Wine and Roses
Chapter Four
Frank and Helen Plum arrived ten minutes after Grandma Mazur and Jerome. Frank mumbled a greeting to no one in particular and looked toward the buffet table, trying hard to ignore Grandma Mazur and her date. Relieving her mother of the pineapple upside down cake she was holding, Stephanie took the dessert and passed it on to Gilbert.
Sitting in a chair at the farthest end of the table, away from his mother-in-law and her date, Frank picked up his fork and continued to stare at the food while Helen congratulated her daughter on her first dinner party.
"Oh, Stephanie, everything looks wonderful," Helen said, giving her daughter a hug. I love the warm colors, and the roses are a perfect touch."
As she held on to Stephanie, Helen studied the table carefully. "And the dinner forks are in the right place!"
A flood of relief washed over Stephanie, and she smiled at her mother. The compliment felt good, but the night was still early.
Turning her attention to Ranger, Helen grabbed his arm, and he bent down to accept a kiss on the cheek. Stephanie's mother was clearly pleased that her daughter was hosting her first dinner. In Helen's humble opinion, throwing a dinner party was right up there with getting married and having kids. And at this point, she didn't care who Stephanie married. She'd gotten over her initial fear of Ranger, and admired the fact that he took good care of her daughter.
"It was nice of you to think of this, Ranger. I know you are not the type of guy to go to all this fuss."
Ranger gave Helen a gracious smile and pulled out a chair next to Frank. "I'm glad you could make it."
"Are you kidding me? I would never miss a dinner party thrown by Stephanie," Helen said, glancing over at her mother and Jerome, giving them a tight smile along with a friendly wave. And then she rolled her eyes and glanced at Stephanie.
"Where's the wine?"
Stephanie looked Gilbert's way and he shot into action, pouring wine for Stephanie's parents.
"You shouldn't drink on an empty stomach, Helen," Grandma Mazur yelled around a bite of shrimp. "Try the shrimp cocktail, it's amazing."
Jerome was busy working on his second shrimp cocktail. He couldn't hear anything except for Bon Jovi blaring from the stereo.
"My goodness," Helen said to her mother over the loud music. "You know you're supposed to wait for the entire group to arrive before you eat."
"Not a problem," Stephanie chimed in. "Jerome was hungry."
"Why is the music so loud?" Frank asked. "We're not deaf!"
"Jerome's nearly deaf," Grandma Mazur said in a matter-of-fact manner.
Ranger ambled over to the stereo, turned the volume down, and pulled Bon Jovi out of the CD player. Replacing the rock band with a classical arrangement, the room was filled with a soft piano concerto.
"Jerome will never muster enough energy for sex tonight, not with this heavy-eyed crap playing," Grandma Mazur complained.
Helen crossed her chest and gulped her wine, emptying the glass in a couple of swallows. Frank was still holding his fork and glancing at the buffet table while Ranger checked his watch. He looked toward the door just as his parents walked in with his grandmother in tow. Ernesto and Armena Manoso smiled at their son, and Ranger gave a warm smile back. He took two apple pies from his mother and passed them to Gilbert who was standing at attention right behind Ranger, waiting to be of service.
Ranger scooped up his petite grandmother into his arms and hugged her tightly. Rosa Manoso closed her eyes, taking pleasure in the love from her grandson. Stephanie sidled up beside her boyfriend as the Manoso's exchanged their hugs and greetings.
"Hey beautiful," Ernesto said, pulling Stephanie into a bear hug.
"It's good to see you again," Stephanie said, returning Ernesto's embrace. She greeted Ranger's mother warmly, and then leaned down and embraced his grandmother. The little lady favored Rita Moreno, and at five-foot-two, she had to stand on the tip of her toes to embrace Stephanie who stood about seven inches taller in her heels.
Stephanie had seen Ranger's parents a few times since their initial meeting at the Bat Cave over a year ago. They'd visited Ranger at his house a couple of times after he'd been shot, and had taken Stephanie to lunch just a few months ago. But she'd never met Grandma Manoso until now. The little lady lived in Florida with her sister, but she was in New Jersey with Ranger's parents for the summer. She spoke in broken English and had an infectious smile.
"Stephanie, finally I get to meet you. I'm so honored you asked me to come."
"I'm so glad to finally meet you! Ranger talks about you all the time."
Grandma Manoso grabbed Ranger's hand and said, "I took care of Ranger, you know? He's my special boy."
Stephanie nodded her head and gave a knowing smile. She'd heard the story. When Ranger was fourteen-years-old, he'd gotten into some trouble in Newark and was sent to live with his grandmother until he graduated from high school. Their time together had created a special bond that was visibly evident.
"We're still waiting for a few more guests to arrive," Stephanie said to the Manosos.
"Let me introduce you to my family while Suzette serves the appetizers."
Over the next fifteen minutes the remaining invited guests trickled in as the early birds introduced themselves, sipped wine, and polished off their shrimp cocktails. Stephanie's sister, Valerie and her husband, Albert Kloughn showed up without the girls, opting to enjoy a date night without the wild brood.
Ranger's two younger sisters, Adriana and Lucia were the next to arrive, waltzing through the door like two stylish runway models. Adriana and Lucia's beautiful facial features were very similar to their mother. Both had an olive complexion that matched their mother's skin tone, and it seemed all the siblings shared the same dark eyes and hair. Adriana's hair was long and straight, falling down the middle of her back. She was a couple of inches shorter than Stephanie and had curves in all the right places. She wore a figure flattering, purple sun dress that hugged her hips, and black high-heeled sandals.
Lucia, two years younger than Adriana, carried a petite frame and perky breasts. Without the stiletto heels, she probably stood about the same height as her mother. She was wearing designer jeans and a sleeveless, white silk blouse. Her hair was styled in a pixie cut which really showed off her dark, round eyes. Both women beamed at Ranger as he encased them in his arms, clearly happy to see his sisters.
Stephanie watched the siblings greet one another, complaining about how long it had been since they'd gotten together. Lucia was a single airline attendant, traveling the world on international flights. Adriana was a divorcée with a five-year-old daughter. She lived in New York City, and worked on Wall Street. The women's schedules were very busy and their trips to New Jersey were few and far between. Stephanie had heard a lot about the siblings, but had never met them.
Ranger pulled his sisters in Stephanie's direction and they both smiled warmly.
"Stephanie, these are my sisters, Adriana and Lucia."
Stephanie gave each sister a hug. "It's so nice to finally meet both of you," she said to them. "I'm really glad you could make it."
Adriana gave Stephanie a studious once over, checking out the woman who had her brother throwing dinner parties.
"I've been dying to meet you, Stephanie," Adrianna said. "We've all heard so much about you."
Adriana carried herself with confidence, just like her brother. Her gaze was direct and intense. Stephanie had seen that same look on Ranger's face many times. Adriana seemed to be the type of person who wouldn't hesitate to put someone in their place, if the opportunity presented itself.
"Don't hold it against me," Stephanie joked, not really sure of what Ranger had told his sisters.
"He only tells us good things about you," Lucia said to Stephanie. "And he was right about one thing, you're very pretty." Lucia was undoubtedly the perky, chatty sister.
"Look at those long legs. I always wanted long legs. Unfortunately, I got my mama's legs."
"You are both very beautiful," Stephanie said to Adriana and Lucia. Focusing on Lucia, Stephanie added, "I love your hair!"
"I just cut it off last month. It's so much easier, I just wash and go."
Ranger slipped away to allow the women get to know each other, and after a few minutes of polite conversation, Adriana and Lucia moved to the table to greet their parents and grandmother. Introductions were made all around the table as the ladies sat down to enjoy their cocktails. A few minutes later, Stephanie noticed Ranger walk toward a man who was a taller and thicker version of himself.
The man's dark hair was cut short and he had the same dark features as Ranger and his sisters. Lupe Manoso, Ranger's older brother, was the last of the guests to arrive. On his arm was a bleached blonde with surgery enhanced breasts busting out of a low-cut sweater, and Marilyn Monroe hips pushed into a tight mini skirt. She was pretty in a blow-up-doll kind of way.
Ranger had only met his new sister-in-law once, and he'd claimed to be surprised by her intelligence, seeing as how her outward appearance was the embodiment of a dumb blonde. Courtney Manoso gave Ranger a kiss on the cheek and Lupe gave his brother a fist bump. Clearly the brothers didn't engage in outward displays of affection. After a few words with his brother and sister-in-law, Ranger motioned the couple toward Stephanie. Lupe's eyes lit up, and she noticed that he and Ranger shared the same megawatt smile, one just like their father.
"So, this is the infamous Stephanie Plum," he said, going in for a hug.
"Wow! I don't know what you've heard, but infamous is not a word I'd use to describe myself." Stephanie opened her arms and hugged Ranger's brother. Though he was a couple inches taller, Lupe did not carry the same muscular physique as Ranger.
"Any woman who can hold Ranger's attention for more than one night is infamous in my book," Lupe said, looking Stephanie over from head to toe. "You talked him into throwing a dinner party; you must have him by the balls."
Ranger gave his brother an amused look. No one had Ranger by the balls, and Lupe was well aware of that fact. But from what Ranger had told Stephanie about Lupe, she figured big brother was a bit envious of his little brother's lifestyle. Ranger had also disclosed that Lupe had always been very competitive. Ranger called it friendly competition; Stephanie saw it as sibling rivalry. Lupe was on his third marriage, had four children to support, and was stuck running his father's construction business. In stark comparison, Ranger had traveled the world as a soldier and lived on the edge as a prosperous bachelor.
Ignoring his brother's sarcasm, Ranger said, "Stephanie, this is my sister-in-law, Courtney.
Lupe's wife smiled dutifully and politely, extending her hand. "Nice to meet you, Stephanie," she said through fish-like, collagen filled lips.
"Likewise, Courtney," Stephanie said, shaking the woman's hand. She wondered how much money Lupe was spending to keep Courtney's face full of collagen and Botox.
"My brother always did have great taste in women," Lupe said. "You're absolutely stunning, Stephanie."
"Thank you," Stephanie said graciously, shifting her gaze to Courtney.
Courtney gave Lupe a narrow eyed side glance, and then turned her attention to Ranger. "Well, just look at your brother, Lupe. He's obviously staying on top of his game, he looks great."
Lupe appeared to wince at the comment but refused drop the cool façade. Looking directly at Ranger, he said, "Yeah, hard to believe you used to be that skinny kid with long hair like a little girl."
Ranger raised an eyebrow, glancing down at Lupe's stomach. "You're getting a little thick around the middle, bro." Ranger patted his brother's stomach to emphasize his point. "A couple hundred sit-ups per day might take care of that beer belly."
Courtney gave Lupe a 'take that' glare and Stephanie looked at her watch, feigning a sudden interest in the time. Glancing in Suzette's direction, she said, "Looks like the buffet table is ready to go. Why don't you two have a seat and we'll get dinner started."
The happy couple made their way to the table, greeting their family and introducing themselves to the other guests before taking their seats.
"Please tell me you two won't be going at each other like that all night," Stephanie said to Ranger once Lupe and Courtney were seated at the table.
"I'll give him a break, just for tonight," Ranger said, smiling wide. He kissed Stephanie on her forehead and looked toward the table.
"Your father's looking kind of crazy, babe. We're about a half hour past his dinner time."
Stephanie looked at her father sitting at the table. He was holding his fork with a death grip and sipping wine.
"Do you want to make some kind of thank-you-for-coming speech before we eat?" Stephanie asked Ranger.
Ranger gave Stephanie a blank stare, as if she were speaking a language he didn't understand.
"I guess that's a no."
Stephanie turned to the guests, interrupting their chatter, and pointed a stiff finger toward the buffet table.
"Last one in the buffet line has to do dishes!"
Helen Plum shot her daughter a death glare as everyone pushed back from the dinner table and rushed toward the buffet line. Grandma and Jerome were the first to make it.
"You really need some training on your dinner hosting skills," Helen said as she passed Stephanie on the way to the food table. "And make sure the wine glasses are topped off while the guests are filling their plates."