I don't own any of the characters. They're Jante Evanovich's!
Divided
Chapter 3 : Ambitions and Fights
At 11.30 I was sitting at my desk at RangeMan going through the live of Herbie Trotter. He had murdered his mother and was now FTA.
My cell phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Stephanie?"
Sigh
"Yes mum?"
"What do I hear about you standing in front of Morelli's houses with your bags packed? I thought you were living and STAYING together finally!"
"I wasn't living with him, I just helped him to handle everything with his leg!"
"Does that mean I can tell the others, that you slept in his guest room?"
"Not exactly."
My door opened and I looked up to see Ranger stepping in.
"What does THAT mean. Stephanie you have to come down. Morelli is a good guy. What will the others think? What…"
"Listen mum, I am at work right now. I will call you back O.K?"
"You can come to dinner, I'm making Tiramisu for dessert."
Oh gosh.
Suddenly my grandmother was at the other end.
"You have to come, Stephanie. You have to take me to my acting class."
"You're taking acting classes?"
I looked at Ranger, who was smiling broadly.
"Yes I want to become a movie star. Don't you think George Clooney and me would make a perfect couple."
I had to smile.
"Yeah grandma! O.K, I'm gonna help you become a movie star, but only if you introduce me to Benjamin Bratt."
"Deal. See you tonight."
"Bye."
"Stop! Stephanie?"
"Yes?"
"Now, that Morelli and you are off-again, are you finally getting some of this Ranger-Guy with the great package?"
Ohmygod. I looked up to see Ranger watching me amused, I hope he didn't hear this. Please, God have mercy!
"Grandma, I have to work, now."
"Sure, have fun at WORK." I don't like her accent on work. This woman has to calm down.
I turned to Ranger, who was now sitting on the edge of my desk.
"Yo."
"Yo, babe? You found anything interesting on Herbie, yet?"
"Other than I can understand his actions completely?"
He smiled.
"No."
"Are you up for a little distraction tomorrow?"
"Of course."
His pager buzzed. He looked at it. Then stood up and bend forward to brush a light kiss across my mouth.
"You will have to dress here, so bring your clothes."
With that he was gone.
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I turned my mobile out for the rest of the day, wanting to be able to work and being afraid of the conversation with Morelli. News travel fast in the burg so he would know by now. But he hadn't called. There was also no message from him at my answering machine. This was making me uneasy. Would he break into the dinner at my parent's?
He didn't. But dinner had been hard enough without him. My mother first pointed out the marriages of everyone she knew, then went on to telling me what my life would be. Boring, alone, ill.
When I loaded Grandma Mazur in my car my eye was twiching so heard, I feared that I wouldn't make it around the next corner.
During the drive I had to adure Grandma's non-stop-talking about Ranger, his package, Morelli, his ass, all kinds of movie stars and her new-found talent at acting.
By the time I arrived at home I was feeling like I had been hit by a truck.
I opened the door to my appartment only to see Morelli, seated in my sofa, not looking happy!
I'm going to shoot something or I'm going to break down! Probably both!
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I silently put the package from my mother into the fridge, hung up my jacket, removed my shoes and finally sat beside Morelli.
"Why?" O.K, he wasn't happy.
"Why what?"
"Don't play with me, Steph. Why did you move out, again? Why didn't you talk to me?"
"I didn't really move in with you, I only came to help you, like I would have done with everyone. And I tried NOT to have this talk, that's why I didn't talk to you. I've had a hard time yesterday so cut me some slack and leave it alone."
He looked at me, his cop-face in place.
"So we're off-again?"
"I don't know."
"Are you going to keep the job?"
"Joe,not again! What is wrong this time? I'm sitting behind a desk, looking at a computer, trying to figure things out and find as many information as I can get! It isn't dangerous!"
"I have nothing against the job itself. I just don't like that your boss is a mercenary and you two seem to work pretty close! Everytime I called him, you were sitting right beside him!"
"That was once and I'm so not gonna discuss this. Ranger is my boss and my friend. That's it. Have a nice evening, Morelli!"
I stood up and went to my bathroom to take a shower. I looked the door and sweared to myself, that if Morelli came in I would strangle him. Problem was that I had to touch him for this. And if you touch Morelli you're not thinking of strangling him……
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