A/N Everything you recognize belongs to Janet Evanovich. Thank you to Kathy's amazing beta skills, Heather for all her sound advice and encouragement and Lisa who did a little of both! Without you all, this story would not have happened.

~Chapter 3

***Jan 17

I'd forgotten to take my pain medicine and was awakened much too early by a stabbing pain in my back. I must have tried to roll when I was asleep and my muscles didn't like it.

I lie very still for a few minutes, trying to get the pain to calm down. When it does, I gently roll out of bed like the PT showed me. She said that it would put less stress on my muscles as I am healing. I want to take a shower but I'm not able to get my bandage wet and I don't have anyone to change my dressing to a waterproof one. My only option is to sit on the side of my tub and do a modified bath. I guess it's better than nothing. If I move really slow, maybe it won't hurt too bad. I go to the kitchen and take my pain meds just in case.

An hour later, I'm somewhat clean. I have no way to wash my hair so I opt for dry hair shampoo and a ponytail. I look at the clock. Joe will be here in a couple of hours and I need to take care of a few things before then. I grab my cell and turn it back on. I have 43 texts and 7 messages. I'm surprised it's only 7 but then realize it's because my voicemail is full. Interesting. I won't have to listen to any more voicemails from my Mother telling me what an embarrassment I am. I won't have to listen to Burg ladies looking for gossip anymore. I like that idea so I don't delete them. I also don't listen to them. I'm so sick of listening to what these people think of me. They don't know me. Not really. My own Mother doesn't know me. I'm tired of it. I call my Mom and she picks up on the third ring.

"Mom, it's me Steph." I tell her.

"Stephanie Michelle Plum, how could you do this to me? I am your Mother and you just kick me out of your hospital room like I'm nobody. How could you embarrass me like that..."

"Mom" I try to interrupt.

"...You just refused to see your own Mother. I have raised you better than that. I'm so disappointed..."

"MOM. STOP, just stop!" I yell, trying to get her to stop her tirade. It works because I hear silence from her end so I continue. "I'm done. If you don't have anything kind or supportive to say to me then I don't want to hear it. If you're only interested in telling me how so and so's daughter never does anything embarrassing then we have nothing to discuss," I finish, in a more normal tone.

I really am ready to change our relationship. I can't deal with this anymore. When I hear nothing, I continue. "Mom, I really can't go on like this. I'm an adult and capable of making my own choices. If you want a relationship with me, then you must deal with that. I refuse to listen to you tell me how disappointed and embarrassed you are of me. Please don't call me unless you have something kind or supportive to say. If you want to find out how I am, then I would be happy to talk to you. Otherwise, I'll pass on the lecture. Goodbye, Mother," I say as I hung up.

As the adrenalin fades, the tears begin streaming down my face. I'm overwhelmed by emotion. I can't believe I stood up to her. I want to believe she was just caught up in the moment and she really is worried about me but I can't be sure. I guess time will tell if we can recover from this. It takes a while and a whole box of tissues but I calm down from the emotional overload. I feel like Rapunzel in Tangled when she sneaks out of her tower. The roller coaster emotions for sure, but the domineering mother parallels are not lost on me. I'm exhausted again but Joe will be here soon so I have to prepare. I'm not hungry but I need something to give me a boost. I pull a Coke out of my fridge and take little sips until I garner enough strength for my conversation with Joe.

When the key enters my lock, I suppress a surge of anger. Does he really think that he has a right to use the boyfriend key? His eyes find mine as soon as he crosses the threshold and he looks down, breaking the connection. He closes the door and walks into the room carrying a pizza and beer. I hope he doesn't have any expectations that this will all just blow over. I wait out his silence. I didn't do anything wrong here and I do expect an apology from him. He and my Mother are so much alike. They are so concerned about how they are viewed and what they want that they don't consider anyone else.

He stands there awkwardly, looking at his feet. I can't take it anymore and ask incredulously, "Joe? Don't you have anything to say to me?"

He shifts his eyes up for a second but then walks into the kitchen. He places the pizza box on the counter and pulls a beer out and offers it to me. I shake my head and he puts the rest in the fridge keeping the one for himself. He opens it and takes a long pull. I guess he needs all the courage he can find, liquid or otherwise.

"Look Cupcake, I'm sorry," he begins. I wait, expecting him to elaborate. Nothing. I tilt my head to the side and squint my eyes a little.

"What exactly are you sorry for Joe?" I ask, not letting him get off with a generic apology.

"I had no idea you were really hurt. I didn't know you were going to pass out on me. Had I known, I would have gotten you help," he says, eyes looking anywhere but at me.

"Of course Joe, I know that." I say and his eyes land on me looking hopeful. "I know you would have gotten me help if you would have known. My problem is that you were so busy yelling at me that you didn't know. I don't remember what you said to me but I read the article. I saw the pictures. We've been there before, many times. I'm sure I can guess, it's probably a variation of what you said to me in the past." Again, he remains silent so I continue. "Joe, this isn't working. I can't do this anymore. I don't want to spend any more time with people that think I'm an embarrassment or that don't support me. I am truly sorry about your car and I will replace it. I don't know how long it will take but I promise I will take responsibility for it."

"I've already taken care of it. Since it was legally parked on the street, it was deemed no fault. I've already gotten the reimbursement check from my insurance and all I have to do is pick out a new one," he admits rather sheepishly.

I noticed that he finished his beer as he stands to walk into the kitchen to get another. He asks me but I refuse again.

"I can't drink with the medication I'm on," I tell him. I can tell he's surprised at that. He may not even know what my injuries are. I wait him out, again.

He's halfway through his second beer when he says "I was really mad at first when you wouldn't let me see you in the hospital. I calmed down a little when I found out that you didn't see anyone." He emphasized the word anyone, making me understand he meant Ranger.

I shake my head. "Joe, this isn't about Ranger. It's not about anyone else but me and you. I'm not what you want. Your idea of me is what you want. You want me to be the little woman that wants to get a safe job and live in the Burg and start a family. That's not me. That isn't what I want right now. I can't stay in a relationship with you because you don't support me. You're more interested in how people view you than have any real concern for me. Do you even know what's wrong with me? Why I'm on pain pills? I was hoping you would come in here and accept responsibility for how badly you treated me. That you would have said, "I'm so sorry that I yelled at you in the first place and I should have been asking you if you were alright and checking to make sure." Instead, you are saying that you should have been able to yell at me and it was just unfortunate luck that I really was hurt and you didn't know."

"That's not true and you know it" he says, raising his voice. I'm expecting angry Joe but I'm not going to join him and won't aid in the escalation.

"Really?..." I begin but I'm interrupted.

"I said I was sorry and I am. I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry you got hurt. I'm sorry you blew up my car. I'm sorry I yelled at you for blowing up my car," he says with a little anger in his voice.

"Joe, I'm glad you're sorry. I'm sorry too. I'm sorry someone blew up your car. I'm sorry Lula and I got hurt. I'm sorry the story ended up on the front page but most of all, I'm sorry you and my Mom think you get to yell at me for everything that happens. Not everything is my fault. How was I supposed to prevent those people from planting a bomb on your car? What exactly did I do that was reckless?"

"Your job. You're not skilled enough to be a BEA," he says.

"Well, there we have it," I say, shaking my head. "I AM a BEA. Like it or not. If you thought I wasn't skilled enough, then why haven't you tried to get me to train?

"I was trying to get you to quit," he replies with a snort.

"I'm not sure what my future holds but I do know that I won't accept the constant criticism I get from you. We are done, Joe. Permanently. I deserve better than to have my boyfriend yell at me in public. I deserve better than to have the person who is supposed to love me best in the world be embarrassed by me." I see that he's looking ready to explode so I hurry to continue. "Plus you deserve a girlfriend who is everything you want. A girlfriend that doesn't have to change who she is to be with you..."

"You. Are. Blowing. This. Way. Out. Of. Proportion! We had a FIGHT. We yelled. I said I was sorry. What do you want from me?" He's red faced and waving his arms around.

I sigh. "I want to have people around me that will support me. That love me, for me. You love the idea of me. You love what your picture of me will look like. We want different things. We don't work Joe. We need to call it off before we can't even be civil to each other."

"No, NO" he states emphatically. "We are having a fight and all I have to do is give you some time and we'll get back together. We're meant to be," he says, as if talking to himself.

"I'm sorry Joe but this is NOT just a fight and we are NOT getting back together," I say calmly.

"You're not thinking right, you're on pain meds. I'll go and give you some time. We are good together and I believe in us. I'll see you soon, Cupcake," he says as he turns and walks to the door. I don't try to stop him or correct him. I'm exhausted from my two emotional encounters and all I want to do is relax and for the drama in my life to end.

***Jan 19

The next few days go quickly and I'm feeling a lot better. I'm still very stiff and sore but the gentle stretching has helped and I'm going to start a yoga class next week. My PT at the hospital recommended it for when I got home.

I start at Rangeman earlier than we had planned. Turns out, I hate staying at home doing nothing. I arrive Wednesday morning bright and early at 10 am. Hey, it's early for me. I plan on doing searches and light office work each day for as long as I can. I find that I have to take frequent breaks and the Merry Men are always available to assist if I need anything. Ranger has been around and checks in on me but he's kept it pretty professional. The only thing that came back from the feelers Ranger put out regarding the bombing of Joe's car was the interest from a couple of alphabet agencies. Homeland Security and the NSA wanted all the information we had and one of them even got custody of Joe's car. I guess this could end up being bigger than a local drug runner not wanting to go back to jail.

Since I'm back working full time at Rangeman, I'm back to mandatory gun training and exercising. You would think that my yoga would count but sadly, no. Bobby got in touch with my instructor and started me on a program with her whole-hearted approval. Traitor. I feel like I'm being ganged up on.

***Jan 21

On Friday of my first week back Ranger asks me if I would have dinner with him in the penthouse. He says he has a business proposition for me.

When I arrive, Ella is on her way out and whispers to me. "I made you a surprise." and my spirits soar. I love Ella's desserts. When she sees my expression she smiles and winks at me. I love Ella.

Ranger comes out of the bedroom dressed in sweats with wet hair. He had just taken a shower. The scent of Bulgari is strong. Freshly showered Ranger gets me stirring but I think of the pain I still have and tamp down my hormones before someone gets hurt, namely me.

Ranger gives me a kiss on the cheek as he passes me to go into the kitchen. "Can I get you something to drink?" he asks.

"Just water. I still can't have alcohol and I'm guessing you don't have Coke."

He pops out of the kitchen with two bottles of water and two glasses. He pours one for each of us.

"Please sit." He gestures to the dining room table laden with domed plates. I take my seat waiting for him to reveal his plate.

"It smells wonderful."

Ranger lifts off his dome and I quickly follow. We had filet with grilled veggies and rice pilaf. I have a creamy yellow sauce in a cup nestled up against my steak. I start by dipping a veggie in it. It tastes heavenly. I moan

"It's Béarnaise sauce. It's French. It's made from egg yolks. It's very good and not very healthy so I thought you'd love it," he tells me.

"Well, you would be right, it's fantastic," I say then add. "I guess you would have a lot of egg yolks sitting around Mr. Health Nut." I smile that he knows me so well.

He gives me a thinking about smile and I go back to eating. Ranger lifts another lid and reveals a covered bread basket with warm sliced bread. It's wheat and Ella thankfully included butter for me. Ella rocks! Ranger laughs. I guess I said that last part out loud.

We eat in comfortable silence and as we are eating our last few bites I ask. "Soooo what's this I hear about dessert?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replies, all serious.

"I know Ella and Ella makes me dessert." I say confidently, a small smile playing on my lips.

"I may have some fruit. You could eat that for dessert," he tells me.

"Ok" I call his bluff. "Let me go see what fruit you have." I get up and start for the kitchen. He beats me to the fridge and blocks my path. He's smiling now and I know he has a plan formulating in his head.

"Let's make a deal. If Ella made you dessert, then you have to do a favor for me," he begins. "If Ella did NOT make you dessert then I have to do a favor for you. Then you have something to look forward to if you have nothing in there."

"Let me think about this." I say and go over what he is saying in my head. I know Ella made me dessert. She told me. This deal doesn't have a downside. I would already do a favor for Ranger and I know he would do anything for me. I like the idea of him asking me for something, but I don't want to seem too eager.

"Fine. This way I won't be disappointed. Open the door" I command.

He opens both doors to reveal another domed plate. He pulls it out of the refrigerator and carries it to the table.

"You knew and tricked me."

I pretend to be offended. I follow him back to the table and he gestures for me to sit. I comply. He lifts the lid revealing three individual pineapple upside down cakes. They are small and soooo cute. They each have whipped cream and a cherry. Just in case I wanted more whipped cream, there was a cup with extra.

"I freaking love Ella," I say, and Ranger barks out a laugh.

"You're lucky Ella made my favorite. Otherwise I would be a little irritated that you tricked me." I tell him, trying to be serious. He just smiles.

"So, what did you have in mind for the favor I owe you." I ask casually, after I eat all three mini cakes.

"Actually I need to cash in my favor. I would like for you to evaluate my company. Streamline operations and eliminate unnecessary waste. Time specifically. I want to run more efficiently. You have a business degree. I trust you..." He trails off.

I look at him. This is something I can help him with. I don't know why I hadn't thought of it before. I am familiar with all aspects of business, his business. I'm out of the field for a while and can certainly do this in addition to my searches. It'll be fun as a project, but working in the office full time would make my eye twitch. I need to get out. It's the perfect solution, making me wonder if Ranger hadn't orchestrated this from the beginning.

"Are you sure I'm the best person to do this?" I ask, my insecurities surfacing.

"I trust you. I don't want to bring in someone from the outside. If you don't do it, it won't be done," he says and I believe him. You have to earn his trust. I'm touched he trusts me but I'm concerned I will let him down.

"Okay. I'm in. I'll do my best." I agree. Why not take a chance? If I get in over my head, I'll just tell him and help him find someone else to finish the job.

He smiles and comes to me and gently lifts me out of my chair to envelop me in a hug.

"Thanks Babe," he says as he kisses my head. I soak up the warmth and safety I feel surrounded by him. Life is good.

***Jan 22

My plan of action is to evaluate the company and spend the bulk of my time doing that. It's Saturday and since this company runs 24/7 with most employees working odd hours, I don't have to wait until Monday morning to get started. My first appointment is with Tank and the accountant but I need to wait until they're both available so I sit at my desk running searches. An hour later, Tank shows up at my cubicle.

"Conference room 5,now" he says.

"Hey Big Guy. What exactly are you asking me?" I respond with a smile. He pauses and smiles back at my greeting. These guys would happily go around just barking orders at one another, good thing I'm here.

"Can you meet with me and Johnson now?" he asks, modifying his earlier command. Johnson is John Johnson - his parents didn't do him any favors - long time accountant. He did one tour of duty a few decades ago and has been sitting at a desk ever since. He's still in pretty good shape but his age is definitely visible on his tall frame. His hair is gray and his weathered face always has a serious expression. I have yet to see him smile.

"Sure," I say cheerily. "Let me get my notepad." I'm going to learn more of the paperwork side of Rangeman. These guys have been doing everything old school and it's time to bring them into the 21st century. I gather everything I'll need for my meeting and follow Tank to the conference room right off the elevator on five.

Johnson is already spread out at one end of the table and I take a seat next to him. I have a lot of business experience since that was my major at Douglas. I also used my degree at EE Martin for many years. I'm quite comfortable in this area.

"Good morning Johnson, it's nice to see you again," I say to him, and he nods his head in greeting. Yeah, he definitely fits in here. I hope he finds some words or this meeting is not going to help me learn what we need to do.

"I want to go over how the billing system works first," he says and continues explaining the ins and outs of the private and commercial billing program. I follow along with the software familiar with how it works. I make notes when he mentions the problems with the current software. I know that software developers are constantly updating their products and I make a note to check to see if there are any that address some of the shortcomings of the program. Much of the rest of the meeting progresses the same way with scheduling, payroll, reports and buying as topics.

I recognize several areas where I can offer assistance in updating software, looking for new software or honestly just hiring an office manager to handle this. I have always thought that these guys are trying to do too much themselves. The core team is often bogged down with paperwork and unavailable to do what they love and what they excel at. They need an overhaul of their system and I think I can help them with that. My business degree comes in handy sometimes, I think to myself with a satisfied smile. I finish up with Johnson and go back to my cubicle to make calls and search online for all of the software that was mentioned.

Next, I interview several of the guys and find out how they use the current system and what supplies they order. For example, Ram is in charge of the firing range. He orders supplies and keeps track of the stock. I note how long he spends on these tasks. Hector is also interviewed. He's in charge of technology and his stuff is like Greek to me. I laugh thinking it was probably like Spanish since I don't know either language. Thankfully Hector does speak English very well. It's common knowledge around here but he likes to keep it low key since people will often speak freely when they don't realize he can understand them. I'm able to follow the general idea of the specific tech components he has. I note the highest spending areas and the biggest time commitments. I speak to random guys in the break room asking about reports and time clocks. I want to see how user-friendly the system is. So far the current system is lacking in all areas.

My favorite interview is the one with Ella. We make cookies and sit and talk while we wait for them to bake. I'm sitting here eating cookie dough from the bowl listening to her recount her day. I'm shocked at her daily workload. I don't know how she can get it all done. She admits to me that if she had free time, she would love to start a container garden on the roof. She also wants to get into canning. That seems so Ella that it makes me smile. I really want to help her with that.

My longest interview is with Tank alone. He is really bogged down with paperwork. He wears way too many hats and it's going to burn him out. I assure him that I will get him the help he needs and he actually kisses me on top of my head. That's a big deal coming from the Big Guy.

While evaluating the company, I was shocked at how much money it makes. Each core member collects a salary and a separate check for their ownership stake. They do have silent partners but they have taken steps to remain anonymous. The company takes great care in re-investing a healthy portion of its profits back into the company to ensure quality and I have to say, their health benefits are in the superior category. I wasn't able to cut much of the benefits costs without sacrificing quality so I had to leave that alone. They really care for their employees and it shows.

Several days later, in the afternoon, I log on to the server and pull up some reports that I need for my evaluation of the company and print several files. I print everything in the 'assets' file since I'm looking to redistribute job tasks.

The printer is centrally located in the main area with all of the cubicles. I head to the break room to grab a snack while everything prints and see Cal and Woody. They ask me how my project is going and I assure them that I have lots of ideas to make everything easier and more user friendly. I finish my apples and veggies, finding them a little wanting but take a Gatorade hoping there's enough sugar to satisfy my needs. I'm back at the printer reading the top page when Ranger startles me. I drop the page in my hands and he bends to pick it up. He glances at it and sees what it is. I feel like I've been caught snooping and am at a loss for words. Very clearly on the top page Ricardo Carlos Manoso's current net worth is printed in big bold numbers. $55 million dollars. It goes on to display the value of Rangeman Inc. $90 Million dollars in which he is CEO and majority owner with a 60% share. I didn't get to see the list of the silent partners and their shares but I know that this is something I wasn't supposed to see. My face heats up and all I can do when I find my voice is to squeak out. "I'm sorry. I printed a bunch of stuff not knowing what I would need. I didn't mean to..." I trailed off.

"I'll keep this and make sure that this file is locked from now on. I'll also put a block on you so you cannot access files that you aren't authorized to see," he says crisply and leaves, taking the file with him.

Shit. How did I manage to screw this up? I didn't mean to snoop but I can't do anything about it now. I certainly can't unsee that. Holy cow. I had no idea he was that rich. I guess this company is successful but he certainly doesn't live the millionaire lifestyle. He lives well, I would describe it as elegant but understated. If I'm honest with myself, I would say that this makes me more aware of how unmatched we actually are. Crap!

I continue my day distracted as to what this means. I analyze my perspective, Ranger's perspective. How he's going to treat me knowing I know this. I try to process and end up giving myself a massive headache. I try to focus back on my task at hand and get my mind on what needs to be done. I take some medication and go find Ella to see if she has any goodies. Sometimes my headaches come from lack of sugar. No stone unturned.

An hour later my headache was subsiding and I found myself sitting at my desk going over my notes. The core team has way too much of a burden with the day to day operations. They definitely need an office manager to take care of the phones and scheduling. For crying out loud, Tank makes the airline and hotel reservations when there's out of town travel. This isn't something a high level military operative should be handling.

It takes me over a week to compile all of the information that I need and I was just waiting on one last answer from a company I was looking to use. Once I have that, I can present my findings to the core team.

Several days later, I find myself standing in front of the core team handing out notebooks to each of the four members, Ranger, Tank, Bobby and Lester. I arrive after the morning briefing meeting at 6:00am, so I am flying high with my added espresso.

"So if you would all care to turn with me to page two - evaluations. Here are the programs we are currently using for the business end of Rangeman LLC. I have listed the pros and cons of each program and have highlighted what other options exist. I'm not going to go through this line by line because it would take too much time. I'm familiar with each of these programs and at the time, they were top of the line. However, they no longer work for our specific company needs and new or upgraded programs need to be considered.

Flip to page 21." I say as all four men skip ahead to the aforementioned page. "Here, I have compiled an analysis of lost time/wages. You four spend an average of 45% of your time doing clerical work, some more, some less. You have all expressed displeasure at this. Tank, do you enjoy booking airline tickets for FTA retrieval?" I ask, looking at Tank. "Lester, how do you like scheduling site visits and appointments? Both were Rhetorical questions so I keep going. "That is something an office manager could do. Schedules and time sheets can be taken care of electronically and linked directly to payroll. Johnson can manage the system with very little time expended. Little things like direct deposits can be set up to eliminate printing paychecks. All of this is taken care of automatically. I've outlined many options for each category. I've included product reviews but I have highlighted the software program that I think stands above the rest. I recommend this product" pausing to point to the one I have listed "even though it's not always the highest rated. It's still my pick because it's the one product that plays nicely with all systems. It's user friendly and menu driven. Every guy here, including Johnson, will be able to use this system easily and training will be quick. The cost is minimal and will be offset quickly by the things I have listed on page 29. I will only mention a few. First, once we streamline the scheduling, the men will have more say in where they want to work and choose their schedule. There will be minimums so they can't skip monitor duty. Seniority is factored in as well as benefits to choosing the less popular jobs. This will increase job satisfaction and the men will be more efficient and productivity will rise. Second, the schedule will run with a click of the mouse and the generator will fill in what hasn't been chosen. Any changes will be done through the system and auto generate a message for all people involved. This only needs to be signed off on from a management team member. After the initial training, of course, it will run automatically and very little oversight by the management team. Let's skip the cost savings. The most impressive savings will be in the purchasing category. We have four offices and spend a lot of money with just a few vendors. I recommend using a bid list for our vendors to quote out what we spend the most money on. We also need to reach out to new vendors to participate. Each vendor will get a list of the products we buy and each vendor will quote their best price. We take into account availability and any other cost factors and award the bid to the winner. I anticipate cutting our buying budget by 15-20% companywide. We have a lot of buying power that we are wasting.

The last thing I want to bring up is a new position. I mentioned it before but the bottom line is, you need help. Specifically, you need an office manager and a secretary but let's start with an office manager first. You guys spend way too much time doing these types of tasks and you will be free to work in the field or just have a life outside of these four walls. Hiring an office manager will free up approximately 25% of your time almost immediately. Your men will also notice a marked improvement with the new system and clerical duties like answering and returning calls and office duties that were assigned to you four. I have also bid out services that will help Ella. She is way overworked but since she loves us she is willing. I want to help her and I have a few ideas I included on page 34. I go over bringing in outside cleaning help and outline the costs. Overall my evaluation saved money but some of the net savings was invested back in the company to add one staff position and farm out cleaning services." When it is all said and done, I was happy with the evaluation and I said so in my summary.

"Please read over my report and if you have any questions, I'm just down the hall." I say with a smile. I'm shocked that no-one says a single word after I started my presentation. I expected questions from Ranger and Tank. I expected sarcastic comments from Les. Something. I looked around to see eyes down, flipping through pages. As they began to look up, I saw smiles. I guess I did ok.

"Great job Beautiful." Les is the first to speak.

"You mean to tell me I've been buried under all of this paperwork for nothing?" Tank says letting a little annoyance enter his voice.

"No Tank, it wasn't for nothing. In the beginning it was necessary but now that Rangeman is in a better position, you have more options. The company grew so fast it's no wonder that the systems that were in place from the beginning no longer work efficiently."

"Thank you, this is excellent, Babe." Ranger tells me, making me feel really good about all the work I put into this. I leave them alone and go back to my desk to resume searches that I need to catch up on. Ahhh. I can't wait to get back in the field.

RPOV

"Next order of business is Stephanie's evaluation. I met with Johnson and he agrees with adding an office manager. We have the funds to add the position and it'll take a lot of administrative weight off us. I can ask Stephanie to help write up the job description. She'll know what duties we can expect." I tell the group. Les is the first to respond.

"Can we hire a woman? Blonde, large breasts, nice ass?" Les seems hopeful.

"Santos!" I bark.

"What, so you're the only one who can have an office romance?" he asks with a stupid look on his face. It makes me want to punch him.

"I AM NOT involved in an office romance," I reply, trying to not give away how much he is fucking pissing me off.

"Of course you are," he says not letting this go. "Now that she and the cop are done, it's just a matter of time before you two to start fucking all over the office."

"Santos, shut it" Tank chimes in before I lose control and pound him.

"Mats 0500." I add trying to appease the beast. I'll be able to take out my aggression on him then. I just have to wait until tomorrow morning. Lucky for him, I may be cooled off enough to let him live.

"We'll look for the most qualified candidate with an emphasis on veterans status only." I state looking directly at Les. "I want to move forward on this as soon as possible. I also want to have her start implementing her programs and strategies to get us up to peak efficiencies. I am sick of the paperwork and look forward to being in the field more. Is there any other business we need to discuss?" I ask, wrapping up the meeting. Several head shakes and we each head back to our offices to get back to work.

I don't have a fucking romance, I think disgustedly. I'm not some love sick fool bringing flowers and sending love notes to a woman. I shake the thought out of my head. I can't wait to meet Les on the mats tomorrow morning. I'll teach him a thing or two about shooting off his mouth.

The rest of the day passes without incident and I'm up on Seven by seven. Ella has dinner for me and I eat alone at the kitchen bar. I'm still keyed up and I need a way to let off some steam so I change into workout clothes and go for a run. When I'm this aggravated, a visit to Stephanie is the only thing that will put me at ease. I find myself running in that direction. Just being near her makes me relax and I'm able to circle her parking lot and head back to Haywood.

The next couple of weeks pass with a flurry of activity. New procedures go into place and training is done. We've worked out the majority of the bugs and are noticing a boost in moral and productivity. Streamlining the scheduling and payroll was just a small piece of the changes Babe suggested. The real time savings for the core team will be once we have an office manager hired and trained.

We fall into a rhythm and business is good. We have the final two candidate interviews being scheduled for the following day. The core group has narrowed the two from the 100 plus resumes we received. Most were eliminated right off the bat by lack of qualifications. We made the position a high level position requiring a business degree and three years experience. The salary is probably what drew all the interest since it's far above a typical office manager salary. Stephanie had called that and told us there would be pros and cons with offering such a high salary. Even though we would attract very qualified candidates, we would also attract many more unqualified hopefuls. She was right. The background check we do is quite extensive and honestly invasive so we were able to eliminate many of the unsavory candidates, dwindling the number considerably. Surprisingly, the second round of interviews wiped out three more candidates based on unwillingness to fulfill the Rangeman training and gun requirements. Why don't people want to exercise and learn to carry a gun?