Disclaimer: The characters belonging to Janet Evanovich are used strictly for entertainment purposes.
A/N: Thanks so much to all my readers for sticking with me through the Tank chapter. This chapter is the beginning of the end. I hope you enjoy the downhill plunge.
As before, I thank M and Alf SO much for their comments, support, and for keeping me true to my characters.
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"Are you sure you have everything you need?" Geo asked, eyeing the two suitcases Stephanie lugged out of her room early Sunday evening. "I mean, you're going for two nights, you might need another suitcase."
Stephanie narrowed her eyes at Geo. "I still have handcuffs and if you piss me off enough, I'll show you how they work."
He grinned. "That would be fun to see. I'm a bit bigger than you, Belle."
"Don't tempt me, Geoffrey Mercer. I always got my man, no reason for that to change now." She stood before him, feet planted shoulder width apart, weight on the balls of her feet and hands on her hips.
He laughed. "Whoa, I believe you, Belle. I still say I wouldn't mind you tackling me and snapping some cuffs onto my wrists. Kinky." He winked at her and she let out a short laugh.
"What's this talk about handcuffs?" Merc stepped out of his bedroom. "I'm in if it's kinky."
"Ugh! You two!" Stephanie threw up her hands then leaned down to grab her suitcases. Before she even touched them, they were swept away by Geo and Merc, who walked to the door and looked at her expectantly. "Fine!" She crossed the room to join them and grabbed her purse from the dining table.
Merc opened the front door with his free hand and stepped aside for her to lead them out into the hallway. She briskly walked out the door then down the hall to the elevator and punched the down button. "You're both aggravating."
"Because we're carrying your luggage?" Geo looked puzzled.
"No!" She huffed, hooked the straps of her purse over her shoulder, and then crossed her arms over her chest. Her eyes were glued to the panel displaying the elevator's current floor.
"No," Merc murmured. "Because we won't let her change her mind about going to Trenton tonight. She even gave me excuses for why she needed to stay."
Stephanie snapped her gaze over to his. "They weren't excuses. They were good reasons."
Merc rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. A pedicure?"
"I'm wearing open-toed shoes with my outfit on Wednesday."
"Laundry?"
"I need clean clothes!"
"Belle, we send all of our clothes out to be laundered. All you have to do is put them in the bin to go out and put them away when they come back."
"Well…"
"You're going." Merc dropped the suitcase and put his hands on her shoulders. "You've come so far, don't back track now."
Stephanie sighed. "You're right. I want to go, it just makes me nervous. This isn't going to be easy."
"Doing the right thing often isn't," Geo mused.
They rode down the elevator to the lobby and walked out to the waiting car together. Both men kissed her cheek before she climbed into the driver's seat. "Please don't get my car blown up," Geo called through the passenger window and then laughed as he jogged to catch up to Merc. She raised her hand to flip him off, but he'd disappeared inside the revolving door.
"Bastard," she mumbled. She pulled the car out onto the street and felt the apprehension begin to build in the pit of her stomach. "Okay, I can do this."
It wasn't long before she was cruising along the highway with Nickelback blasting out the speakers. She was going back to her roots, a mere ninety minutes, yet a lifetime away. Her stomach fluttered when she thought of all the possible reactions from those she planned to see: her parents, Lester, the Trenton Police Department … Ranger.
The urge to turn around hit her several times until she saw the first sign for her exit. As if she hit a time warp, she suddenly found herself parked in Mary Lou's driveway behind her Durango. Mary Lou's face appeared behind the decorative pane of glass in her front door and Stephanie felt the first wave of excitement hit her. She got out of the car and hurried up the steps. The door opened before her foot hit the porch and Mary Lou rushed out and gave her a tight hug.
"I can't believe you're here!"
"I know!" Stephanie followed Mary Lou into the house. "Thanks for letting me stay." She smiled sheepishly.
"Well, I think it's great to have you home. Lenny just took the kids to his mother's to stay tonight. Then he's going to hang out with some of the guys to give us time to catch up." Mary Lou looked pleased.
"He's a great husband," Stephanie said with a smile.
"Yeah, I'm lucky." Mary Lou led her to the living room and said, "Last night's concert was amazing. You're amazing. I knew you could sing, I remembered from when we were kids how you sang along with the radio. I never expected you to be so talented." She looked at Stephanie with damp eyes and smiled. "I'm so proud of you." When they reached the couch, Mary Lou sat down.
Stephanie sat beside Mary Lou and hugged her. The two women sniffled and blinked to hold their emotions back. "Thanks. It means the world to me that you've allowed me back into your life with open arms after what I did. You've always accepted every part of me and I'm grateful for that."
"Of course I would! You shouldn't be so surprised. Haven't you always told me I was your biggest cheerleader? In fact, there are many people here who love you and want to support you." Mary Lou got up and went through the archway into the kitchen, but continued to speak. "God, Steph! You have no idea what it was like here. Your parents were frantic, your Grandma Mazur stopped going to the funeral home. I think she was secretly afraid something happened to you." She returned with a can of diet Coke for each of them and plopped down onto the couch and drew her legs up to tuck into her side.
"I didn't think about how it would affect anyone. I realize now how selfish it was and that's one of the reasons I'm back. I have to apologize to everyone for being so inconsiderate of their feelings." Stephanie propped herself in the corner of the couch and turned slightly to face Mary Lou, popping open her drink to take a small sip.
Mary Lou stared at her hands and said, "Ranger has been eating dinner at your parents' every week since he got back. He went to talk to them as soon as he was back in town and told them he'd do whatever it took to find you."
"What?" Ranger voluntarily having dinner with her parents every week?
"Rumor has it he's also taken your Grandma Mazur to the Clip 'n Curl and even out to dinner a few times. He's been helping them out, spending time with them." Stephanie heard 'doing what you weren't here to do' loud and clear.
Feeling a little defensive, Stephanie snorted. "Must be his guilty conscience." When Mary Lou didn't speak, Stephanie sighed. "Okay, Lester filled me in on how Ranger's busted his ass trying to find me, but what can you tell me that I don't already know?"
"I think," Mary Lou cleared her throat, "it's best for you to find out for yourself. Ask him."
"Okay," Stephanie compressed her lips. "I will, maybe on this visit. I spent a lot of time thinking last night and I feel like I might be ready to have a conversation with him."
"You still love him."
"I shouldn't," Stephanie said quietly, "but I do." She looked at her friend. "Doesn't change anything. It just means I continue to love him from a distance. Same as always."
"Hmm," Mary Lou said contemplatively, then wisely changed the topic. "So, what are your plans for Trenton?"
Stephanie leaned her head against the back of the couch and bit her lip in thought. "Well, I figure I'll spend tonight hanging out with my best friend." She reached over and grabbed a hold of Mary Lou's hand. "Then maybe have lunch with Lula and Connie tomorrow. Mary Lou grinned and Stephanie wondered how Vinnie had handled her sudden departure.
Mary Lou dipped her head and gave Stephanie a measuring look. "Are you going to see Joe?"
"Well," Stephanie raised her eyes to the ceiling in thought. "One of my stops is the TPD. I need to tell my friends there I'm sorry. If I happen to bump into Joe, of course I'll talk to him. The nice thing is that we've both moved on, so there's no obligation."
"True," Mary Lou said. "So, what are we doing tonight?"
"First? Pino's pizza."
"Already on the way, should be here any minute. Now, why don't you tell me about how you became such an awesome musician…"
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The next morning, Stephanie woke up later than she'd planned. Glancing at the clock, she discovered it was nearly 10:30 and wondered why Mary Lou hadn't woken her. She groaned her way to the shower. Between the few measly hours of sleep Saturday night and going to bed in the wee hours this morning, her eyelids were on strike and refused to open.
The shower helped, but she still felt like the walking dead when she entered the kitchen an hour later. The cup of coffee Mary Lou handed her helped, but a wonderful, sinfully delicious idea popped into her head. "Mmm, thanks for the coffee, Lou, but I just realized what I need to really help me wake up this morning." Stephanie sent Mary Lou a lazy smile.
"A Boston cream? From Tasty Pastry perhaps?"
Stephanie whined, "I miss them, and Pino's, but you took care of my pizza fix last night."
Mary Lou held up a familiar white sack and Stephanie reached out to grab it greedily, when Mary Lou snatched it back. "I just need to know one thing before you get lost in donut land. Are you going to be back for dinner or are you going to your parents?"
Stephanie held out her hand and scrunched up her nose. "I should probably go to my parents' for dinner."
Mary Lou smiled. "Good idea." She handed Stephanie the Tasty Pastry bag and crossed the room to pull open her utility drawer beside the sink and dug something out. "Here's a spare key for you, just in case you get back late."
Stephanie took the key and hugged Mary Lou. "Thanks. I'll try not to make it too late. We'll have lunch tomorrow, okay?"
"I know you have a lot of people to see. Last night was my time. Just do what you need to do and don't worry about me."
"How did I get such a great friend?" Stephanie pulled back and looked and Mary Lou.
Mary Lou smiled and said with a shrug, "You've been pretty great yourself over the years. Now go."
Stephanie grinned as she left the house and climbed into the BMW. She was really glad Geo let her take the red one. The color made her feel bold and ready to face her mistakes. She noticed nothing had changed as she drove along the streets toward the bonds office.
Ten minutes later, she pulled open the door to the office and the familiar smells and sounds of her past life flooded her senses. The musty smell of the old pipes still wafted throughout the small, dilapidated building. The linoleum was still cracked and peeled and Connie's perfume still pervaded the dense air.
The ding of the bell over the door brought back memories that tugged on her heart strings: her first visit when she'd blackmailed Vinnie, sitting on the ugly naugahyde couch with Lula and talking, Ranger walking in and placing his hand on her neck…
She shook her head and walked in to find Connie on her hands and knees, peering beneath her desk. The ringing of the bell caused Connie to turn her head around and her eyes widened when she saw Stephanie. "Hey," she stood up and brushed off her skirt, "glad you made it."
"Yeah, thought I'd come in and reminisce about the old days," Stephanie said with a full smile.
Connie smiled back and rolled her eyes. "Well, you're lucky Vinnie's got a meeting with a client this morning or you'd get more than you bargained for with those 'old days' you mentioned."
The bell jingled and the women turned to find Lula walking in. She wore a sensible gray suit with a white blouse and a red scarf tied around her neck, loose knot to the side. Her four inch black FMPs were classic Lula and Stephanie smiled. "It's the business woman."
"You've got that right," Lula said. "Now, give me a hug." She hugged Stephanie and then sat down on the couch and blew out a tired breath. "I need to up my workout, walking those three blocks took a toll on me."
"More like that man of yours took a toll on you." Connie flipped a wicked look in Lula's direction.
Stephanie shook her head. "Lula, you look great." She turned to Connie. "Both of you look wonderful!"
Connie smiled. "Thank you." Then she sobered slightly and her eyes looked troubled. After a few seconds she seemed to come to a decision and said, "Before I lose my nerve, I want to clear the air and say I'm sorry I bragged about Joe to you that night in the bar."
Lula's eyes nearly flew out of their sockets. "Connie Rosolli! You never told me you ran into her," she said in a dangerous voice.
"That's because I was too drunk to remember to tell you Saturday and I haven't seen you until now. I didn't run into Stephanie, well, not technically back then. I had a five minute conversation with Michelle Belle, not Stephanie Plum. She was in this crazy costume and she didn't tell me who she was." Connie narrowed her eyes at Stephanie. "You sounded different and you held your mouth crooked, too. Very sneaky."
"Sorry about that–" Stephanie began, but Lula interrupted.
"And you were bragging about your new boyfriend, who just happened to be her ex-boyfriend? Shit, wish I'd been a fly on that wall," Lula hooted.
"Shut your trap, you wouldn't have known it was her, either." Connie turned back to Stephanie. "Anyway, I–"
"No worries, Con. I'm happy for you, both of you. You're the perfect match for Joe." She smiled at Connie, happy to discover that, for once, her heart and mind were one-hundred percent on board with each other.
"Well, one other thing I want to tell you is that," she paused for a split second and then beamed a smile as if she couldn't help herself, "Joe and I are engaged."
Without hesitation, Stephanie smiled and hugged Connie excitedly. "That's amazing! Congratulations!"
"Alright, alright. Enough of this sappy stuff. I'm hungry and Rossini's is calling to me," Lula complained. "And I hope that BMW out there is yours, girl, 'cause I'm in the mood to ride in style," she said, eyeing the shiny vehicle through the large front window.
"Yep," Stephanie said. They left the office and Connie locked up before they piled into the BMW. When they got to Rossini's, Stephanie indulged in their chicken alfredo, despite the Boston cream she'd recently scarfed down.
Lula told her about school, Tank, and her decision to quit at the bonds office. Connie told her about the new BEA Vinnie hired, her whirlwind romance with Joe, and their upcoming nuptials. "We were really lucky to get a hall on such short notice, but there was a cancellation," she explained.
Stephanie told them about meeting Merc and Geo, learning guitar, joining the band, as well as the fact that she'd written a song and they had booked a tour with Creed.
"Damn, Steph," Lula said. "Looks like you don't need this old rundown place anymore."
Stephanie grinned. "What rundown place? You're going to school, Connie's getting married, and Vinnie's got a replacement for me who holds his own. Everything's set, no Stephanie Plum needed."
"That's not true," Lula looked down at her plate and scraped her fork back and forth over the remaining bits of food on it.
"Huh? Hmm?" Stephanie mumbled around a mouthful of pasta.
Lula tapped the handle of her fork on the table a few times and then said, "Seems to me there's one Cuban superhero who needs you a lot. That man has been working himself, and my man, to death since he got back to find you."
Stephanie was stunned. "What do you mean?"
"He almost put himself into the grave looking for you. The guys, too. They were all running on fumes. Tank had to call in Julie so Ranger would slow down and take care of himself and give them a break."
"I didn't know it was that bad." Something else to put on the 'to think about' list.
"You need to get it together, girl. I know what he did, and he was wrong, but that was one night. You, on the other hand, ran off and hurt everyone who cared about you for an entire year. Ranger included."
"Hey, you don't think I've been hurting this whole time?"
"I'm saying you could've called. It was your decision to run from those who care about you and would've supported you." Lula tossed her napkin down on top of her plate. "You're stubborn. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and think about what you're doing, what you're turning your back on, and just – stop."
Stephanie's jaw was stuck in the 'open' position. Why did Lula think she'd come back to town? "What's bringing all of this on?"
Lula shook her head slowly. "You want details, talk to the man who loves you."
Stephanie snapped her jaw shut and worked her way up to an adequate response when the frozen faces of her friends alerted her to the male presence standing beside the table. She turned her head and looked up, then clenched her jaw against the wave of panic that hit her.
"Well, well. Look who's back in Trenton."
Stephanie leaned back in her seat and blew out a breath. "Hi."