Chapter Six

Of course, Ranger insisted on checking out my apartment for me. He didn't find any boogeymen or killer dust bunnies, so after a last kiss on my forehead, he left me alone.

I locked the door behind him and then looked around. It seemed so different after being away for a week in one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen. It felt dingy and dirty, even though I had cleaned before I left. Maybe I should move to a new apartment—a newer, brighter apartment with an updated bathroom. I could afford an extra few hundred dollars a month now that I'll have a steady paycheck. I probably won't even need to touch that extra money, either. Tonight, though, I just need a shower and to go to sleep.

I called Joe the next morning and asked if we could meet later. He said he had some free time and asked if he could come over now, so I agreed and waited for him. I wore faded jeans and a hoodie, not wanting him to get the wrong idea if I wore something sexier. I tossed the few things he left at my place into a grocery bag and set it down by the front door.

About fifteen minutes later, Joe arrived and let himself into my apartment. As soon as he closed the door behind him, he started laying into me. "What the hell, Cupcake? You just take a vacation without a word to your boyfriend or family? Who did you go with? Tell me why I shouldn't break up with you right now?"

I held up my hand to get his attention and waited until he stopped ranting. "I didn't go with anyone. I needed time to be alone and think about my life and what I wanted. I didn't tell you about it beforehand because I didn't want to argue with you."

"You needed to think about your life? I heard you quit working for your cousin. Does that mean you'll finally settle down and move in with me?"

I shook my head sadly. "No, Joe, that's not what it means. I quit working for Vinnie because he wasn't giving me enough work to support myself. I met with Tank, who agreed to hire me full-time at Rangeman."

Joe exploded in fury, his face becoming mottled as he yelled. "I don't fucking think so, Stephanie! My future wife is not going to work for a bunch of thugs who are constantly getting her into trouble and just trying to get into her pants!"

Despite trying to keep calm, I felt my Rhino mode coming on. "Joe Morelli, you don't own me! I can work for whoever I want! And I'm not your future wife!"

"You damn sure are, Cupcake! You just need to give up your dangerous job and stupid friends and move in with me."

I sighed loudly. "Joe, this isn't working. We're over. Give me my key."

"You'll be back, Cupcake. You can't stay away from me for long. We're destined to end up together. You know it, and I know it. You need to accept it. Then our mothers can start planning the wedding."

I skirted past him and opened my door. "Get out, Joe. We're done. Don't call me, don't come over."

He glared at me but started walking out. "You better be real sure this is what you want, Cupcake. If I leave now, we're through!"

"Good!" I shrieked. I slammed the door in his face and locked it.

I spent the rest of the morning storming around my apartment, ignoring the many phone calls that started coming in. I turned off the ringer for my home phone, turned down the answering machine, and turned off my cell phone. I replayed my fight with Joe on a loop, trying to determine whether it could have gone better, maybe without the shouting at each other. If I hadn't started yelling back but maintained my calm tone, would he have fizzled out?

Finally, I just needed to get out. I grabbed my purse and keys, then took the stairs down to the parking lot. I angrily stalked out to the parking lot and over to my car, then jammed the key in the ignition. I needed to talk to my mother next.

I pulled up to the curb in front of my parents' house. My mother and grandma opened the door as I got out of my car and started toward them. "Hi, Mom, hi, Grandma," I said. "Mom, I need to talk to you."

"Stephanie Michelle Plum! I got a call from Angie Morelli telling me you broke her poor Joseph's heart! How could you break up with that sweet boy?"

I scoffed. "That is exactly what I want to talk to you about, and unless you want to get into it out here, in front of the neighbours, you'll invite me inside, and we can discuss it there."

She looked around fearfully as if she'd forgotten she was within eye- and earshot of all her neighbours. She bustled back inside and held the door open for me. I followed her, keeping the door open for my grandma behind me. Grandma Mazur looked like a kid in a candy shop, rubbing her hands gleefully at the prospect of a showdown between my mother and me. I shot her a look, and she tried to look appropriately chastised, but I wasn't fooled. I loved her, but I had no problem not speaking to her for a while, either.

After Grandma closed the front door, my mother whirled around to face me. "Stephanie, why on Earth would you break up with Joseph? He's your last chance to live a respectable 'Burg life, get married, and have children. Who else would have you, with your dangerous job and thug friends?"

I balled my hands into fists at my sides. "Mother, listen to me carefully. Joe and I are not meant to be. It was way past time to end it, and we won't get back together. He should be with someone who wants to be that housewife with two-point-five kids and has supper on the table for him at six o'clock. But it's not going to be me. If you can't accept that, I don't have to come over anymore."

"But Stephanie," she whined. "You don't want to be an old maid, do you?"

I shrugged. "If I become an old maid because I refuse to settle for less than I want, then I'll be an old maid. Why can't you understand that not everyone wants the husband, kids, and picket fence? Could you please just be a supportive mother and stand behind my choices, even if they're not the ones you'd make?"

She opened and closed her mouth a few times, gaping like a fish. Grandma Mazur was smiling as she clacked her dentures in her mouth. "It's about time, baby Granddaughter. That Morelli boy has a nice tush on him, but he's not good enough for you."

"Mother!" My mom found her voice to admonish Grandma.

"Oh, put a sock in it, Helen. Can't you see our little Stephie has finally gotten a backbone?"

"Mom, I will let you think about what I said. If you think you can live with that and support me the way a mother should, then you can call me and invite me for dinner on Friday night. Otherwise, I'll assume you can't, and I won't come over anymore." With that, I squeezed my grandmother's bony arm, turned around and left.

My mom had four days to think about what I said and decide if she could be supportive. Though I hoped she could, I had my doubts. If she didn't invite me over for dinner, or she did and ambushed me with Joe's presence, then I meant what I said and didn't have to go over there anymore. And I'd stick to my guns, too.

As I drove through the streets of Chambersburg, my mind circled back to the thought I had last night when I returned from my vacation. Joe didn't give me back my key when he left this morning. But it wouldn't matter if I didn't live there anymore, and with that thought, I made the next left to stop at McDonald's before going home to research apartments for rent on my laptop. I thought briefly about going to see Ranger, but I didn't think it would be a good time, considering I'd just had two confrontations in a row. I didn't want to take that negative energy and my lingering bad mood to his peaceful oasis of an apartment.

After eating my Big Mac and large fries, I shoved the wrappers away and pulled my laptop closer. I had no idea what websites people used these days to find apartments. When I was looking for this place, you used a newspaper and a phone to make appointments to look at places until you found one you liked.

I briefly wondered if I should ask Tank or Ranger if there were any empty apartments in the Rangeman building, but they were too small and efficient to be very homey, and if it didn't work out with Ranger and Rangeman, I'd be homeless on top of being jobless.

I found several places on Facebook Marketplace, and after contacting them, I arranged several appointments for this afternoon. Since I wasn't trying to be foolish, I called Tank and asked him if he could come with me this afternoon. He agreed, so we met in front of the first building at two-thirty that afternoon.

"Hey, Little Girl."

"Hi, Tank. Thanks for coming with me."

"It's no problem. But why didn't you ask Ranger?"

"I'm trying to keep a little distance from him for a while."

"Is this because he changed your hotel on your vacation?"

"That's part of it," I admitted.

"What's the other part?"

"I don't want to talk about that part."

He raised his eyebrow, and I ducked my head. He is good at reading me. Not as good as Ranger is, but I'm not ready to share my secret yet. "Let's go inside. This is my first choice of the places I found online earlier. I noticed this building has your Rangeman plaque. Do you happen to know what kind of security it has?"

"Not off the top of my head, but if you like the apartment, I can check into it. And we can always add more security for your apartment."

We went inside and met the rental agent, a smiling, perky, older blonde woman. "Hello. Stephanie?" she asked, extending her hand to shake mine. When I nodded, she continued, "Welcome to The Evergreen Court!"

"Hi, you must be Genevieve? It's nice to meet you. This is my friend, Tank," I said as I gestured to the man behind me.

Genevieve shook his hand, her smile only faltering momentarily as she took in the giant black man. "Nice to meet you, too," she greeted him.

He nodded politely and said, "Ma'am."

She led us into the elevator, and as it rose, she chatted about the building. "It's five stories and constructed of brick. As the ad states, this is a one-bedroom loft apartment with one-and-a-half baths. The full bathroom is on the loft level, and there's a half bath on the lower. It has a built-in washer/dryer unit, and utilities are included. This apartment is on the top floor, and no pets are allowed."

I nodded to indicate I understood everything, and when the elevator opened, and she moved to the apartment door to unlock it, I waited quietly. The pictures online looked really good, so I hoped it wasn't a situation where the photographer photoshopped everything to make it seem better.

After we went inside and looked around for a few minutes, I caught Tank's eye and smiled. He grinned back and winked, and I sighed happily. This place was beautiful and bright, with large windows covering the exterior wall. That outer wall and the interior walls that connected my apartment with the neighbours were made of exposed brick, and warm white-painted drywall covered all the rest. The apartment was currently empty, but in the photos online, they were furnished, so I had an idea of the possibilities here.

After one more lap around the apartment, including the loft area, I was in the main bath upstairs. It was a far cry from the orange and brown monstrosity in my current apartment on St. James Place. Everything was white: white walls, white subway tiles in the combination bath/shower, and a white vanity. Some might call it sterile, but I thought it looked clean and fresh. I could dress it up with funky-coloured towels and a shower curtain. I met Tank on the stairs when he came to find me, and I asked, "What do you think?"

"It's great, Steph. Are you going to take it?"

"Do you think I should?"

"I think it's your decision. But it seems like a great apartment, leagues above your current one."

I snorted. "A cardboard box would be a league above my current one. It's more money each month, but when I start working for Rangeman, I'll have a steady paycheck, unlike when I worked for Vinnie."

"It sounds like you want it, and now you're just trying to justify the extra expense to yourself."

"I guess I am."

I smiled as he turned around and started walking down the stairs. I followed and found the rental agent. "I'll take it," I told her.

"Wonderful!" she said. "As it's empty now, you could take possession anytime. Let me just find the lease." She opened her briefcase on the kitchen counter to rummage inside. She pulled a sheet of paper and laid it on the counter with a flourish, then extracted a pen from her briefcase, too.

I read over the lease, noting the monthly payment and included utilities. I smiled when I read the part with the included appliances—my very own washer/dryer! The only thing missing was an air conditioner, and I thought I could probably get a window unit or portable A/C if it became unbearable in the summer. When I got to the bottom, I signed the one-year lease and pushed the paper back toward Genevieve, who also signed.

"I'll make a copy and email it to you if that's alright," she said.

"Sure. Can I just take a photo of it right now?"

She nodded, and I whipped out my phone and then snapped a photo of the sheet with my scanner app.

"There's only about a week left in this month, so the first of November makes the most sense to me. That way, I have time to pack up my stuff and arrange movers."

"That sounds fine, Stephanie. The building super lives in Suite One on the ground floor, and I'll give you his contact information when I send you the lease and welcome packet via email. After you get the welcome package, you can call me, and we can arrange for you to receive your keys in exchange for the security deposit and the first month's rent. Do you have any questions?"

"Um, no. I think you answered them all." I looked over at Tank, and he nodded at me. "Thank you, Genevieve. We'll be in touch soon, I guess."

Tank and I left the apartment and entered the elevator, leaving Genevieve behind. When the door closed, I did a little happy dance and laughed. Tank smiled at me indulgently. "It's a nice apartment, Little Girl. I'm glad you're happy."

"Thanks for coming with me. As it turns out, it wasn't necessary, but I feel better that you were there."

"Not a problem, Steph. I'm glad you asked me to come. Better safe than sorry. What do you think about adding some extra security?"

"Hmm. Like, what did you have in mind?" I asked.

"We can discuss your options. Are you planning on keeping this apartment secret?"

"I plan on keeping it private if that's what you mean. I hope to avoid the constant traffic and break-ins I experienced in my old place."

He nodded. The elevator doors opened on the ground floor, and we stepped out and walked outside. "We could install a security system for you with a code to activate and deactivate based on your presence. I don't think a panic button or two would be unwarranted with your track record. And a camera—"

"Stop. No cameras."

He dipped his head in acquiescence. "Fair enough. What about the security system and panic buttons?" We arrived in the parking lot and stood outside my car.

"I can get on board with that."

"Little Girl, what about Ranger? I don't know what's going on with you two, but you're not going to keep this place secret from him, are you?"

I sighed. "No, I don't think I could, even if I wanted to. I just didn't want him involved in my decision, that's all. I need to make more decisions myself, and Ranger has a strong personality and tends to take control."

Tank snorted. "I'd say so. But that's what makes him such a good leader."

"I know. But I'm not in the military, and he's not the boss of me."

"Well, actually…" He trailed off and raised his eyebrow.

"Yeah, yeah, I know he will be the boss of me." I rolled my eyes and continued. "But not in my personal life."

I thanked him for coming and got into my car. He watched me drive away before getting into his oversized SUV, and I went home to cancel all my other apartment-viewing appointments.

The rest of the week went by in a blur. I notified Dillon that I wasn't renewing my lease, but luckily, only two months were left. I decided to go shopping for new furniture after looking around at my apartment and realizing all my stuff was crap, except for the dining room table. But even that was old and old-fashioned, so I put a notice in my building's lobby to see if anyone else in the building might want it.

One of the residents on the third floor wanted it, so we enlisted Dillon's help to take the table and four chairs upstairs. My apartment looked emptier and emptier, with boxes lining the wall between my bedroom and the living room. I had dragged some of the smaller furniture pieces out to the dumpster—no thrift store in town would want these—and I was ready to move into my new place tomorrow. Genevieve offered me the option to move in the weekend before the start of November free of charge. Tank asked if I wanted help moving my stuff to my new apartment, and I took Genevieve and Tank up on their offers. Lester, Ranger, Hal, and Cal offered to help, too. I hadn't talked to Ranger much this past week as I'd been so busy, but he did stop by after he heard about my move the day after I signed the lease.

Instead of his habit of letting himself into my apartment, he knocked on the door. I looked through the peephole and nearly fell over in surprise.

"Babe? Are you going to open the door?"

I unlatched the chain and unlocked the deadbolt slowly. I opened the door and let it swing free.