1,278Hi there! As promised, this is the sequel to Ups and Downs. Yes, I'm going to play on the whole 'up' theme - my muse insists! :)
This follows on directly after the end of Ups and Downs, so please read it first, if you haven't already! However, it will also be slightly different in style - so far I have written five chapters, all from Steph's POV. My muse is working on this slowly, so sorry it is looking like a slower publishing schedule as well. Unless she kicks into higher gear, I will be publishing one chapter a week; potentially two at most.
I know I published a prologue at the end of Ups and Downs, but it turns out, that isn't the first chapter! It will come, but there were other stories to tell first!
Rated T for now - I'll let you know if that is going to change. As always, the characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I still have to work to pay my bills...
I hope you enjoy! Please review if you can. I love reviews and they help spark my imagination and my muse.
Warming Up
I walked in with my head still spinning. I had just been on the most amazing date of my life. First up, Carlos looked amazing, and I felt like I looked my best possible. Second up, he had taken me to a little bar, and we had mojitos and he had entertained me with some of his funnier stories of boot camp and living in Miami. Third up, the Japanese food was so incredible; first the spectacle of them cooking the Teppanyaki in front of us, then the delicious tastes and sensations. Carlos had ordered warm Sake, which I had only sipped at very slowly, since I was already feeling a bit dazed from the cocktail. I wanted to experience every second of this date and getting drunk was all too easy for me.
Fourth up, I had chosen for us to go and see Independence Day, which was a new release. It was a blast! Fun and exciting for me; plenty of guns and action for Carlos. It was a bit silly; I mean I guess they might have not known which targets to pick being aliens, but really why would anyone blow up Las Vegas before somewhere like Tokyo or Beijing or Paris or any of the other main world cities? And the final solution was a pretty obvious one too, for a drunk crop-duster pilot to figure out. Ah well, I guess it was mostly for fun. Carlos had sat with his arm around me, occasionally grabbing a handful of the popcorn he had bought me. I was pretty full after dinner, but you have to have popcorn at the movie theatre!
And fifth up, best of all, the kisses and embraces as he stood at my door told me this was definitely just the first date, and I would have more to come! So, here I stand in my bedroom, still in my blue dress and heels and swoon like a silent movie heroine. Eventually I pulled myself back together enough to go into the bathroom to change into my pj's, wash my face, and brush my teeth. I climb into bed and fall asleep with a huge smile still plastered on my face. The last two days had been ups and downs but had ended on a definite upswing!
I awoke to the sound of my phone ringing. I made it all the way into the living room and had my hand on the receiver when it stopped ringing. I listened for a moment to hear if the caller would leave a message, but they didn't. I turned away and was about to investigate the coffee situation in my kitchen when the phone rang again. The honey baritone that spoke as I answered it caused an instant smile to spread across my face.
"Good morning, Babe," he said. "How are you feeling this morning?"
"I feel really good, Carlos," I replied a bit shyly. "Thank you again for a wonderful night last night."
"De nada, Babe. What are you up to today?"
I shrugged, then realised he couldn't see me. "Not really sure. I should keep job hunting I suppose, but I feel like there's nothing out there to be honest. My financial situation is getting a bit desperate."
He jumped in, "I was serious the other day about hiring you to do some research for me. Do you want to get together to do some planning?"
I smiled again; he sounded as eager as I felt to spend more time together. "I'd love to Carlos. Your call woke me up though, so I'll need a little time to have breakfast and get ready. Did you want to come to Trenton, or do you want me to come to you?"
He chuckled, "I guessed I woke you up. I'll come to you, Babe. You can show me around Trenton a bit. Maybe we can visit the library and get some statistics on crime. And we can find somewhere to have lunch and do our planning."
"Sounds like a plan." I glanced over at my microwave oven to see the time; 08:25am. "Is ten o'clock ok with you?"
"Perfect, Babe. Until then." He disconnected. I walked into the kitchen to make coffee and to toast myself a strawberry pop tart. That would have to do me for breakfast, since I was planning to introduce Carlos to Pino's for lunch. After my meagre breakfast, I made a second cup of coffee and headed in for a shower and to get ready.
I stood in front of my closet, wondering what I should wear. Something practical, I decided. If we are going to be running around town, I don't want to be worrying about creases in my skirt or walking in heels. I dressed in a pair of jeans and a mid-sleeve top in peacock blue with narrow black stripes. I put on a pair of Doc Martens I had treated myself to, not long before everything went to hell at EE Martin. They were vintage Mary Jane platform shoes and super-comfy to wear and walk in all day. I decided to braid my hair for once and wrestled it into a French braid that came to my shoulder blades. I decided that this hairstyle needed some makeup, so I added some smoky blue shadow, some tinted lip gloss, and a few coats of mascara.
Satisfied, I went back into my bedroom to find a large black leather shoulder bag, into which I tucked all my necessities, as well as a notepad and a couple of pens. At an afterthought, I picked up the local yellow pages and tucked that into my bag as well. You never know what you might need to find.
I had just finished feeding Rex and giving him fresh water when the knock sounded on my door. I opened it to see Carlos wearing his usual black, although in jeans and a t-shirt, and a big smile. He was carrying a bouquet of pretty flowers, sunflowers, daisies, and gerberas, and he handed it to me as he stepped forward to kiss my cheek.
"Good morning, Babe," he murmured, "you look beautiful. That hairstyle emphasises the curve of your neck." He followed up with a tiny kiss to my neck that sent tingles all through my body and straight to my doo-dah. I blushed a little and invited him in. We walked into the kitchen where I found my one and only vase to put the lovely flowers into.
"Thank you for the flowers, Carlos," I told him. "They are beautiful."
"Welcome, Babe. They suit you," he replied with his lip-tipped smile. "Are you ready to head out?" I nodded and grabbed my black bag off the kitchen table before taking Carlos' hand as we walked out of my apartment. We stopped to allow me to lock up, before walking to the stairs. As we headed down, Carlos asked casually, "How are you doing with the elevator thing, Babe? Still having problems?"
I sighed, "Yeah, I haven't really tried though. I know I am going to have to get back in there, but it's still scary. I am concerned if I end up working somewhere on like the tenth floor or something. I'm either going to have to get over it or get really fit!"
He chuckled slightly at that. "You'll get over it, Babe. I usually prefer the stairs myself, although I admit to feeling more cautious now. I think you should find a building with a really modern, newish elevator and start there. Something completely different from the last one with no bad associations."
I nodded thoughtfully at that; it was a good idea. I would have to look for something appropriate. I remembered that Carlos' apartment building was modern and had an elevator. Maybe I could come up and visit him. Not only would his elevator be appropriate, but I'm sure he would come with me to start. That would help too. I mentioned the idea to Carlos, and he replied, "Any time, Babe. Name the day." I smiled at him, and he opened his car door and helped me settle into the passenger seat.
Once seated, I directed him to drive toward Hamilton Avenue, figuring I would show him my Burg stomping ground and Vinnie's office first, then tour the official city and state buildings, before ending up at the Trenton Public Library. After lunch, I would take him to the seedier parts of town to look at what he might be facing here. I pointed out some landmarks of schools and hospitals, as well as Vinnie's office; but we didn't stop there yet. We wanted to do more research before that. We toured the area with the NJ State buildings and located the Mercer County courthouses.
The library was nearby. We walked in and I was thinking I had not been here since I was a teenager. I like reading, but usually I buy books. Maybe I should come back to the library, especially as my financial resources were currently strained. We waited for a couple of elderly clients to be served at the information desk before we asked for help locating city and state statistics on crime and court prosecutions. The librarian eyed us with some curiosity but didn't say anything; she just helped us professionally and then went back to her other tasks. We found some data from the NJ State Police that broke down by types of crimes and by counties, as well as from the FBI on reported federal crimes. I told Carlos I would read them carefully and prepare a report for him. We also found some statistics on bail amounts and failure to appear for courts. We photocopied everything Carlos thought was relevant, and I placed the copies into my bag.
By now it was after noon, and I directed Carlos back to Chambersburg to the best pizza joint in Trenton, at least according to me! He managed a park right outside Pino's, and I could not help thinking 'damn parking karma' again. The smirk on Carlos' face made me realise I must have said it out loud. We walked in with Carlos' hand at my elbow, and I wondered instantly if this had been a good idea. The whole place went completely silent. I could see several police officers I recognised seated in booths and a couple of people I went to high school with, seated at tables with kids eating pizza. Ah well, if I could convince Carlos to set up shop in Trenton, they were going to have to get used to seeing us together, so I decided just to ignore it and enjoy eating my lunch with Carlos.
We walked toward a table at the back, and I paused to introduce Carlos to Eddie Gazzara. Eddie is a Trenton officer, content to be a uniform patrolman for the rest of his life. But he is a really good guy, and he is married to my cousin Shirley. Shirley is known as 'Shirley the whiner' to just about everyone. If Shirley doesn't have a problem, she will find one! Eddie was in uniform but eating with Shirley and the boys. They have three boys, who are possessed by demons. Two of the boys were attempting to mash pizza into each other's faces, while the youngest was trying to stuff it up his own nose. The one and only time I had agreed to babysit for Eddie and Shirley, the demons had cut my hair after I fell asleep on the couch, exhausted from trying to maintain any form of discipline. Never again.
Carlos introduced himself to Eddie as Ranger Manoso, explaining briefly that he is looking to set up a branch of his security company in New Jersey and I am helping him do some research on Trenton. Shirley looked like she was about to explode from wanting to ask gossip questions, but a look from Eddie managed to contain her. Just. For now. I had little doubt there would be a message on my answering machine when I got home.
We made our way to the table and Carlos seated me before taking his own seat with his back to the wall. We ordered a small pizza. I ordered some cheese sticks and Carlos ordered a salad. I got a coke and Carlos got water. Sigh. This man does not know how to eat Italian food. As we waited, we chatted casually about what it was like growing up in Trenton versus Newark. When the food came, we dug in and Carlos began talking about the kinds of things he would need to know and understand before deciding if Trenton would be a suitable location. I dug out my notebook and pen and jotted down some notes and ideas as I ate pizza and hot melted cheese dipped in red sauce and sipped my coke. I knew, with the data from the library, I could prepare a very professional report for Carlos. I would also go talk to some people at the police station and courthouse and add some more context to the statistics. I am determined to do a really good job, not just because I want to lure Carlos here, but because I consider it a point of honor to give this my best effort. After all, Carlos is going to be paying me.
We had finished our lunch and were chatting about bail bond processes and bond recovery processes when the restaurant went silent again. I looked up to see Joe Morelli swaggering toward our table with his trademark cocky smirk on his face. I tensed automatically. Carlos looked at my face and raised an eyebrow, before turning to face the approaching man. Morelli was dressed in faded jeans and a t-shirt with a light jacket unbuttoned, showing his service revolver holstered at his hip. He came up to our table and ignored Carlos to say, "Hey Cupcake, long time no see."
As far as I am concerned, it has been nowhere near long enough. But I reined in my temper to say neutrally, "Hello Joe. Please stop calling me that. I hate that nickname."
He ignored my riposte to quirk his eyebrow at me and continue, "Maybe we should catch up some time, ya know what I mean?" Yuk. Is he seriously propositioning me for sex in a crowded family restaurant while I'm sitting here with another man?
I say sarcastically, "Sounds great, Morelli. Why don't you call me in about thirty years? I should have an opening then."
He rolled his eyes at me, "C'mon Cupcake, you can't seriously still be mad at me? After all, you ran me over with a car and I didn't press charges. Surely you can get over it."
I lost patience with this interaction. "Morelli, I'm sitting here enjoying my lunch with another man, who you are rudely ignoring. You come over here and feed me a disgustingly obvious line of innuendo and call me a nickname which I loathe and asked you not to call me. Even if it were true that I should be over what you did to me at sixteen, what you are doing right now is enough to make me gag." I tried to keep my voice low, not wanting every gossip in town to hear and report this to my mother. Carlos put his hand on my knee under the table. I glanced at him to see his eyes warm and sympathetic. It helped and I continued more loudly, "It's always a pleasure to see you, Officer Morelli, but we've finished our lunch. See you again sometime." Hopefully like never.
Morelli scowled at me and gave Carlos a scathing glance before stomping off without another word. I sighed. "Welcome to Trenton." I told Carlos ruefully.
His smile was all I needed to make everything better.
My muse threw me a curve ball over Easter - I had written one chapter of this, but my muse insisted on starting a different story as well! Now, when I sit down to write, I am never quite sure what I will be writing until I start typing... So, as I said, updates on this story may not be speedy or regular. The other story, I will not be publishing until it's complete. It is very different from this one, and difficult to write. Have a good one! Robyn