Ranger had been a little puzzled the night before about Stephanie's response to his asking her out. He chalked it up to her rotten, or was that rotted, day. He knew that when people felt powerless in one part of their lives, they frequently went overboard in other aspects. He didn't see a problem. Stephanie had proven time and again how resilient she was. He would see her on Saturday and things would still be on track. And thinking about trackers, he remembered that the tracker he'd placed in her handbag was not transponding and needed replacing. He smiled when he thought about how angry she got when he slipped trackers in her purse or her car without her knowing about them. But she was always glad when he came to her rescue.
He'd talked to his mother earlier and she had several good ideas for the engagement party. Nothing too fancy, but her ideas were designed to make Stephanie feel special and welcome. His large extended family could be a little overwhelming. Each of his four sisters had already called him, trying unsuccessfully to ferret out details about his mystery woman. He knew they would love Stephanie so he didn't want to influence their opinions. Plus, he just loved to tease his sisters.
While Ranger was musing about Stephanie, she was musing about a Mazda MX-5 Miata. Did she prefer the red one or the silver? She and her grandmother had been browsing the Mazda showroom for several hours discussing with a young salesman the features of the different vehicles on display. The newer model she was looking at was even more streamlined and sexy than the one she'd previously had. Buying this particular car was symbolic in getting a piece of her life back that had been so cruelly taken from her so many years ago. Grandma Mazur, of course, loved the red one. She was sitting behind the wheel of the little sports car while the salesman hovered next to her.
"Ma'am, you can't drive this car off the showroom floor. There are too many cars in the way." You could see sweat beading on the man's forehead as he kept trying to reach over Steph's grandmother to pull the keys from the ignition. How she had gotten the keys in the first place was a mystery.
"Sonny, you better remove your hand or I'm going to yell rape," Grandma Mazur advised the salesman. He quickly snatched his hand out of the car, then moved to stand in front of it. "That's not much better, young fella. This little filly will flatten you when I stomp on the gas."
"Please don't, um, stomp on the gas," he pleaded. "Let's go outside and look at the other cars on the lot. Maybe we could do a test drive in one of those."
"A test drive? Could we drive past the Cut N' Curl on Hamilton Street? The girls would get a hoot outta seeing me drive such a sweet ride." She grabbed the keys and struggled to climb out of the low slung vehicle.
Steph noticed the frantic gestures of the salesman and decided to rescue him. "I've made up my mind. I want the Soul Red Crystal Metallic," she said, pointing to the car her grandmother had just extracted herself from. "And it has to have the retractable roof." Steph already had her first road trip planned. Pleasant Point, here I come!
"Wonderful! There are just a few things we need to do before you can drive one of these babies out of here," the salesman told her. "The first thing is I will need the keys," glancing at Grandma Mazur and holding his hand out. Grandma reluctantly dropped the keys in his hand. His relief was palpable. "Great! Now, let's finalize this deal." He gestured toward his office, and after a yelp from the young man and a satisfied grin from Grandma Mazur, they settled themselves around a desk.
Steph put on her best Jersey Girl face and started negotiating. "Regarding my trade in, I want another $1,000 for it. And, the ad you're running says there are no payments for the first 90 days."
The salesman frowned and exhaled loudly, "I don't think…" he blanched when Grandma Mazur scooted her chair closer to him. "Fine, another $1,000 on your trade in, though I don't think we can sell that heap, er, well-used vehicle at any price. Now, we will need to prep the car first. You can wait here in the office…"
Steph interrupted, "That sounds interesting. I think my grandmother and I will watch while my car is prepped."
He looked at a grinning Grandma and visibly shuddered. "Alright, bottom line. Let's make it another $2,000 on the trade in and we'll throw in the retractable roof for free." Grandma Mazur scooted her chair even closer to him, "And we'll waive the prep fees if you will take your grandmother to the coffee shop across the street and wait there while we prep the car."
"Deal," Steph held out her hand and they shook. The young salesman fled the room.
When she and Grandma pulled up in front of her parents' house, not only her mother was standing at the door but her father was there, too. They both came out and oohed and aahed over the new car. Over a late lunch, her mom quizzed her. "How are you going to pay for that fancy new sports car? I heard you quit your job at your Uncle Vinnie's. Now, Stephanie, I am thrilled you won't be working there any longer, but what are you going to do? I hear they are hiring at the button factory."
Pulling a fatty piece of pastrami from her teeth, Grandma Mazur piped up, "She can work for that Ranger fella. He's got a hunky-dory outfit, and he's hot to trot for Stephanie."
Helen and Steph turned to stare at her. "Well, he's got a lot of hunks working for him. And he is sweet on you," she said, defensively.
"I'm not going to work for Ranger. And they are always hiring at the button factory," Steph told them. "The economy has changed and there are lots of job openings now. I think it's time I started making use of my business education. I've got a few leads. In fact," she glanced at her watch, "I need to make some phone calls and see if I can line up some interviews." With that announcement, she walked out the door leaving her family with their mouths open.
"I'm wondering, who was that girl?" Helen asked, shaking her head.
"You don't have to wonder, that was no girl," Edna quipped, "that was one determined woman. That was our very own Wonder Woman!"
Once she drove home in her shiny new red car, Steph showered, shaved, moisturized, and then blow dried her curly hair until it fell in loose waves around her shoulders. It only took a quick perusal of her wardrobe to reveal that she only had one suitable suit. After steaming the wrinkles out, she let it dry while she made several phone calls. Her excitement was building and her hand wasn't entirely steady as she applied a third coat of mascara. When she was satisfied with her makeup, she put on her suit. Studying herself in the full-length mirror, it was obvious the suit was out of fashion, but it couldn't be helped. She didn't have time to shop for a new one. That would come later. Smiling, she strode out the door and down to her new ride.
"Damn, this is one beautiful car," she exclaimed as she held on to the leather steering wheel and inhaled the new car smell. "Now, to nail down a new job that looks and maybe smells just as good."
She'd been able to schedule three interviews for that afternoon. All three potential jobs were in her wheelhouse, were full-time with regular hours, offered a good salary and good benefits including healthcare. Why hadn't she done this sooner, she wondered. Her first interview was at Macy's, the second at Kmart, and the third was at the soon to be opened Tastykake Thrift Outlet store.
The first two interviews had gone well, Steph thought, but she wasn't enthused about the positions. Both were similar to the job she'd had at E. E. Martin and would have her working at a desk all day. The third interview was for the floor manager position for the outlet store. At least she would be up and walking about most of the day and, of course, Tastykakes!
The recently hired general manager of the Tastykake Outlet store had gone over her education and earlier jobs with Stephanie and asked her numerous questions, but now came the hard one. "I understand how your business degree applies to this job, but how does your experience as a bounty hunter fit in?" he asked.
"It's fugitive apprehension or recovery agent," Steph clarified. "As I understand this job, you want someone to manage the design and purchase of all the associated products that will be for sale, like t-shirts, mugs and gift tins, plus keep the display areas fresh and fashion forward. My education and my earlier jobs prepared me for that aspect of this job. But this position also requires considerable interaction with the staff and the public. My years as a fugitive recovery agent required me to excel at problem solving, thinking on my feet, and working with others, communicating and being, um, persuasive. I think that combination of skills makes me perfect for this job."
"I hadn't thought of it like that," he said. "You won't carry a gun, will you?"
Steph smiled. "No. I rarely carried a gun. I relied on my other skills. If you need a reference, I can give you Connie Rosolli's number."
"Connie Rosolli?" he exclaimed. "She's my cousin. Well, a distant cousin. You worked with her?"
"Every day. She can tell you about my excellent recovery record and how well I can do this job."
He glanced down at his daily planner and sighed. "I really need to get this position filled ASAP. The start date is Monday, but the floor manager from the Philadelphia outlet store is only here for the next two days. Could you come in tomorrow and shadow her, and then start officially on Monday?"
"As long as I am on the payroll starting tomorrow," Steph negotiated.
He looked at Steph and she held his gaze without blinking. "I think I can arrange that," he finally said. "We can do the paperwork tomorrow morning." He stood and held out his hand. Steph stood and they shook on it.
As she drove away, she let out a scream. She had a job! A real world job, one her parents could be proud of. And OMG, she now worked for Tastykakes! She was on cloud nine. There was just one more thing she had to do.
She parked on the street, but she could see the closed security gates that surrounded the nine-story apartment building and underground parking garage. According to the brochure, there was a pool, a gym and laundry services. There were plenty of trees and grassy areas. And best of all, it wasn't in the Burg. She took a tour of the furnished one and two bedroom apartments and was impressed with the hardwood floors, spacious closets, and large windows with views that looked down on the manicured gardens. She had to tamp down her impulse to get the two bedroom, but sucked it up and chose the more affordable one bedroom. She had enough money to pay first and last month rent and the security deposit, with a few hundred left over, thank you, Corky Gomez. She could move in on Saturday.
And Ranger was Saturday night!