WHAT ABOUT TOMORROW?

By

Dimaris

Chapter 3: Stephanie

SPOV

This day just keeps getting better and better. I've already had two arguments with Joe, Ranger is "in the wind" for God knows how long and I have no date tonight for Valentine's Day. Stupid cupid. In Ranger's defense he did send me a dozen beautiful red roses. At least they weren't from a stalker for a change. To be honest sending me flowers was a very un-Ranger-like thing to do. I guess he wants me to do a job for his company; at least my bank account will be happier. It wasn't very exciting right now. I have no money and a major credit card balance. Wonder what kind of slut Ranger wants me to dress up like.

Earlier I had to bring in Bernie Martinetti for indecent exposure and aggravated assault. The son of a bitch tried to piss on me AND cut me. I ran him down, wrestled his little knife away from him, got tossed into a shitload of garbage and hauled his nasty ass to jail--all that for $350. It's just not fair.

Needless to say, the cops laughed their butts off and Morelli once again made a big scene. Then the bastard had the nerve to call me a little while ago asking me to come over for pizza, beer, a hockey game and to take care of his "boys." I told him it's over but I doubt he ever heard a word I said. He never does.

On top of everything else my mom called to rant about my job, my disappointment as a daughter, my marrying "Joseph" Morelli, my getting too old to have kids and the scene at the cop shop. Sometimes I wish I had the guts to tell both Joe and Mom to shut the fuck up. As Scarlett would say, I'll think about it tomorrow.

Connie at the office just called to tell me there were some more files for me and ask me what my plans were for tonight. She and Lula are all excited because they have dates for dinner and dancing. I wish! Guess I'll just stay home, eat a peanut and olive sandwich, watch Ghostbusters and crash. Tomorrow I'll go in early, pick up my files and try to bring some skips and money in. Also, all my bounty hunting clothes are history thanks to people like Bernie so anything I get will have to go toward upgrading my wardrobe. Yeah, wardrobe, what a laugh, it's really just cheap jeans, t-shirts and socks. Because of my job I regularly destroy them. To be honest because I'm pathetic at my job my skips are the ones who do the destroying. Of course, they also destroy my cars.

Both Ranger and Joe are very handsome but as the saying goes "A man falls in love through his eyes, a woman through her ears." I'm not sure what they see in me but neither one of them ever tells me tender words of love. I fell hard for Ranger but the worst thing a guy can do is make a girl fall for him and not catch her. In Joe's case I told him I loved him after Ranger got shot by Scrog and almost died. But then how can I love you when you don't even care. Yeah, Joe wants me to be his wife as long as I do what he wants. Losing my job, my friends and Ranger are deal breakers especially, losing Ranger. Ranger is my best friend, my mentor and on one very special night, my lover. He says that his love comes with a condom not a ring. I don't think that's love just lust. So forget love, I'd rather fall in chocolate.

Great, now that I'm all gorgeous in Ranger's t-shirt, my panties and some seriously floppy valentine socks someone is knocking on my door. And, guess what, there stands a smirking Joe Morelli with a pizza. I knew he didn't listen.

"Hello, Joe, what part of it's over didn't you understand? You know the most precious possession that ever comes to a man in this world is a woman's heart and I'm through letting you stomp all over mine. Take your pizza and go." I really love Pino's pizza but this time it just isn't worth the price.

"Come on, Cupcake, you know you don't mean that. The 'boys' really miss you." Joe spotted the bouquet of roses. "You got another stalker?"

I just growled at him. "No, Joe, a friend actually sent them to me for Valentine's Day. That's today you know and like I told you on the phone we are over and I'm not going to change my mind. I will not marry you, have your kids, clean your house, cook your meals or iron your jockey shorts. I don't want that life with or without you. You need to find a woman who does but she's not me."

Joe scowled at me. "So are the flowers from Manoso or do you have some other guy you're fucking? I'm not going to wait forever for you to come to your senses, Cupcake."

I'd had enough! "Joe, you don't have to wait at all and I'm NOT your Cupcake. To be honest I hate that name and your definition of it. I'm sick of hearing it yelled at every crime scene, written on every bathroom stall in the greater Trenton area and, most of all, I'm sick of you and my mom telling me how to live my life. Now GET OUT or, cop or not, I'll shoot your ass! You're getting to be worth the powder it will take to blow you to hell and almost worth the jail time." I opened the door, threw his pizza at him, shoved him out into the hall and slammed the door shut.

After two beers, a peanut butter sandwich and half the movie I had calmed down enough to stop snarling. Then there was another knock on my door. Well, shit! Walking over to my cookie jar, I got out my loaded 38 S&W, held it in front of me and threw open the door. Standing there in an expensive black suit with a shocked look on his face was Ranger. I dropped the gun to my side and waved him inside. Hey, since he sent me flowers the least I could do was invite him in.

I stared down at my feet and said, "Sorry, Ranger, I thought you were Joe."

Ranger just grinned at me. "Babe, why were you going to shoot Joe?"

"Because I told him on the phone that we were through and he wouldn't believe me. He just showed up at my door with a pizza and wanted sex. I tried talking to the stupid son of a bitch but he still didn't get it so I threatened to shoot his ass and threw him out of the apartment. I thought you were him coming back."

"Babe, will you please have dinner with me?" Ranger looked a little nervous which can't be right because Ranger doesn't do nervous; he never shows weakness. Maybe the job he wants me to do for him is really dangerous.

"Sure, let me get dressed. Judging by what you're wearing we must be going to a classy place, right?" Now all I have to do is find an outfit that won't embarrass him.

"Steph, you will be beautiful in whatever you choose. I was thinking Rossini's would be a good choice. What do you think?"

He knows me way too well. He knows I'm addicted to their tiramisu. "Ranger, it's going to take me a while to pull myself together. Do you want to have a beer while you wait?"

Ranger smiled and shook his head. "No, Babe, I need to run by the office for a minute to talk to Tank and pick up some things. How about if I come by to get you in an hour? Will that give you enough time?"

"Well, I can make myself halfway presentable in an hour so I'll see you then and, Ranger, thank you for the beautiful roses. They meant a lot to me."

He touched my cheek and whispered, "Stephanie, you're always more beautiful than any rose but I'm looking forward to seeing what you call 'presentable'." Then he left me standing there with my mouth open.

I dashed to my closet and started pulling out every piece of clothing I owned that could be considered classy. There wasn't much since most of my clothes were for slutty distraction jobs or bounty hunting. I didn't have a whole lot of nice clothes because nobody ever asked me for a date. Wait a minute, Batman just asked me out on a date? He told me I was beautiful, sent me roses and asked me to dinner at my favorite restaurant? Okay, I'm confused but by damn I'm going to get dressed to the nines and really enjoy myself.

A/N: Response to Black Heart Valentine challenge (Perfect Plum) and Cara and Teena's Let's Talk about Love challenge (Babe_Squad). Oh, and of course, don't own Janet Evanovich's characters just like to play with them, especially Ranger. Sadly, I'm not making any money.

Word count = 1,515