Chapter Four
"Welcome to Miami, Florida!" The Captains' voice rang out over the first class cabin, eliciting a sudden surge of relief from Stephanie. She opened her eyes and sighed heavily, thankful they were finally on the ground; she had spent both takeoff and landing with her eyes firmly shut, holding onto the armrests with a grip so tight all the blood had rushed out of her fingers.
Patiently, Stephanie waited for the Captain to turn off the "Fasten Seatbelt" sign. Having flown first class from Trenton to Miami, she wouldn't have to worry about trying to squeeze into the line of passengers eager to unload.
"Ms. Plum?"
Stephanie jumped in her seat. She looked up at a small, red-haired flight attendant and gave a small apologetic smile. "Yes?"
"Your escort has requested you be the first one off the plane," the flight attendant said.
Stephanie gathered her purse and carry on luggage from beneath the seat in front of her and followed the woman to the terminal where several people were waiting. Among them was a tall man dressed all in black. Stephanie didn't have to get close enough to read the Rangeman logo on his shirt to know he was Wes, her escort.
"Welcome to Miami, Ms. Plum," he said.
Stephanie gave him an appreciative smile, but didn't say anything. She could tell this arrangement was as awkward for him as it was for her. She didn't know anything about Ranger's personal life in Miami. And she was almost completely sure Ranger's employees knew as little about his personal life in Trenton.
"Oh, great," Stephanie said as she checked the status of her connecting flight. "My flight's been delayed three hours due to scheduled maintenance. How scheduled can it be if they have to delay a flight three hours?"
Frustrated, Stephanie put her hands on her hips and shook her head.
"I don't want to sit in an airport all morning."
Wes was looking more and more uncomfortable. "I have orders not to let you leave the airport."
Great. I finally take a vacation and I have to spend it in an airport with a babysitter who won't let me have any fun.
Suddenly, Stephanie had an idea…
"What about Rangeman?" Stephanie asked. "Obviously there's an office here and I'll bet it has employee apartments same as the one in Trenton. You could take me there and I could freshen up before my flight to Paradise Island!"
Wes looked like he didn't know how to respond.
"Well?" Stephanie snapped. "Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to say something?"
"I'll have to call to get clearance," Wes said.
Admitting defeat, Stephanie sighed once more. It was going to be a long day…
Stephanie was surprised at how similar the Rangeman office in Miami was to the one in Trenton. The only large difference was the choice of color. Rich, vibrant hues of red, blue and yellow replaced the quieter earth tones she had grown used to. She followed Wes through the main lobby to the elevators, pausing only once to admire Ranger's name on the plaque beside the elevator.
Carlos Manoso, CEO.
Without thinking, Stephanie reached out and touched it, carefully tracing the letters as if to prove to herself that he did exist afterall.
"Ms. Plum?"
"Huh?"
Wes was holding the elevator door open with his hand, waiting on her to pass through.
Stephanie's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Oh sorry."
Once inside the elevator, Stephanie looked at the buttons. She had counted eight floors when they drove past the building; all of them were represented on the panel. Curious, she turned to Wes.
"Which floor is Ranger's apartment on?"
Wes cleared his throat in response, making Stephanie feel foolish for asking. It occurred to her then that Ranger didn't need a Rangeman apartment in Miami if he had a home in the area...
The elevator stopped on the second floor and Wes took out a small silver key which he then used to unlock one of the doors.
"Let me know if you need anything," Wes said, handing her the key. "I'll meet you in the front lobby in three hours."
"I will. Thanks."
Wes nodded and left her there, feeling tired, hungry, and lonelier than ever before.
After Wes had gone, Stephanie kicked off her shoes and settled onto the red suede sofa in the sitting area. She turned on an old Meg Ryan movie and tried to relax. It wasn't until she heard the locks tumble on the door that she even realized she had fallen asleep.
"Ms. Plum?" called Wes's voice from the entryway.
"In here," Stephanie said, still disoriented. A sudden panic overcame her as she realized what had happened. "Oh my god. What time is it?"
"Almost five," Wes said.
"Oh no! My flight leaves in half an hour!"
Stephanie quickly pulled on her shoes and didn't even bother to brush at her hair, though she knew it must have been hideous. She could tell by the way Wes kept looking over at her on the elevator ride to the parking garage.
"I'm going to miss my flight," Stephanie said as Wes stopped at yet another red light on the way to the airport. "No more vacation, no more fun in the sun."
"Rangeman has already talked to the airline. They won't leave without you. We've also arranged for a late check-in at your hotel."
Stephanie smiled with relief. She should have learned by now never to underestimate the power of Ranger.
Wes escorted her as far as the ticket counter, and she rushed to her gate as fast as she could.
"Last call for passenger Plum," she heard over the loudspeaker.
"I'm here! I'm here!" Stephanie shouted, nearly out of breath.
She handed over her ticket and boarded the plane, spotting a tall, dark-haired man in the seat next to hers. His face was hidden behind a newspaper, but she could swear he looked just like…
"Joe?!" she said incredulously.
The man lowered the paper and stared at her with a pair of bright green eyes bracketed by expensive looking frames. His hair and build had so closely resembled that of her ex-fiance's, she was shocked to see that in reality he looked almost nothing like him.
"Sorry," Stephanie said, taking her seat. "I-I thought you were someone else."
"I hope you're not disappointed." The man smiled, offering his hand. "My name is Kevin."
"Stephanie," Stephanie replied. "And no, I'm not disappointed. I'm actually relieved."
"Oh yeah?"
Stephanie nodded. "This was supposed to be my honeymoon," she explained, "but I called off the wedding at the last minute."
"I can see how that would be awkward," Kevin said. "Do you do a lot of traveling?"
Stephanie shook her head. "I haven't even had a vacation in five years that wasn't work related."
"What kind of work do you do?"
"I'm…"
...a bounty hunter, Stephanie almost replied. But then she realized she wasn't a bounty hunter anymore. She had given that up to be Joe's perfect Burg wife. And now she didn't know what she was.
"I'm between jobs at the moment. What about you? Do you travel a lot?"
Kevin smiled. "I get around. I'm a travel writer."
"Wow, that sounds fun."
"It is," Kevin said. "Especially when they bump you from economy to first class."
Kevin swiped two glasses of champagne from the beverage cart as it rolled down the aisle. He handed one to Stephanie and made a toast, "To positive changes."
"To positive changes," Stephanie said, clinking her glass against his.
It was almost eight o'clock by the time Stephanie finally arrived at her hotel. Despite the unplanned nap she had taken in the Rangeman apartment, she was finding it hard to keep her eyes open. Dragging her feet, she shuffled up to the reception desk and gave them her confirmation slip.
"It looks like you're already checked in, Mrs. Morelli," the woman behind the counter said. Stephanie cringed at the name, but didn't correct her. "If you'll wait right here, I'll have someone help you with your bags."
Stephanie thanked her and took a seat on one of the leather sofas by the far wall. She remembered them from the brochures she and Joe had looked at when choosing a place to stay on their honeymoon. With her working temp jobs and him on a cop's salary, they hadn't been able to afford an extravagant hotel, but it was still nice.
Nice, Stephanie said to herself. Whatever happened to great? Spectacular? Mind-blowing?
A pair of high heels clicking on the marble tile interrupted Stephanie's thoughts, followed by a man's laugh. The laugh made Stephanie's blood run cold. She recognized it as though it were her own. Turning her head to follow the sound, Stephanie zoomed in on a man and woman stepping out of the elevator. He had his arm around her waist, his dark eyes on her, his dark hair falling forward as he leaned to whisper something in her ear. And then they were kissing…
Stephanie felt sick to her stomach. She couldn't recall the number of times she felt guilty for waffling between the two men in her life, but she could tell, even from a distance, that he felt nothing even remotely like guilt. All this time, she thought he was in love with her, and now seeing them together, she knew the truth.
She had been a fool all along.
A/N: Sorry for the delay! This one ran longer than I thought it would.