Love Again

Diana had visibly shrunk while the golden boy loomed over her. If he had held on to Diana for thirty more seconds, Steve would have stormed over. He would have earlier if he had known Diana would receive that sort of help well.

"You wasted the trip, Scott, there is no us anymore. We're done. I suggest you move on. I already did."

"Bullshit, I'm taking you home." Scott reached for her, but she moved away so his hand caught only air this time.

"I'm not going anywhere with you. Go away and leave me alone."

Scott's ears turned red and she noticed his right hand was shaking. Till that day, he had won every fight and every argument.

Steve stood at Diana's side. "Are you okay, Diana? Do you need help?"

The second Diana saw Steve she relaxed. Scott couldn't force anything, not with Steve standing next to her. Not with Steve protecting her.

Scott's glare could burn. "You're done playing. You're done making me look like a fool to our friends back home. You are getting in this car and coming with me. Now!"

Diana laughed at him. "You're so clueless. This is where I live now. I'm not coming back."

Diana couldn't quite see what she had found so attractive about Scott. Why had she been so stuck on this man? Sometimes you need distance to gain some perspective. Scott was certainly good-looking and possessed the charm of sweet talk, but as for substance, all she could see now was how demanding he was, and how often he had been looking out for only himself their entire relationship.

Steve, on the other hand, was quiet and more guarded so he didn't instantly attract attention. But unlike Scott, Steve always put her needs before his own. When he disagreed with her or tried to convince her not to do something, it was because he feared for her, not because he needed to prove himself.

Diana slipped her hand into Steve's and laced her fingers with his. She squeezed his hand once, silently asking him to cool down. Steve didn't know that Scott was a lawyer. If Steve threw a punch, Scott would ruin his life in court on a bunch of trumped-up charges.

Scott sneered at Steve. "So, now you're cheating on me with this poor replica of a man?"

"Steve is more of a man than you'll ever be. We were done the moment you went to bed with that slut. I didn't cheat, you did."

"Aw. Poor Diana. Always playing the victim," a slow, mocking smile played across Scott's face. "I never figured you'll end up with Mr. Small-town-loser."

Steve opened his mouth to talk, but Diana tugged lightly on his arm. This battle was hers to fight. If Scott wanted her to get emotional, too bad for him. His words held no power over her any longer. "You have no say in my choices anymore. You are not welcome here, and you are not welcome in my life. Go away, loser."

Scott fisted his hands and looked back and forth between the two of them. "You were always a waste of time, and it won't take long before this new guy realizes that, too, and leaves you for someone better." He stalked back to his car and kicked it into gear. His tires spun in the gravel as he drove away, forming a new cloud of dust that Diana watched slowly settle back to earth.

Steve worked his jaw back and forth. It had taken everything in him not to explode at Diana's ex-fiancé. What kind of man was her ex-fiancé to talk to her like that?

Gently, Steve tugged on her arm and turned her to face him. "Are you all right?"

Tears started to run down her face. She swiped at them with her palm.

She looked so defenseless. A deep longing to protect her rose up in his chest. He realized that he was ready to stand between Diana and whatever danger was out there. Steve would go out of his way to make her feel safe and cherished.

Diana toed the ground. "I walk away from every conversation with him feeling like I'm not worth anything," she whispered.

"He's wrong about you." Steve's voice came out as a fierce growl. "You are a much better person than him." He gathered her to his chest. To his surprise, she unlaced her arms and drew them around his back, pressing her head into his shoulder.

His hand covered her hair as he pressed his cheek against the side of her head. They stood together for a couple of minutes before Diana pushed lightly out of his hold.

"Don't worry. I'm fine. Good, actually." A soft smile played at her lips.

"You sure? Some of that stuff he said..."

"I've never been able to stand up to him like that. I don't think he'll be back."

Steve smiled back at her. "I don't think so, either. Do you want to have lunch?"

"Yeah." She tugged his arm close. "No use letting him ruin my day."

Within ten minutes they were seated at McDonald's. Steve worked the saltshaker around and around in his hand. "There's something I wanted to talk to you about, but I'm not sure right now is a good time anymore."

Diana quirked an eyebrow.

Steve rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't want to come off sounding like him." He dropped his gaze to the table.

In an instant, her hand covered his. "Look at me, Steve."

He obeyed.

"You are nothing like Scott. Okay? Nothing. I'm just sorry it took me a while to realize that."

* * * * *

CHAPTER 20

Could she trust a relationship with Steve? What if he let her down and she ended up hurt again? What if he was nothing better than a cheater, as well?

Steve studied her while he ate his burger. "What are you thinking about?"

"Just... everything." Diana made eye contact. Those hazel eyes would get her every time.

Steve broke the silence again. "Remember the first day I met you? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but after meeting Scott I wondered..."

With her gaze locked on the table, she weighed telling him the whole story.

If she was going to try to trust men, then she should start by being honest herself. "I broke off my engagement with Scott."

Diana swallowed and continued. "I thought Scott was the one. I'd had a couple of boyfriends before him that just... didn't care. They dropped me for someone else. I guess I wasn't enough for them."

Steve sat up and turned to face her. As he did, he laced his fingers with hers. She couldn't tell if it was a gesture of comfort, or he wanted to prove that men didn't find her repulsive. Whatever the reason, his touch felt good.

"About four years after graduation I ran into Scott, who I've known my whole life. We grew up in the same neighborhood but hung out with different people in school. When he asked me out, I said yes."

Steve offered her hand a squeeze.

"Unlike my previous boyfriends, it felt like Scott actually cared and wanted to be involved in every aspect of my life. It was only after we broke up that I realized how controlling he was. He separated me from all my friends, all my hobbies, and convinced me to put in my resignation at school since he didn't want his wife to have a job. Anyway, we were engaged within six months, and I thought I finally had my happily ever after.

"He was already living in our condo, but I wanted to stay with my parents until the wedding. He pressured me to come live with him before we were married and that's the only thing I stuck to my guns about, which probably cost me the relationship in the end."

"That's not true. Scott should have waited. He should have respected your choice."

"He worked long hours in his firm downtown, so I decided to surprise him with dinner one night. I went to the condo and saw his car and just figured he'd gone in and taken a nap after work. Instead, I found him tangled up with another woman in our bed." She shook her head, trying to shove the image out of her mind. "I tossed the ring at his head and left."

Steve moved his head up and down. "I heard you when you called him a cheater."

"Apparently, he had been banging his assistant for months. He said he did what all men do and that I had to get over it."

"A man who cheats has no respect for his woman. And a woman who stays has no respect for herself."

"Well, my mother is one of those. My dad was a serial cheater. He cheated on my mom with seven different women in the span of their marriage. I have no idea why she didn't kick him to the curb."

Steve brushed his thumb on her cheek, catching tears she hadn't realized she was crying. Then he tugged the hand he held and pulled her in for a hug. She welcomed the contact, releasing his hand and drawing her arms around his back.

"You're better off without him," Steve whispered into her hair. "Don't spend one-second feeling like you were less than him. He cheated. He lied. He's the loser. You're bothered because after injuring you, he wants to insult you. You are worth cherishing. You are worth being faithful to. You have worth, and any man would be crazy not to notice that."

The words were like a benediction working into all her broken memories.

Everything inside him told Steve to lean in and kiss her. He moistened his lips, but he couldn't. Diana had been used, left, and disappointed by men. He needed to be careful.

Even though he had been married for three years, he knew very little about women. He knew plenty about Peggy, but not women in general.

With Peggy, he had known when to lean in, what each of her expressions meant and what she needed without her asking. Being with Peggy had been second nature since he'd known her his whole life. He never once had to ask Peggy out for a date. They both just knew they'd do something together on Friday night after school. His marriage proposal consisted of taking her to pick out a ring and putting it on her finger the next weekend.

Suddenly, Steve needed to get up and move. "Come for a walk with me," Steve offered.

They walked hand in hand for a while, "Thank you for telling me about your relationship with Scott. I know it wasn't easy," Steve told Diana.

Diana shrugged. "It was time to tell someone. Thank you for listening."

Steve smiled at Diana. "I'm here for you any time you need me. I just wanted to say that even though we haven't known each other long, I'm thankful to have you in my life."

Diana nodded and took a step back into the shadows to mask the grateful tears that threatened to fall. "I'm thankful for you, too."

And she was.

* * * * *

CHAPTER 21

The next weeks passed in a bit of a blur. Georgina's attitude towards Diana mellowed a bit, meaning she was civil around her. Her relationship with Steve, whatever it was, grew day by day.

Diana was excited when she entered Equal Opportunity. After weeks of working with the students and seeing their potential, she had a plan to help them go to college.

Steve inched closer to where Diana worked at a large table with three of the older teens. For some reason, he found himself gravitating to wherever she was. He was acting like a fifteen-year-old with a crush on the cute new teacher.

Steve watched Diana perform a secret handshake with one of the teens and high-five the next three in the homework room.

These were the three students Diana had decided to hunt down tonight to talk to because they were seniors in high school or, like Sonny, had graduated already.

"You came back." Sonny grinned.

"You always sound so surprised."

"That's because each time you leave I always think that's the last time we'll see you. No disrespect, but a pretty woman like you just don't belong in this neighborhood. People like you don't stick around in places like this. You're too good for it."

Diana set her bag on the table and then looked up, making sure she had the attention of all three of the students. "There is no such thing as people like me, okay? There are just people. Not one person is better or worth more than another."

She pulled the stack of college booklets out of her bag. "At the school where I work, we have a whole wall of information about colleges, so I brought some with me tonight."

Sonny crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "None of us will go to college. We will never get out of this neighborhood. No one here has got the money for that."

A girl named Jenna leafed through a catalog for one of the state universities. "Let's be straight, Miss S. We barely make it out of high school."

She took a deep breath. "I believe that each of you is capable of going on to college. If you want to go to college, I want you to know that it's a very real option."

"Belief doesn't pay the bills." Jenna wistfully sighed and placed the college handout back on top of the stack.

"No, it doesn't." Diana pulled another bundle of paperwork out from her bag. "But scholarships and grants, along with work-study programs, can help. Right here in my hands, I'm holding the information about more than thirty scholarships that you could each be eligible for. I spent last weekend researching each of them, and I truly think any of you have a good chance."

Diana handed a packet for a small college nearby that awarded money to people wishing to pursue creative writing and performance to Sonny.

Sonny scanned the paper. "You did all this... for us?"

Diana shrugged. "If anyone is interested, I'm happy to help you with entrance essays and the paperwork for the scholarships. I'll walk you through each step if you want." She squeezed the hand of Jenna who'd stayed silent. "I'll even drive you to college visits if you decide you're considering one of them."

"Thank you." Jenna breathed the words more than said them.

Steve stood in the doorway listening to Diana talk to the group about going to college. He'd never thought about taking them through the college-application process, let alone arranging college visits.

Diana finished answering the student's questions, hugged each one goodbye, and stayed to clean up.

She started to gather her belongings, piling books, and notepads into a canvas bag.

Steve held out his hand to carry her bag. "You're great with these students."

Diana slipped on her zip-up hooded sweatshirt and grabbed her car keys. "They're fun to work with."

"They can be. Some of our old volunteers left because they said the students were draining their energy or unreachable. But for you, it's like second nature. A lot of people who have served here are doing it because they feel like they should, but you really care about these kids."

"How about you, Steve? Do you care for them"

Did he care about these students in the same way Diana did?

Peggy had. They had started Equal Opportunity because she'd wanted it, this had been her passion. Not his. He had stayed after Peggy's death to honor her.

In the last two years, Equal Opportunity had become an obligation, a task to complete to honor his dead wife, Peggy. When did he stop caring about these kids? Did he blame them for his wife's death?

Pursing her lips, Diana studied him. "That wasn't supposed to be a trick question."

"I know." He locked the back door after they walked out. "But I can't answer it in a way that I'm comfortable with."

She nodded. You don't have to know all the answers." Diana eased the bag off his shoulder, her touch like sparklers all over his skin. "In fact, it's better if you don't."

"Maybe." He glanced back at the dark building.

Diana's smile was soft. "What you do here is a good thing, Steve. Don't diminish the impact you have, no matter what the reason."

As much as he didn't want to admit it, having Diana around was the best thing for the kids and him. She was changing his heart more than he cared to acknowledge at the moment. Diana cared about these teens and their future.

Now Steve wanted to care again, too.

* * * * *

CHAPTER 22

Grace entered the house just to see her brother Steve pulling some books out of the bookstore bag.

"What did you buy, Bro? That book about the man who kept his wife in the attic?"

Grace laughed.

"Ehm, it's nothing. Just some reading material I bought in Portland." He struggled to put the books back in the bag but they fell on the table.

"Why didn't you buy them here in Middletown?"

Grace walked to the table, took one of the books in her hands, and read the title, "The Art of Seduction". She let out a short laugh and took another, "Alpha Male strategies".

She raised an eyebrow and looked at Steve, "Dating books, Bro? That redhead teacher really got under your skin."

Steve met his sister's eyes and let out a long, deep breath. "Sure I like her. What's not to like?"

"Do you mean that?" Grace wore a goofy grin and bounced in her seat.

Steve rested his hands on the back of his head.

"She's great with the students, I have to admit she made a difference in those teens' lives. She's thoughtful and doesn't just talk for the sake of talking."

"Like how I do all the time?" Grace laughed.

Grace talked a mile a minute and often for no other benefit than to avoid silence. As much as he loved his sister, the constant chatter sometimes wore on him. However, Diana seemed comfortable with silence, which was refreshing.

"Do you know what else I appreciate about Diana? When she talks to me she's not worried about hurting my feelings and there's no pity in her actions."

Grace's smile fell. "I don't..."

"You do."

"I'm sorry, Bro. Truly. It's just... when it first happened, I didn't know what to say, and it kept being like that."

"I know you don't do it on purpose. Everyone in town does it. To them, I'm defined by what happened on one day of my life. There is nothing else they think when they look at me."

"I don't know if that's true."

He looked out the window. "It feels true. But Diana doesn't look at me that way. It's refreshing."

She looked at her brother "Why would you need some book to date Diana? You were already married."

Steve stiffened, struggling to keep his face expressionless. He said finally. "Peggy is the only woman I dated. The only woman I was with. I knew her since we were kids, everything was simple with her. On the other hand, Diana is... well, she is... complicated. I don't get her. She never says or does what I expect."

"That's understandable." Grace said softly, "I think it's sweet, but you don't need any book. Trust me. The only expert on a woman is another woman. You guys don't even think as we do, men's brains work differently than women's."

"Don't be ridiculous," Steve disparaged

"Oh no?" Grace asked. "What is the first thing you do when you get lost on a road trip?"

"I don't get lost," Steve said dryly.

"Right." Grace rolled her eyes. "But if you did?"

"You can't get lost," Steve explained. "If you have a basic idea of where you're headed, you just keep going in that direction."

"Exactly," Grace said dryly as if he had just proven her point. "A woman doesn't think like that. She'd stop the moment she realized she was lost and ask for directions."

"This isn't about asking directions, it's about getting a woman I want. These books teach how to navigate the dating world, how to be charming..."

"You already are charming. Maybe a bit overprotective, but you're good-looking and you're nice when you're not brooding or trying to control everyone's lives."

"Well, Diana doesn't seem interested in me at all," Steve muttered.

"Of course not. Once bitten, twice shy. Her ex-fiancé hurt her. You need to show her you would never do that. You need to show her that you can be gentle and caring." Grace sat at her brother's side and place a hand over his. "You should be who you are, not act like some book says you should."

Grace smiled at his brother, "Those books have nothing to do with proving you're gentle and caring. She is attracted to you."

"How do you know?" Steve asked.

"Remember when we met at the Farmer's Market?"

Steve nodded.

"She kept watching your butt in your tight black jeans. I bet half-naked images of you kept popping into her head while we were talking to her."