It felt like my conversation with Hal about Joe and Ranger was yesterday instead of twelve days ago. Hal and I talked about everything we expected from our budding relationship. I enjoyed the candid conversation. We never discussed my inheritance or the money in my bank account. In just a few short days, I would return home.
The feeling of impending doom hovered over me during the past few weeks. Hal and his family were fantastic at keeping me occupied. I improved my self-defence and long-range weapon accuracy. Hal's natural scent as he assisted by correcting my position and wrapping his hands around mine drove me insane. It was an effective distraction until I was alone in my bed.
Jamie taught me how to lasso a cow, sheep and a horse. The cow and sheep were easy, but the buck gave me some trouble. During that lesson, Hal pressed against my back and held my hand on the lasso. He kissed my cheek before whispering, "It's all in the flick of your wrist," then proceeded to show me how it was done. All I managed to do was lasso Jamie, who fell to the ground and laughed his ass off.
I shook off my thoughts and used my PTES laptop to check my email. Predictably, Mom got mad when I mentioned signing a contract with Rangeman. Unwilling to share my thoughts in an email, I called Dad's cellphone. He answered on the second ring. Dad listened as I explained the situation.
He left the line open as he discussed the situation with Mom. They argued for several minutes before Dad made a valid point that I would have backup whenever I was in the field. Mom sighed and promised to be respectful of my choices, but she wasn't happy about me working with those thugs and criminals.
When Dad returned to the line, I heard the door open and close, immediately followed by his car door slamming shut. "Your mother is frustrating. She wants you to have a stable job, and once you find one, she criticizes it," Dad mumbled.
"Daddy, I think you and Mom should go to Point Pleasant for a few days," I suggested.
"We can't," he replied.
"Why not?" I demanded.
"I suppose it's time for you to know. Your grandmother is sick. She has an issue with kidney stones and gout. The medication she took for suppressing the gout symptoms, combined with kidney stones and taking copious amounts of ibuprofen, destroyed her kidneys. Edna's kidney function has declined exponentially over the past few weeks. Your mother needs to monitor Edna's activities, such as food and drink input," Dad explained.
I wiped a tear off my cheek. Grandma Edna was my biggest supporter. She went a few rounds with Mom to keep her off my back. "Dad, I can come home today so you and Mom can have a break," I offered. I couldn't imagine how hard it was for Mom to be a caregiver to Grandma. It was a huge responsibility, one I willingly offered to give Mom and Dad some peace before Grandma's death.
Dad left to have a quick conversation with Mom. I patiently waited for him to return to the call. "Your mother wants to know if you can handle the possibility of Edna passing while in your care," Dad said.
Rolling my eyes, I replied, "Dad, I found a dead man cut in half sitting on my couch. I've witnessed people exploding into pieces when they tried to kill me. Heck, I even watched a man's head crack open on the pavement from falling four floors. I can handle this better than Mom. Let me give this gift to Mom."
"I don't want you to cut your vacation short to babysit your grandmother," Dad said.
"Dad," I exhaled, "I'm offering to assist. Let me spend time with Grandma."
"Are you sure?" Dad asked. I wouldn't have offered if I never wanted to help.
"Absolutely. I want to do this for you and Mom. Go to Point Pleasant and stay in your beach house. You two need a break from everything. I'll handle the rest," I replied.
Speaking Italian, Dad asked if I signed the paperwork for PTES. Without asking, I knew Mom was trying to eavesdrop on our conversation. I explained everything would be announced shortly. However, I had to meet with the Rangeman core team to discuss the contract I signed before leaving on vacation. I confessed my fear of running PTES and having more money than I could spend in my lifetime. "Your uncle invested well," Dad reasoned.
"Investing five grand in Macintosh during its inception was brilliant," I laughed. "I'm not touching that portfolio." My stock in Apple was worth over seven million dollars.
"How soon can you get here?" Dad asked.
"Within six hours, if I leave immediately," I replied. "I should call the pilot. See you soon, Dad."
"Have a safe flight, Pumpkin."
I dialled the number for Jacob Juniak. He answered on the third ring. "Hello?" Jacob asked.
"Hey, Jake. It's Stephanie. Are you still in the area?"
"Dad and I are heading to the jet now. Do you need to fly home?" Jacob questioned.
Sighing, I replied, "Yes. That's if Uncle Joe doesn't mind."
"He's good," Jacob laughed. "I'll see you in thirty minutes."
Once I ended the call, I hurriedly packed my bags, remembering to grab my weapons and other items from the safe. I double-checked everything before leaving the room.
Hal and Sharlene were talking in the lobby. I approached them, dragging my suitcases behind me. My laptop back thumped against my hip with every step. "Sharlene, I need to check out five days early. I'm going home," I announced when I caught her attention.
"No worries, dear. I'll clean the room in a few minutes," Sharlene replied. She hugged me before running upstairs to prepare the room for another guest. Hopefully, she could rent the room for the weekend.
Turning to Hal, I asked, "Do you mind following me to the car rental company and driving me to the airport's charter flight section?" Hal nodded without commenting. He grabbed my suitcases to load into his truck. I followed him outside, enjoying the view of his sexy ass.
We returned my rental without incident. Hal raised a brow when the woman thanked me for renting with her company. He held my hand as we walked to his truck. "Stephanie Juniak?" Hal asked.
"It was the only way to keep me off Rangeman's radar. My cousin, Francine, is enjoying my vacation in Hawaii. She resembles me enough to fool the men watching the airport security cameras," I replied.
"You know that trick won't fool Hector," Hal warned.
Laughing, I replied, "I know, but he'll go along with the ruse." I climbed into the cab of Hal's truck. He closed the door and rounded the front of the vehicle to get inside the driver's seat. I chewed my lip, worrying about what I would face and feeling guilty for not telling Hal about my financial situation.
Hal waited until I secured my seatbelt before saying, "Steph, you don't have to worry about me. I'm coming home tomorrow. Nothing between us will change."
Without filtering my thoughts, I asked, "Are we ever going to have sex?"
"Please don't take this the wrong way," Hal replied. I felt my heart breaking in half. Hal doesn't want me. I thought we had something great going on between us and I was falling in love with him. "Hey, get those thoughts out of your head. I was going to say that I want us to build our relationship on love, compassion and friendship. God, Stephanie, I want to make love to you." Hal grabbed my hand and placed it on his impressive erection.
"Then why haven't you made the first move?" I whispered, looking up at him through my eyelashes.
"Steph," Hal growled, using a finger to lift my face to look into his eyes. "I'm in love with you. I have loved you for so long. Nothing will ever change that."
"But?" I asked.
"Your life has changed during the past four weeks. I want you to concentrate on your new responsibilities. God knows I want to take you right now, but I respect and love you too much to rush into a sexual connection," Hal explained.
"So…when you come home?" I asked. "I need that sexual connection."
Hal stared into my eyes for a few minutes, searching for something. I tried to convey that I was falling in love with him. "Okay," Hal whispered. "When I come home."
He started the truck and drove the few hundred metres to the chartered flight area. I unbuckled from the seat and exited the vehicle. Hal grabbed my bags from the back, passing them to Jacob, who would secure them in a locked cabinet for the flight. I squeaked when Hal tugged on my arm. He pulled me tightly against his chest and gave me a heated kiss, leaving me weak in the knees.
"Thank you," I said when we broke the kiss.
"For?"
"Respecting me," I replied. I chastely kissed Hal and placed my palm on his chest. He dropped his arms, letting me leave him behind. I turned my back on Hal and followed Jacob up the stairs leading into the jet. Hal waved, which I returned as Jacob retracted the steps.
Within minutes, Jacob taxied down the runway, and we took off. I waited until Jacob announced we could roam the cabin to text Hal. "I miss you already." The words "I love you" were what I wanted to say, but I couldn't bring myself to type them. However, it wasn't less accurate to keep the words to myself.
"I miss you, too," Hal replied.
I could feel Uncle Joe watching me. He moved from his seat to take the one beside mine. "Are you okay?" I assumed he was asking a broad-scope question to cover everything on my mind, from Hal to my bank account balance, with a mix of Grandma's health news.
Shrugging, I replied, "About some things. I'm uncomfortable with the money and don't want to ruin everything my Uncle Vincent worked hard to maintain at PTES."
"Everything will work out as it should," Uncle Joe said. I hoped he was right.
My phone chimed halfway through the flight home. I unlocked it to read the message from Hunter. Instead of returning the text message, I called. "Hello, Stephanie," Hunter answered, correctly assuming I was on the line.
"Do you have the keys?" I asked.
He jingled the keys, making me smile. "The crew installing the fence and gate should arrive tomorrow. I asked Ella to stock your cupboards and refrigerator."
"Thank you for everything, Hunter. I appreciate you handling the closing. I'm coming home. The plane lands in two hours," I said.
"Which airport?" Hunter asked.
"Can I meet you at the house?" I countered.
"That should work. I'll see you in a few hours," Hunter replied and hung up. I shook my head as I shut off my phone.
"You don't want interruptions?" Uncle Joe asked.
"I need a few hours to ground myself before taking over Grandma's care," I replied. "I'm mentally preparing to face the unexpected."
"There's nothing you can't handle when you put your mind to it," Uncle Joe said. He returned to his seat across the aisle and let me disappear into Denial Land for a few hours.
I woke up when Uncle Joe buckled the seatbelt across my lap. "Thanks," I sleepily mumbled.
The plane landed softly, which I appreciated. I waited for Jacob to announce we could disembark before releasing my seatbelt. Uncle Joe grabbed our bags from the locked cabinet and gestured for me to exit. Uncle Joe followed me down the stairs. He wasn't holding our bags. Jacob had them. I thanked Jacob for carrying them to Uncle Joe's vehicle. He would drive me to the house, where I hoped Hector parked my new SUV in the garage.
Uncle Joe's driver took me to my house in Ewing Township. I thanked him and Uncle Joe for the ride. Hector and Hunter were standing on the front porch, awaiting my arrival. When I grabbed my suitcases from the driver, Hector rushed forward to yank them from my hands. "Gracias, hermano," I whispered.
Hunter passed me the keys. My hand shook as I unlocked the door. "I changed the locks, and Hector had your furniture delivered an hour ago," Hunter announced.
"Thank you. And the security?" I asked.
"Rangeman is monitoring your account. I transferred the paperwork to your name. It's customary for a sales team member to welcome you to Rangeman. Since you're already familiar with the company, they waived that formality," Hunter replied. I glanced at Hector, who nodded. Hunter left a few minutes later.
"I'm going to shower and head to my parents' house. Dad and Mom are going away for a few days to reconnect," I explained to Hector. He motioned for me to get on with the task.
The shower was heavenly. I spent ten minutes washing away the dust from Montana and the sweat of travelling. Hector never brought my suitcases upstairs. I assumed he took them to the laundry room to save me a trip.
All of my clothes from my apartment, plus brand new ones courtesy of Ella, were in the closet and dresser. I found everything where I expected them to be. Ella obviously unpacked my bags. It was a shame she worked for Rangeman. I needed to hire someone to clean my house and manage my meals. Working at PTES would eat away most of my free time. It was a problem for another day.
Hector helped me reprogram my alarm code. I used a significant date - one nobody could ever guess. It was the date I added my initials to the painting, followed by the four-digit numerical representation of love. I entered 198911275683 into the panel. It beeped a few times. "Again," Hector ordered. I repeated the number to disarm it. "Press this button to set the alarm before you leave."
"Thank you for taking care of my house and painting, Hector. I appreciate everything you've done for me," I said. He hung the painting in the second-floor office. The door would remain locked unless I were using the space. I also had a main-floor den, which I could use as an office during the day. However, the one upstairs had a safe built into the wall. The safe was large enough to store my laptop and other priceless items. It was also fireproof. I hoped that feature wouldn't get tested.
"De nada," Hector replied.
We went our separate ways after leaving the garage in our respective vehicles. I drove to Dad's house, where I would see for myself how much Grandma's health declined. Dad wasn't one to mince his words. He stated the facts, which I greatly appreciated. Mom tended to exaggerate, making everything seem worse than reality. I supposed it was the result of residing in the Burg. The residents of that neighbourhood tended to rub off on you. Thankfully, I never fell victim to their ways. I was immune or something.
Dad was standing beside his cab when I arrived. "Were you waiting long?" I asked.
"No. I put our bags in the trunk," Dad replied, pointing to the car.
"How is she?" I queried.
"Not good." Dad hugged me. He kissed my forehead and turned me to face the house. It was time to see Mom and Grandma.
Nothing could have prepared me for the sight of Grandma once I entered the house. I have never seen Grandma so swollen. Her legs were at least twice the normal size. She had to be retaining at least twenty pounds of fluid.
I rushed to Grandma and hugged her. She weakly returned the embrace. Grandma barely had the strength to squeeze me. I felt the tears build in my eyes, but I forced myself not to react. She needed me to be strong for her.
"I didn't know it was this bad," I told Dad, speaking Italian.
"Your mother and I didn't want to ruin your vacation. Call us if anything happens," Dad said. Mom kissed my cheek and thanked me for giving her a break. She, too, asked me to call if anything happened to Grandma. I had a sinking feeling that everything was about to change…again.