Chapter 5
Three years later…
"Stephanie Michelle Plum," Dale Denver called. Stephanie walked up the four steps onto the stage to accept her diploma. "Graduated with honours in Business Economics. Stephanie got accepted into the masters program. However, she declined to accept the internship at EE Martin."
Frank Sr., Philomena, Frank Jr, Jace, Belinda and Jay cheered as Stephanie accepted her certificate. She worked hard to get a degree. Her internship at EE Martin started a week before graduation.
Jay turned five in March. He got enrolled in kindergarten to start in September. Stephanie moved into a two-bedroom apartment closer to her job. Jace and Belinda Collins offered to watch Jay during the school holidays.
Stephanie didn't know what she'd have done without Belinda, Jace or her Plum grandparents. Other than Jayden, they were the most important people in her life. She thrived under her grandparents' encouragement. Her aunt and uncle had been nothing but kind and generous. Stephanie felt lucky to have so many positive influences on her son.
In Miami, Ricardo Carlos Manoso met with his ex-wife, Rachel, to hand her the custody documents for Julie. They got married after Rachel got pregnant with Julie. He didn't love her. Ric had married Rachel so she could benefit from the military health insurance.
Rachel met another man while Ric was deployed and fell in love. Ric and Rachel divorced a few months after Julie was born, but Ric kept her on his insurance. Ron Martine wanted to adopt Julie to raise her with Rachel. Ric didn't want to sign over parental rights, but he felt Ron would be a better father figure.
Julie had turned two a few days before Rachel and Ron got married. Ric was happy for Rachel. He lost the love of his life several years earlier. "You can visit Julie as much as you want. We want her to know about you," Rachel offered.
"I don't think I should interfere. Julie has you and Ron. My life doesn't lend itself to relationships. It would break her heart if I don't return for a mission," Ric stated.
"That is a load of crap, Ric. You don't have to join special ops," Rachel snapped.
"Rachel. I'm good at my job. My team leaves tonight," Ric said.
"Will you call when you return?" she asked.
"No. Bye, Rachel," Ric replied before turning to leave. Rachel watched Julie's father walk away from the house. She shook her head, wondering why he couldn't see he deserved love. Ric told her about Stephanie the night they met. Her curly hair reminded him of his true love.
"God, please bring Ric and Stephanie back together. She holds the key to his heart," Rachel prayed.
In Newark, Stephanie picked up Jay after her date. "How was your date?" Belinda asked.
"I don't know. Dickie seems like a nice guy, but he's from the Burg," Stephanie replied.
"Ricky hasn't looked for you. It's time to move on, Stephanie. Everyone deserves to be happy," Belinda said. "What does Dickie do for a living?"
"Corporate lawyer. I met him at the office," Stephanie replied. Richard, aka, Dickie Orr was an attractive man a few inches taller than Stephanie. His dark blonde hair and green eyes attracted her. "He doesn't mind that I have a child."
"That's great. Are you going to introduce Jay and Dickie?"
"Honestly? I don't know. Maybe I'll wait until we get more serious," Stephanie answered. Introducing Jay to a man was not going to be easy. She liked Dickie, and if Jay did not like him, she'd have to start over again.
When Dickie and Stephanie dated for almost a year, she introduced her son to her boyfriend. Jay was a bit reserved. It was hard to tell if he liked Dickie. Stephanie felt it was time to go home. They moved to Trenton after Dickie proposed. She would commute to Newark for work.
Frank offered to pick up Jay after school. It took a while, but Helen came around. Helen gave Jay his afternoon snacks. Jay took a seat at the kitchen table and asked, "Grandma Helen, why didn't I meet you before?"
"You and your mother lived in Newark, sweetie. She didn't let me see you," Helen lied.
"Huh," Jay said, nodding his head. He asked his mom the question before they moved to Trenton. She said that his grandmother did not want to meet him. "It's because mom is getting married to Dickie, isn't it?"
Helen pressed her lips together, stopping herself from agreeing with Jay. "That's ridiculous," Helen said, placing a glass of milk and cookies in front of Jayden. Her grandson was very astute.
"Your aunt Valerie is coming home for a visit," Helen told Jay. "She's bringing your cousins Angie and Mary Alice."
"Is Mary Alice old enough to fly?" Jay asked, tilting his head to the side.
"She's a year old now," Helen said.
Jay shrugged and ate the cookie. "I turned seven in March," Jay announced. "Mom didn't want me to fly until I got older. We flew back to Chicago when I was one. Mom said I cried the entire flight. She decided to wait until I was old enough to handle the cabin pressure on a plane."
"When did you fly again?" Helen asked.
"I was five. Grandpa and Grandma Plum flew me back to Chicago when mom graduated college," Jay answered.
"Stephanie went to college? She should have stayed home to raise you," Helen snapped.
"Grandpa and Grandma wanted mom to get an education. It was important to them," Jay said. "Mom got a scholarship, so it didn't cost her anything. She lived with uncle Jace and aunt Belinda."
Helen was surprised that Stephanie lived close to home but didn't visit. "I didn't know," Helen whispered, sitting in the chair beside Jay.
"Whatever," he said, shrugging.
"Is Dickie adopting you after he marries your mom?"
"He wants to, but I don't want that. He can't adopt me without my approval. Mom said I don't have to say yes," Jay replied.
She pressed her lips together. Helen was angry that Stephanie didn't force him to let Dickie adopt him. "Don't you like Dickie?" Helen asked, fishing for information.
"Not really. Dickie makes mom happy," he answered. "I want mom to be happy." Jay knew his mom still loved his dad. He got her to repeat the story of how they met. Jayden believed his dad would find them one day.
Stephanie's wedding to Dickie was over the top, much like Valerie's wedding. The dresses had too much poof and frills for Stephanie's taste. Helen had changed the dark blue dresses to the ugly electric blue. Stephanie was not impressed. Her sleek white gown got swapped for a style similar to Valerie's wedding dress.
Everything Stephanie had selected got changed. Stephanie wasn't sure why her mother's approval meant too much. She had never supported Stephanie's decisions before, so why did Stephanie feel she would now?
Frank stood to the side of the church doors. "It's not too late to change your mind, pumpkin," Frank whispered.
"I think marrying Dickie is a mistake. What should I do?" Stephanie asked.
"Run, pumpkin and don't look back. I'll bring Jay back to the house. Jace and I will grab everything belonging to you and Jay from Dickie's home," Frank replied.
"Thank you, daddy," Stephanie whispered.
"I'll give you a five-minute lead," he joked. Stephanie kissed Frank's cheek. She slipped off her shoes and hiked up the hem of her dress to run from the church.
Frank waited until the song played for Stephanie to enter the church. He made his face go blank as he walked towards the front of the church. "Grandpa, where's mom?" Jay quietly asked. Frank shook his head.
He approached the priest and whispered, "The bride changed her mind. She will not marry Dickie."
"May I please have your attention," Father John said. "The wedding between Stephanie Plum and Richard Orr Jr has been cancelled."
"Why me?" Helen cried. "Why does my daughter have to embarrass me and leave the groom at the altar? Why me?"
"I'm going to sue Stephanie for breach of contract," Dickie announced. Frank approached Dickie. He stopped a few inches from his face.
"The application for a marriage license is not a contract. I paid for all of the wedding expenses, including your tux rental. It would be in your best interest to leave and never speak to Stephanie again," Frank quietly said.
"She's not going to get away with this," Dickie said.
"Listen, Dicky. I know about you and Joyce. If you don't want it spread around Trenton, I suggest you leave Stephanie and Jayden alone," Frank stated. Dickie's face paled. He nodded and left the church.
Jayden gave his grandfather the key to the house. He assumed his grandpa and uncle would grab their clothes and personal belongings. Jay did not want to enter that house again.
Mary Lou ran from the church when the priest announced the wedding got cancelled. She immediately went to the Plums' home to talk to Stephanie.
"Hey, Lou," Stephanie said when she answered the door.
"How are you, Steph?" Mary Lou asked.
"I'm fine, Lou. I couldn't go through with it. Marrying Dickie felt wrong. It's comparable to selling my soul to the devil. Do you know what I mean?"
Mary Lou laughed. "I guess it best that you called it off before it was too late. What would Jay think?"
"He doesn't like Dickie. Jay still hopes his dad will come home for us," Stephanie replied. "I guess Jay and I need to find an apartment. We can't live in Dickie's house."
"Excuse me for a minute," Mary Lou said. She left the room to grab the newspaper from the kitchen table. Mary Lou gave Stephanie the Rental section. "There isn't a lot available. But there's a one-bedroom apartment available in St James St. It's the dark red brick building at the corner of Dunworth. It's on the Eastern boundary of Trenton but far enough out of the Burg."
"I think I can afford that rent. Thanks, Lou. I'll call the superintendent," Stephanie said. "We'll need to purchase furniture."
"I'll call our friends to see if they have stuff they're not using," Mary Lou offered. Stephanie hugged Mary Lou. She appreciated having someone watching her back.
"Did you find an apartment?" Jay asked when he got home. Eddie Gazarra drove him home from the church because Frank was busy and Helen was throwing a temper tantrum.
"I did. It's only one bedroom. You can have it, and I'll sleep on the couch when we get one," Stephanie replied. "We need to get our bags. Maybe Dillon will let us move in tonight."
As Stephanie predicted, Helen came home and demanded that Stephanie and Jay leave. Frank was not impressed, but he followed behind Stephanie's car to view the apartment.
Dillon Ruddick answered his door. A beautiful woman, a handsome boy and an older man stood outside his apartment. He guided them past the boilers to the room in the back. "What do you need from me, and is it available today?" Stephanie asked.
"A $400 deposit and the first month of rent. The apartment is available immediately," Dillon said when Stephanie wrote the check. "I'm afraid it's unfurnished."
"That's okay, Dillon. We can make something work," Stephanie said. Dillon gave them an air mattress to borrow until they got furniture. He gave her a key to apartment 215.
Frank promised, "I'll call the family to ask if they have anything they aren't using. It should save you money."
"Thanks, daddy. I don't know what I would do without you. Lou said she was calling friends too," Stephanie said. Frank hugged his daughter and grandson before leaving them to settle into their apartment.