Stepping Up: Book Six in the Who's Your Daddy series by Rhonda Marks Page B

“Thank you.”
    At that moment, Summer chose to enter the diner and stopped in her tracks when she spied the pair in an embrace. “Hey, Ginny stop feeling up my man!”
    “You claiming him, huh?” Ginny replied impishly.
    Summer’s face flushed an adorable shade of red and she stuck her tongue out before escaping to the dining room. Vance gave Ginny a quick kiss on the cheek then turned to follow Summer.
    “Jealous?”
    “Of you and Ginny, sure,” Summer responded with a grin. “I have to be careful around her with men. She’s a man-eater.”
    “I heard that!” Ginny yelled.
    Vance came up behind Summer and wrapped his arms around her expanding middle. “Well, you don’t have anything to worry about, sweetheart.”
    She turned in his arms and pinned him with a stare. “You promise?”
    “Cross my heart,” he replied as he took a finger and traced a cross on his chest. Unable to help himself, he leaned in and kissed her lips, deepening it when she let out a little sigh.
    “I’d say get a room, but it’s a little too late for that,” the lone diner cracked.
    “Mind your own business,” Ginny shouted from the kitchen. Soon she and the man were involved in a spirited discourse, to the delight of Vance and Summer.
    “Can we go back to your office and talk?” Vance asked.
    “Sure.” Summer took him by the hand and led him to the back of the restaurant. Once seated, she sighed and shook her head.
    “What’s wrong,” Vance asked, but when she picked up an envelope from the bank fear snaked through his body.
    “I don’t know how much longer I can hang on,” she admitted with in a shaky voice. “I’m tired, Vance. I feel like handing them the keys and—”
    “And what? This is your mother’s dream. You can’t give up.”
    “But I can’t afford the mortgage payments any longer.” She motioned toward the dining room. “The only patrons we can count on every day are you and Henry out there.”
    Vance stood and stood behind Summer, massaging her shoulders. “You need a break.”
    “I can’t—”
    “How about closing tomorrow evening and going out with me?” He held his breath while she nibbled her lower lip. “You don’t get much business, anyway …”
    She gave him a tiny smile and nodded her head. “Alright. Where are we going?”
    He kissed her on the tip of her nose and shook his head. “Not telling. But you should dress up.” His heart lifted as he witnessed her excitement. Now to make tomorrow magical.
     
    “Stand still!” Summer held her arms over her head as Spring adjusted her dress once more. “You want to look nice tonight, right?”
    “Of course I do,” Summer replied, “But there’s not much we can do to make that happen when I’m the size of a whale.”
    Spring pinched her sister on the arm and made one last adjustment. “Stop talking down on yourself. You’re pregnant and you’re beautiful.”
    Dubiously, Summer turned to face the mirror and let out a little gasp. She did look good! “Spring, the dress looks great.”
    Her little sister gave her a hug and a kiss on the forehead. “No, you look great.” The doorbell rang and Summer’s heartbeat sped up. Vance was here.
    By the time she and Spring walked downstairs, Vance was immersed in a deep conversation with their father. He stopped talking mid-sentence when he spied her coming into the room. “Wow.”
    Summer did a slow turn to show off Spring’s handiwork. “You like?”
    “Yes I do.” He stood and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek and leaned in to whisper in her ear. “I do better when we’re in the car.”
    “I heard that,” her father said, making all of them laugh. “Just get her home at a decent hour, alright?”
    Vance shook his hand and led Summer out the door. “Will do, Walter. See you around, Spring.”
    After all the farewells, they stepped out into the cold and rushed to his car parked at the curb. Vance put the heat on full blast. No way did he want Summer to catch a