Story disclaimers are all in Chapter 1.
Chapter 3: All I Want for Christmas Is You
Slipping off her sandals under the table, Stephanie leaned back in her chair and felt the delicious twinge of heat from the slight sunburn on her shoulders.
She looked around; this was a restaurant she'd hadn't visited yet, near one of Key Biscayne's incongruous blocks of big hotels. It was why she'd chosen the beach about fifteen minutes away to explore her thinking position while basking in the sun. Of course, Florida's humid air had managed to give her that much loved "wildly overgrown Chia Pet" hairdo. As a result, her afternoon had also featured a quick trip to the hairdressers down the street for a travel-sized bottle of hair product. It wasn't the quality that she usually got from Mr. Alexander. She was going to have to hide from him for probably a week after she got back, or at least until her hair settled down.
But at least she didn't look like an untended Chia Pet anymore.
Reading quickly through the drinks menu while Chuck Berry belted out Run Rudolph Run from the bar speakers, she made one of the day's many important decisions. Tonight was strawberry daiquiri night. No doubt about it.
Buoyed by that successful moment of decisive clarity, she took another moment to read through the appetizers. Ah, clearly a plate of mini pizzas was the right place to start while waiting for her friends to join her tonight after work. She was performing valuable taste testing for the entire party. It was a heady responsibility, but somebody had to do it.
Not to mention, she was still on vacation for another day, gosh darn it! Getting some extra sun, indulging herself with treats… she was just stocking up on the experience. It was like how squirrels collected nuts. She snorted, imagining herself digging little holes in the berm behind her Trenton apartment, all winter long, to unearth little hoarded vacation memories. All with her bushy chia tail wagging like Bob the dog with a whole pizza in his mouth.
Speaking of pizza… she pushed her menu away and leaned back slightly to see if she could spot her waitress. Normally she'd say that would be easy, since the staff was all wearing Santa hats. However, half of the patrons seemed to have also donned festive headgear. She squinted, then dug into her satchel on the chance that maybe she'd managed to bring her elf hat.
And, success! She grinned, pulling out her hat and plonking it firmly on her head. Well, as firmly as her newly civilized curls permitted. While clipping the hat to her hair, she checked her reflection in the floor-to-ceiling cafe window by her table. Yup, even with the hair clips, it listed to the side, but that seemed reasonable in a perfectly elf-like way.
Holiday spirit look out, she affirmed to her reflection. You've met your match in Stephanie Plum.
"Hello, fellow Santa's helper," a cheery voice brought Stephanie's attention back into the main room. "I'm Mindy, your waitress. Can I get you something from the bar? Or are you ready to order?"
"Just a strawberry daiquiri right now, and a large order of the mini-pizzas with extra mozzarella."
"Ooh, those are really yummy. I think you'll like them," Mindy confided, as though they'd known each other for years instead of minutes. "Just you for now? Or should I bring some plates to share?"
As Stephanie requested extra plates for her friends, if they happened to arrive before she finished the entire platter, Stephanie noted the slick way Mindy asked if she was dining by herself. She tucked it away for her own waitress repertoire, and only then remembered that she was now officially out of the waitress gig as of this afternoon's Grouper Inn paycheck.
Unexpectedly, she felt a trace of sadness about that. Despite the delicate eau-du-fried-fish scent that her clothes and hair picked up each shift, she'd actually enjoyed the job. It had been fun to interact with the customers. Beyond that, there was the quiet camaraderie of setting up for business, the high-five of making it through the lunch rush, and the pleasure of being wished a good day by the manager, Bart, at the end of each shift.
She suspected it wouldn't make sense to anyone else. But, she'd had a teary moment when Bart had bustled from the back to hand over her final paycheck in a Grouper Inn envelope. Dabbing her eyes, she'd blamed it on onions being fried.
In a voice that was many decibels lower than his usual boom, Bart had said that he'd have an opening mid-January. He'd then handed her his card, telling her to call him after the New Year if she was interested. When he said he'd save the position for her, it was like he'd promised to save the last, best piece of birthday cake, just for her.
Sometimes you needed a lot more birthday cake than other times. Bart's offer was another memory her bushy squirrel self would be sure to dig out in the coming months. Because she had been truly tempted….
Absent-mindedly rubbing the recently ticklish spot on her neck, she found herself pulling out her phone to see if her much-rescheduled flight had been delayed again, or even canceled. Her virtuous self primly affirmed that it was a good idea to check flight status before heading to the airport, unlike a week ago. But really, she wouldn't mind spending a few more days here in Florida. Or a few more weeks. Really, it could be as long as nature wanted to keep dumping snow on New Jersey. Or even longer, her traitorous mind added.
Of course, she only had a place to stay until Ellie came back from her honeymoon in about a week. And she'd already checked: rents were ridiculously high, here. And mortgages were certainly more than she could afford.
Her attention returned to the here-and-now as a group of young women at the bar began singing along to Jingle Bell Rock. An older couple a few tables away laughed. And Stephanie decided that it was far too nice an evening to rue might-have-beens. Whether jobs, locations, or the ghosts of birthday cakes missed.
She looked back at the window. Even though the afternoon was barely over, the sun was beginning to set in a gorgeous palette of color. She watched as a flurry of seagulls dove by the pier where a few fishermen were packing their gear. Strings of fairy lights in the outside trees shimmered in the gentle gusts of breeze from the water.
She scooted in her chair as someone passed behind her, on the way to another table. And then smiled as her drink was delivered. With a quick toss of the head, she he picked up her drink for a sip.
Oh, that was purely divine. Strawberries, rum, and lime were clearly gifts of the gods. She looked around surreptitiously. Hmm, apparently she'd moaned out loud, given the side-eyed looks she was getting from nearby tables. She noted the older lady from a few tables away, whose beady gaze reminded her somewhat of her Grandma Mazur. Stephanie held up her glass and mouthed "strawberry daiquiri." After a blink, the older woman looked away. Probably she was now planning to order one for herself when the waitress returned.
She held her drink in front of her, recognizing with delight that her drink's berry shade matched a band of color that the sunset had now striped along the horizon. She ran her free index finger around the edge of the glass, and then swiped it down along the frosted bowl before taking another sip. She felt so elegant, having a cocktail in the late afternoon in the shadow of palm trees, watching the sunset reflected in the choppy water along the shore like a scattering of garnets.
She felt that tingle along her shoulders again, like last night, as though she was being watched. She set down her drink and turned slightly away from the sunset, toward the front of the bar. Unbidden, her hand rose to her neck as she scanned the room, her fingers momentarily icy against the flushed reminder of this afternoon's sun.
Maybe the feeling was sunburn, after all. Maybe it was that feeling when you weren't being paranoid, but you still had suspicions that that you couldn't quite resolve. Like when you were pretty sure that Joyce Barnhardt was the person who'd intercepted all of your Valentines cards in fifth grade, but you couldn't prove it.
Maybe it was longing, since she'd seen that man, last night. The one who had looked so much like Ranger. Who actually might have been him, but Stephanie didn't want to think too much about it since he'd been with that tall, laughing woman.
Sensing motion behind her yet again, she leaned forward as another person walked behind her. She felt the figure stop at her side, so looked up and managed to squint directly into the light over the next table. And then a masculine hand pulled out the chair next to her. "Is this seat taken?" he said in an unforgettable baritone voice while moving to sit with lithe grace.
"Ranger?" she asked, though there was no doubt who was sitting across from her. Even so, she briefly pinched herself under the table to make sure her most recent thoughts hadn't propelled her into fantasy-land. Ouch. Nope, she was still seated firmly in the real world.
"The one and only," he replied, his eyes dancing. "You're looking good."
"Um, thanks." She blinked. "You're looking… really here. Like, not my imagination. Or a sunburn."
As his eyebrow drifted upward, she added, "How did you find me?"
"I asked around," he tilted his head in a gesture she knew so well.
"You were there last night," Stephanie deduced. "Wait, have you been tracking me?" Stephanie squinted, tempted to pick up her satchel to see if she could find one of the Rangeman pens or keyrings that she'd belatedly realized in Trenton were how the Merry Men had so readily found her, time after time.
His lips twitched and reflected light from the bar made it look almost like a smile. "Not really. I didn't know you were here in the Miami area," he paused. "But since I thought saw you last night, I asked around a little. And I found you here." He paused. "Nice hat, by the way."
"I have an extra one if you want. Oh, but not with me," she hastened to add. She had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at her unconscious assumption that Ranger, badass mercenary, would even consider wearing a goofy elf's hat.
"No need, Babe," his eyes sparkled. "I do 'dress up' a little differently."
Imagining what that 'dress up' might entail, she fought a blush while regarding him over the rim of her glass. His face had lost the stress that had accumulated during his daughter's kidnapping and his own convalescence.
She might've chalked it up to him amusement, or to him being more tanned than usual, but it was more than that. He'd lost the furrow that had started to engrave itself between his eyes. The shadows that had darkened his eyes had faded. The pinched look around his lips was gone.
She took a sip, glad to see him looking so well. And then she noticed, with a start, that the most disconcerting difference was that he wasn't wearing all black. She blinked. The Ranger sitting across from her was wearing a blue heather polo shirt and granite colored slacks. And whatever aftershave he was using wasn't Bulgari.
"Wait. Who are you?" she blurted.
"Street name's Ranger," he leaned back, arm over the back of the chair next to him in almost exactly the posture he'd affected when they first met. "Connie Rosolli mentioned I should stop by to meet another badass fugitive apprehension agent." His eyebrow winged provocatively. "Pleased to meet you."
Stephanie snorted. "Very funny," she tried to hide the smile that fluttered under her lips by taking another sip from her drink. In the back of her mind she knew it might be dangerous to have an extended conversation with Ranger if she got any tipsier than she already was. But hey, she was still on vacation. At least for a day or two more.
And anyway, he was possibly dating that long legged, laughing woman from last night. And 'legs' might actually be the reason he was back in this neighborhood again tonight. Her mood deflated slightly, and she took another sip.
Then she perked back up, realizing retroactively that he'd actually just referred to her as badass. At that, she couldn't hide her burgeoning smile any longer. She reached out to put down her drink, only to splash it as her arm collided with an unexpected body.
"Hey there," Mindy the waitress had darted in at her side, Santa cap aquiver. "Just delivering the goodies," she said, leaning down with a platter laden with four-inch-round pizzas, along with a small stack of plates. She put one in front of Stephanie and another before Ranger, as though a man who looked like him would defile his body with an appetizer chock full of major food groups like carbohydrates, fat, and salt.
And then Stephanie was suddenly looking at the back of a waitress apron and green skirt as Mindy turned toward the man in question. "And what can I get for you?" Mindy asked in a tone that made ordering from the laminated drinks and appetizer menu sound like an unexpectedly delightful, sensuous adventure.
"Steph, what do you recommend," Ranger peered around Mindy, eyebrow raised in casual inquiry. And with that move, alone, he reminded Stephanie why he'd been one of her favorite people from the start of their acquaintance.
"Well, this is my first time here," she smiled, dabbing up bits of strawberry ice from the oilcloth table covering. "But I can vouch that they make a great daiquiri." It really was yummy, so she felt virtuous about providing tested, true advice. And healthy advice too because… strawberries.
She briefly considered ordering another, but she still had over a half glass remaining, even after the minor spill, and didn't want to get too tipsy, after all.
"It's a bit early for me, Babe," Ranger answered casually as he perused the menu that was now in his hand. "I think I'll stick with a soda water with lime. And the hummus plate." He handed the menu back to the waitress with a brief smile, which nevertheless was clearly enough of a smile to propel Mindy into the ether for a moment. "That's all for now," Ranger finally prompted.
"Oh yeah, um, I'll go now and do that order," Mindy replied before turning and darting back toward the kitchen.
"Okay, so now I believe you're Ranger," Stephanie smirked gently as she reached for another piece of mini-pizza. "You still have that awesome ability to cause stupor in random women while rocking the newest Latino Gap look."
"The former I have little control over," he shrugged, and was that a smidgeon of chagrin on his face? Well, that was new. Before she could consider what that might mean, he continued. "As for my clothing," his shoulder lifted again in a brief shrug, "that's something I'm trying out."
"No more Rangeman official Man in Black look?"
"At work, yes." He glanced downward briefly before capturing her eyes again. "But I've recently become very aware that life is brief, and should be more than just work." She could feel her brows draw together as she thought about what he was saying.
Then he admitted with something like a smile, "It's a new concept." He gestured around them. "So, work or pleasure?"
"What?" she paused while reaching again for her drink.
"What brings you to Key Biscayne?"
"Oh," she replied, wrapping her finger around the cool stem of her glass on the table. "A wedding. My roommate from college lives down here."
"A Christmas wedding?"
"No, actually the wedding was a few weeks ago. I got to do the bridesmaid thing in a burgundy colored dress I might actually be able to wear again, especially since has a great scoop neckline without any wedding lace," she outlined with her hands, "and it goes really well with my knockoff Jimmy Choos." Stephanie paused, grinning at Ranger's expression. It had always been fun to amuse him with the details of her life. When he was down, it actually seemed to lift his spirits. And, even now, he seemed entertained rather than judgmental.
"Anyhow," she continued, "I followed that up with a weekend in paradise, as planned." She lifted her daiquiri for a sip. "A day at the Dolphin Mall in Miami, a day here at the beach. It was awesome," she inhaled slowly as though keeping the memory inside until the very last moment. "After which, Plum family luck kicked in. My flight home got cancelled due to that first, huge blizzard all up the East Coast. Then it was cancelled again, due to the next huge blizzard. The next time it was overbooked. Most recently my plane was delayed until the airport closed due to mechanical issues."
She put down her glass. "I finally managed to reschedule it to Christmas morning. It's not ideal, but it leaves mid-morning at a sensible time. And, I figure the plane won't be crowded."
"I had no idea," Ranger moved forward in his chair, his dark brows pulling together. "You know, Steph, you can always call me, or even just the main Rangeman number, if you need cash or a place to stay."
"Oh, not to worry. Since my friend Ellie is on her honeymoon, I'm staying at her place nearby." She traced between beaded drops of water on the tablecloth while she contemplated what it meant that, honestly, she hadn't actually considered reaching out to Ranger. Or Joe. Maybe it was just because she knew she had money from her recent bounty. Maybe it was because she'd actually managed to get a job while here.
Maybe— and this was definitely something to think about— she didn't tend to ask for help. Ever. And yet Ranger, at least, always seemed to know when it might be needed.
Huh.
"Just keep it in mind, Babe," Ranger had reached out with a light touch to still her fingers, and she felt the electrical warmth of his skin flash through her whole body. She felt a shiver that wasn't due to the cold.
He released her as his eyes shifted to somewhere over her shoulder. Then Mindy the waitress appeared, tray in hand, answering her question of what his always-aware-of-his-surroundings gaze had spotted.
"Hey there," Mindy's cheery voice rang out. "One Big Biscayne Hummus Plate plus a soda water with lime," she put down each item as she named it. Stephanie noted with amusement that Ranger had shifted in his seat so that Mindy wasn't between him and Stephanie any more. She was reminded how he often said more with simple gestures than other people (ahem, Joe) did with all of their claims and protestations.
"Looks good," Ranger commented, pushing this hummus platter toward the center of the table. "Steph, feel free to try some."
"Thanks," she smiled, even as she took pity on poor Mindy, whose own smile had lost its sparkle with the realization that Ranger was actually here with Stephanie. Even if that was a bit of a stretch, it still left a nice taste on her emotional palate.
Feeling magnanimous, she glanced up at the waitress and complimented her on the enameled Christmas stocking pin pinned to her lapel. And, while she was at it, she decided to ask for another daiquiri, after all. The way she figured, it was a win-win: she would get another yummy drink and also add another reason to leave a nice tip.
Smiling at her clearly irrefutable logic, she sat back while Ranger sampled the hummus. Each to their own, she thought, as she watched an expression of enjoyment relax his features. And then she paused, wondering at this moment. Here she was, sitting at a table in a nice restaurant, having an early evening snack with Ricardo Carlos Mañoso while the night engulfed the horizon outside.
Eating, relaxing, and just… chatting. Without plotting how to catch a skip, or juggle the requirements of daily life, or pay her rent, or find her next crappy car. Away from Trenton and all the drama of her life, it was just easy being with Ranger.
Maybe it was easier for him, too. After the whole Scrog fiasco, she thought she might never see a genuine smile on his face again. And yet, here he was, spending time on simple pleasures: sitting in a restaurant full of waitresses in Santa hats while Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree twanged in the background, enjoying food, chatting with her, and wearing something other than black.
Of course, the two guns and a knife might still be there, somewhere in his shoes or belt. Or maybe duct-taped to his body under his shirt, unlikely as that seemed given the nice fit. Really nice fit….
Must not drool, must not drool, she repeated to herself quickly to dispel the spell. Maybe she should wait before starting on the next daiquiri, after all. But, considerations of daiquiris aside, tonight Ranger didn't seem like a man on a mission, licensed to kill. Tonight, he was a tanned, rested and handsome man in a restaurant.
"Oh, you really like it down here," she realized, and then figured out that she'd said that aloud when his gaze angled back toward her.
"I do," he replied after a brief pause. "I do," he repeated with a small tilt to his lips. "And you? Are you enjoying the warmth this time of year?"
Stephanie squinted, sensing that she was being deflected but she wasn't sure why. No matter; she knew from experience that Ranger sometimes needed to test the waters for a while before he would say what was really on his mind. And, it seemed to help when she shared her own thoughts, first.
She relaxed into the pleasure of the moment. "I am. It's as though Point Pleasant picked up and moved away from Trenton for a few weeks, like a magic carpet just for me. People down here think it's nippy weather, so I've had the beach mostly to myself for a few weeks." She reached over toward the hummus plate because, well, why not try that since it was here. And bonus: her plate poaching seemed to please Ranger in some way, if his expression was any indication.
"Huh, this is actually good," she mumbled around a mouthful of unexpected flavor. At Ranger's bark of laughter, she picked up a carrot stick from the platter and shook it at him. "But don't think I'm getting fooled into changing my diet to these 'bad boys' just because they're disguised by dip. I've seen that ploy before," she smirked knowingly. However, despite her claim, she boldly decided to take one more swipe through the hummus bowl with her carrot. It was actually kind of good.
"Good to know you're alert to dangerous disguises," he actually smiled. And Stephanie added sharing casual jokes to her list of tonight's unusual Ranger activities.
"So, mostly you've been at the beach?" he continued.
"Well, I do go almost every day," she replied. "I'm mostly beyond the sunburn phase and am finalizing my show-off tan for when I'm back in Trenton." Reaching forward for another mini-pizza this time, she added, "Who knew that soaking up the sun could be better than shoveling a foot of snow every few days?" she snorted.
Ranger actually chuckled at that. "Not arguing with you, there." He paused. "That sounds like quite a lifestyle, Babe."
"Yeah, it's pretty good. But to be honest, over three weeks of nothing but the beach would be a bit much, even for me. I've also been working part time." She took a bite of pizza and exhaled in pleasure.
The older couple swiveling her way again, coupled with Ranger's expression, clued her into the notion that she probably had done more than simply breathe with abandon. But seriously, pepperoni and prosciutto draped with cheese on crunchy bread deserved more than just a lofty puff of air.
"Steph," Ranger's voice brought her back from her contemplation of pizza excellence. "Did you have Vinnie file a temporary bail enforcement license for you in Florida?" His hand drifted toward the phone he had clipped to his waist. "If not, I'll have you added retroactively through Rangeman's license, in case questions come up."
"Wait, what? Whoa," she answered, finally figuring out what Ranger was implying. "I've been working as a waitress," she intercepted his hand before he had a chance to engage with his phone. "I haven't been rounding up skips in paradise."
"As a waitress?" he stopped, putting his phone on the table, his brows lowered as though they, all by themselves, were trying to lever discordant pieces of information into his mind.
"Yeah, I've been filling in for my friend Ellie's lunchtime shifts over at the Grouper Inn. Actually, I'm sort of auditioning for her whole lifestyle, seeing as how I'm living at her place and hanging out with her friends, too. It's been pretty nice."
With no exploding cars, she thought, or crazy rabbit impersonators trying to kill her, or abductions of any kind. Or course, she knew better than to actually say any of that out loud lest she invoke a world class jinx. Instead she simply added, "I guess another question is: who knew that slinging fried fish sandwiches with bottles of Corona could be better than working for Vinnie?"
She picked up her daiquiri with a slight wince. While she'd harbored that question for the past few weeks, this was the first time she'd said it out loud. And she knew it wasn't really a question at all. Yeah, going back to Trenton was going to be a royal bummer.
"I'll take that as a rhetorical question," Ranger murmured up as he reached for his soda water.
"That means you're ignoring it, right?"
"No, it means I'm smart enough to not even try to answer it," he sipped.
She snorted, reaching up to adjust her elf hat.
Ranger reached for a celery twig and dipped it in hummus. "It seems like getting away from it all has been good for you," he said.
"Yeah. It has," she agreed, even if it had given her something to miss. And, given her a glance at a lifestyle that was just out of her reach.
At that moment, Mindy reappeared with her daiquiri refill, along with another soda water for Ranger. Then she backed away with a reminder to just wave her over if they wanted anything else.
Stephanie glanced again at the window. The night sky had overtaken the horizon. At this moment, moonless, the shore was illuminated by a patchwork of lights from the hotels and shops that ringed this part of the beach. Stars were visible, peppering the sky, mirrored by the occasional human-generated stars bobbing along offshore in the boats anchored to mooring buoys out in the deeper water.
Movement brought Stephanie's attention to Ranger's reflection in the glass. Seeing him shift, she turned her attention back toward him.
"Why are you leaving on Christmas?" he asked.
"Like I told you, it's the best flight I could find. I mean, I have to go back to reality sometime, right?" she shrugged. "But I won't lie: some days I wish my airplane would never come and I could just stay here." She nibbled her lip, wanting to voice something else she'd thought about a lot, but hadn't really said to anyone yet.
Then she looked up at Ranger and realized that, no matter what she said, he wouldn't judge her. She picked up her drink for a bit of courage and took a sip. "I have this fantasy that I could somehow buy Ellie's condo when she sells it in February. Or maybe that she would just rent it to me for way, way below market rate."
Putting down her drink, she started to trace circles where condensation had dripped onto the table's oilcloth. "And, I don't know, maybe I could start over."
She peeked up at Ranger, whose gaze was wholly focused on her. "Of course," she blushed, "I knew I had a bit too much to drink the time I dreamt that the condo had a Christmas bow on the door, with the actress who played Cindy-Lou Who standing next to it in a red felt hat saying that sometimes you just get lucky."
Ranger chuckled, but his brown eyes were warm, almost gentle. "But why is it just a fantasy?"
"Um, Cindy-Lou Who in a felt hat standing next to my door?"
"Not that part," his full lips were still soft with amusement. "I meant the part about staying here. Starting over."
She exhaled. Ranger always knew exactly what question to ask.
"Well, even I know it's a fantasy," she picked up her napkin and focused drying the tips of her fingers. "Right now I'm living large. I'm staying rent-free in a nice condo, bankrolled by Vinnie's stupid-crime bond scofflaws so I can spend afternoons at the beach. Realistically, though, unless I could start using Monopoly money, there's no way I could afford Ellie's condo. Even if I could, moving down here wouldn't be the luxury lifestyle I've been enjoying."
She didn't add that, at least in Trenton, she could fall back to her parents for meals. In the absolute worst case, her high-school bedroom was still waiting for her, too.
She looked again to his face, wondering at his intense expression. She was used to Ranger's ability to focus, but wasn't used to being the recipient of this particular, calculating look.
Before she could ask what he was thinking, his phone vibrated on the table. He picked it up and Stephanie resigned herself to the likelihood that Ranger was about to leave.
Instead, he surprised her. With a brief glance at the screen, he tapped it and put it into his pocket. "It's work. It can wait," he explained, likely spotting her confused expression. And Stephanie added ignores his work phone to her growing list of unusual Ranger moments.
After a moment, Ranger picked up his soda water. "You probably miss Joe, too." He sipped, then added in a casual tone, "I imagine he had to go back early, despite the flights. Police business doesn't wait," he shrugged.
Stephanie blinked, momentarily puzzled. "Joe didn't come down with me." Then it dawned on her. "Oh. I forgot you've been away for so long. Joe and I haven't been together since maybe a month before Thanksgiving."
"Oh," he echoed her surprise. And there went those confused eyebrows again.
Normally Stephanie would give herself a pat on the back for having stumped the Wizard, but not tonight. Instead, it brought to mind that it really had been a few months since she'd seen Ranger. She'd gotten used to him being gone, but she'd never stopped hoping that he was okay.
Reaching out, she rested her fingers on his hand. "I've missed you, Ranger. How are you doing?"
He turned his hand, loosely squeezing her palm as it now sat in his. "Fine," he replied with a single nod. His expression, though, reflected a more complex, unspoken answer. "It took some time, but getting away was good for me, too. Gave me a chance to think about things." He shrugged. "To buy a new wardrobe."
She chuckled. "Well, you know me. I have to endorse any lifestyle that includes the opportunity to shop for new clothes. So, you're clearly living right." She was cheered to see Ranger's lips rise in amusement. She'd never tire of that.
Unconsciously rubbing her thumb along his palm, she leaned forward. "If you don't mind my asking, have you been able to spend time with Julie? Is she doing okay?"
He looked off into the distance. "Yeah, she's why I've been here so long. She's been struggling a bit. Bad dreams. She had a bit of difficulty getting back into being at school." His paused for a sip of water. "I was supposed to go to Panama all this month on a job, but I decided it would be better to stay here. For her."
His lips compressed. "Rachel says that having me here is helping. Since usually she'd rather pretend that I don't exist, I have to imagine she's telling me the truth."
Stephanie tightened her grip on his hand, as though pressing her soul into his. "I'm sure it's the truth. Besides, Julie's your daughter, through and through,"she affirmed. "She probably knows that you, of all people, can really understand what she went through. You can show her how to be strong even after something so scary."
He blinked, refocusing his shadowed gaze on her as though there was nothing else in the room to see. "You would know as well as anyone, Babe," his deep voice replied. Then he looked away again, taking another sip from his glass.
Feeling badly for taking Ranger into sad territory, she circled back to where she'd started. "I'm so glad you stopped by while I'm here. Do you live near here? I mean, when you're in Miami?"
"Not far."
His silence stretched, masked by the increase in volume of other customers who had been slowly filling the restaurant as they'd sat. Behind it all, one of those jazzy Christmas songs from the Charlie Brown TV special played quietly like a sophisticated balm for the season.
Just as she had resigned herself to hearing that Ranger's official Miami address was a vacant lot in Miami, or maybe a parking garage in Hialeah, he shifted in his chair. "My house is just off North Beach, on the Bay side." He paused a couple of breaths before adding. "About a half hour's drive north from here when traffic is light. Though the Rangeman office is only about 15 minutes from here."
"Wow, and all this time I've been here, and didn't even know," she exclaimed in wonder. But then, she admitted that was used to living near Ranger but not seeing him for long stretches.
This time it was Ranger's turn to press his fingers comfortingly around her palm. "I guess I've been more out of touch than usual. It would've been nice to see you, but I honestly didn't know you were in the Miami area." With a gentle, quiet look, he added, "But I'm happy you have friends here."
She smiled. "Yeah, like I said they started out as Ellie's friends. But I feel like I've known them for years. In fact, a couple of them will be here soon, after their jobs get out. You can meet them," Stephanie perked up at the thought. Maybe they could become Ranger's friends, too.
Okay, she realized seconds later that this was a completely goofy thought. Ranger the Special Ops sniper, I'd like you to meet Laurie the slightly chubby family-friendly tour guide and Ted the concierge and wanna-be piano bar dude. You have so much in common.
His lips relaxed. "You could be happy here, Steph. Friends. Places to shop. Nice weather. Plenty of jobs." He paused. "Lots of places nicer than Pino's Restaurant for your dates."
"Like that place you were last night?" she blurted before she was able to stop herself, her mouth getting ahead of her admittedly porous social filters. Once again she felt the warm flush of color rise up her neck. She really hadn't intended to probe about his social life. Well, she really, really wanted to, but that didn't mean she should do it. It was like looking through people's medicine cabinets and night tables at an open house. Which of course one always did, but wasn't supposed to do.
"I'm sorry," she said. "It's none of my business." She raised her daiquiri to her lips, though she didn't take a sip this time.
He pursed his lips ruefully. "I was actually thinking about the place you were last night." He squeezed her hand once more, then gently pulled away. "Your new boyfriend?" His voice was casual, his eyes trained on his newly liberated hand as he picked up his glass.
Huh, Stephanie hadn't expected that question. "What? No. At least I don't think so." She put down her glass and quickly sorted through her thoughts. "I think maybe Ted's interested in me, but there's no spark there." Not like I always felt with you, she thought. "But I've started to think that maybe a spark isn't what's needed, or that it's the sort of thing that's supposed to grow over time. LIke after you've known each other for a while. You know, like George and Izzie on Grey's Anatomy. They're friends, nothing more, blah blah, and then holy cow, suddenly they're in a relationship." She squinted. "Though maybe that's a bad example because they kinda didn't have any chemistry together."
For a split second, she could see Ranger laboring to extract meaning from her comments.
"I'm not the right person to ask about that," he finally said. "Is he kind? Does he help you and make you laugh? That's what my older sister Celia used to ask me after I went on dates to help me figure out if I should go on another one."
He paused, then added with a smirk. "Of course, after she met my dates, she'd smack me on the head because apparently I never followed her advice."
Stephanie laughed out loud. "I hope you're doing better lately," she commented, and found she really did mean it. "Or does Celia still smack you?"
A wisp of a smile curved his lips. "Celia's married now, up in Newark with her two boys. I think she saves her smacking skills for them." He loosely splayed his fingers along the edge of the table. "But to answer your real question, relationships haven't been my strength. It's one of the things I've been really thinking about."
His lips thinned. "Habits are easy to fall back on. And hard to break. Being down here, though, has helped. Makes me think about how I'd fix some things I didn't get right the first time. Seeing how much Julie needs me— and probably has needed me for a while…." he trailed off, then straightened. "It makes me think about what type of man I want to be, at this point in my life."
The ghost of an unpleasant thought passed over his face. Stephanie wondered, with a rush of caring, if maybe she was the person to whom Ranger could say things that he couldn't share with anyone else.
Then his expression lightened. "My family is all better at this type of thing than I am. Fortunately they're bailing me out for Christmas."
"You're staying down here over the holidays?"
"Yeah, this year I flew my parents down from Newark. They're staying with my brother's family though the school holidays." His eyes got a distant look. "Rafael and Linda— that's my brother and his wife— just had another baby. My mom is in abuelita heaven, between having a new baby to coo over and finally having a role in Julie's life."
He exhaled in humor. "Of course, the holidays bring that out in her, anyway. My brother and I used to joke that Christmas Eve dinner is like my mom's World Cup, so she's probably completely taken over Linda's kitchen to cook for Christmas Eve dinner. Though, thankfully, Tío Ernesto is roasting the pig at his place. Linda absolutely refused to have the roaster in her backyard." He shrugged. "Actually, can't blame her for that."
Stephanie's imagination served an image of a middle-aged woman dressed like Helen Plum but with Ranger's features, slathering a ginormous ham with sugar glaze, or maybe a whole pig with an apple in its mouth. All while standing guard over a half dozen mixing bowls with an oversized wooden spatula and an early glass of Christmas sherry.
Ranger looked up, bringing her back to the present. "Speaking of Christmas, Steph, do you need a ride to the airport on Christmas day?"
"Ranger," she exclaimed. "You just told me how your family came all the way down here to be with you for Christmas. Now you're already bailing on them to drive me to the airport? Sheesh." Her hands flew up in a what-the-heck gesture. "You need a virtual Celia to smack your head right this minute."
Wait, was that a self-conscious laugh? No, she decided. Probably Ranger was simply amused at her New Jersey temper.
"Not to worry, Babe. We're Cuban. We celebrate on Christmas Eve. La nochebuena," he restated in Spanish. "Christmas Eve is the family dinner, gifts, and so forth. And, at least in my family, Christmas morning is for taking the abuelos to mass. And then lots of naps disguised as watching TV or playing video games."
She squinted at the improbable image of Ranger watching TV or taking a nap in the middle of the day.
Then he shrugged. "Actually, my family is used to me being at work on Christmas day, like on other holidays. I have enough people covering this year, though, that I can easily get away for an hour or two."
That's right, she remembered, now. That was why she couldn't imagine him taking time off to goof around on Christmas day. She'd always been able to find him at Rangeman on Christmas, New Years, Easter, Fourth of July… and all the other holidays when he could work so his employees could be with family. It was odd, though, to realize that this year he'd be at the Rangeman office in Miami. Even if she stopped by the Trenton office, he still wouldn't be there.
She reached for her glass, lifting it thoughtfully while she pondered his offer. She would love to spend more time with Ranger before she left, even if it was just a drive to the airport. At the same time, she'd vowed that she didn't want to be someone who Ranger felt he had to swoop in to rescue, anymore. Unless she really needed it, of course.
And, she had to be honest. She didn't need to be rescued from the holiday rideshare to the airport urgently enough to take Ranger away from his responsibilities. He wasn't retired, like her dad, with time on his hands and looking for an excuse to get out of the house.
Probably seeing the doubt in her expression, he tipped his head in a gesture she recognized as compromise. "Just think about it, Steph. I'll check with you beforehand, in case you'd like a ride."
"Okay," she agreed. Before she had a chance to continue, Ranger straightened in his chair. She recognized that 'be aware of your surroundings' posture.
"Are those your friends, Steph?" She followed the line of his pointed gaze to see her friend Laurie walking up the path, outside, along with her roommate Elaine. And, a bit further away, Ted was getting out of his unmistakable mint-green Chevy.
"Yup, they're mine," she smiled. "Normally I'd say that the festive North Pole headgear and the flashy Christmas light necklace would be dead giveaways that they're with me. But, looking around the restaurant, I'd have to adopt a fair number of additional people if that was true."
The corners of Ranger's eyes crinkled in amusement. "Stay for another few weeks, Babe. They'll all be yours."
She snorted, then shivered at the brush of chilled air from the restaurant's door. Reaching behind herself for her sweater, she grabbed for a sleeve just as the whole thing slipped down the chair's backrest.
Ranger stood. "Here let me help," he murmured, moving behind her, his broad hands barely touching her as he rescued her sweater. Then, while she remained seated, he helped her put it on, sleeve by sleeve, as though it were a coat. Ranger is still the Wizard, she smiled. Able to pick off a dangerous gunman in the dark; able to wrangle a sweater into a wearable garment around a chair back, armrests, and a purse strap.
He stepped beside her, leaving one palm on the back of her chair. "I should go, Babe," he said.
"No, stay. At least let me introduce you," she reached up to cover the back of his hand with her fingers. She sighed; probably he had to go meet his actual dinner date at another restaurant. But he was still her friend, and the well-known Stephanie Plum Transitive Property of Friendship meant that he now had four new friends on the way to her table. Even if it was goofy to imagine them hanging out together.
He shifted his weight. Then, in a burst that would have seemed impulsive if spoken by anyone else, he said, "Do you have plans for tomorrow evening?" As she shook her head "no," he added, "Come to Christmas Eve with my family." His eyes traveled to their joined hands. "Julie will be there. I think she'd really like to see you."
Her eyes darted to his in surprise. But then, she'd already met Ranger's father at the hospital after Scrog. And Celia, one of his sisters.
"You've never invited me to meet your family before."
"I mentioned that I'm trying new things." He paused with an expression she wasn't sure how to interpret, then looked into her eyes. "I'd like it if you were there."
"Well then, I'd like that, too," She beamed, releasing his hand to open her phone's calendar. "Count me in. What time? What's the address?"
"Hey Stephie!" her friend Lauren called breathlessly from the arch leading into the room.
She turned to peer around Ranger, then beckoned with her free hand. "Over here."
Ranger's lips lifted in an actual smile. "I can pick you up. It'll be later in the afternoon, but I'll have to get you the details tomorrow morning."
"Okay, I'm looking forward to it," Stephanie replied breathlessly.
"I'll be in touch, Steph," he leaned to murmur in her ear. Then, Laurie and Elaine arrived at the table. After brief introductions and a nod at each woman, Ranger turned and made his way toward the door. It was all so quick that Stephanie pinched her leg, once again, to make sure she was awake and hadn't imagined the whole conversation with Ranger. And yup, ouch again; it had been real.
"Stephie," Laurie said breathlessly as she sat. "Whoa. Are you holding out on us? Who was that?"
"Yeah," Elaine sat across from her, eyes wide. "No kidding. Who was that?"
"Ranger is one of my best friends from New Jersey," Stephanie replied through giggles that threatened to break loose. It was like being in high-school, comparing boys with her bestie Mary Lou. "Neither of us knew, until now, that the other one was here in the Miami area."
"Oh baby, you need to keep in much better touch with someone who looks like that." Laurie said.
Elaine added, "No engagement or wedding ring, I looked. Because when you see a man like that, you gotta check out the particulars."
"True that," Laurie affirmed. And, as Ted walked up to the table and sat in the chair Ranger had recently vacated, Laurie leaned over and murmured, "And you can bet I'll be calling you tomorrow, Stephie, for more details. Get ready."
"So, what did I miss?" Ted asked. After a shared, flustered glance, Stephanie and her friends started sharing what they'd done during the day. Before long, they were deep into stories about home, their families' typical holiday dinners, and other topics of the season. As voices in the bar picked up, singing along to the bouncy All I Want For Christmas Is You, Mindy the waitress reappeared. And once again, Stephanie had an excellent view of Mindy's hair and the knot in the back of her server apron.
Well, huh. She sat back in her chair, realizing that she didn't mind this time. Not even a little bit.
To be continued…
