I arrived at my attorney's office a few minutes early and checked in with his secretary and took a seat in the outer office. I looked down at my buzzing cell phone and saw that I had a message from Ranger. When I opened it the only thing there was 'WTF?' I guess his parents were there with him. I admit it, I felt a little smug. It wasn't enough payback for all that I felt he'd done to me, but it sure as hell had to have caused him a headache or two with more to come.

The attorney beckoned me into his office, "Mrs. Manoso, how are you?"

"I'm fine," I opened my briefcase and gave him the envelope. "All the material is there. I believe it's enough to file with. The names of the people willing and able to give evidence are included."

"It's more than enough," he said going through the notes. "Are you sure that you want to do this?"

I nodded. "I don't really have a choice. I mean if he won't accept the other way."

"I've sent it out already. He'll probably be served some time in the next few days. Have you talked to your priest?"

"Yes," I nodded. "If the court annuls the marriage, the Vatican will annul it automatically. Not that it matters really. According to the Priest because we didn't have a Catholic wedding it won't be recognized by the church anyway."

He nodded. "I'll let you know if I need anything else. Assuming he signs the papers we'll go forward quietly. If he doesn't…"

"Then we'll change the grounds to fraud as we discussed," I said grimly. "He really doesn't want to get into a pissing match with me now. I'm the injured party here."

He nodded.

I frowned, "do you think he's already been served?"

"It's possible," he nodded. "Why do you ask?"

"Just a text message," I smiled. "It's nothing."

"Save it," he said briefly, "we may use it in court."

I nodded. "Is that it then?"

"That's it," he agreed.

I got to my feet and left the office. I went straight for the elevator and found Mitch leaning against the wall waiting. "Are you following me?"

"Yep," he nodded.

"Did Ranger ask or order you to," I asked as I glanced down at my cell phone again. It was a second message. 'Call me!' I shook my head with a humorless smile and put the phone back in my purse.

"Yes," he nodded.

"Terrific," I rolled my eyes. He hasn't talked to me since the reception night and now he's having people follow me and he's texting me.

"He just wants to know that you're safe Stephanie."

"Right now I don't need protection from anyone or anything but him," I said seriously and stepped on the elevator. "I'm not in any kind of physical danger. I'm only in mental and emotional danger. He's the culprit. I don't need or want his particular brand of help."

He followed me onto the elevator car, "what are you doing here?"

"I'm seeing my attorney," I said jabbing the ground floor button.

He leaned against the wall, "so you're filing for divorce?"

"An annulment," I corrected him. "I'm going to pretend this never happened."

"Can you actually do that?"

"I can sure as hell try," I said grimly.

"Stephanie…you love him," he reminded me.

"An emotion that he doesn't return," I said breezily.

"He does love you," he said in exasperation.

"Does he? I don't think that buying me things or giving me part of his company means he loves me...and neither does the sex so don't even bring it up."

"How much of the company was he going to give you?"

"Twenty percent," I shrugged.

"So he works his whole life to buy this thing and he just offers you twenty percent and you don't think he loves you?"

"He should say the words."

"Yes, he should," he agreed.

"In any case Tank and Mr. Manoso will be so glad I never signed those papers taking twenty percent of their company. If I had he'd really be in trouble."

"Would you make his life miserable," his lips curved with a smirk.

"No," I shook my head with a sigh.

"Then what would you do," he asked with a slight smile.

"In theory I'd go into the office everyday looking sexy and happy and shove all that in his face," I said gleefully.

"And what would you do in truth?"

"In truth," I sighed, "I'd sign it back over to them."

He smiled, "You see I already knew that." He stepped aside to let some women onto the elevator on the ninth floor and ended up right beside me.

"Did you," I shook my head.

"I did. I know who you are Stephanie. I mean I really see you for who you are. So…I believe what you're saying."

"Thank you."

"I want to stay friends."

"Mitch," I started.

He put his hand up to stop me. "I know you probably will have a hard time being around most of your friends because they're all…we're all pretty much associated with Ranger in some way or the other, but I don't want you out of my life."

"I don't want to lose you either."

"So…come to dinner with Carrie and me tonight. We're going to visit an old friend at his restaurant."

I shifted on my feet willing the elevator to move faster, "I don't know Mitch. This is the first time I've been out since…"

"I know that," he said with a smile. "Remember, I've been watching you."

"Who's had night duty?"

"Lester," he said. "Marina's out of town on assignment. He volunteered."

I shook my head.

"Please," he said quietly.

I sighed. That damn word always worked on me. "All right, I'll meet you there. Where and what time," I stepped off the elevator.

"At seven-thirty on Williamson Avenue and the restaurant is called Unit."

I shook my head, "that's a weird name."

"He's a weird guy," he waved at me and headed for the black SUV at the curb.

"Most men are," I muttered as I walked toward my car.

I had to hurry halfway across town to meet Natalie and maybe Cal for lunch. Cal wasn't sure he could get away. Natalie was the only one of my friends who called and checked on me everyday after the reception. Even Mary Lou had only called three times, of course she had kids to look after and they're often uncooperative. Natalie called every single day.

Lula wasn't ready to talk to me yet. I don't know if she thought she had to choose sides and be in support of her husband or not, but once we'd had our initial truthful conversation she hadn't called me back. I have to admit that it hurt my feelings a little bit. I knew her before she knew Ranger or Tank. But I was glad that she was staying loyal to her husband. It was a mess.

Of course, I saw Lula's face and more everywhere. Her image was on buses and billboards all over Trenton. The latest batches had her in pink spandex with matching pink highlights on her black hair. She looked good and provocative. The photos all showed her expansive cleavage. Tank was right, the girl had plenty to spare.

I arrived a few minutes late and had trouble finding a place to park. I almost ran down the sidewalk to the restaurant and waved at Mitch as he scoured the street for a spot.

Natalie got up and hugged me the moment I arrived at the table.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I ran into Mitch outside my attorney's office."

"Your attorney," she blinked as we sat. "You mean the real estate guy?"

"No," I shook my head. "I mean the divorce attorney that's going to get me my annulment."

She sat there looking at me with the saddest expression on her face. I knew she hoped we would work it out. Hell, I had hoped we would work it out. I guess this time I was just more realistic than everyone else about the chances of that happening. But then, they didn't have the benefit of an eye opening conversation with my husband and I had.

"Cheer up Natalie…your marriage is in great condition. Mine is the one that's over. I accept that there are things I can't change about either me or Ranger. I can't love him any less and he can't love me any more. That's just the way it goes."

"So you're filing?"

"It's filed," I said picking up the menu. "He'll be served any time now. Hell, he may have already been served."

"I didn't expect it to happen so fast," she sighed.

"Natalie," I reached for her hand, "it's got to be this way. I can't go on hoping for a happy ending with him. It's not healthy. I have to cut bait and run."

"Run where," she blinked and tears slid down her cheeks.

"I don't know where. I know I'm not going to Australia. Brian's there and he says he's still in love with me. I don't need that complication."

"I like Brian," she shrugged apologetically.

"I do too," I smiled.

"Then where will you go?"

"I don't know. I just know that I'm not going anywhere that Spanish is the primary language."

She gave a small strangled laugh.

"I'm just watching out for me.

"I know and that's what you should do," she sighed. "This just sucks."

"Yea, it does. Not everyone can have a happy ever after honey. You and Cal do, that's what matters."

"Not quite. It's not the only thing that matters," she paused and studied me thoughtfully. "So have you just been sitting around the house thinking of ways to get out of your marriage?"

"Not exactly," I admitted with an uncomfortable giggle. "Besides I already knew how to get out of the marriage. I just didn't know that I had more than a couple of options. Mr. Manoso graciously provided me with a really good one."

"Yea...," she frowned. "You're calling him Mr. Manoso?"

"I don't want to be too familiar with him," I shrugged and my gaze became cool for the first time. Yea…he pissed me off.

"So what did you do if you knew how to get free?"

"I was angry for a while. Then I tried bargaining with God if he'd fix it. Then I begged. Then I became a little bit despondent."

"Just a little despondent," she winced.

"Just a little bit," I admitted. "I mean, really I've been dealing with him not loving me for a really long time. It's just that when he started making excuses for not divorcing me, I convinced myself that I was wrong."

"You could be wrong," she said pleadingly.

"Could be," I shook my head with a smile. "Am I going to spend the rest of my life waiting around for what could be? Then I don't get any babies. What do I get instead? Fish," I shook my head again. "I don't think so."

She sighed. "So…after you were sad?

"I put a stick up my ass, put my big girl panties on and got on with life."

"Not a real stick," she teased.

"No…I'm not my parents," I shook my head.

"What about the granny panties?"

"Honey…nobody in my family wears granny panties, not even my granny," I shuddered.

She laughed. "Yea, well…I just sent her some new ones so she should be okay for a while."

"You know that you're the best friend ever, right?"

"I do," she agreed. "So you've gone through the stages of grief and now you're…"

"Getting an annulment and seeing you and… Oh, I'm having diner with Carrie and Mitch tonight at some restaurant on Williamson."

"You're going to Unit," she said and I could see the gleam in her eye.

"Yea," I frowned at her, "how did you know? Have you been there?"

"Yea," she nodded. "Mike's a great cook. But the restaurant needs something. Maybe you'll be able to figure it out."

"I'll leave out ferns," I said pushing one out of my hair. "And I'll recommend to Mike that he get rid of any that he has."

She giggled, "I'm certain he'll take that under advisement."

"Why are you so certain of that?"

"Mike will get one look at you and he'll do whatever you tell him to do."

I laughed.

"Of course, if you lose any more weight your boobs will disappear and then what?"

I grinned, "Augmentation?"

"Funny girl," she shook her head. She looked toward the door and waved.

Cal loped over to us and leaned down to kiss his wife and then me before sliding into the booth beside her. "So…how's it going? What did I miss?"

"She filed for an annulment."

Cal blinked at me, "oh dude…"

"What," I spread my arms hands up as if to say 'what do you want me to do'.

"Rangeman is going to be pissed."

"I can't see why," I rolled my eyes and frowned.

"Because he thinks you're going through some kind of phase."

"Oh for God's sake," I shook my head and rolled my eyes.

"That's what he says. He says you'll get over it and it will all work out."

"Has he lost his mind?"

"I think so," he laughed. "I mean he's done some crazy shit before but…"

"He's completely in denial," Natalie shook her head sadly.

"What did he think I was going to do?"

"Not this," he smirked.

"Well, I guess he doesn't know me as well as he thinks he does," I shrugged. "It's done. He should be served any time now. That's that!"

"Shit Steph, he's gonna lose it."

"You know Cal, if he'd act like a grown up…"

"Baby I'm on your side," he grinned.

"Are you," I said softening.

"Most of our staff is on your side, hell all the staff is on your side including his partner."

"You guys are the best," I sighed and reached up to wipe my tears away.

"Don't cry. We love you. We also think you ought to take him to the mat and beat his ass…but that's just us."

"And you think he's just going to let me do that?"

"We'll hold him," he shrugged with a little grin of encouragement.

I laughed, "You guys are the best."

"Hey…you helped make us this way."

"So did he," I reminded him.

He shook his head, "that's why we love you best Stephanie."

"What do you mean?"

"You're a good person. You won't let us think less of him."

"It's not his fault that he doesn't love me. You either love someone or you don't. It's only his fault that he's an ass."

"Doesn't love you," he blinked at me incredulously. "You're kidding right."

"They're three little words," I said with a slight smile. "He can't say them. Well, he can't say them to me. He says he can say them."

"Unbelievable," he shook his head and then threw back his head and laughed, "this is rich. This is just rich."

"What's so funny," Natalie poked him in the ribs.

"I can't tell you. It's the guy code. But I can tell the other guys. Oh yea, Rangeman has no idea what he's getting himself into."

I smiled and leaned forward on my elbows, "well, take pictures."

"We'll send you video monitor films," he grinned.

"I can't wait."

"She's having dinner at Unit tonight," Natalie added with a smirk.

"You don't say," he said and leaned back in the booth and studied me. "Steph…make sure you look good tonight."

"What," I said and my best mock indignation, "Don't I look good all the time?"

"Sure," he grinned, "but tonight, you need to make sure you look real good."

"Is this going to harm anyone?"

"Probably not," he shook his head. "But it's going to aggravate the piss out of someone."

A smile tilted the corner of my mouth. This was sounding promising.