Authors: Sherryl Woods
Tags: #Fiction, #General, #Romance, #Contemporary
A Slice of Heaven (27 page)
The older man nodded. “Looked real good, too, didn’t it?”
“Sure,” Ronnie said, though he wasn’t at all certain where this was heading.
“But how many late nights did it translate into?” Butch asked. “How many times did you blow off the chance to spend time with your daughter or Dana Sue, so you could have an extra business meeting in the evening?”
Ronnie sighed as the point sank in. “Too often,” he admitted.
“I set you up with enough capital for the five-year plan we put down on paper. Succeeding in less time than that would be great, but not if it takes a toll on your personal life. Balance, son. Don’t underestimate the value of balance when it comes to setting your priorities.”
Ronnie got the message. Once again, he thought of what Brenda had told him about the situation in the kitchen. He glanced that way.
“You worried about what the waitress said earlier?” Butch asked. “About someone not showing up for work tonight?”
Ronnie nodded. “Dana Sue’s too stubborn to call for help, but on a Friday night this place turns into a zoo.”
“If you’d like to pitch in and give her a hand,” Jessie said, “we’ll be just fine.”
“That’s right,” Butch confirmed, his gaze locking with hers. “It’s not often I get my wife all to myself anymore. You go ahead and do whatever you can to help. I think I’ve gotten my point across, am I right?”
“Absolutely, and thank you,” Ronnie said. “I really appreciate it. Don’t forget that your dinner’s on me. It’s the least I can do after all you’ve done for me.”
“No need for that. We’re partners, son,” Butch reminded him. “You’re doing plenty to keep your end of the bargain. Now, go on in there. I want to see if I can convince Jessie to stay at a motel with me tonight and pretend we’re honeymooning.”
Ronnie left the two of them with their heads together and a look in Jessie’s eyes that suggested Butch wasn’t going to have to do much persuading. Apparently she wasn’t half as hardheaded and impossible as the woman in Ronnie’s life.
Dana Sue wasn’t sure exactly when she noticed that she was feeling a little queasy and light-headed. It must have been right as the dinner rush kicked into high gear. Karen had bailed on her for the umpteenth time lately, which meant Dana Sue was going to have to deal with the headache of replacing her, something she’d been loath to do, knowing how difficult things were for Karen as a single mom. Still, she couldn’t have an assistant who was this unreliable.
Amazingly, Ronnie had once again come to her rescue. He’d breezed in the door a few minutes ago, plucked an apron from the hook in the pantry and asked for an assignment. He’d done it without commenting on her failure to schedule a doctor’s appointment, but she doubted she was off the hook. When she risked a look in his direction, she noticed he was chopping vegetables and making salads like a pro. She’d just turned to thank him for pitching in when she broke out in a sweat.
This wasn’t the first time it had happened. On each occasion she’d found a way to dismiss the symptoms, just as she’d dismissed them when her hand had felt a little numb and she’d had to put aside a knife and stop chopping until sensation came back. Adding up all the incidents suddenly frightened her in a way that each individual occurrence hadn’t.
She grabbed a stool and sat. Frightened by the light-headed feeling, which still wasn’t going away, she called Ronnie’s name, her voice little more than a frightened whisper. He whipped around and was at her side in an instant.
“You okay?” he asked, his hands on her thighs. “What’s going on?”
“I think her blood sugar must be all out of whack,” Erik said, immediately joining them, his expression worried. “She hasn’t been paying attention to what she’s eaten lately. Her blood-testing kit is in her office. I’ll get it.”
“No,” she protested, not wanting Ronnie to witness whatever evidence might show up in the results.
Ronnie looked into her eyes. “Sugar, we had this conversation the other night. You know you can’t play games with this, not if you have diabetes.”
“I don’t have it,” she said, shooting a disgusted look at Erik for ratting her out about her eating habits, and for being so quick to volunteer to get her testing kit. “Not yet, anyway.”
“Do I need to get you to a hospital, call 911, what?” Ronnie asked, calm and reassuring, but grimly determined.
Erik handed her a slice of cheese. “This should help. I’ll go get your kit.”
Within a few moments, Dana Sue could feel her body slowly returning to normal. “That’s better,” she said, regarding Erik gratefully as he returned. “No need to test now.”
“Either run the test or go to the hospital,” Erik said flatly.
“I’m with Erik,” Ronnie said. “Two choices, Dana Sue. We either call Doc Marshall and ask him to meet us at his office, or we go straight to the emergency room.”
She shook her head. “I’ll be okay. Besides, we’ve got a full house tonight. I don’t have time to go anywhere.”
“Annie could pitch in,” Erik suggested. “She’s learned some of the basics from you. And Helen said she’d come by anytime we need her. Believe it or not, she takes directions in here pretty well.”
“Call them,” Ronnie told Erik, then scooped Dana Sue into his arms. “Let’s go get you checked out, sugar.”
“Put me down, you idiot,” she snapped, even though it felt good to be cradled against his chest. “And don’t you think, under the circumstances, that calling me ‘sugar’is a bad idea?”
Ronnie grinned. “You
are
feeling better, aren’t you?”
“Yes, dammit, which is why I don’t need to see a doctor.”
“Too bad. Maybe if you’d made that appointment earlier in the week the way I asked you to, it wouldn’t have come to this,” he said, exchanging one of those superior-male looks with Erik that made her want to clobber them both over the head with a cast-iron skillet. Erik was grinning when Ronnie marched out the back door with her still in his arms.
“Ronnie Sullivan, I have been taking care of myself for quite some time now,” she began, only to have him cut her off with a look that said she hadn’t done a particularly good job of it. She frowned and admitted, “Okay, maybe I’ve let a few things slide. I’ve had a lot on my mind.”
“Annie’s better now,” he said. “And you deliberately ignored me when I asked you to call Doc Marshall and make an appointment. You know you’re in the wrong. That’s why you’ve been avoiding me ever since the night you made that promise.”
“You didn’t ask me to do it. You ordered me to,” she reminded him.
“Sorry. My mistake. I was just thinking about your health.”
“Not your problem,” she said tightly.
“I think we had that discussion the other night, too.” He plunked her down in the passenger seat of his pickup, then got behind the wheel and backed out of his parking place as if in a race. “I’m going to worry about you. Get used to it.”
As soon as they were on the road, he glanced at her and said firmly, “Maybe we need to get something straight. I’m back for good. I thought opening the business would prove that, but I guess you’re going to need constant reminding. In addition, I intend to marry you again. The timing’s up to you, but the outcome’s a given. That gives me worry rights.”
Even though his claim made her heart leap, she scowled at his arrogance. “The outcome is not a given,” she retorted. “You have a lot of nerve coming back here and making assumptions about me.”
“I’m making assumptions about us, actually. We belong together, Dana Sue. That is never going to change.”
She desperately wanted to believe him. “Even now?”
He studied her blankly. “What do you mean, even now?”
“I’ve gained weight. I’m dealing with the possibility of diabetes. I’m a mess,” she said, choking back a sob at how completely out of control she felt even after all the changes she’d tried to make.
He regarded her with dismay. “Honey, you are so far from a mess,” he chided. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me. I don’t care about a few extra pounds as long as they don’t hurt your health. As for the diabetes, if you have it, we’ll deal with it. If you need insulin, I’ll even learn to give you shots.”
“You’re terrified of needles,” she objected.
“I’ll get over it,” he said emphatically. “There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you. I love you. I love your high spirits, your generous heart, your beautiful face, even your ferocious temper. I’m not quite as crazy about your stubborn streak, but I can live with it.”
Dana Sue held his gaze and saw nothing that would make her doubt what he was telling her. Not even the flicker of an eyelash to suggest he was using sweet talk to get something he wanted, rather than speaking from his heart.
“Okay,” she said at last, giving in to him, to her own heart. She should have done this when he first came back to town, and saved them both months of aggravation, but that stubborn streak he’d mentioned had stopped her.
Ronnie’s gaze narrowed. “Okay what? You’ll go to the doctor without complaining?”
She shook her head. “No—though I’ll do that, too. I’m telling you I’ll marry you.”
He looked stunned. “You’re saying yes,” he murmured, as if he couldn’t quite believe it. The tires squealed as he swerved into a parking space at the hospital and cut the engine. “Yes?”
“I’m saying yes, and believe me, no one is more surprised by that than I am.”
“You’re saying yes when I’m about to haul you into an emergency room,” he muttered with a shake of his head. “That pretty much knocks the romance right out of the moment.”
She grinned at his frustrated tone. “You had something else in mind?”
“Christmas morning,” he admitted. “A pretty velvet box under the tree. Me declaring my undying devotion, while Annie cheered. Something like that.”
“It is a pretty picture,” Dana Sue admitted, wrapping her arms around his neck as he lifted her out of the car. “But something about all this suits us.”
He regarded her with a bemused expression. “A hospital parking lot suits us? How?”
“It’s unpredictable. A little crazy.”
He covered her mouth with his and kissed her till the dizzy sensation came back, this time in a good way.
“I think I’ll include that in our wedding vows,” he told her when he finally pulled away, ending the kiss.
“What?” she asked, still too dazed to think straight.
“I’ll promise to keep things crazy and unpredictable all the days of our lives.”
A smile spread across Dana Sue’s face. “Now that’s a promise I know you’re capable of keeping, Ronnie Sullivan.”
And something told her that once she had her little slice of heaven back again, she wouldn’t have any desire to sneak a slice of Erik’s pies or decadent cakes. Maybe this time Ronnie would turn out to be good for her heart
and
for her health.
“M
om, would you stand still?” Annie pleaded. “Your veil is crooked.”
“I shouldn’t even be wearing a veil, much less a white dress,” Dana Sue grumbled. “I can’t imagine what I was thinking, letting you talk me into having a fancy, formal wedding.”
“I don’t think it had anything to do with me,” Annie said smugly. “I think it’s because you realized you could still get into your old wedding dress and you wanted to show off.”
“Okay, smarty-pants, that did have something to do with it,” Dana Sue admitted. It had been a revelation when she’d found the box with the dress in the attic in January as she was putting away Christmas decorations. The even bigger surprise had been that the dress still fit. All those sessions with Elliott Cruz had paid off. Well, that and having her family and friends watching every bite of food she put in her mouth. Now she understood how Annie felt when they hovered over her. Still, it had been worth it. Dana Sue’s blood-sugar readings had been normal for weeks now, and she hadn’t had to start insulin.
She glanced at Annie, who had climbed onto a chair to rearrange her veil. Looking at her now, it was hard to believe that just a few months ago she’d nearly died from anorexia complications. Her skin was glowing with health, her hair hung down her back in a wave of natural, shimmering golden highlights. She was still below optimum weight for her age and height, and some days were more of a struggle than others, but she was trying, and that was all Dana Sue and Ronnie could ask. If Annie ever had a relapse, which Dr. McDaniels had warned them was a possibility, Dana Sue knew she and Ronnie would be on top of it.
When the veil was arranged to Annie’s satisfaction, she jumped down from the chair and stood behind Dana Sue in front of the mirror. “You look beautiful, Mom.”
“
We
look beautiful,” Dana Sue corrected. “The bridesmaid dress Maddie wore the last time I married your dad fits you perfectly.”
Annie grinned. “I know. It freaked her out. She says since she had the baby she’s the size of a cruise ship. She said she’s nowhere close to achieving those goals you guys set. What’s really cool, though, is I don’t think that’s how Cal sees her at all.”
“Nope,” Dana Sue agreed. “In his eyes, she’s the most beautiful woman on earth. That doesn’t mean Helen and I aren’t about to get tough with her for ignoring those goals.”
Annie regarded Dana Sue intently. “Do you think you and Dad will have another baby, the way Maddie did when she married Cal?”
To her dismay, Dana Sue’s eyes welled up with tears. “I wish we could. I would give anything to have another child, especially if he or she was even half as wonderful as you. But it’s not possible, sweetie.”
“Because of the diabetes risk,” the teen said, her expression sympathetic.
“That and my age,” Dana Sue said.
“But you’re no older than Maddie,” Annie argued. “So it’s the diabetes that’s the real danger.”
She sighed. “Yes, I suppose it is.”
Annie hugged her. “I’m sorry, Mom.”
“Me, too.”
“What about Helen? Do you think she’ll ever have a baby?”
It was all Helen talked about lately, but Dana Sue didn’t think that was something she should discuss with her daughter. If and when Helen weighed all the pros and cons and made a decision, it would be her news to share.
“You never know,” Dana Sue said evasively.
“She’d be a great mom,” Annie said. “Ty, Kyle and Katie think so, too. She’s, like, the best surrogate aunt in the world.”
“Why don’t you tell her that?” Dana Sue suggested. It might help Helen to know there were four kids who considered her excellent mother material. To Dana Sue’s surprise, the ever-confident Helen seemed to be filled with self-doubts on that score.
Annie grinned. “Maybe I will. My last project turned out okay.”
“Project?” Dana Sue said.
“You and Dad,” Annie told her, that smug expression back on her face. “You didn’t think you two came up with this idea all on your own, did you?”
She laughed. “Of course not. Just because we somehow managed to come up with the same idea over twenty years ago doesn’t mean we could have been that ingenious again.”
“Exactly,” Annie said. “I’d better go check on Dad. You know how bad he is at tying his tie.”
“You do that,” Dana Sue encouraged. “I’ll see you in a few minutes at the back of the church.”
“Don’t be late—Dad’s enough of a wreck without that.”
“I won’t be,” Dana Sue promised. She’d waited too long for this moment as it was.
To Ronnie’s relief, the ceremony went off without a hitch. Dana Sue looked every bit as breathtaking as she had on their first wedding day. The reception at Sullivan’s was packed with well-wishers, including his folks, who’d driven over from Columbia. He’d seen the fleeting sadness in Dana Sue’s eyes at not having her own parents with them anymore, but she’d recovered quickly. Annie had flitted around, taking charge of any detail that Maddie and Helen didn’t get to first. Erik had prepared enough food for everyone in Serenity and then some. The entire menu had been conscientiously scanned to be sure there was nothing on it that Dana Sue shouldn’t have. Even the amazing, towering wedding cake was sugar-free.
Ronnie had insisted on hiring a band, something they hadn’t been able to afford at their first wedding. He drew Dana Sue onto the dance floor for one last spin before they left on their two-week honeymoon to Italy, where Ronnie had scheduled them both to take cooking classes in Tuscany. It was a surprise, sort of a busman’s holiday for Dana Sue, but one he knew she would love. It was a dream she’d had for years, but claimed she no longer had time for. He intended to make sure they always took the time to do the important things.
“You could take the tie off now,” Dana Sue said, regarding him with an amused expression as he ran his finger around the too-tight collar of his shirt.
“I can stand it for five more minutes,” he replied. “You know there are going to be pictures when we take off from here. I don’t want you complaining years from now that I looked like I was at some barbecue.”
She touched his cheek, an impish gleam in her eyes. “You know I prefer you in nothing at all.”
Ronnie laughed. “Ditto, but that’s dangerous talk when we have a flight to catch out of Charleston in a few hours.”
“I’ll bet you could make it worth it if we did happen to miss the flight,” she said.
He shook his head. “I’m sure I could, but I’d never hear the end of it, so just rein in your libido, sugar. We’ll be in Italy before you know it.”
Across the room, he spotted Annie dancing with Ty. He pointed them out to Dana Sue. “Those two seem to be getting closer, don’t they?”
She nodded.
“Think I need to have a man-to-man talk with him?”
“And humiliate your daughter?” Dana Sue teased. “I don’t think so. She and I have talked about Ty a lot recently. I think she really has her head together where he’s concerned. Because he’s going away to school in the fall, they’ve agreed to take things really slowly.”
“They’d better,” Ronnie said grimly.
She patted his cheek. “You are such a dad.”
He winked at her. “I am, aren’t I? Always will be.” He glanced at his watch. “Any last goodbyes you need to say before we go?”
“Not a one. Annie’s thrilled about staying with Helen. Erik has everything under control here, or if he doesn’t, I’ll never hear about it. Karen’s been on the job more regularly lately. I think we’re good.”
“Then let’s go and start the rest of our lives,” Ronnie said, leading her toward the exit.
Before he could open the door, they were once again surrounded. Somehow Maddie and Helen were ahead of them, expectant grins on their faces.
“What do you think they’re up to?” he whispered to Dana Sue.
“I have no idea,” she said, then gasped as she looked past them to the street. “My car!” she shouted. “You bought my car!”
She was gone before Ronnie could ask what the devil she was talking about. Then he spotted the sassy red Mustang convertible parked by the curb, a huge bow on the hood. Beside it, Maddie and Helen were grinning, and Dana Sue was hugging them both fiercely.
“What’s going on?” he asked when he joined them.
Dana Sue turned to him with eyes that shone. “I won my car!” she said, looking awestruck. “We had a bet and I won.”
“Are you talking about those goals the three of you set? This is your prize?” he said incredulously.
“She met every goal on her list,” Helen confirmed.
“And one that wasn’t on there,” Maddie added. “She took you back. That was on
my
list for her, not that anyone will give me any credit for it.”
“Poor Maddie,” Dana Sue said. “But I don’t feel all that sorry for you, because I won!”
Ronnie chuckled at her unbridled delight in her triumph. “Gloating’s not nice, sugar.”
“I don’t care,” she said. “For once in my life I actually beat both Helen and Maddie.”
“Given the prize, I’m not surprised you worked so hard to win.” He glanced at her friends, neither of whom looked all that disappointed at having lost. “What were you two supposed to get if you won?”
“A trip for two to Hawaii,” Maddie stated.
“A shopping spree in Paris,” Helen said with a shrug. “I’ll get there sometime and pay for it myself.”
Dana Sue regarded her two best friends with tears in her eyes. “You know,” she suggested slyly, “we could just set new goals. I’m starting to feel pretty lucky.”
Helen’s eyes lit up at once. “New goals? I like that.”
Maddie groaned and frowned at Dana Sue. “What were you thinking?”
“That I want to see both of you as happy as I am right this second,” Dana Sue responded.
Maddie linked her arm through Cal’s and smiled serenely. “I
am
that happy.”
“But Helen will never try to meet her goals if we don’t challenge her,” Dana Sue said. “We owe her. And something tells me she has a new goal she’s just dying to add to her list.”
“Yeah, I do,” Helen said. “In the meantime, I can practically hear those shops along the Champs-Élysées calling my name.”
“Two weeks from tomorrow we meet at The Corner Spa at eight, then,” Dana Sue said, then grinned up at Ronnie. “Hop in, pal. I’m about to take you on the ride of your life.”
He laughed at her exuberance. “Sugar, there was never a doubt in my mind about that.”
ISBN: 978-1-55254-913-1
A SLICE OF HEAVEN
Copyright © 2007 by Sherryl Woods.
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, MIRA Books, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
MIRA and the Star Colophon are trademarks used under license and registered in Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, United States Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries.
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