Steph."

"Sorry, Miss Stephanie," he says, blushing. I swear Tyler is even shyer than Hal, if that's possible. Who would have thought that these big, burly ex-military men could be so bashful?

I gather my papers and get up. I head to the door, once again thanking Tyler. I walk into Carlos' office, where I find my father, Jo Kearney, Carlos, and Lester waiting.

"Babe, this is Josephine Kearney. She is one of the attorneys that Rangeman has on retainer, as well as the attorney who handled your father's divorce. Jo, this is Stephanie Plum."

"Nice to meet you, Stephanie. Your father and Carlos have told me a lot about you."

I take a good look at Jo and see a woman who is around my age. She has pretty blonde hair that falls slightly below her shoulders in a soft wave and blue eyes. Her complexion is similar to mine. She's wearing a sharp black suit with a turquoise silk blouse underneath.

"The pleasure is all mine," I reply. "I hope this whole fiasco isn't going to cause you too many problems."

"No, none at all. In fact, I'm rather looking forward to it. But, you see, Richard Orr, Jr., is a sad excuse for an attorney, and I'd like nothing more than to humiliate him. He was a pain in my ass during the divorce and will regret the day he chose to discount me based on my gender."

I laugh at her assessment, already feeling a sisterhood with her, glad that she is the one handling this issue. "Of the assessment of Dickie, you and I are on the same page."

"Let's get down to business, shall we?" she responds, quickly turning into business mode. "I hope you don't mind that I asked Lester to be part of this meeting. As a licensed realtor, he can guide us in any real estate snafus we may come across in the sale of your former residence. But, of course, we need to make sure everything is above board because one little hiccup could cause this simple matter to be more complex."

"No, not a problem," I answer, surprised to discover that Lester is a realtor.

At seeing my confusion, Carlos responds, "Rangeman buys and sells many properties for use as safehouses and rentals for our clients. It's cheaper to have someone in-house handle the transactions than to deal with two realtors."

I nod, as that makes perfect sense. "So, what's the deal?" I ask Jo.

"When Frank initiated divorce proceedings with Ellen, all marital assets were disclosed. Based on conversations with Mr. Orr, the assets were split fifty-fifty, and Ellen was granted fifty percent from the sale of their marital home, which was deposited into the account she specified. Frank approached me when you were ready to buy your home and needed more money for the down payment. He told me that he would give you the money for your house, and since you did not have a strong enough credit rating, he needed to buy the house with you. I immediately drafted documents and delivered them to Mr. Orr, informing him that your father was helping to buy your home and that home was not part of the marital assets. When he didn't respond, nor have your mother respond, I initiated further actions where Judge Boccia signed off that your house was not part of the estate. Dickie doesn't have a leg to stand on, but unfortunately, we will be going to court."

I relax for the first time in the last few weeks, knowing that my mother can't block me from selling the house. "You mean there is nothing she can do?"

"No, Stephanie, there's nothing she can do except make a fool of herself. But, from what I gather, it's going to be a circus, so be prepared."

"My life is always a circus when my mother is involved. So I'm used to it."

"To add some icing to the cake, it looks as though Dickie, realizing his mistake, falsified some documents to say that I never applied for the waiver. Dickie will go down."

I chuckle at that revelation. I know that it's not nice for me to be so gleeful at my mother's and sister's potential embarrassment and homelessness, but they deserve it. I mean, neither of them is looking for a job or a place to live. In fact, from what I've heard, my sister's been sniffing around Morelli. If she thinks Joe's going to be her savior, she's in for a rude awakening.

"Also, Stephanie, I've been informed that we have a buyer for your home. They are actually offering you 10K over asking and want to be in by February 1st. I've vetted them, and this is a great opportunity. I suggest you accept their offer. They plan to pay cash, so no mortgage. I have all the documents here, so take your time to read them over and ensure that everything is okay for you. We have one week to accept or decline their offer."

I take the packet of paperwork from Jo and start to look through it. I am immediately overwhelmed by the documents and legalize.

"Babe, we'll go over everything together. I've looked at plenty of these documents before to understand what they mean. I'll explain it all to you."

"Thanks, Carlos. Ms. Kearney, is there any way to ensure that my mother and sister are out of the house. I don't see them leaving on time, at least not willingly."

"Please call me Jo, Stephanie. I will draft the necessary paperwork to evict them if necessary. Since no lease is signed, they don't need a formal warning; however, we will give them one. Then, the day you accept an offer to buy, I will file the paperwork to inform Ms. Ellen Mazur and Ms. Valerie Plum to vacate the premises by January 15th. That way, we have some time if any repairs need to be completed or if we need to involve the police. In addition, when we go to court, I will inform the judge. After that, they won't have a choice but to leave and find an alternate place to live."

"How long will this take?" my father asks.

"I can expedite everything and get us before a judge in the next 2-3 weeks. Having a potential buyer will speed up the court date, as this will all need to be resolved before you can close on the house, Stephanie. Do you want me to file my motions today?"

I sit and think for a moment. Yes, I need to resolve this and get my mother and sister out of my hair for good. I need my life to get back to some semblance of normalcy. While I'm not thrilled to be putting my nieces through this chaos, their mother, my sister, should be thinking of them, not me. I look at my father, who gives me a slight nod. "Yes, Jo, get the ball rolling. Thank you."

"Jo, is there anything else we need to do?" Carlos asks.

"No, Ranger, everything is set. But, Frank, is there anything else I can do to help you?"

"No, Jo, I'm good."

"Stephanie, it was a pleasure to meet you, and I'm looking forward to representing you. This is going to be fun."

Carlos picked up the phone and dials the control room. "Please come in to escort Ms. Kearney to her vehicle."

A moment later, there's a knock on the door, and John walks in. "Woody, please escort Ms. Kearney to her car."

"Ma'am," John says, staring at Jo.

"I'll call you when I get some more information. Have a great day," Jo states, then turns to John. "Josephine Kearney, attorney." She extends her hand.

"John Wodrowski, but everyone calls me Woody."

"Pleasure. Would you be able to help me carry this box downstairs?"

"Of course, Ma'am."

I watch the exchange as a smile appears on my face. It seems that John is smitten with Jo, which is great because I hope that she is too. John deserves a good woman. I guess I'm going to have to put on my matchmaking hat.

A/N: This chapter has not been beta-ed by Susan, so any errors are mine. I am so glad that you are enjoying this story. I'm actively writing the ending, and there are about seven chapters left. Please keep commenting. Josephine "Jo" Kearney is inspired by the magnificent writer and my good friend, Kelly Zech, aka HermioneIncarnate.