Hi, for all you lovely people who send me reviews, here's a bonus chapter for you. No longer a duplicate of the previous chapter.

All recognisable characters belong to JE. I just tweaked them for my use.

35. Decorating Diaries

The rest of the week passed without any incidents. I handed in my report to the FBI and they were happy with my findings. They were really impressed at how quickly I came up with 3 different schemes relating to this one case. The information I found also led them to an accomplice. One of the employees was in on the scam and being paid under the table. My FBI handler was very pleased with the speed and accuracy of my report.

"Miss Plum, I really liked how you summarised what you found in your report. I've taken your report and created a template that will be used for all other reports in the future. I've also added employee schedules to our list of things to check so we shouldn't miss something like this in the future. We now have enough to prosecute an iron-clad case all thanks to you."

I got off the phone with Agent Stewart and returned to my work. I was excited to finish work today because I haven't seen Carlos since Tuesday. He's been working extra hours to cover for Tom. Apparently he's really sick and Carlos has been very busy. Tonight's date is the perfect way to start the weekend.

I left work at 4:30 and hurried home. I had a quick shower, changed, and was pulling on a pair of strappy heeled sandals when Johnny called at 5:30 to say that Carlos was on his way up. I quickly grabbed my bag and met Carlos at the door. He took one look at me and pushed me back inside the apartment. He pushed me up against the wall and kissed me with more passion than I thought was possible.

When we were both gasping for breath, Carlos pulled back and breathlessly said, "I've been dreaming about doing that since I said goodbye to you on Tuesday."

I smiled up at Carlos and said, "If that's how you greet me after a 3-day absence, I can't even begin to imagine our reunion when you come back from the Army."

Carlos gave me a funny look and said, "Come on Babe, we need to get going."

I touched up my lipstick and then locked up behind us. Carlos and I held hands as we walked down to the parking garage and then he helped me get settled in the passenger seat before he walked around and climbed into the driver's side.

Our plans for the evening were a surprise to me so I sat back and relaxed as Carlos drove us to our destination. When we exited onto the Garden State Parkway, I had a pretty good idea where we were going. Carlos and I talked a lot about our favourite places to spend time.

Carlos surprised me by actually going to Monmouth Beach rather than Point Pleasant. When he left the parkway at Eatontown, he turned and said, "Point Pleasant is more of a weekend destination. I figured we could walk along the beach here, have dinner and still be able to get back by a reasonable hour. I have to work in the morning and you're meeting with Johnny and the girls to choose the decorating finishing touches for your new apartment."

I had never really spent much time at Monmouth Beach but it was beautiful. We walked along the beach and held hands. When the sun started to set, we walked to a restaurant and ordered fresh seafood. As we waited for the food, we watched the sunset. Carlos pulled me close to him and we made plans to spend an entire weekend together in Point Pleasant once Tom was better and could cover for Carlos.

The idea of spending an entire weekend alone with Carlos was very appealing to me. I allowed my mind to drift when we were driving back to Newark later that evening. Carlos was also quiet, concentrating on his driving. When we reached the city limits, Carlos turned to me and asked, "I can drop you off or I can stay over tonight. What would you prefer?"

I didn't need more than a second to think. I hurriedly shouted out "Stay over."

Carlos and I laughed and we headed straight to my place. As soon as Carlos parked, he pulled out his phone to let his parents know what was going on. Carlos has a short conversation and then we went up to my apartment. "Mama needs the car in the morning so I'm going to have to leave at 7:00 so I have time to get home before going to work."

I nodded and sent him into the other bathroom to get ready for bed. I took my makeup off, washed and moisturised and then put my hair up before getting into my pyjamas. I walked into the bedroom to find Carlos standing at the side of the bed looking a little wide eyed. I looked down at myself and realised that my pyjamas of choice are a tiny pair of shorts and a very skimpy tank top.

I apologise to Carlos and grab a big loose t-shirt and return a moment later with a new outfit. Carlos smiles and said, "I liked the other one better, but in the interests of getting up in 6 hours, it was probably a good thing that you changed."

I grinned and said, "Come Carlos, let's get some sleep."

The next morning, I said goodbye to Carlos and had a leisurely morning. I didn't have much to do today, other than meet Johnny about choosing some of the finishing touches for my apartment. At 1PM, I went down to the lobby to find Johnny. He smiled when he heard me approach and said, "There's been a change of plans Steph. Instead of me showing you the options here, we're going to go to the apartment in New Brunswick and meet with the builder."

I nodded and said, "Would you mind if I invited 2 friends? They might live with me there and I'd love their input."

Johnny grinned, "The more, the merrier."

As we drove, I called Molly and Christie. Molly was working and would try to get there before we left but Christie was available. She agreed to head over shortly. We'd probably beat her there, but that was fine. I'd leave instructions with the builders to let her up.

We arrived and as luck would have it, Christie was within eyesight so we waited for her. We went up together and met with the builder. He walked to each area of the apartment and showed us the various options. The kitchen was the first room and that took no time at all. I wanted something light and modern so we decided on a light brown granite worktop surface and cream coloured cabinet doors. The appliances would all be stainless steel and the splash back tiles would be the same granite as the worktop surface cut into smaller sizes.

We then took a break from tiles and went through paint colours for each room. I wanted to stay pretty neutral so for the main parts, the kitchen, living room, dining area, we stuck with cream and light tan. I chose a very faint greenish cream colour for my office and a very faint butter yellow for my bedroom.

Christie's room was going to be two-toned purple. A darker aubergine colour and a light lilac colour. I thought that it would be beautiful. We skipped Molly's room and moved to the bathrooms. We decided on white everything. The cabinet handles and all other accessories, including heated towel racks would be brushed stainless steel. All of the bathrooms would use the same tiles, which made the builder happy.

"That will save us a lot of money and make the Millers happy. It will also make life easier for my men. We're almost ready to start this work and everything should be finished in 3 weeks."

Molly finally arrived and she picked out a duck egg blue colour for her room, even if we still weren't sure that she and Christie would be living with me, we just assumed that they'd stay there enough that they'd like the colours. We waved goodbye to the builder and made our way outside. Johnny looked at the three of us and said, "I have a friend who lives here in New Brunswick that I don't get to see very often. Would you mind Steph, if we stuck around for the day? I can call you later when I'm ready to head back to Newark."

"That sounds great Johnny. I don't get to see my friends very often either, so it will be nice to spend more time with them."

We separated and headed to a nearby café for lunch. As we were eating, Molly said, "I got a call from my roommate last night and you're not going to believe this."

Both Christie and I looked at her for a moment before she continued. "Karen called to tell me that she isn't coming back next year. She wanted to tell me so I had enough time to find a new roommate before term starts in 5 weeks."

I looked at Molly and said, "What does that mean? What about your lease?"

Molly grinned and said, "Our lease is up in 2 months. I already talked to my landlord and they say that if I can be out in a month, she'll return my deposit and last month's rent. He has a waiting list that is a mile long."

I was excited. This means that Molly could come and live with me. We both looked at Christie, hoping that she had similar news. "Sorry, I called my roommate and explained the situation. She wasn't angry but she wanted to make a few phone calls to find out if she could easily find another roommate. She said she'd try to call me back today."

Almost as if fate was smiling on us, Christie's phone rang at that precise moment and caused all three of us to jump. Christie looked down at the phone and said, "Speak of the devil."

As Christie talked to Cassandra, Molly and I discussed shopping for apartment furniture. There was a huge furniture outlet store in town so we decided to head there after lunch. When Christie hung up the phone, the expression on her face gave little away. She sighed and said, "Cassandra was hoping that her best friend would move in with her. She's going to Rutgers and she commutes from Trenton every day. Unfortunately, her best friend has a part-time job in Trenton and needs that to afford her tuition. The cost of renting an apartment is just too much for her.

"Cassandra was disappointed and pretty much gave up hope until her best friend called back and said that her parents would pay her tuition if she covered her own living expenses and came home for the weekends. Malia, her friend will work weekends in Trenton and stay in New Brunswick during the week."

Molly and I looked stunned. The three of us stayed silent for about 5 minutes just staring at each other. Finally, I had to ask. "Does this mean what I think it means?"

Christie nodded and said, "I can move in with you guys."

We started to squeal and chatter and talk about the fun we'd have. We even made a hasty list of items we'd need to furnish our apartment. Our waitress brought our bill and we quickly walked back to Molly's because she had a car and we were going shopping. Well, we use the term 'Car' loosely. It has 4 wheels and it takes you from point A to point B but that's pretty much it. Despite that, I was jealous. I'd never owned my own car and it was something on my list that I was seriously considering.

We arrived at a big furniture outlet store and pulled out our list. Despite already having an apartment full of furniture, it all belonged to my roommate. I would need a bed and other bedroom furniture. Our first stop was to look at dining tables. We all gravitated to a chunky solid oak table that had an oiled and natural top with cream coloured legs. The matching chairs were all wood but the seat was soft cream stuffed fabric. It would match our kitchen perfectly.

I wrote down the item number and we moved on. Our next stop was living room furniture. We picked two large L-shaped sofas and two overstuffed chairs. One was in a dark grey soft fabric and the other was in a complimentary greyish blue colour. We loved them and they were so comfortable. I added them to my list and we moved on to look for other living room furniture. After about an hour, we had a coffee table, end tables, floor lamps and a couple of small bookcases.

Armed with my list, I approached a salesman and asked how complicated it would be to have this list of furniture delivered in 3 weeks from today. The salesman laughed at me and said, "It would be easy but I doubt that's going to happen."

I looked at the man and said, "Why not?"

"There is about $5000 worth of furniture on that list. There's no way that you can afford that."

I narrowed my eyes and looked at the man for a moment before calmly saying, "I'd like to talk to your manager."

The guy rolled his eyes and went off to find his manager. He returned about 15 minutes later with a narrow-faced man who looked annoyed to be pulled out of his office. "What seems to be the problem?"

I looked at the manager and said, "I asked this salesman to help me buy some furniture and he told me that I didn't look like I could afford to buy that furniture."

The manager looked at me and then at his salesman and said, "I'm sorry for his behaviour. Obviously he doesn't want the commission on this sale. Come and meet Louise, another salesperson. She and Matt here are very competitive and she would be more than happy to help you."

We followed the manager over to a desk and waited as he explained that we wanted to buy a selection of furniture. Lisa grinned and shook our hands and offered us a seat. Twenty minutes later, I had arranged for the living room and dining room furniture to be delivered. Louse never once doubted my ability to pay for the purchase.

We left the furniture store and Molly and Christie were silent. I looked over at them and asked, "What's wrong?"

Christie frowned and said, "We haven't really discussed rent fees and who's going to be responsible for what."

I smiled at my friends and said, "Let's go sit down at Molly's and we can discuss things."

Molly nodded and then said, "I feel bad that you bought all the furniture. We could have chipped in."

I smiled and said, "It's all part of the deal with the FBI. They basically gave me a furniture fund as part of the money to buy the apartment."

The girls still looked a little apprehensive, but when we got to Molly's they realised that we could enjoy a lot more things because our funds would not be taken up entirely by rent. They both insisted on paying a little rent, so in the end, we agreed that they would each pay me $350 each month. This was less than ½ of what they were paying at their old apartments, so everyone was happy.

This would also mean that we could get cable, high-speed WIFI and order in more often. To say that we were excited was an understatement. We even started making lists of things we'd need in the bathrooms. We decided that we'd all be responsible for our own bathrooms and Christie and Molly would take care of the guest bathroom that contained only a toilet and a sink.

We also started talking about what we'd need for the kitchen. We listed pots, pans, tableware, silverware, and anything else we could think of. We decided to wait to buy those things until we were in the apartment. We wanted to have nice stuff and we also wanted to make sure that the things we bought would coordinate with the new kitchen. We had an idea of what the kitchen would look like but at the moment, it was in our imaginations only.

Johnny called around 5:00. I met him and we headed back to Newark. Johnny was worried that his wife would be annoyed if he was late for dinner, so he said goodbye to me at the lobby and headed to his apartment with his tail between his legs. At least that's how it seemed to me. Perhaps he hadn't cleared a day away with his wife and she was upset with him.

I took the elevator up to my apartment and quickly changed into my swimsuit and then headed up to the deck. It was a nice day and I planned on spending some time with a good book in the warm weather. I might even take a dip if I felt so inclined later.

After an hour of reading, I put my bookmark in and took a quick swim. It was very warm and the cool water was very refreshing. I had climbed out and was drying off when my phone rang. I looked at the caller id and didn't recognise the caller but I answered anyway.

"Steph, is that you?"

"Gran?"

"Yeah, I got me one of those burner phones. Mabel drove me to a store that sold them. I was disappointed to find that it was relatively normal looking. I expected a dodgy little dive of a place. It was just a regular store."

I smiled at my grandmother and talked to her for about 45 minutes. I explained that I would be OK for tuition because of my job. I didn't go on to clarify anything more than that and she seemed genuinely happy that I would be able to stay out of the Burg a little longer.

I confided in her that I don't ever plan on returning. In fact, I was thinking about furthering my education when I finished at Douglass. As usual, Grandma Mazur was very supportive. She also told me that she decided to sell her big house and downsize. She and a few friends decided to join together and buy adjoining condos in Atlantic City. I was very happy for her but a little worried about her being so far away. She reassured me when she explained that the condos were in a retirement community. I thought that Grandma Mazur would really like that sort of thing.

Grandma Mazur sounded really happy and I promised to come visit here once she moved in late October. I suggested visiting for Thanksgiving. We were both sure that my mother would have a conniption fit but at this point, I didn't care. All she'd try to do was set me up with Joe Morelli or someone similar, and I definitely didn't want that!

After I finished talking to my grandmother, I took a shower and then started to gather a few things to eat for dinner. I was just about to slice some cheese when my phone rang. It was the door downstairs. I didn't think Carlos was free this evening but I had a spark of hope when I answered it.

"Hey Steph, it's Lester and Bobby. We were in town for the day and wanted to see if you were free to join us for dinner."

I smiled and said, "Sure, why not. My alternative is olives, peanut butter and cheese. Come on up and I'll go get ready. I left the door open and ran into the bathroom to put my hair up and check if I needed any makeup. I put on a bit of lip gloss and walked out just as the guys walked in.

"What did you have in mind?"

Bobby smiled and said, "There's a BBQ joint about 10 blocks from here. I thought we could try it."

It sounded fine to me so that's what we did. During dinner, they guys told me that they were proud of Carlos and Tom's decision to join the army. I looked at them with narrowed eyes and asked, "Let me guess, you guys are thinking about joining too."

Lester smiled slightly and said, "I won't lie. I've been thinking about it. Carlos has been there for me my whole life. He's a great friend and I would be honoured to serve in the army with him."

I turned and looked at Bobby and all he said was, "The army would pay for med school and I'd get on-the-job experience as an army medic. It's something to consider."

"Well, whatever you decide, I'll support you one way or the other."

Both guys thanked me for the support and we enjoyed the rest of our meal. The ribs were delicious but the wings were even better. The sauce was thick with just the right amount of heat. During dessert, I told the guys that me, Molly and Christie were moving into a new apartment together in a month. The guys seemed excited because they were keen to plan a housewarming party. I agreed to let them plan the party but I didn't want more than 20 people there. The invite list would be easy because our friends didn't overlap too much. The guest list so far consisted of me, Molly, Christie, Carlos, Tom, Lester, Bobby, Jimmy and Vince.

I agreed to let Bobby and Lester increase the guest list but I told them to use discretion. We didn't need a repeat of Lexie. Lester promised to not invite a date but he might invite a few hopefuls. I laughed and agreed to the idea. I also agreed to invite a few of our other friends so that there wouldn't be so many of Lester's prey and some others for me to talk to.

As we were walking back to my apartment, my cell phone rang. I didn't recognise the number but I answered it anyway. It might be related to the apartment. I answered and waited for a reply but none came. Instead, all I heard was breathing and some sort of background music. I looked at Lester and he quickly grabbed the phone from my hand and demanded to know who it was. He eventually hung up and said, "Is that the first time you have received a call like that Steph?"

I nodded and put my phone away. "I got one the other day. It only lasted a few seconds and they hung up. I just assumed that it was the wrong number."

Lester looked at me sternly and said, "I think you should call Detective Carter. This might be related to your other troubles."

I grimaced and said, "It might be but as far as I know, Ryan is still in a coma."

Bobby nodded and said, "Maybe it was his father. He might blame you for what happened to his son."

I shook my head and said, "This doesn't seem like something Mr. Preston would do. If it happens again, I'll talk to Detective Carter. For tonight, I'm going to head home, have a quick dip and have an early night."

The guys walked me back to my apartment and after a few hugs, they headed off towards downtown. I queried their destination and Bobby grinned before answering. "We're going clubbing. We're meeting some girls we met at the gym today and it might prove to be a great night. Are you sure that you don't want to join us?"

I shook my head and said, "No, I think I'd like a quiet night in. I've actually had a long day today and I could do with a good night's sleep. Thanks for the invite anyway. You boys go and have fun, but remember to be safe."

Lester grinned and waved as they walked away. Bobby turned and waved and then they disappeared around the corner. I was feeling quite good and not at all tired. It was only 9PM so I headed upstairs and had a quick dip in the pool. I kept my hair dry so I didn't have to shampoo it and just sort of floated around the pool, letting my muscles relax.

I eventually dragged myself out and had a quick rinse before crawling into bed. I had a good day and I smiled as I lay my head down on my pillow. My life was going well and I was happy. I fell asleep with those thoughts on my mind, ensuring that I had happy dreams. I had already forgotten about the phone call and it didn't interfere with my dreams or my sleep.

The next chapter will be posted on Friday and is called 'Getaway Detour'. Any guesses as to the detour? Closest guess gets a shout out as recognition for their mind reading abilities.