Earning Yancy (25 page)

T
he moment we
got out of my car at his mother’s house, I knew what Charles meant by overwhelming. As I carried Carolena up the front steps, I could hear screams from inside.

When Charles caught my wide-eyed look, he said, “Those are Sherri’s kids you hear. They’re four and six and they’re hellions.”

Carolena merely clapped her hands and giggled.

I took a deep breath and blew it out as Charles shoved open the front door. Immediately, the screams I’d heard outside became twice as loud and I could smell something delicious cooking.

“Give it back! GIVEITBACK!” a small, blonde girl shrieked as she chased an even smaller boy.

The boy merely laughed, a doll of some kind dangling from his hand by its hair as he ran at breakneck speed through the living room. As they darted past us, Charles reached out and snagged the boy around the waist, lifting him off his feet.

“Hey, hey, hey,” he said, trying to keep the girl from smacking her brother.

“Uncle Charlie, he took my doll!” she wailed. “Tracy is my favorite doll in the whole world!”

I watched as Charles smoothed her hair down with one hand, tugging the ends lightly. “I understand, Katie. Calm down and I’ll talk to Robbie, okay?”

She nodded, blinking her damp eyes rapidly. Charles set the little boy on his feet and squatted down, putting his hands on Robbie’s shoulders. A brown-haired doll was clutched in his hands.

“Robbie, why won’t you give Katie her doll back?”

Robbie looked down at his scuffed sneakers and shrugged, not speaking.

“Did you want to play with it?” Charles asked patiently.

“No,” Robbie said softly.

“Were you trying to get Katie’s attention?”

“I guess.”

I struggled to hide my smile. With his curly golden hair and big blue-green eyes, he was adorable.

“It’s okay, Robbie, thank you for telling me the truth. I understand you wanted to play with your sister, but taking her toys isn’t the right way to do it. Can you give Katie her doll back?”

Watching Charles with his niece and nephew, I could see him with our children, patiently helping them work out their spats. My heart stopped and I held my breath. Our children? Somehow, in the last few weeks, I had begun to imagine our future together without realizing it. Spending time together watching television, cooking meals, and making love had given me a glimpse into that future and I wanted it badly.

As quickly as this epiphany burst into my consciousness, I returned to the present, my breath leaving my lungs in a rush and my heart resuming its function, only now it was pounding hard and fast. I blinked rapidly and managed to regulate my breathing enough to focus on what was going on in front of me.

Robbie nodded and held the doll out to Katie, who snatched it out of his hand and cuddled it close to her chest.

“Robbie, you need to apologize to your sister, okay? I know you just wanted Katie’s attention, but you upset her by taking Tracy.”

The little boy looked at his sister. “I’m sowwy, Katie. I only wanted you to play with me.”

“We can go watch cartoons,” Katie suggested, holding a hand out to her brother.

“Okay.” Robbie took her hand and they went to sit on the floor in front of the television.

I turned to Charles, trying to keep my voice light. “Wow. My sister Leslie’s two kids are about that age. They don’t fight often, but, when they do, it takes more than a quick chat to calm them down.”

He shrugged. “They’re good kids. Robbie likes to irritate his sister, but he usually does it to get her attention.” He gestured for me to follow him. “Mom and Sherri are probably in the kitchen.”

I followed him down a short hall, trying to keep my mind on what was happening here and now rather than freaking out over the fact that I was in love with a man I’d known for a short time. When we entered the kitchen, we interrupted another disagreement, though there was no running or screaming.

“Mom, I know the kids are fighting. As soon as I’m not wrist deep in raw chicken, I’ll go break it up.” A tall, slender woman with hair the same color as Charles’ stood at the counter, putting chicken breasts into a large plastic bag with liquid in the bottom.

“Sherri, by then, one or both of them will be dead or severely injured. Just go. I can’t leave this to sit or it’ll scorch.” I assumed the woman speaking was his mother. She was stirring something on the stove top.

Hearing an argument from Charles’ family that I’d often heard in my own parents’ house helped me to relax and force my anxiety onto the back burner. My personal meltdown would have to come later because, if I didn’t get it together, his mother and sister would think I was crazy.

Both of their heads swiveled when Charles announced, “Too late. There was blood everywhere and severed limbs all over the floor.”

I immediately understood where Charles got his eyes. His mother might be brunette, but her eyes were the same beautiful blue-green color. She also didn’t look old enough to have two children in their thirties. His sister had the same coloring as Charles, but her facial features were different.

“Charlie!” His mother had a wide smile across her face. “Come give me a kiss.”

He moved to comply before turning and waving me over. “Mom, Sherri, this is Yancy Stevens and her daughter, Carolena.”

The nerves I’d been feeling all morning grew until I thought my knees were going to collapse beneath me, but I still managed to walk across the room.

“Hi, Yancy. Call me Karen.” His mom held out her hand. When I took it, she pulled me forward and kissed my cheek. Then she smiled at Carolena. “Hello, Carolena.”

My daughter, who seemed to inherit only a little of my shyness around strangers, stared at her for a moment, then smiled and lifted a hand to wave.

“Hi, Yancy. I’d give you a hug, but I’m afraid my hands are slimy from the chicken. It’s nice to meet you, though.” Sherri also smiled at me.

“It’s nice to meet you both. Thank you for having us.”

They both looked at me and appeared friendly and curious and nothing more. That surprised me. Coop’s mom always regarded me with suspicion and something that resembled jealousy. I’d never felt welcome in his parents’ home.

“Charlie, get Yancy something to drink. Where are you manners?” his mother scolded.

Her words reminded me about the bottle of wine I’d tucked into Carolena’s diaper bag. I juggled the baby and bag until I fished it out.

“I brought a bottle of wine for you, Karen. Charles said you liked white.”

His mother smiled and took the bottle. “Thank you, Yancy. I do enjoy a good glass of white wine after dinner.” She glanced at the label. “I’ve never had this brand before. I can’t wait to try it.”

Her words sounded sincere and I detected no undertone of sarcasm or double meaning. “You’re welcome.”

“Where’s Malcolm?” Charles asked Sherri.

“We ran out of milk. He went to the store almost an hour ago, so I think it’s safe to say he isn’t coming back until it’s time to sit down and eat. I think the kids were driving him nuts too.”

Carolena started squirming in my arms, obviously wanting to get down on the floor and explore the house. I wasn’t comfortable letting her wander around the kitchen while Sherri and Karen were cooking, so I tried to distract her with a toy from her diaper bag.

Charles, of course, noticed. Over the last few weeks, I realized that he seemed to notice little things quickly. Not only did he see them, he did something about it.

“Why don’t we take Lena into the living room so she can play with Robbie and Katie?” he suggested, holding his hands out for my daughter. She went easily into his arms.

When I glanced at Karen, there was a soft look in her eyes. It was that look that made me gather my courage and ask, “Do you need some help with dinner, Karen? It looks like the two of you have your hands full.”

Mother and daughter exchanged a look, saying a lot without using a word. Karen looked back at me, smiling broadly, “Sure. You can make the salad.”

“Do you mind keeping an eye on Carolena?” I asked Charles.

He shook his head, his eyes bright with an emotion I didn’t recognize. “No problem.” He looked at his mom and sister. “Go easy, you two. Yancy’s shy.”

With those two words, he left the room with Carolena, who smiled happily and waved good-bye. Sherri finished putting the chicken into the plastic bag, closing it, giving it a shake, and setting it on a plate in the fridge.

As she washed her hands, she said, “Charles has told us a lot about you, Yancy. I’m glad you came for Sunday dinner.”

Unsure of what to say, I went with, “Me, too.”

Sherri went back to the fridge and began pulling out lettuce and assorted vegetables for a salad. She set them on the counter next to a large cutting board. Digging in a drawer, she withdrew a large chef’s knife and set it on the counter as well.

As I began to chop green onions, Karen asked, “You met Charles through work?”

“Yes. I’m a project manager also. I’m afraid we didn’t get off to a very good start, but we worked it out.”

“How long have you been dating?”

“A little over a month.”

Karen and Sherri exchanged another look.

“Um, is something wrong?”

Karen shook her head, smiling slightly. “No, darlin’. It’s just that Charles hasn’t brought a woman to Sunday dinner in two years and, even then, they’d been dating for over six months.”

My eyes widened and I felt warmth suffuse my entire body. “Really?”

Nodding, Karen came over and placed a hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently. “I’ve never seen my son look at a woman the way he looks at you, Yancy. You must be very special to him.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I nodded. Karen and Sherri returned to what they were doing, acting as though nothing had happened, but I felt as if the floor was shaking beneath my feet. Charles told me it had been a while since he was in a relationship, but I hadn’t realized he meant years. We hadn’t talked much about his past relationships because I knew he would probably ask questions about my marriage and I hated talking about the mistakes I’d made and how I let Cooper fool me for so long.

The conversation shifted to children. Sherri asked me how old Carolena was and commented on how unique and pretty she thought her name was. I asked about her kids, and we settled into a comfortable rhythm, talking and preparing food.

Just before dinner was ready, as she predicted, Sherri’s husband, Malcolm, returned with milk, plus several kinds of ice cream, sundae toppings, and a tray of brownies. He also had a children’s movie he’d rented for the kids to watch after we ate.

He was a tall, handsome man with dark brown hair sprinkled with gray and kind green eyes. I laughed as Sherri jokingly scolded him for taking so long at the store and said he was in charge of setting the table since he hadn’t helped with anything else.

The meal was similar to my family dinners. People passed serving dishes and cut food for the children. Conversations overlapped and grew in volume and enthusiasm. All in all, the mood was comfortable and fun.

Everyone asked me questions, but I didn’t feel as though I was being interrogated. Lena seemed completely unfazed by the unfamiliar people and the boisterous behavior.

While we lingered over our desserts, the kids settled in front of the television to watch their movie. An hour later, the dishes were washed, the kitchen cleaned, and I was ready for a nap. It was after three and I noticed Carolena rubbing her eyes and yawning several times.

Charles saw it as well. He looked at his mother and said, “Thanks for lunch, Mom. It was wonderful as always, but I think I need to get my girls home.”

My heart swelled with pleasure at his offhand words. His mom grinned at me, her brows raised as if to say,
See?
I smiled back.

It was an affectionate farewell, complete with hugs and kisses on the cheek.

As Karen pulled me in for an embrace, she looked at her son. “You bring her back soon, you hear?”

Charles chuckled and nodded.

After thanking them all one last time for inviting me and feeding me a wonderful meal, I followed Charles out of the house to my car. By the time we reached the end of his mother’s street, Carolena was asleep in her car seat.

We talked quietly on the drive home and I told him how much I enjoyed meeting his family. He seemed pleased. When we reached the house, he insisted on carrying Lena into the house and upstairs to her room. Between all the activity before lunch and the ice cream sundae after, my little girl was exhausted. I knew she would sleep for another hour and a half, possibly longer.

Charles found me in my bedroom after he’d settled her in the crib. I exchanged my dress and heels for a t-shirt and cotton shorts. He grinned when he saw me.

“You look tired,” he said.

I sighed. “I am.”

“Why don’t we take a nap too?” he asked.

He didn’t have to ask me twice. I climbed onto the bed and settled into the mattress with a long, contented sigh. He chuckled as he kicked off his shoes and socks and rolled onto the bed next to me. Charles pulled me into his side so that my head rested on his shoulder, my arm rested across his stomach, and I threw my leg over his thigh.

He stroked my hair, something that was guaranteed to help me fall asleep quickly. As I snuggled closer and inhaled his scent, I felt sleep creeping up on me.

“Yancy?” he asked softly.

Drowsy, I answered, “Yes?”

I drifted off, not hearing what he had to say next.