Chapter 11 Forced Family
Ranger came up behind Stephanie on the patio. He wrapped his strong arms around her. "You fit here," he whispered in her ear.
Stephanie turned around to face him. "Hey, I hate to burst your bubble, but we need to do some shopping for Julie and this one," Stephanie said as she looked at Ranger and reflectively rubbed her baby bump.
Ranger sighed and put his head down. He didn't enjoy shopping. It's why Ella handled that task.
They heard, "Yes, shopping," Julie had screamed. Stephanie couldn't wait to go shopping with her step-daughter.
Ranger let go of Stephanie and saw Julie there, staring at them. "Julie, next time, knock when you want to enter our bedroom," Ranger said with a smile.
"Okay, I promise. Now, let's go," Julie said as she grinned. She was too impatient to wait for them to stop making out. "Hey, Dad, can I go to the same school as Angie, please?" Julie asked. All of her friends were back in Miami. She didn't want to attend a new school without having at least one friend.
"If we can enroll in that school, it is fine with us," Ranger said as they walked out of the master bedroom. They retraced their steps to return to the garage. Once buckled inside the SUV, Ranger drove his girls to the mall.
Ranger parked the car, and they simultaneously exited the vehicle. He pressed the fob to lock the car. They walked into the mall, barely making it inside a few feet when Angie and Mary Alice ran up to them.
"Hey, auntie Steph," Angie said and then noticed Julie. "Julie," Angie squealed, causing Ranger to cringe from the noise.
"Hi, Angie, Dad, can Angie and Mary Alice show me around the mall ?" Ranger took out thirty bucks and gave it to Julie.
"One hour, then meet us over there," Ranger said as he pointed to the pizza place.
'Thanks, Dad. Let's go," Julie said before leaving with Angie and Mary Alice. Valerie smiled when her daughters skipped through the mall with Julie.
"Hey, I have a question about something bothering me. Does mom seem weird to you lately?" Valerie asked Stephanie and Ranger. She hoped they noticed the same odd behavior from Helen.
"Yeah, she does," Stephanie said after thinking a minute. "I am pregnant with my first child, so we thought she would be all over me. She is not, and then she is not at Ranger's throat because he married me. Something about her behavior is setting off my spidey sense."
"Angie, Mary Alice, and Julie get along," Albert said, trying to change the subject. He didn't like talking about his mother-in-law. Albert found Helen to be intimidating.
"Yeah, Julie wanted to stay with her dad and me, so here she is," Stephanie said. "How did it go at Joe's funeral?"
"Not good, Grandma Bella, blames you for Joe's death. Our grandma decided to throw the punch bowl at Grandma Bella. Grandma Bella decided to throw the sandwich plate at our grandma. In other words, it was a disaster." Valerie said, shaking her head. "It was so embarrassing."
"Valerie, I love you, but do you see what I go through now with Grandma and mom?" Stephanie asked her big sister. Stephanie restrained herself from laughing at Valerie's expression.
"Yeah, and I am extremely sorry about that. How about we switch Fridays. You do one Friday, and I do another. The same with Gram," Valerie told her baby sister.
"Deal," Stephanie told her sister.
"So how about we go find the girls?" Albert asked.
"Yeah, let's go," Ranger said, deciding he'd rather keep an eye on the girls than have them meet at the pizza place. They walked together to find the girls.
As they walked around the mall, Ranger decided to ask Albert, "Would you like a better job? One of our Rangeman lawyers is retiring. His departure would leave a gap in the department. The job is yours if you want it."
"Yeah, I will take it," Albert told Ranger. He would have a steady income to support his family. Albert was proficient in reviewing employee contracts. He couldn't wait to prove his aptitude for the law.
"Great. I'll have a contract prepared for you," Ranger said as he sent a text. While all the grown-ups were looking for the girls, Angie, Mary Alice, and Julie went outside. They saw Helen Plum arguing with some creepy man.
"Hey. It's Grandma," Mary Alice said and then asked, "Who is the creepy guy with her?"
"I don't know, Mary Alice, but my dad will find out." Julie took out her phone and snapped a picture of the two adults talking. "Let's go find my dad," Julie said. They went back inside the mall to look for Ranger.