Sorry about the relay, I've been so, so busy it's not even funny anymore. But I hope you like this one anyways and don't hate me for abandoning you.

And once again, I love you and your thoughts and comments. Keep them commin' girls!

I walked downstairs with my hair still wet from the shower and dressed in jeans and a simple black t-shirt. I felt quite happy today for some reason, like I knew that something major, in a good way, was going to happen. It was early but I knew that almost everybody would be up by now. Like I had thought, both Bobby and Tank were in the kitchen making breakfast and talking in hushed voices. They looked up when they saw me and smiled broadly.

"Hey little girl!" Tank said and poured some juice into a glass. "Did you sleep well?"

I walked into the kitchen and sat down by the island. Immediately there was a sandwich and juice in front of me. I took a bite out of the sandwich.

"Actually I slept quite well." I said as they both sat down and dug into their breakfast. They both looked a bit surprised but glad at the same time. I hadn't slept well since May, and to be able to sleep the whole night was surprisingly refreshing.

"That's wonderful news honey." Bobby said and smiled broadly. "I want to hug you, but I don't want to invade your privacy."

I laughed and walked around the island and wrapped my arms around him surprising everybody. I felt cheerful today and wanted to share it with them. It felt nice to hug somebody; I had avoided body contact for this whole time. I hoped that this happiness would last longer, that the darkness would perhaps be behind me for good.

"Actually Tank," I said as I released Bobby from me and sat back down. "I want to talk to you about this house."

"Sure thing. What's on your mind?" He said and sat down next to me. He looked happy with my progress and I liked that for once I helped him cope instead of hurting him. He took one of my hands into his and smiled to encourage me.

"I was wondering how you found this diamond?" I asked and took a sip out of my juice. "I don't know I Lula told you about the plan, about me finding a new house that I could renovate to my taste."

"Sure she told me about that and I have been thinking about that for a long time now. I think that it's a good idea and I want to help you make that dream come true. The realtor we used was great, his name is Rob Callahan and he and I went to the army together. He's a great guy. Do you want me to call him and invite him over?"

I stared at him and wonder. This was the most I've ever heard him say in one breath. I shook my head to get rid of the confusion and smiled. I loved that he was on top of everything.

"Okay. That sounds fine. I love you, you know that right?"

"And I love you." he responded and kissed my forehead as he got up and went out into his office to make the call. I finished my sandwich as Bobby cleared the kitchen. He too, looked happy.

"I'm so glad that you're willing to take a step forward. I've seen too many men and women just stop and dwell in misery the rest of their lives. Buying a house sounds great, but do you really have the money to do that?" He said to me as he set the juice back into the fridge.

"I happy that you're happy but you don't need to worry about that. When my granddad died he left me a huge amount of money. Even my mother doesn't know about this, only me and my grandma and my dad know. He had won the lottery and wanted me to live the life I wanted without the stress of not having the money to do it."

"Wow Steph, I had no idea. I'm happy for you and I want you to know that I'm here for you, always. And I promise I'll help out at the house too if you only let me."

"I would love to have you help me. I'm a bit scared that I'm biting more than I can chew. What if I blow this too?" I said and stood up and walked to the kitchen window. The ocean was calm today, a calm before the storm. I hoped that this wasn't an omen of any kind.

"I'm sure you can handle this. And if you struggle, we'll be here for you." Bobby said and wrapped his hand around my waist. We stood there looking at the view.

"I miss Lester." I said to break the silence. He was out of state and I missed him terribly. He couldn't call us and vice versa but I knew that he was okay.

"I miss him too, but what I've been hearing is that he'll be heading back in a few weeks. He'll be here the moment he lands." Bobby said and hugged me tighter. Lester had no idea of what had happened and I feared that the moment he heard he was going to hurt somebody. Bad. Probably Ranger.

Tank walked back into the room and we turned around. He looked happy.

"Rob is heading this way as we speak. He wants to meet you personally to really understand what you are looking for. If you two make coffee and set the table, I think there might be cinnamon rolls too, and I'll go wake Lula. I know she would kill me if she missed this." he said with a laugh as he turned around and ran up the stairs.

We headed back into the kitchen and I found the rolls as Bobby turned the radio on. It suddenly felt very homey. I was wondering which set of cups I should take as Lula and Tank made their way down. As they stepped down from the stairs the doorbell rang.

I quickly sat the white ones down on the table as voices were heard from the hall. I looked up as one of the most gorgeous men walked into the room. He was very tall, very dark and very athletic. He was wearing a suit but it suited him very well, and did not look over the top on him. He smiled broadly as he took three large strides across the room and extended his hand towards me.

I shook his hand and couldn't help but to smile at him. He was taller now that he was close to me and I have to admit that he smelled unbelievably good.

"You must be Stephanie." he said and I was mesmerized by his southern accent.

"Please call me Steph." I said and couldn't help but to smile back at him.

"Okay, Steph. Let's sit down and talk about a house, darling."

What do you think?