Stepping Up

by Rhonda A Marks

  “Can I come in?” he asked as he eased his way inside and softly closed the door.

  “Looks like you already have,” she replied snidely.

  “Come on, Summer. Give me a break. How was I to know you were pregnant? Do you think I would have left if I knew?”

  “You were long gone before I discovered I was having a baby.” She turned the chair around so she could hide the tears building in the corners of her eyes.

  “But I’m here now, sweetheart.”

  Her breath hitched at his utterance of the term of endearment. Sweetheart. He called her that the night they made love. The night they created the child growing inside of her. “I need some time.”

  “Time for what?” he asked, getting up from his seat and rounding the desk. “By the look of things,” he said while pointing at her belly, “we don’t have a lot of time.”

  “Like I said before, I’ve got another three months.”

  “Which is plenty of time for us to get this figured out.”

  “What do you mean, figured out? It’s quite simple, Vance. I’m going to have a baby and I’m going to raise him or her alone.”

  “Like hell you will!” he roared. “That’s my child and I will be part of his or her life.”

  “How do you know it’s yours?” she asked in a tiny voice.

  Sidling up to her and getting way into her personal space, he responded in a whisper. “I may not be an expert in making love, but I can tell when a woman hasn’t had sex in a while. And Summer, admit it. You hadn’t had sex in a while.”

  A shiver shimmied down her spine and the baby did a somersault to boot. Damn, this man was dangerous. “Alright. I’ll admit it. The baby is yours.”

  A Cheshire grin spread over Vance’s face as he backed up and returned to his seat. “May I have a pen and paper?”

  “Huh?”

  “Paper. Pen. I want to give you my contact information.”

  Still in a trance from his close contact, Summer reached inside the desk and produced the items he requested. She stared at his hands as he efficiently wrote his full name, address and telephone number, then slid the paper across the desk. “Ryan?”

  “Yes. I’m Vance Ryan.” He held his breath and waited for recognition to hit her. Although his full name never appeared on any of the bank correspondence, his last name did.

  “Nice name,” she finally said, and he let out the breath he’d been holding.

  “So, may I have your home information?”

  “Why?”

  “So that I can visit you there? I mean, the diner is nice and all, but I think we need to get to know each other away from this place.”

  “How about I think about that.” She stood and headed for the door. “If you don’t mind, I have a business to run.”

  Taking the hint, Vance headed for the front of the diner and watched as Summer closed the office door in his face. As he walked through the kitchen, Ginny pressed a piece of paper into his hand and motioned for him to hide it, which he did. She gave him a wink and went back to work.

  After exiting the diner, he looked at the paper she’d slipped him. Summer’s home address. Game on.

  Chapter Seven

  Vance shifted from one foot to the other, desperately trying to keep warm as he stood on Summer’s front porch. He’d rung the doorbell several times and had not heard any movement within the house. Someone had to be home. He remembered that her father was ill and homebound for the most part. He brought his hands to his mouth and blew on them once more. Come on people, open up!

  Suddenly, the door swung open and a woman who looked just like Summer appeared. “We don’t want any,” she sneered as she tried to close the door in his face.

  “Hey, I’m not selling anything,” he shouted as he held his arm out to keep the door from shutting again. “I’m here to see Summer.”

  The woman cocked her head to one side and the annoyed expression she’d previously had morphed into one of rage. “You’re him!”

  Vance had a feeling that his name had been taken in vain several times in this woman’s presence. “Um, I’m going to guess you’re Summer’s sister, Spring.”

  “And you’re the one and only Vance. The father of my niece or nephew and the man who broke my sister’s heart.”

  This was not how Vance envisioned his first visit to Summer’s home. “In the flesh. So, is she home?”

  “Of course she is.” Spring stood at the entrance with her arms crossed over her chest. “She’s asleep though and I have no intention of waking her. She needs her rest.”

  He let out a loud breath and scrambled for the words that would allow him inside the house. “Would you mind if I came inside and waited until she woke up?”

  Spring let out a shrill laugh and shook her head. “Summer is the only trusting soul in this house. No way. I’ll tell her you stopped by.”

  Again she tried to close the door, but this time a man’s shout of “Spring!” stopped her.

  “What is it, Pop?”

  “Let the man inside. I’d like to speak to him.”

  With a none too pleased look on her face, she stepped aside and allowed him to enter. “Don’t try anything funny,” she warned as she donned her cold weather gear. “I’ll be a phone call away if you need me,” she yelled to her father. Giving Vance one last evil eye, she stomped out the door and slammed it closed.

  Shaking his head, Vance peered into the darkened living room to find a man sitting in a wheel chair near the television. Summer had described her father as suffering from MS, and had not been able to care for himself for years. “How are you, sir?” Vance asked as he approached the man, his hand outstretched.

  “I’ve seen better days, but I’m still here.” He pointed to a chair nearby. “Have a seat.”

  Vance sat where he’d been directed and loosened the wool scarf around his neck. “Thank you, sir.”

  “And stop with all the ‘sirs’. Name’s Walter. And I’m betting your name is Vance.”

  “Yes, sir, I mean Walter. Vance Ryan.”

  “And you’re the father of my unborn grandchild, huh?”

  Vance ducked his head felt his face flush. “Yes.”

  “I’m not going to tell you that what you and Summer did was wrong. Many years ago I was a young man just like you and I remember how things can get out of control.” He stopped to take a deep breath and seemingly to gather his thoughts. “My only question, for now, is what are your intentions regarding my daughter?”

  Vance should have known that question was coming, but hell if he had an answer. “Well, I fully intend to be there for my child, financially and time-wise.”

  “I didn’t ask you about my grandchild. I asked about my daughter.” The older man pinned him with a hard stare that made Vance a little uncomfortable. No, a lot uncomfortable.

  “I know I’ve screwed up with her, by leaving and not keeping in contact with her. I know that I’ve got a long way to go before she forgives me.”

  “Glad you recognize that. So, is it your intention to step up and make her your wife?”

  Caught off guard by that question, Vance simply looked at Walter as though he were a deer mesmerize by oncoming headlights. “I, um, I—”

  “I can see you don’t have an answer right now. That’s okay. I know I put you on the spot. But I want you to think about it, alright?”

  “Alright,” Vance repeated.

  “What’s going on down there?” Summer’s voice floated down the stairs, making Vance and her father jump. The sound of her slowly descending the stairs caused Vance’s pulse to speed up. “Who are you talking—”

  Vance stood and took a step in her direction. “Good morning, Summer.”

  “How, who?” she sputtered. “I didn’t give you permission to come here. As a matter of fact, I never told you where I lived. I have a feeling a cook will be on the unemployment line soon.”

  “Give Ginny a break,” her father interrupted. “She was only trying to help.”


  Summer turned to face Vance, her arms crossed over. “As you can see, I’m indisposed. You can leave now.”

  “Summer!” Walter chided. “He’s a guest.”

  “An unwanted, uninvited guest,” she spat out.

  Vance stood and started for the door. “I guess I’ll see you later, Summer. Walter, it was good meeting you.”

  As he walked to the door, Summer cried out, “Stop!” Suppressing a smile, he turned to face her. “Yes?”

  “Make yourself comfortable while I go upstairs and put some clothes on.” She whirled and slowly climbed the stairs, leaving a relieved Vance staring at her retreating figure.

  “Do what she said, son,” her father said. “And let’s have a quick conversation while she’s gone. I have a feeling you could use some help getting back on her good side.”

  Steam rising from her ears, Summer hurried to wash up and throw some clothes on. How dare he appear at her home without her permission. And Ginny would be getting an earful this evening! This is not how she wanted to start her day.

  She should have known Vance wouldn’t wait for her to make the next move. From what little he’d told her about his job, he was used to being aggressive, bold in his actions. Why did she expect anything less in this instance?

  As she awkwardly bent over to slide on her shoes, she tried to come up with a way to get rid of him. From the way her father spoke to him, she probably couldn’t count on him for much help. Vance had more than likely wrapped him around his finger and was getting pointers on how to get on her good side. That thought made her move faster so she could get back downstairs.

  After swiping a brush through her unruly curls, she descended the stairs to find the two men with their heads together. Not good. What were they cooking up? “Gentlemen?” She smiled when they jumped apart. Got them!

  “You didn’t have to sneak up on us like that, missy,” Walter said with a guilty smile on his face.

  “At my size, sneaking up on people is not an option anymore,” she countered. Summer took a seat in a nearby wing chair and tried to cross her legs at the knee, eventually giving up and simply crossing them at the ankle. “So, what were you two talking about?”

  “Nothing,” they said in unison.

  She narrowed her eyes at them and shook her head. “Whatever.”

  Walter gave Vance a wink and began to roll himself out of the room. “My show’s about to come on,” he tossed over his shoulder. “Think I’ll go watch it in my room. Nice meeting you, Vance.”

  “Same here,” Vance replied, his eyes on Summer. Once her father was out of the room, he turned to face her. “How are you feeling this morning?”

  “Fine.”

  “Just fine? I mean, no nausea?”

  “I haven’t had morning sickness since the third month.”

  “That’s good to know.”

  Summer let out a loud breath and closed her eyes. “Vance, I thought we agreed last night to take things slowly.”

  “No, you want to take things slowly. I don’t. Our child will be here in about three months. We have plans to make.”

  “Plans?” She struggled to rise to her feet and stood before him, hands on her hips. “What kind of plans?”

  “Well, first we need to come to an agreement regarding our relationship.”

  “We,” she said pointing at his chest, “don’t have a relationship.”

  “Well, I intend for us to have one. For our child’s sake at least.”

  “I have no intention of keeping you away from this child,” Summer responded with a tremor in her voice.

  “Summer, sit down, okay.” Vance rose and helped her back into her seat. “I didn’t come here this morning to upset you.”

  “Could have fooled me.”

  Vance swiped his hand down the side of his face, frustration clearly written there. “Can you start over? I mean, I want to make things right.”

  She eyed him warily and twisted her lips. “What are you suggesting?”

  “That we begin to date—”

  “Date?”

  “Yes, date. Go out to eat, the movies, you know, date.”

  “Now why would we want to do that?”

  “For one, our child’s sake. It won’t do for him or her to see us at each other’s throats.”

  “I guess you have something there.”

  He leaned over and took her hands in his. “Plus, I really like you, Summer and I know I screwed up. None of this is your fault.”

  “Thanks for recognizing that,” she said while trying to pull away, but he held tight.

  Looking deep into her eyes, he lowered her voice, sending shivers throughout her body. “I’m going to make this right, Summer. Even if it takes me the rest of my life.”

  Despite her vow not to be caught up in his mesmerizing words, Summer allowed herself to have one moment of weakness and nodded her head. “We’ll see.” She wrenched her hands out of his and stood. “Time for you to go.”

  A look of sadness flashed across his face and disappeared just as quickly. Standing, he wrapped the scarf back around his neck and buttoned his jacket.

  She followed him to the door and undid the locks. “See you around.”

  He quickly placed a kiss on her lips before she could object. “You can count on it.” With that, he opened the door and closed it behind him as he stepped outside.

  Summer ran to the window and watched him get into his car and motor off in the snow. This was so not going as she planned. She mentally crossed single motherhood off her list of things to do.

  Chapter Eight

  “How’s the burger tonight?” Ginny asked while looking out the kitchen window.

  “Great, great,” Vance responded around a full mouth. He took a quick swig of his pop and gave her a full-on smile. “Lady, you should go on the road with this recipe.”

  “She’s not going anywhere,” Summer growled while glaring at him. “And why are you here again for dinner? You’ve stopped by every evening. Aren’t you tired of eating the same thing?”

  “Nope,” he answered with a smile. “Where else would I find such charming company?” He laughed when she pursed her lips and stalked away from him. Soon, the slamming of a door let him know she’d retreated to her office once more.

  After visiting her home last week, Vance made it a point to eat dinner every night at Catherine’s, much to Summer’s consternation. He got a kick out of the way she gushed over other patrons, and tried to ignore him. He and Ginny kept up a running conversation, which only added fuel to the red-hot fire burning inside her.

  But he was a man on a mission and wasn’t about to let her bad mood dissuade him. His child was going to be born in less than three months and he needed to make peace with Summer. He intended to be with her in the delivery room and at her side every day after that, raising their son or daughter.

  “So, are you really going to come here every night for dinner?” Ginny asked as stepped out of the kitchen and leaned over the counter.

  Vance nodded his head and wiped his mouth. After swallowing the last bite of the burger, he pushed his plate away. “I don’t care how long it takes, Ginny, I have to get back into Summer’s good graces.”

  “Well, I’ll tell you that she’s a hard nut to crack. Stubborn since she was a little girl.”

  “You’ve known her a long time, huh?”

  “Oh yeah. Me and her mama, God rest her soul, were best friends. We grew up together and even when I went off to college and she stayed here in Devinne, we stayed close.”

  “How long have you been working here?’

  “Since the doors opened. Helped Eleanor get the place started and couldn’t walk away.”

  “Do you mind telling me what’s going on here? I mean, whenever I’m here, there aren’t a lot of customers.”

  “Back in the day when the steel mill was at its peak, folks had to line up outside to get a seat after work. Always busy. Then the lay-offs began and business fell off, big time.”

  A
pang of guilt stabbed Vance in the heart. He wanted to confess his part in the bank’s attempt to foreclose on the business, but knew that would end any possibility he had to get on Summer’s good side. Instead, he simply nodded his head and sighed. “So tell me what you think should happen with the place.”

  “In my dreams, I see Devinne returning to its former glory and all the businesses, well the ones remaining, flourishing. Maybe this is just the ramblings of an old lady, but you asked.”

  Vance rose and rounded the counter to give Ginny a hug. “You’re far from being old.”

  She squinted up at him and gave him a wide smile. “I like you. You’ll do for my Summer.”

  He blew out a loud breath and returned to his seat. “Now if only Summer will agree to that. She’s fighting me tooth and nail.”

  “She’s upset because she couldn’t get in touch with you, that’s all. She’ll come around. Give her time.”

  Vance smiled and watched as Ginny returned to the kitchen. A group of young people streamed into the diner, and Summer appeared to take their orders. She pointedly ignored him, but he didn’t care. He was a patient man.

  Soon, a lot more people entered the place and it was becoming somewhat chaotic. Summer moved as quickly as she could to take care of the diners, but Vance started hearing some grumbling. On a whim, he dashed into the kitchen and grabbed an apron hanging on a hook.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Summer hissed as she entered the kitchen.

  “I’m going to help you,” he said as he snagged an order book.

  “I don’t need—”

  “The place is full, thank goodness, and you need help. Stop fussing and let’s go take care of the customers.”

  Summer opened her mouth to continue the argument but stopped when Ginny gave her a pointed stare. “Alright, let’s go.”

  Vance suppressed a smile and followed her into the dining room. Small steps, but he had to start somewhere.

  “Looks like we’re done for the evening.” Summer slowly lowered herself onto a chair near the kitchen and let out a tired sigh. It was an hour before closing and one look onto Main Street let her know there would probably not be any more diners tonight. A late winter storm was forecasted and the streets were empty.