The following afternoon, Lester and I met with Dad at Shorty's. I preferred Pino's, but it was located in the Burg. Shorty's looked like a dive on the outside, but it masked the gem it contained inside. Lester and I stumbled across the restaurant the last time he came home.
Daddy knew our conversation would remain private there. Lester and I sat in the booth with our backs to the wall. It would leave Dad with his back to the door, but I doubt he would mind. Dad would be happy to see my husband watching out for me.
Lester gasped when Daddy entered the restaurant. I was about to ask if he knew him, but I was surprised when Daddy greeted Shorty instead of approaching our table. "How are you, buddy?" Dad asked, talking loud enough for Lester and me to hear.
"Doing great. Is that your youngest?" Shorty asked, lifting his chin toward me.
"She certainly is," Dad proudly replied. "I'm meeting my son-in-law today."
"He's a good man," Shorty said, pointing toward us. I looked into my husband's face. He was proud to be called a good man. "Watch."
The gorgeous waitress approached us to get our order. I didn't recognize her as a Trenton local, either. She was new at Shortys. Her thick brown hair got pulled back into a low ponytail, and her grey eyes sparkled when she saw my handsome husband. The name tag on her apron indicated her name was Mindy. Her eyes locked on Lester's face as she asked for our order. He didn't pay her any attention as he ordered a large pizza for us to share. I chanced a glance at my dad and Shorty. Both men were proud that Lester focused on me, ignoring the attractive waitress.
Sensing my frustration, Dad nodded at Shorty when he said the new girl's name was Mindy. "Excuse me, Mindy," Dad said as he sat across the table from me. "I'll have a beer and make the pizza an extra large." Lester had ordered my favourite pizza, which was what Dad would have ordered.
"Would that be everything?" she huskily asked my husband. Mindy fluttered her eyelashes and winked at Lester. Her overt flirting irritated me.
"Give me a second to ask my wife," Lester replied. "Baby, was there anything else you want?"
"Tiramisu for dessert, but nothing else for lunch, thank you," I replied as I politely smiled at the waitress while plotting ways to murder and hide her body in the dumpster.
Mindy walked away, muttering, "Lucky bitch. She's not wearing a ring. He's lying about their marriage. I'm prettier than her. What does she have that I don't?" I pulled the chain from beneath my shirt and slipped off the wedding bands. After placing Lester's ring on his hand, he put mine on me. I hoped Shorty didn't hear her muttered words. He'd fire Mindy in a second. Shorty let the servers flirt with the customers for tips, but he'd be furious if his staff took things too far.
"She shouldn't be flirting with the male customers and treating their female companions like gum stuck to her shoe," Dad said when Mindy entered the kitchen to drop off our order. I knew he would tell Shorty to fire the woman.
"No worries, Dad. She may be gorgeous, but I don't feel threatened by her. Our relationship is strong," I replied, lacing Lester's and my fingers. Lester sat our joined hands on the table. He placed his left hand over our joined ones, displaying his wedding band. "I'll handle the overly flirtatious woman."
Mindy appeared to deliver our drinks. Neither Lester nor I ordered an alcoholic beverage. She gasped when noticing our rings, indicating that we were indeed married. Her face expressed her shame in flirting with my husband. I could see she wanted to talk, but not in front of Lester and my Dad. She was afraid we'd cost her the job. I sensed she desperately needed the work. "Excuse me for a minute, honey," I told Lester. "I need to use the washroom."
Lester slid out of the booth, freeing me to visit the bathroom. Mindy followed me as I knew she would. "I'm sorry," she sputtered. "I thought you lied about being married because you weren't wearing rings. Your husband is attractive. Listen, I'm new in town, and it was difficult enough to find a job. I can't afford to lose this one by my inappropriate actions toward you and your husband."
I ignored Mindy as I emptied my bladder. When I left the stall, Mindy stood beside the sink, wiping the tears off her face. "I can forgive you this time. My husband and I rarely wear our wedding rings. We have something else to commemorate our vows. However, you shouldn't repeat that performance. Women in Trenton do not take kindly to other women coming on to their men in front of them. I'm not saying to avoid flirting to get a bigger tip but put the women at ease that you're not poaching," I explained.
"The other man who sat at your table is your dad?" Mindy asked after mulling over my words.
"He is, and he's obviously friends with Shorty. I'll talk to them. Mindy?" I washed my hands while waiting for her response to prove I had her full attention.
"Yes?" she asked. I dried my hands and dropped the paper towel into the trash. In a way, I felt sorry for her. Instead of admonishing her, I decided to offer her an olive branch.
"My name is Stephanie. You may call me Stephanie or Steph. I know many single men in Trenton if you'd like an introduction. However, I recommend staying away from Joseph Morelli. He's known to cheat on his girlfriends. When my husband gets deployed again, would you like to go shopping or have a night out with me?" I know it was a leap of faith, but I sensed Mindy could use a friend.
"I'd like that. Thank you for being so kind, Steph. I don't deserve it," she replied. "I should get back to work before my boss gets mad." I mentioned that she should avoid flirting with my husband, and we'd be fine.
Lester watched as I approached our table. He raised an eyebrow as he exited the booth for me to slide into the seat. "We're good. She's sorry for being inappropriate. I offered to introduce her to single men," I said.
"Keeping the enemy closer. Sweet," Lester replied. "My wife is smart." He kissed my temple. My dad's lip twitched in amusement. Dad caught my eye and nodded. I knew he was telling me that he approved my marriage to Lester.
We enjoyed our lunch. Dad asked Lester about his military career, specifically how long he would run the special force missions. Lester looked at me before replying. "My cousin, friends and I are building the capital to open a business. We're hoping to employ ex-military men. Our goal is to provide security services to our customers. We have a basic business plan, but it takes a lot of money to build a business from the ground up," Lester said. He had already told me about their plans, but I was proud of him for sharing them with his father-in-law.
"Where?" Dad asked.
"Atlanta, Boston and Miami," he replied. "Atlanta first, since it would be close to the Army base." Dad nodded. I knew Dad wondered where I would go, but Lester quickly added, "Stephanie has a job in Newark. When we open the business, she can work for us or recommend opening a branch in Trenton. Family is important to us."
"Welcome to the family, son," Dad said, offering his hand. I wasn't surprised that Lester had charmed my father.
"Thank you, sir," Lester replied. "The guys won't believe me when I tell them who I met." Lester whispered that he'd explain everything to me later.
"Take care of yourself, son," Dad said before leaving us in the restaurant. Lester dropped money on the table before dragging me outside.
He waited until we got home before sharing the news. "You didn't tell me your dad was Bomber," Lester said.
"Bomber? What does that mean?" I asked, feigning ignorance.
"You didn't know," he replied. "Your dad is the one all Rangers achieve to become. He was an explosives specialist and could place incendiary devices without getting caught. The Colonel runs the best missions."
"What do you mean? He's retired and only consults," I stated. Dad knew I wouldn't reveal his military secret.
Lester shook his head. "Did your dad leave six months ago for one month?" Lester asked. I nodded, pressing my lips together to avoid telling him something he already knew. "He trained our team's explosives expert on how to place incendiary devices and activate them remotely."
"Aren't you the explosives expert?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.
"Yup. I had no idea it was my father-in-law teaching me. He only went by his code name. I had his permission to share this information with you. We both know you wouldn't divulge our secrets." I wouldn't be surprised if Daddy volunteered for the job. When I gave Daddy Lester's name, he wanted to meet him. I had no doubt Dad researched Lester before volunteering to train my husband.
"What's your code name? Or aren't you allowed to tell me?" I asked. Lester knew I wouldn't tell anyone if he shared it with me.
"Blaze, because everything I explode burns for hours," Lester proudly replied. He rubbed the wrinkle between my eyes, attempting to smooth out the skin. "Baby, I'm good at my job. I'll do everything possible to return to you."
"I know, sexy. But I'll worry all the same," I said. Lester parked in the lot and held my hand as we entered my apartment. He guided me to the bedroom, where he spent the next few hours distracting me.
We visited Lester's family in Newark a few days before he had to report for duty. I had printed off the pages for the security company business plan, feeling I needed to bring them to dinner. Lester said my ideas were remarkable and wanted to share them with the guys. Apparently, they were more detailed than Ric's plans. If all went according to plan, Lester could retire in three years when his Rangers contract expired.
"They'll love you, baby," Lester said. "But we have to tell them we're married."
"I was afraid of that," I confessed. "Although, it's best that your family should also know. We've been married for four years. It's about time you told the family and introduced me." He knew I was joking with him. We purposely waited to notify his relatives.
Lester swatted my ass after I climbed from the car. He caught me before I tumbled into the door. "Watch your step," Lester joked.
"I would have been fine if you didn't spank me," I huskily replied. "You promised to save that for the bedroom." His eyes darkened before his lips slammed against mine.
"Get your ass in here, Lester," I heard a deep voice call to us. I looked behind Lester to see Ric standing on the porch.
"Crap. Your cousin's here," I whispered. Ric was still on my shit list for sending Lester the wedding invitation photograph. It took Mom two weeks to retract the invitation. She claimed I cancelled after the invitations got mailed.
"Shit! I bet Bobby and Tank are here too. Those two follow Ric everywhere," Lester groaned. He entwined our fingers and walked toward the house. Ric raised an eyebrow as he noticed our joined hands.
"You brought a girl home?" Ric asked. His condescending tone angered me. I felt bad for Rachel. Thank goodness she found a man worthy of her love.
"Not just any girl, Ric. I'm introducing her to the family," Lester replied. Ric's eyebrow remained raised as he followed us into the house.
A woman slightly shorter than me pulled me into her arms. "Thank you for bringing my boy home," she whispered.
"Mucho gusto, Mrs. Santos," I replied. Lester said her name was Lucinda.
She kissed my cheek and reciprocated the greeting. "Call me mama," she added.
"Mama, I'd like you to meet my wife, Stephanie," Lester said, interrupting my response. He didn't notice Tank, Bobby and Ric standing behind him.
"You're married?" Bobby asked. "When did that happen?"
"Four years ago, after I met Stephanie again at Infernos," Lester replied.
"Again? But those women." Bobby stopped when he saw my expression.
Lester pulled him aside with me. "Bobby, all those stories were from before I met Stephanie. I changed the names to keep you guys off my back. I've been faithful to my wife since the day I met her in the church. I will beat you to a pulp if you ever insinuate that I'm not. Do you understand?" Lester asked. His voice was hard and cold. I'd never heard him speak that way before. It frightened me.
"Sorry, buddy. I wondered why you disappeared whenever we got our leave. Did you come here?" Bobby asked.
"During my first two years in the Army, yes. But since the night in Infernos, I went to Trenton, where my wife resides," Lester replied. "I spent all of my downtimes with her."
"Robert, you know better," a short woman said after smacking him in the back of his head.
"Yes, Mama," he replied. I grinned. Mrs. Manoso was my hero.
"It's nice to see you again, Stephanie," the woman said. "Call me Tia Maria." I noticed Ric lowered his head to his chest and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Lester raised an eyebrow, silently asking where we had met before. "I met Maria at Julie's baptism. I'm Julie's godmother," I said. It never came up in our conversations. Ric snapped his head up to stare at me. Lester knew I was the godmother, but he didn't know his aunt attended the Miami ceremony. His aunt rarely left the state.
"You're Stephanie Plum?" he asked. When I met him at Infernos, I had introduced myself as Michelle.
"Yes," I replied. I wanted to slap Ric for treating my friend Rachel like crap, but my Burg manners prevented me from acting out in front of my extended family. It would embarrass my mother if I slapped Ric, even if he deserved the smackdown.
"I'm Carlos," he said, moving closer to shake my hand. Lester wrapped a possessive arm around me when Carlos tried to hug me. Tank and Bobby approached me to introduce themselves.
"I remember you three," I stated. "After lunch, I have some documents to share."
"Babe?" Carlos asked. I glared at him, letting him know I didn't appreciate the inappropriate nickname. Lester laughed.
"He can call you Babe, baby. I don't mind the guys having nicknames for you," he said. "I know who you love, Beautiful. I'm changing your nickname," he whispered in my ear. His warm breath tickled my ear, giving me the urge to rub my thighs together.
Tank used that moment to tower over me and say, "I'm going to call you Little Girl." Everyone laughed at his comment.
"Yuk it up, Big Guy. You're freakishly huge," I commented.
"He's shy about his size," Lester stage whispered.
"Awe. Is the Big Guy feeling embarrassed to be a giant? Listen to me, Big Guy. If you want to call me "Little Girl," I get to call you "Big Guy." Do we have a deal?" I asked. Tank blushed and nodded. I patted his chest, feeling the muscles beneath his shirt. Woah. I blushed as I said, "Glad we've got that straight." Before I could say something to Bobby, my stomach growled.
"Shit, girl. Was that you?" Bobby asked.
"Sorry. I'm hungry," I replied. My face blushed a deeper red as Lester guided me to the dining room.
