Chapter 61.5 Cold Water
Tank’s POV—Friday
My meeting with my lawyer was routine. I changed the allocations in my will, added my nephews to the beneficiaries list, and added Lula as my primary heir.
The addition of Lula caused my lawyer a problem.
“Mr. LaPierre, have you discussed a pre-nuptial agreement with your intended bride?”
I raise an eyebrow. “My fiancée is not like that.”
Queue a million divorced men rolling their eyes. I smile mentally. I can see Ranger raising an eyebrow now.
James Rogers sighs and hands me a bottle of water. “If I had a dime for every time I’ve heard that, I’d be a rich man.” He smirks. “Then again, since I end up litigating the divorce proceedings, I am a rich man.”
I chuckle at that. James sits and leans in close to me.
“Tank, let’s put aside everything else and talk man to man, not client to lawyer. I’ve known you for over a decade, admire you and have been thrilled and pleased to work with you. I’m happy for you because I know that whoever this woman is, she’s quality. You only pick the best. I’m not even going to suggest that she’s not completely worth it.
But Tank, you’re a multimillionaire. You have significant money, property, and investments to protect.” He leans back. “Have you considered the fact that, at your marriage, your wife has a financial interest in RangeMan? You might as well call her a partner. Louisiana is a community property state. So is Texas.”
Holy Shit! I love Lula but she and the business are separate.
James nods. “Any increase in the value of your partnership stake from the time you marry until, god forbid, your divorce, becomes a factor in the divorce proceedings. It’s considered community property. In the event of a divorce, she could argue she’s entitled to half of the value of your partnership. You might be forced to liquidate assets just to keep her from making a play for your partnership.
This is something that all the RangeMan partners need to consider. You need to shield the company from your personal lives. It may be time to consider switching the company legal structure from an LLC to an S or C corporation. You guys are big enough and operating in multiple states. Plus, Texas is about to eat you alive with those ‘franchise fees’.”
I sit back and think about this. I’m sending Ranger a message that I may move forward on this ASAP.
“For the time being, we can add Tallulah to your will, but please. Sit down with your fiancée and talk about this. Openly, honestly, get the money discussion out of the way now. Make sure she understands who and what she’s marrying. And please try to get her to sign a prenup. I prefer to argue over prenups rather than settlements.”
I nod and think about it. Lula and I have a lot to talk about. I wince.
Why didn’t anyone tell me that getting married was going to require so much damn talking?
I head back to RangeMan the next day and sit in my office. The building is coming along and my apartment looks nice. I can’t believe how well that color scheme works upstairs. Lula’s having fun buying little things for the apartment and I’m enjoying watching her have fun. Now that I’ve won the war over the walls and Lula sees how it will look, she’s accepting it more. I can see I’m going to have to dodge a million colorful pillows, rugs, and other assorted shit, but she’s happy and that makes me happy.
The branch is also coming along nicely. We have more bonds enforcement work than we can handle and we’re starting to pick up more contracts for monitoring and armed guards. The men we retained from the businesses we purchased know the old contracts and our name is getting out there. People like dealing with us so the branch is growing much faster than I anticipated.
We made Spanish language skills a necessity and each man gets tested by Chester Deuce and Les when he’s hired. We can see that Ches is dying for some additional responsibility, which is why Bobby wanted to bring him with us. Plus, he’s originally from Austin, so this is home for him. He’s thrilled to be in Texas. Bobby thinks he might be the right man to be the liaison.
We’ll see. So far, I’m impressed. Diego as a possible XO and Ches as a liaison. Shit, normally I wouldn’t even have my mind on leadership roles in the company at this point, but . . . how in the hell do I keep my Little Girl in the company? She’s making shit happen she doesn’t even realize.
I’ve been sitting here staring at my computer screen for thirty minutes. I can’t get my discussion with Rogers out of my head. Les pokes his head in.
“Yo.”
“Yo.”
He walks in and closes the door. “Everything OK?”
I sit back. I’m not sure how to handle that. “Rogers suggested I ask Lula for a prenup.”
Les shrugs. “Standard lawyer worry.”
“Our current LLC agreement doesn’t make provisions for spouses. I checked the law. The day I marry Lula, any increase in my partnership becomes community property. She becomes an ‘unofficial’ partner in RangeMan.”
Les’s eyebrow hits his hairline. He reaches for a legal pad. “So, in this prenup, what are you asking for, besides her signing away all rights to the company?” He sits back and his eyes widen. “Shit! Ranger’s gonna have to do the same.”
I nod. I’d already thought about that.
“Fuck,” Les mutters. “Any more surprises?”
I grunt. I lean back and shake my head. “He also suggested we consider changing the company type from an LLC to an S or a C.”
Les leans back in his chair. Bobby passes by and I wave to get his attention. He sticks his head in.
“Sup?”
I wave at the chair. Bobby sits and Les catches him up. Bobby is pale.
“Tank, I like Lula, but . . . “
I nod. “I know. You don’t have to say it.”
Bobby smiles. “Time to get the company lawyers here because it sounds like it’s time to have a company shareholders meeting. We’re missing Ranger and we’ll need his vote.” He leans back in his chair. “Plus, I’d like to consider offering junior partnerships to some of our more worthy employees.”
Les and I look at him. “Like who?”
Bobby grins. “Well, Hector for a start. He’s the fifth member of our personal brotherhood and the only one who isn’t a partner. I’ve been tossing that around in my head for a while.”
I nod. “Solid.”
“Agreed,” Les says.
“I was also thinking about Danny and Hal, but I recognize that if we extend them a partnership, Mark will completely lose his nut.” We snicker and nod. “The problem is, after elevation to XO, there’s nothing left. You’re an XO forever.”
“And ever, amen,” Les and I intone solemnly then snicker. We all laugh about that for a moment before sobering. It’s a lot to think about.
“I’ve been looking at the different corporate setups. We chose to be an LLC to keep the affairs of the company secret and because the legal requirements were minimal. However, we get killed in taxes because we’re taxed on our share of the entire net income of RangeMan.” Les and Bobby nod, rolling their eyes. “Plus, we’re knocking up against the IRS LLC requirements. It’s clear RangeMan will not be a limited duration company. Time to start looking at a different legal framework.”
Les sighs. “Shit! All that will require filing paperwork with the IRS. Our veil will be gone.”
“True,” Bobby says, “but you’ll recall, I said this at the very beginning. It was going to happen. We were going to be big and successful and we knew this day was coming. Time to start looking at S or C status.”
I nod. “I’ve been doing the research. The company being based in Florida will help, but we need to see if having branches in Boston, Trenton, and NYC is going to increase the tax burden. If we go S, Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey all tax S-corporations in addition to taxing the shareholders. I think Georgia does too. Double taxation, gentlemen.”
Les and Bobby groan. They’re NY and Georgia residents, legally.
“It’s better than going C. If we go C, we’re guaranteed double taxation and we get taxed at the federal, state, and local levels. Not to mention the company getting taxed when it makes a profit, then us getting taxed when we take our distribution. The workaround is to pay ourselves a ‘reasonable’ salary, which can be counted as a business expense, but the IRS takes a close look at ‘reasonable’ salaries. The other advantage is we’re taxed at corporate rates, which are usually lower but . . . the current political climate is to raise taxes on corporations. Right now, Florida is 5% or 5.5%. We’re in the highest tax bracket, so we’re screwed unless Ryan has some clever way of reducing our taxable income.” I reach for a cold compress and lean my head back. I hear snickers and I flip them both off. I’ve been reading up on this stuff until my eyes started crossing.
“Shit! I’m starting to feel the Republicans’ aversion to taxes. Who doesn’t have their fingers in our wallets?” Les groans. Bobby snorts and we all laugh.
“Well, we’ve already made one decision.” They look at me. “If we intend to extend a partnership to Hector, then we’ll be outside the LLC agreement. That’s a ‘life prolonging’ activity. So, we have to switch to a corporate business structure.”
The guys hang their heads and laugh. “OK,” Bobby says, “time to do the research. Call the lawyers and the accountants. Time to make some decisions.”
I have a massive headache and I’m out of cold compresses. I spent the rest of the day filing paperwork for this branch, talking with the lawyers and accountants, and reading up on Cs, Ss, Qsubs–my brain is ringing. This has nothing to do with men or supplies. This is the shit Ranger gets off on. I wonder how much Steph knows about this stuff.
I walk into the house and thank God for Lula. She’s standing there in a pink teddy, no panties, and three condoms in her hand.
“You catch me and you can use ’em.”
I have her before she’s out of the living room. My poor baby. Why she ever thought she could outrun me I’ll never know.
I carry her back into the living room, strip my t-shirt and slide that teddy from her body. I like it. I think we’ll hold on to that one for a little while. I’m licking her neck, sliding my fingers toward the promised land when–
“MEOOWWWWW.”
Thanks, Salem. You fucking up the mood. Lula goes stiff. I look back and all the cats are watching. Personally, I find that hilarious. They wanna watch Big Daddy work.
“No animal voyeurism. Bad enough I’m wondering if I got cat hair on my back now.”
I chuckle and I can feel Lula giggling under me. I stand her up and look at her. There’s a cat hair on her butt but if I pluck it off, she’ll go put on the jammies and the sergeant will remain in the brig all night. I grin, pick her up and take her to the shower. I hate shower sex (Lula’s a little too active and I hate losing balance) but I’ll chance it tonight. The headache’s already gone.
“Not that I wasn’t thrilled with the hello, but what brought that on?”
We’re sitting in bed, eating delivery Chinese. I can’t believe she talked me into this, but it’s good. I got the (semi) healthy steamed stuff and Lula is working through lo mein noodles and sesame chicken.
“Les called. Said you had a stressful day. Since he ain’t ever called me before with that kinda information, I figured it musta been bad.” She grins and wipes my mouth. “Then I realized the sergeant was in the brig for a while since I was in Louisiana.”
I grunt. “And he definitely missed you.” I spear a chunk of sesame chicken, which makes Lula squeal and fuss about food stealing.
“Ain’t nothing on your plate I want to steal!”
I grin and finish my Chinese. I sit back and try to figure out how to bring up our finances with her.
“We need to talk, Lula Bear.”
“The most hated words in any relationship. Baby, we need to talk,” Lula moans. “All right. What do we need to talk about?”
“Money.”
Her eyes widen. “I haven’t spent that much. I still got my own bills to pay back home.”
I sign. “Not your money, baby. Mine.”
Lula clenches her jaw. “So who thinks I’m a gold digger now, huh? Wilma? Thelma? Antoine?”
I lean back and pull Lula over. She resists until she realizes that I’m stronger than her and I’ll get my way. I pull her into my lap and she rests her head against my chest. I rest my head against the pillows and close my eyes. “No, it wasn’t a negative conversation, baby. It was a realistic one. I got assets and property and a partnership in a thriving company. My lawyer pointed out that I need a prenup.” I need a cold compress. I feel that headache starting again.
Lula goes absolutely still. “So your lawyer thinks I’m a leech?”
“No. He thinks I’m a man of property who needs to ensure that my assets are cared for.”
Silence reigns for a few minutes before I open my eyes to find Lula looking at me, furious. “Lula Bear—”
“Shut it, Tank. I don’t want to talk about it. You think I’m a fucking leech too.” She eyes me. “And put some pants on. I’m mad and I don’t want to think about fucking you right now.”
I’ve screwed up this conversation somewhere. I sigh, walk back into the living room, find my sweats and return to the bedroom. She exits fully dressed and I realize she’s about to do a runner.
“Lula?”
“Fuck you!” She’s headed for the door and I run after her. I catch her at the front door.
“Tank, if you want to keep your feet, you’ll move.” The stiletto is backing the warning.
“Lula, let me explain—” Pressure from the stiletto increases and I move back. Lula’s out of the door in seconds and I’m naked. I can’t follow her. I pull on my sweatpants and slip my feet into flip flops, but I hear the truck starting. By the time I make it to the parking lot, I’m looking at the tail lights.
She’s gone.
Lula’s POV
Bastard! I can’t think of anything Tank’s ever said to me that hurt more than that.
‘I’m a man of property who needs to ensure that my assets are cared for.’
Fuck him! I got assets! My Firebird is definitely worth some money. And my clothes and shoes. I’m really sick of everybody thinking I’m a leech! I don’t want Tank’s money! I just want him. I love him, not his damn wallet! I hit I-10E, headed for Carencro when I realize that I don’t wanna drive for six hours at night. I decide to stop in Houston. I pull over, look in my purse and realize I still have Tank’s Black Amex.
No. I can pay for my own hotel room.
I pull back onto the highway and head for Houston. Before I’m on the road good, I see a black SUV behind me. It flashes its lights and I ignore it. The lights flash again and my phone rings.
“Fuck you.”
“I think Tank would have a problem with that.”
“Bobby?”
“Hey, Lula. Headed somewhere?”
“He call you?” I ask, sniffling.
“I recognized the truck. Wondered what you guys were doing out so late.”
“He pissed me off.”
Bobby laughs. “Welcome to marriage. Pull over. Lemme talk to you.”
I pull onto the shoulder. Bobby walks over and other RangeMan takes his place as driver. Once Bobby’s in the car, he pulls off.
“He coming back for you?”
“Nope.”
“How you getting back?” Bobby raises an eyebrow. I sigh and clench my jaw. “How did you really find me?”
“I didn’t lie. I saw the truck. We’re just coming back from a takedown and saw you were driving. I wondered where you were headed.”
I look at Bobby but I can’t tell if he’s lying. I sniff and Bobby hands me a handkerchief. He pulls the car keys and hops out. The driver’s door opens and Bobby unhooks my seat belt and pulls me out. We stand there, on the side of the road, with me crying and Bobby patting my back until I calm down.
“Feel better?”
I nod.
“OK, let’s go get some ice cream and talk.”
Twenty minutes later we’re sitting in the truck at a Sonic Drive–In. I’m working through a banana split and Bobby’s sipping his third slushie.
“I mean, I had it up to here with people thinking I want Tank for his money! I don’t want his money. His money ranks low for me. I love the man for his heart, his strength, for the fact that he believes in me. I give more importance to his dick than his wallet.”
Bobby chokes on his slushie and laughs. He’s laughing and I’m just finishing the banana split.
“First, never refer to another man’s dick in a conversation. Complete mood killer.”
“Did we have a mood going?” I grin, looking at Bobby.
He’s red and laughing. “Nope and if we did, it’s dead now.”
I look at him and we both laugh. I let the window down and order two more slushies while Bobby finishes his.
“OK, so will you listen to me without getting upset?” I nod. “Alright. I am riding Tank’s ass tomorrow because that really was a shitty way to open the discussion, but let me talk to you seriously, Lula. I got no bets on this ride, OK?”
“OK.”
“Alright, here goes. First, every couple needs to have a talk about money. Simple as that. You might not have liked how he put it, but the reality is you are marrying a man of significant wealth. You’ve already been warned that his family will try to use you to get to it.”
“That’s true,” I sigh.
Bobby nods. “Regardless, think about all the little things that happen between two people in setting up a household. Who pays rent or mortgage? Light bills? Cable? Phone? Internet? Car notes? Car insurance? Think about all the bills you’re paying right now and consider how you two plan to break the bills down when you marry.”
Oh shit. Bobby’s got a good point.
“You still plan to finish your degree?” I nod. “Then how do you feel about Tank paying for all the household bills and your degree? He’ll be doing that for what, two years? Maybe three depending on how long it takes you to finish. You’re a proud, independent woman, Lula. Are you OK having a man pay for you? Then there’s the company.”
I look over at Bobby and he’s completely serious. “I like you, Lula, but there’s no way we’ll be comfortable having you come in at partnership level. Sorry, but that’s out of the question for any spouse. The company needs to remain completely separate from our personal lives. We’re setting up the legal framework, but it also requires Ranger’s vote. Until then, we need you to sign away all rights to the company.”
“I don’t mind doing that. I don’t want RangeMan.” And I mean that. Steph sounds completely off her rocker every time we talk but I can tell she likes running the company. She’s havin’ fun. I don’t have skills to do that.
Bobby smiles and points. The waitress is at the window with the drinks. I pay and hand Bobby one. We slurp in silence for a while.
“How much is Tank worth?”
I sit back. “I dunno. Ask him.”
“No, I don’t need to ask him. I have a rough idea. Do you?” I shake my head. “As his wife, you need to know. If we decide to take an op overseas, you may be asked to sign paperwork in regards to his estate. Buying or selling assets and investments, deciding what to do with his cars and property, all that stuff.
If, god forbid, something should happen to him, you don’t want to get hit with all that at once. Take the time now to learn about Tank’s assets and how to manage them so you can manage them if you need to. As it is, the only other person in Tank’s family with an understanding of his assets is his momma, and I know she doesn’t know all of them.”
“Are y’all planning on taking any ops overseas?”
“We haven’t discussed it lately. It’ll probably be top of the agenda when Ranger returns.”
I sit back and sigh. “I didn’t like the accusation that I was only after his money.”
“Did he say that?” My shoulders slump but I shake my head. “So it sounds like he might have been parroting his lawyer, which makes some sense since we dealt with lawyers and accountants all fucking afternoon. That’s why Les called you to warn you about his rough day. Another thing you need to consider, Lula.” I look over and Bobby is serious. “It’s an informal requirement that all RangeMan wives get self-defense and firearms training.”
My eyes are wide. “Why?”
“Lula, do you understand the true purpose of the company?”
“You’re a security company.”
Bobby smiles and shakes his head. “Yeah, but it also serves as a front for our black ops operations.” I’m stunned. “When you made the statement about Ranger always being missing when coups overseas take place . . . ” Bobby trails off and looks at me knowingly. I’m sure my eyes are huge. Holy Shit! Bobby nods and grins. “Exactly. We still go as a group on occasion, which means we all have enemies. That makes loved ones targets. You need to be trained. Self-defense and weapons training, including guns and knives. A wife is a prime target for kidnapping because nothing hurts a man more than watching the woman he loves being violated or killed.”
I lean back and slurp my slushie. Bobby is scaring the shit outta me.
“I got a gun.”
“Are you accurate?”
Hell no. My gun is more to scare people off. People won’t fuck with you when you got a big gun. I don’t say nothin’ and I can hear Bobby chuckle.
“Here’s a basic primer on Texas law, Lula. Look at me.” I look at Bobby and he’s completely serious now. “That stuff you do with your gun in New Jersey, shooting at every damn thing, will get you locked up so fast here in Texas your head will spin. I’m talking ‘sitting in jail until the trial begins’ serious. Even pulling it is serious here. Gun rights and gun safety are no joke. Tank will ease into this subject with you, but I’m not going to. I’m telling you right now, straight up front: put the gun away until you get some training. Let us show you how to be deadly without it and then we’ll train you to be deadly with it, but you cannot wave your gun around in this state. Texas cops will not overlook that.”
I look at Bobby, wide-eyed, and he nods, completely serious. He’s definitely not joking anymore.
“Now, New Jersey cops ignore that because they know you, but that Anton Ward thing? And the Slayers? That stuck in our minds, Lula. You tipped off a gang war and Steph ended up in the middle of it because she was the bounty hunter, the famous one. It didn’t help that she decided to try to haul his ass in, which we got onto her about because Anton Ward should have been our file and she knew it. She used piss poor judgment because Morelli ordered her to leave it alone and she wanted to flip him the finger. Ranger gave Connie holy hell about that because she knew she should have handed that file to us, not Steph. That was the last time Connie ever handed over a file that should have gone to us to Steph or anyone else.”
Bobby looks out the windshield, jaw clenched, nostrils flared. I swallow hard and slurp my slushie quietly.
“There were a lot of pissed men at RangeMan when the full truth of that came out because you three women used piss poor judgment all around. But that’s water under the bridge now. Anyway, you put your best friend in harm’s way waving your gun around. It took Tank a long time to get over that and Ranger? Ranger still has difficulty with it.”
The tears are rolling down my face. I never . . . I never thought about it that way. It just seemed like another one of those fucked up things that happens to Steph. Hell, I spent more time on Comstock than I was comfortable with because I was trying to make sure she wasn’t alone over there once she decided to haul Anton’s ass in. Now he telling me I was the cause of that? How come no one told me?
Bobby turns to me and takes my hand. “We all like you, Lula. Hell, Les and I like you a lot and we know Ranger likes you. But in the back of our minds, we’re always going to remember that incident. It’s taken us a long time to forgive you but we’ll never forget. Took us a long time to forgive Steph and Connie for their actions. It could never happen here, understood?” I nod and Bobby passes me a handkerchief. “I mean it. This is the only time I’m ever going to discuss this with you. You could cost us the branch with actions like that. You could cost someone their life with actions like that. Put the gun away until we start training you.”
Bobby stares out the windshield and drinks his slushie. I feel like I just got verbally body slammed.
“How do you know Ranger likes me?” I ask quietly.
“Because if he didn’t, he would have tried to talk Tank out of marrying you. Probably wouldn’t have happened but if he felt strongly about it he would have tried.”
“I thought he was overseas.”
“He is. Tank told him when he checked in and instead of wasting his time trying to talk Tank out of it, he congratulated him and he meant it. He’s long thought you two should get together. You’re good for Tank.” Bobby faces me again. “That’s another thing you’ll have to contend with in marrying Tank. Ranger will be an element in your marriage. That’s Tank’s partner and the man who understands him best next to you. You and Ranger need to come to an accord with each other because you’re both important to Tank. If you two are at war, you will cause an irreparable breach in a strong partnership and our company can’t survive like that.”
I slump in the seat. Batman intimidates me and we gotta become friends? Damn. Is Tank worth all this? I twist my ring and sigh. Yeah, Tank’s worth everything. I guess me and Ranger gotta become friends.
“Do you still want to bounty hunt?”
“Yeah! I’ve really missed doing that.” Well, I miss it with Steph. I miss Steph. I don’t miss hauling crazy skips to jail.
“Well, to do it in Texas, you’ll have to get licensed and trained. If you work for RangeMan, you’ll need to undergo our training. We don’t take any bonds like the bonds you and Steph worked for Vinnie. We’re talking major guys, who come with firepower and a no-shit attitude. We’re not talking elderly skips and high teenagers.”
I gulp. “What’s involved?”
Bobby smiles. “All that stuff Steph’s doing right now.”
“No thanks. I think I’ll stick to being a social worker.” The exercise plan Bobby’s got me on now is enough.
Bobby looks at me critically for a moment and nods. “Suits you. You talked to Chenae?”
“Yeah. I really enjoyed hearing about what they do from her. I think it’s the perfect thing for me.”
“I agree. Wrong for her, perfect for you.”
I sit back. “The girl should have been a business major.”
Bobby sits back and laughs. “I told Tank that before she started. He didn’t believe me.”
I sniff. “A blind man could see that.”
Bobby smiles. “Everyone has a blind spot, Lula. Tank’s is and will always be Chenae. You’ll have to be the voice of reason when it comes to her. I gotta say, you’re already making a difference in his life.”
“How?”
“There’s not another person on the face of this earth who could have convinced Tank to look at Antoine and not see a walking, talking pile of shit. Honestly, you taught us all a lesson.” I cock my head and he smiles. “At some point, you have to reassess a man. Just like in the field, intel changes based on different actions. Antoine had changed, significantly it seems, and since Tank was stuck thinking of his brother as a piece of shit, we all held him in contempt. It was wrong of all of us. The man has been working hard for years to make up for that mistake, but Tank would never have given him the opportunity if not for you.”
I smile. Antoine ain’t so bad. Honestly, out of all Tank’s siblings, he the one I like most. He blunt, he real, and he doesn’t bullshit. He’s funny and unpredictable too. Tank admitted, quietly, that at one point that weekend, he almost liked his brother. He’s looking forward to spending time with Antoine more often. He finds his brother ‘interesting’.
I sip my slushie and smile. “You and Lester seem completely different from how y’all acted in New Jersey. Why is that?”
Bobby chuckles. “Simple. We’re finally getting a chance to know you. You were a busy lady in New Jersey, always on the go. Most of the time, we only saw you when we had to respond to something about Steph.” We both laugh at that. “It’s like we’re finally getting introduced to Lula Jackson and we like her. She’s funny and loyal and she loves our brother. She needs things to do to keep her out of trouble.” I flip him off and he laughs. “You’re also a lot calmer than you were in New Jersey. I think it’s the fact that you don’t have your gun.”
I glare at Bobby, who’s smiling, no shame. I sit back and think about it. Honestly, I feel a little dull here. “I don’t feel like me lately.”
“What do you mean?”
I swallow hard. “I . . . Well . . . Steph working for y’all meant she and I didn’t spend time together anymore. She busy. I had school and classes, and Connie and ML, but Steph and me were partners. Best friends. I feel like I’m missing part of me.”
Bobby reaches for my hand and squeezes hard.
I feel the tears slip down my cheeks. “I want my best friend back.” Bobby passes me a handkerchief (how many of these does he have?) and turns to me.
“Lula, this is going to be part of your life with Tank. Y’all had this discussion, right?” I nod. “OK, then I hate to say this, but he’s right. You gotta figure out how to fill your time. You’ll still see Steph, but not as much anymore. You two will still be friends, but you’ll make new friends. You’ll find things to do. But this is what marriage sometimes means. It means moving from Jersey to Texas, going to school full-time, getting married and settling down. Think on it. It’s a lot of changes for a short amount of time. Otherwise, you’re marrying a man I admire and love as my brother. I’m happy for the two of you. I’ll be happier when you install a doorbell.”
I smile. “Learned your lesson, huh?”
Bobby shudders. “There are some things a man doesn’t want to know about his new sister. Exactly how you take care of Tank’s needs I want to remain a mystery.”
A/N: Just to be absolutely clear: Lula will not become a ‘named’ partner in RangeMan, but her marriage to Tank means that she has a financial interest in the company. Should she and Tank divorce (knock wood), any increase in the value of Tank’s partnership from the day they marry to the day she (or he) files, becomes community property. So if, during their marriage, the value of Tank’s share of RangeMan increased $100K, Lula would be entitled to $50K. A prenup is required!
Also, I feel horrid saying this but, my client site is driving me insane. I know I won’t really get a chance to respond to your wonderful (and often thought provoking) reviews until I’m home again. So please let me know if you don’t require a response to your reviews. I may choose to answer some anyway, but this past month has been insane and I’ve chosen to spend that time writing chapters (and one shots and side stories (grin).)
Thankfully, I’ll be at home for a month starting in September. Just in time to see your reactions to XO week . . . among other things! 😀
veiland
