Chapter Twenty-Eight

Stephanie POV

I woke up early, feeling happy and energized like I haven't in the past two weeks. Zoë was starting daycare, and I'm moving to Trenton. My relationship with my sister has never been better, and in my temporary job, I'm surrounded by the sexiest men I've ever seen.

It took a moment to remember the terrible things, but when I did, I shoved them back into the little box in Denial Land. I'm not thinking about all that today.

I bounded out of bed and hummed Kelly Clarkson songs through my shower before heading to Zoë's room to wake her up.

"Zoë. Zo-Zo," I shook her gently. "Wake up, Sweetheart." I stroked her hair and kept crooning to her. She rolled over on her stomach and brought her knees up, forcing her bum to stick out. I stifled a laugh; she had slept like this in her crib as a baby, and it was always funny and adorable.

She grumbled and turned her head to the side, facing me. She opened an eye and said grumpily, "Mama, it's too early."

I smiled. "Zo-zo, it's your first day of daycare. You have to wake up now."

I peeled back the blankets and scooped her up in my arms. I held her for a few minutes while she woke more fully. Once she was fully awake, I took her into the shower and washed her, then got her dressed and over to the main house for breakfast. The aroma emanating from Jeanne Ellen's pancakes was making my mouth water. We all sat down to breakfast and started eating. Jeanne Ellen was talking to Zoë and Tank to me.

"Steph, are you coming into Rangeman after you drop off Zoë?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yep. I should be there by nine-thirty at the latest. I must sign some papers, and I want to ensure Zoë settles in okay before I leave."

"Sounds good. Ranger and I would like to meet with you when you arrive, alright?"

"Umm, sure. Is everything okay? You're not firing me, are you?" I was half teasing, half worried.

He smirked. "Not unless you piss me off. You're okay today."

At about eight-thirty, I drove Zoë to her new daycare in Jeanne Ellen's car. Gigi was staying home this week, preparing for her work trip on Friday. She said she had a lot to do before she left, so she wasn't planning to leave the house today until we went to our house tour appointment this evening.

Zoë immediately made herself welcome, finding another little girl to play with while I signed the paperwork. It was a month-to-month contract, with a thirty-day notice period requirement if either the daycare or I wished to terminate. I watched Zoë play for a while afterward, and after noting she seemed happy and felt safe, I departed for work.

When I got up to the fifth floor of Rangeman, I stopped in Tank's office for the meeting, but before I sat down, he motioned me to follow him next door to Ranger's office. We each sat in his visitor chairs, but he had angled his chair to face mine.

"Good morning, Steph," said Ranger, smiling slightly at me.

"Good morning, Ranger," I answered. "What's going on?"

He exchanged a look with Tank, who tilted his head once in a nod.

"Steph, I know you started working here temporarily while our researcher handled some personal matters. We've contacted him, and he's looking to scale back his hours to spend more time with his family."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I hope everything will be okay," I said sincerely.

He acknowledged me but didn't reply directly. "As a result, Tank and I have been discussing how to accommodate his new availability while ensuring we have the staff to perform our duties effectively. We've decided to split the previous Administrator-slash-researcher role into two. Rodriguez will continue handling the administrative side, so we need a new researcher."

"Oh, I see," I said lamely.

He continued. "Steph, we'd like to offer you the job of Head Researcher, effective immediately. While this is a solo position for now, we anticipate our needs growing in the not-so-distant future, at which point we'll hire additional researchers as necessary. That's where the 'head' part of your new role comes into play. You'd be the head of the department."

My eyes were wide, and I was staring at him in disbelief. I'd only been working for him for two weeks, and there'd been so much drama that I had barely been here. "Wow. Just…wow. I'm so flattered. But are you two sure I'm the right person for this? I feel like I've barely worked for you at all, what with everything going on."

Tank smiled. "We're sure, Steph. Your work has been exemplary, and you've achieved the desired results on every occasion."

"Thank you. I'd love to take the job."

"Good," said Ranger. "But there's more we need to discuss. As a full-time Rangeman employee, you'll be eligible for health benefits and various other benefits, such as an apartment in the building, should you need one. You're also eligible for a company vehicle as your department head."

Tank continued. "Since your position is primarily office-based, most of our required Rangeman employment standards are not applicable. The only criterion you must meet is for physical fitness. If you should choose to participate in fieldwork at some point, there are additional standards to meet. All employees, whether field-rated or not, must practice in the gun range twice weekly, though you have been exempted from the requirement to carry a gun because of Zoë. However, we'd like it if you'd carry a stun gun. Finally, all employees must be proficient in some sort of martial art, but Ranger has said you've agreed to train in self-defence, which we've agreed is sufficient for your position in the company."

I was overwhelmed by all the information being thrown at me. I tried to sort it out in my mind. "So, I'd be the Research department head, with a company car. I can choose to qualify for field work or not, but if I do, I have to pass the requirements to prove I'm field-worthy. Otherwise, I only have to keep up with physical fitness standards and carry a stun gun," I summed up.

They both nodded. "Precisely," Tank replied.

"What is the salary and benefits package?" I asked.

Ranger replied, "To start, the annual salary is seventy thousand, plus the option of an in-building apartment, subject to availability. The monthly rent for the apartment is three hundred, which is merely to cover the costs associated with the space, such as utilities and housekeeping services once weekly. The company car can be one of your choosing. The vehicle allowance is up to fifty thousand dollars, and you sign a contract agreeing to pay for any tickets or insurance deductibles for accidents if the accident is your fault. If not, Rangeman will cover the deductible. We offer full medical benefits, and there's a booklet from our insurance company explaining them in more detail."

"Wow. Well, I'd love to accept the offer. Thank you both so much for the opportunity, and I promise to do the best job I can for you."

"Excellent," said Tank. "Welcome to Rangeman, Steph." He reached over and shook my hand, smiling cheekily at me.

"Welcome aboard, Babe," Ranger said.

I signed the employment contract, and Tank took me to his office to work out some of the logistics of my new job. He had some websites bookmarked for cars he thought appropriate for me, and though he had pre-built them with the specs he thought would be best, we had fun checking them out and comparing the features. "Does it have to be black, or can I choose a different colour?" I asked. I hoped it didn't have to be black.

"Sorry. Black is our company colour." After viewing several choices and acknowledging to myself that whatever it was would probably be fine, we chose a new hybrid Honda CR-V. He said it was top-of-the-line and would be outfitted with several safety options after they picked it up, which was fine with me. Anything that would keep my daughter safer in the car was good with me. He said it should arrive in the next few weeks, and in the meantime, I could drive one of the Ford Explorers from the motor pool.

Now that I was a full-time employee, Hector set me up with a permanent profile, including an email address and upgraded access to the search programs. I still wouldn't have access to more classified military profiles, but Ranger and Tank could each access those when necessary.

I spent the rest of the day performing searches, stopping for lunch in the breakroom and finishing at four o'clock to meet Ranger in the gym for my self-defence lesson. He had poked his head into my cubicle about fifteen minutes beforehand to let me know he was heading down, so if I wanted to use his office's bathroom to change, I could.

Our training session went very well, and I learned some new moves to help me get out of being pinned down. Even though it wasn't a hardship having Ranger on top of me, I still worked hard to free myself from his grip. After we were done, I ran on the treadmill for thirty minutes before I went home to meet Jeanne Ellen for our appointment tonight.

I picked up Zoë from daycare, and she told me about her day on the drive home; it was 'super fun.' When we got home, I greeted Jeanne Ellen and Tank, who arrived right before me. He had already told Jeanne Ellen they were planning to offer me a full-time position at Rangeman, so she was eager to hear everything on our way to the house tour.

We pulled up in front of the cutest cottage I'd ever seen at precisely six o'clock. It was like something out of a storybook. The exterior was made of whitewashed stone, and ivy was growing on the façade, framing the front door. It was one story, and when Miranda arrived, she unlocked the door and showed us around. There were three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The owners were going through a divorce and were eager to sell, so to that end, they had already had a home inspection done. It had been updated in the past year with hardwood floors in the main areas and plush carpeting in the bedrooms. The kitchen was cute and seemed very functional, but kitchens weren't really my thing. The ensuite bathroom was like something you'd find in a spa, and if I hadn't already fallen in love with the rest of the house, the bathroom would have clinched the sale.

I made eye contact with Jeanne Ellen in one of the ensuite's mirrors and knew we were thinking the same thing. We walked into the backyard, and I was pleased to note it wasn't too small nor too big, and it was entirely fenced in. As I wandered around, Jeanne Ellen conferred with Miranda, and I figured she was discussing making an offer.

After we said our goodbyes and got into the car, I looked over at Jeanne Ellen, and she said, "I know. I want it too. It's perfect." I smiled. Nothing more needed to be said.