Wine and Roses
Chapter Five
Ranger sat at the head of the dinner table with Stephanie to his right and Ernesto and Armena to his left. Frank and Helen sat next to Stephanie, and Valerie and Albert sat next to Stephanie's parents. Grandma Mazur and Jerome completed Stephanie's side of the long dinner table. Next to Ernesto and Armena were Grandma Manoso, Lucia and Adriana, and Lupe and Courtney. The sound of soft music, friendly chatter, and silverware clinking against dishes shrouded the room. All the guests seemed to be enjoying the food and getting along nicely.
Cutting into a succulent piece of grilled chicken, Ranger leaned over and whispered in Stephanie's ear. "So far, so good."
"Yeah, let's hope it stays that way," Stephanie said around a bite of roast beef.
Grandma Manoso glanced up from her food and smiled at Stephanie and Ranger.
"You marry this girl, Carlos. She's a good girl. And she prepares an excellent roast beef."
Ranger looked at Stephanie and smiled a knowing smile.
Stephanie wiped her mouth with a napkin, graciously smiling at Grandma Manoso. "Well, I didn't actually prepare this meal. But I did choose the menu…with a little help."
"But you can cook, right?"
Grandma Manoso couldn't imagine her grandson being with a woman who couldn't prepare a decent meal.
"Yes. I make a mean Chicken Cacciatore."
A look of relief covered Helen's face. She was happy that her daughter had mastered at least one dish.
"It's really delicious," Ranger chimed in, offering support.
Grandma Manoso smiled, apparently pleased with Ranger's approval of Stephanie's cooking skills.
"Stephanie's a big time bounty hunter," Grandma Mazur said from her end of the table. "She's a local celebrity here in Trenton."
Both Helen and Ranger's mother cringed at the same time. Neither woman liked the idea of Stephanie being a bounty hunter. Armena had made that fact known the first time she'd met Stephanie. She didn't understand why a pretty young girl would engage in such work.
Grandma Manoso raised a hopeful eyebrow at Stephanie. "Like Dog the Bounty Hunter, yes?"
"No. I'm nothing like Dog the Bounty Hunter."
"My Carlos is better than Dog the Bounty Hunter. He should have his own television show."
Grandma Manoso didn't know the half. With Ranger's history, he could probably have his own television network.
"I don't do much bounty hunting these days, Abuela," Ranger said to his grandmother.
"Well, of course not," Grandma Manoso said to Ranger. "You are a successful businessman now."
Stephanie stole a quick glance in Lupe's direction and noticed a smirk covering his face. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and cleared his throat loudly. She guessed he was waiting for a little credit from his grandmother for running his father's construction business. Lupe evidently envied the closeness that Ranger and Grandma Manoso shared.
Taking the not-so-subtle hint, Grandma Manoso added, "Both my grandson's are business oriented young men."
The remark seemed to gratify Lupe for the time being, and he bowed his head to continue his meal. Courtney shook her head at her husband, rolled her eyes, and slathered butter on her dinner roll.
"Stephanie's going to school to be a lawyer," Grandma Mazur said cheerfully.
Helen looked up from her plate, surprised at the news. Frank kept his head down, shoveling food into his mouth, and Ranger smiled into his glass of wine. He wasn't going to be any help with this one.
"This is wonderful news!" Grandma Manoso said, beaming at Stephanie.
Stephanie looked at her grandmother, shaking her head adamantly. "I'm afraid my grandmother likes to exaggerate."
Helen rolled her eyes, as if that were the understatement of the century, and Valerie looked at her sister with a grin and a shrug. Grandma Mazur always stretched the truth, just a little.
"I'm taking classes in Legal Office Technology," Stephanie explained to Grandma Manoso. "I'll have the credentials to work in a lawyer's office, but I won't be a lawyer."
"Same difference," Grandma Mazur said, her teeth shifting in her mouth."
Grandma Manoso thought about this for a moment, and then she said, "How are you going to balance being a wife and raising children if you are working as a bounty hunter and assisting lawyers?"
Ranger choked on his wine, and both of his sisters chuckled at his reaction. Ernesto smiled wide and playfully slapped his son on the back.
"Carlos can help out, Mama," Ernesto said teasingly, putting his son on the spot. "As a young boy, he always dreamed of being Mr. Mom."
Armena shot Ernesto a look that warned, don't you dare start, and Frank finally looked up from his plate, wondering how the conversation had gone from Stephanie being a lawyer straight to a housewife with kids.
Albert chimed in, "I don't know, I can't see Ranger changing diapers and singing lullabies.
"No way in hell that's happening," Lupe said, loud enough for everyone to hear him.
Suddenly, all eyes were on Ranger and Stephanie. Everyone was anxiously anticipating an answer to Grandma Manoso's seemingly innocent question.
"Well, I…I…," Stephanie stuttered, looking in Ranger's direction. She had no idea what to say.
Ranger wiped spewed wine off his chin, cut his eyes to his father, and then turned his attention to his grandmother. "I don't think Stephanie will have any problems balancing a career and a family. And when that time comes, we'll work together to sort it all out."
Stephanie's stomach did a flip. Her brain was screaming, wow; did he really just say that in front of all these people? But she remained composed as everyone seemed to blow out a sigh of relief at Ranger's carefully constructed answer. As the guests continued to enjoy their dinner, Stephanie looked at Ranger, holding his gaze. He gave her a wink and a smile and she quickly blinked back the tears pooling behind her eyes. She wasn't the sappy type, but Ranger seemed to be saying all the right things tonight, trying to save her from an embarrassing evening.
The truth was Stephanie and Ranger never seriously talked about starting a family, because that kind of talk would have to be preceded by talk of marriage. And they both lived under the old adage; if it ain't broke don't fix it. There had been a time when Ranger would not have even entertained the notion of marriage, no matter who was asking. But tonight, he'd just confirmed in front of their relatives that the idea of marriage and children might become a reality in their crazy world. It just wasn't Ranger's style to admit something like that in front of so many people, and Stephanie didn't know what to think.
Noticing the bewilderment covering Stephanie's face, Ranger leaned into her and asked, "Babe, are you okay?"
"You just blew me away. I'm speechless."
"There's a first time for everything," Ranger said, kissing Stephanie on side of her head.
Thirty minutes later, Suzette and Gilbert were walking around the table, serving dessert and coffee to the guests. The main course had gone off without a hitch and everyone was complimenting the chef on the delicious meal. Soft Jazz swirled through the room as sealed wine bottles were uncorked. Helen and Armena shared recipes while Ernesto and Frank discussed the woes of life after retirement. Ranger and his brother argued over who really deserved to be in the NBA playoffs as they polished off dessert.
Valerie and Albert engaged in small talk with Lupe's wife. Albert's eyes kept slipping to the woman's double D chest which was clearly a distraction for any red blooded male. Valerie kept her cool; refusing to flip out over her husband's ogling eyes. Truth be told, it was really hard to avoid the water balloons under Courtney's sweater. Valerie caught herself staring at Courtney's chest a couple of times during the conversation, wondering how the woman stayed upright.
While the guest mingled, Stephanie was being interviewed by Ranger's sisters, answering to both women as they tried to dig deeper into the life of their brother's love interest.
"How much longer do you have in school?" Adriana asked Stephanie.
"I'm taking a summer break, and then I go back for my final semester in the fall."
Lucia smiled. "That's not long at all. What are your plans when you graduate?"
"I would like to start my own private investigation agency."
"Wow, no wonder my brother loves you so much," Lucia pointed out. "He's always appreciated an independent woman."
Months ago, Stephanie had come up with the idea of Plum Investigations. After doing a little research, she realized that running her own private investigative firm would not be a huge stretch. She definitely had the skill-set for that type of job. And she'd always maintained that a private investigator was just a glorified bounty hunter, if you left out the tackling and apprehending part.
Adriana sipped her wine attentively as Stephanie told them about her future plans. Hanging on to every word, she studied Stephanie with intense eyes. Stephanie figured Adriana was sizing her up, trying to determine what her real intentions were with Ranger. She couldn't blame the woman, really. Ranger had been so guarded in the past; his sister's probably didn't know what to make of the changes they'd seen in him.
"I really like you, Stephanie," Adriana finally said. "You seem to have your head screwed on straight. But I'm going to be direct and honest with you. I'm very protective of my brother. As long as you treat Carlos right, you'll always stay on my good side. But if you fuck him over, I'm going to be your worst nightmare."
Stephanie glanced at Adriana over the rim of her wine glass before downing the last swallow of the smooth liquid. Adriana shared the same personality traits as Ranger; the similarities between the two siblings were uncanny. And that's why Stephanie took Adriana's warning in stride. Knowing Ranger's protective nature the way she did, she expected no less from his family.
Lucia cut her eyes to her sister and then looked at Stephanie apologetically. "Adriana can be a bit dramatic. We've never seen our brother like this before, so we're sizing you up, in case you haven't noticed."
Stephanie laughed nervously, the wine making the interrogation a little easier. "Trust me when I tell you," she said to the sisters. "Ranger and I have been on a three year journey to get to where we are today. And I love him more than I've loved any other man in my life."
Lucia looked at her sister and smiled, as if to say, see, I told you she was okay.
Stephanie then focused her attention on Adriana, matching the intensity of the woman's gaze. "I'll never hurt or betray your brother, Adriana. You have my word on that."
Adriana was slow to smile, but when she did, she seemed even more beautiful. She grabbed Stephanie's hand and gave it a squeeze. "I'm not a raging bitch, just a protective sister."
Stephanie returned the squeeze and smiled at Adriana. "I get it, I really do. And just so you know, I'm a lot tougher than I look."
"Point taken," Adriana said amicably.
"This is my dad's fault," Lucia explained, pointing at Adriana. "He's always taught us to protect one another, no matter what."
Adriana nodded in agreement. "Dad, Lupe and Carlos used to scare the hell out of our boyfriends. We couldn't even talk our dates into coming to our house for dinner. They were always terrified of what would happen if they said the wrong thing."
"My parents were always scared of who I was going to bring home for dinner," Stephanie admitted. "They didn't know what to think of Ranger the first time he sat down at the dinner table."
Lucia offered a knowing smile. "My brother is very peculiar. What with all the black clothes and mystery-man crap, I'm surprised your parents let him past the front door."
Stephanie was pretty sure that Ranger's family had very little knowledge of the true nature of his lifestyle, but it was just as well. There are some things one should never share with family. And Stephanie would carry Ranger's secrets to the grave.
"He's more business-man than mystery-man now," Stephanie said. "My parents have gotten used to him, and my grandmother is crazy about him."
"Speaking of grandmothers," Adriana said, looking toward the end of the table. What the heck is going on with those two?"
Stephanie followed Adriana's gaze to find Grandma Mazur and Grandma Manoso tugging on a spoon as Jerome and Gilbert, the assistant, looked on in delight, holding cards in their hands.
"Oh boy," Stephanie sighed, rolling her eyes. "Looks like Grandma talked the gang into playing Spoons."
Noticing the chaos, everyone in the room halted their conversations, watching with wide eyes as the grandmothers played tug-of-war with a spoon.
"It's my right to have this spoon," Grandma Manoso said. "That is how the game is played."
"And I have the right to snatch the spoon if I catch you trying to make off with it," Grandma Mazur argued. "I caught you red handed. Now give me the spoon, granny."
As the old women continued to scrabble over the spoon, Armena and Helen looked on in complete horror.
"For God's sake, do something," Helen said to anyone in the room. "Just don't stare at them."
Ranger and Lupe stayed put; both men smiling wide, enjoying the scene. Ernesto and Frank looked at each other, shrugged, and continued to eat their second helping of pineapple upside down cake.
Stephanie blew out a sigh and trudged down to the end of the table. Prying the spoon from their wrinkled hands, she said, "Game over. If you can't play nice, you can't play at all."
Jerome and Gilbert obediently laid down their cards, and Gilbert made a fast escape, clearing off empty dessert dishes from the table.
Grandma Mazur and Grandma Manoso stared each other down, breathing hard from the wasted energy during the tug-of-war with the spoon.
"This music is boring," Grandma Mazur finally said. "It's no wonder we're fighting over spoons, we're all bored."
"I think drunk would be a better word," Stephanie said.
"I'm not drunk," Grandma Mazur said. "I'm just tipsy, that's all."
"We have two hours until my bed time," Jerome said to Grandma Mazur. "Don't forget this is our sex night."
Stephanie turned red as muffled giggles filled the room, along with one exasperated gasp. Without turning around, she knew that gasp had come from her mother.
Ranger pushed his chair back and ambled over to the stereo. He put the Black Eyed Peas into the CD player and turned up the volume. The sounds of Boom Boom Pow filled the room and Jerome suddenly forgot all about sex. He pulled Grandma Mazur into the middle of the room and proceeded to hop all over the place with his bad leg. Grandma Mazur threw her hands over her head and raised the roof, the skin under her arms jiggling like Jell-O.
"This is my song!" she yelled into the room. "I love this song!"
Grandma Manoso swallowed the rest of her wine and joined the elders on the make-shift dance floor. She swatted Jerome on his ass and bumped hips with Grandma Mazur. The two ladies were friendly again, joined together by the beat of a bass drum.
"Did my grandmother just slap Jerome on his ass?" Ranger asked Stephanie with a raised eyebrow.
"Yep, that's what you saw," Stephanie confirmed, watching the seniors form a Soul Train line. "It's taken Grandma exactly two hours to corrupt your grandmother."
"Babe."
Armena was sitting at the table, her hand covering her mouth in surprise. She looked at her daughters and said, "Your grandmother has had too much to drink. She's going to break her hip."
Lucia popped out of her chair when she saw Grandma Mazur organizing the Soul Train line. Ignoring her mother's concern, she said, "They'll need more than three people for the Soul Train line. I think I'll join them. I love this song."
Adriana shrugged apologetically at her mother and followed her sister to the dancing line, grabbing Valerie and Albert on the way. Lupe and Courtney watched the action from their seats, grinning incredulously, but making no effort to join the dancing machines in the middle of the room.
Rushing over to the light switch on the wall, Gilbert dimmed the lights, trying to create a night club type ambience within the room. The idea was a noble one, and Stephanie could no longer see the horror on her mother's face.
Ranger stood next to Stephanie, watching their family members on the floor. They were dancing and laughing, each person taking their turn down the line.
"At least the building's still standing. I thought the fire department would be here by now."
Stephanie nodded her head, trying not to cringe as Grandma Mazur did a strange version of the Funky Chicken when her turn rolled around.
"As odd as it sounds, this is one of the most normal dinners I've had with my family."
Frank walked over to Ranger and gave him a blank stare. "For the love of God, get me out of here."
Ranger looked at Stephanie with a shrug. "I'm going to take Frank and my father up to the apartment so they can talk in peace. I'll be back in a few minutes."
Narrowing her eyes at Ranger, Stephanie put her mouth to his ear, whispering a threat.
"If you're not back in ten minutes, you won't see my doodah for a month."
Ranger smiled a sly smile; he knew a good lie when he heard one. "I'll be back in fifteen."