Opposite Attraction
Page 19
Zach took a step toward her. "Why did he do this? "
"He 's hateful. "
"No, he 's a father. " He reached for her. "What about your mother? She has no opinion on this? "
Simone jerked back. "Oh, what would she care? She is married and being spoiled by her new young husband. They are God knows where on an extended honeymoon and then she has purchased a house in France to spend all her new husband 's money in. She has no time for me. "
His eyes softened. "I haven 't h1eard him this mad since Alexander Hamilton walked away from our business deal. "
"Oh, well that tells you where his priorities are. He almost stopped doing business with you over that, and the man beat and nearly killed your wife. Why would anything I did be different? I have hurt his pride. I 've embarrassed him. "
"But what did you do? "
She bit the inside of her cheek. "I cannot believe he did not tell you. "
"Does this have to do with leaving Curtis on the yacht? "
Now she turned from him. It had everything to do with leaving Curtis on the yacht.
"Oh, Simone. " He turned her toward him, took hands in his and held them. "I will help you no matter what you need. But you have to tell me what happened. You have to tell me why you left him and then chose here to come. Your father wouldn 't say more than he didn 't want to speak of you. If you 're in some kind of trouble you need to tell me. "
Simone pulled her hands back. "You would step in to save me? Poor Simone cannot take care of herself. "
Zach held his hands up defensively. "I didn 't say that. "
"No one thinks I can take care of myself. I am just some rich girl who needs her daddy. But I do not need his money. "
Zach scrubbed his hand over his face. "Honey, something happened. Your father has been mad before, but this is "
"This is nothing. You need to not worry. " She sucked in a deep breath and pushed her shoulders back. "I will pay you back for flying me here. I appreciate your generosity. I have a job and I will be finding myself a place to live. "
"Oh, that 's just silly. You live here. "
She shook her head. "I am intruding here. And if you are going to be yelling at me like a child I do not belong here. "
"Simone. " Zach moved to her and pulled her into his arms. "You 're like my sister. I would do anything for you. "
Simone stepped back. "Then trust me. I have done what I need to do and when it is time I will tell you why my father has pushed me away. But until then I need you to love me, trust me, and support my decisions. "
Zach kissed her on the forehead. "Okay. I 'll let you be. But Regan and I are here for you. Open up to us. "
"I will, in time. "
Her first week of work had been successful. Simone had quickly learned the quickest route to work to avoid traffic. She knew she needed to pack a few snacks to keep her stomach calm, and she hated to admit that she thoroughly enjoyed Cynthia 's company.
They sat together at the picnic table behind the clinic on Cynthia 's dinner break from the hospital. She 'd confided in Simone that if you didn 't leave on your break you 'd never get to eat.
"How do you juggle two jobs? " Simone asked as she bit into her apple.
"You manage. I suppose if I had a family it would be harder, but it 's just me. "
"Do you ever want to get married? "
Cynthia shrugged her shoulder. "I don 't know. Seems like a lot of work. "
They 'd forged quite a friendship in the past week. Or at least that 's what Simone thought it was. Her only true friend had been Zach, so she wasn 't quite sure this was an honest friendship. But there was a nagging question that needed to be addressed and she figured now was as good a time as any to dive into Cynthia 's life with Curtis.
"Don 't you and Curtis ever plan to get married? "
Cynthia had just taken a drink of her green Naked juice when Simone asked. That had been a mistake. A moment later Cynthia was spitting it out on the ground as she laughed.
"Curtis? Me? Oh you have to be kidding. "
"But that night at his parents ' house you were kissing him on the porch. He showed up to your house for dinner. It seems to me you are very close. "
Cynthia wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "We are close. As close as two people can be, but I don 't have any plans to spend my life with Curtis Keller. "
"Why not? " It had almost come out as an accusation. Wasn 't he good enough for her?
"Are you serious? "
Simone didn 't like being played. Of course she was serious. What could possibly be wrong with the man that would make Cynthia not want to spend her life with him?
Not knowing what else to say Simone simply nodded hoping Cynthia would elaborate.
"Curtis works too many hours. His job is more important than anything else in his life. He 's not married to a woman, he 's married to the hospital. Next comes his family. But beyond that, he doesn 't want me. He wants you. "
This time it was Simone that choked on her apple. "Me? "
"Oh, you broke his heart into a million pieces, and he isn 't going to forget that. And I 'll admit, it might have cost you a chance with him forever. " That phrase alone stabbed Simone right in the heart. Cynthia continued. "He doesn 't forgive. If you do him wrong you might as well know you 're going to pay for it forever. But you have his heart, darlin '. The poor man is smitten with you. "
Well what was she supposed to say to that? Perhaps she could just tell him about the baby and he 'd be welcoming and drop on one knee. But Cynthia did make it a point to tell her he didn 't forgive. And what she 'd done to him was unforgivable.
She needed to keep working to prove to him -and the rest of the world -that she was able to change.
Sitting there with her hair pulled up, in another pair of scrubs that Cynthia had given her, a pair of comfortable walking shoes on her feet, and a lunch packed in a bag, she knew she was doing the right thing. Her posh life was surly missed, but she was enjoying the freedom of having nothing.
As Cynthia gathered her trash Sam opened the door and walked out of the clinic. Simone watched as Cynthia 's eyes lit up.
"Hey, tall and handsome, " Cynthia cranked her neck to look up at him.
"He 's hateful. "
"No, he 's a father. " He reached for her. "What about your mother? She has no opinion on this? "
Simone jerked back. "Oh, what would she care? She is married and being spoiled by her new young husband. They are God knows where on an extended honeymoon and then she has purchased a house in France to spend all her new husband 's money in. She has no time for me. "
His eyes softened. "I haven 't h1eard him this mad since Alexander Hamilton walked away from our business deal. "
"Oh, well that tells you where his priorities are. He almost stopped doing business with you over that, and the man beat and nearly killed your wife. Why would anything I did be different? I have hurt his pride. I 've embarrassed him. "
"But what did you do? "
She bit the inside of her cheek. "I cannot believe he did not tell you. "
"Does this have to do with leaving Curtis on the yacht? "
Now she turned from him. It had everything to do with leaving Curtis on the yacht.
"Oh, Simone. " He turned her toward him, took hands in his and held them. "I will help you no matter what you need. But you have to tell me what happened. You have to tell me why you left him and then chose here to come. Your father wouldn 't say more than he didn 't want to speak of you. If you 're in some kind of trouble you need to tell me. "
Simone pulled her hands back. "You would step in to save me? Poor Simone cannot take care of herself. "
Zach held his hands up defensively. "I didn 't say that. "
"No one thinks I can take care of myself. I am just some rich girl who needs her daddy. But I do not need his money. "
Zach scrubbed his hand over his face. "Honey, something happened. Your father has been mad before, but this is "
"This is nothing. You need to not worry. " She sucked in a deep breath and pushed her shoulders back. "I will pay you back for flying me here. I appreciate your generosity. I have a job and I will be finding myself a place to live. "
"Oh, that 's just silly. You live here. "
She shook her head. "I am intruding here. And if you are going to be yelling at me like a child I do not belong here. "
"Simone. " Zach moved to her and pulled her into his arms. "You 're like my sister. I would do anything for you. "
Simone stepped back. "Then trust me. I have done what I need to do and when it is time I will tell you why my father has pushed me away. But until then I need you to love me, trust me, and support my decisions. "
Zach kissed her on the forehead. "Okay. I 'll let you be. But Regan and I are here for you. Open up to us. "
"I will, in time. "
Her first week of work had been successful. Simone had quickly learned the quickest route to work to avoid traffic. She knew she needed to pack a few snacks to keep her stomach calm, and she hated to admit that she thoroughly enjoyed Cynthia 's company.
They sat together at the picnic table behind the clinic on Cynthia 's dinner break from the hospital. She 'd confided in Simone that if you didn 't leave on your break you 'd never get to eat.
"How do you juggle two jobs? " Simone asked as she bit into her apple.
"You manage. I suppose if I had a family it would be harder, but it 's just me. "
"Do you ever want to get married? "
Cynthia shrugged her shoulder. "I don 't know. Seems like a lot of work. "
They 'd forged quite a friendship in the past week. Or at least that 's what Simone thought it was. Her only true friend had been Zach, so she wasn 't quite sure this was an honest friendship. But there was a nagging question that needed to be addressed and she figured now was as good a time as any to dive into Cynthia 's life with Curtis.
"Don 't you and Curtis ever plan to get married? "
Cynthia had just taken a drink of her green Naked juice when Simone asked. That had been a mistake. A moment later Cynthia was spitting it out on the ground as she laughed.
"Curtis? Me? Oh you have to be kidding. "
"But that night at his parents ' house you were kissing him on the porch. He showed up to your house for dinner. It seems to me you are very close. "
Cynthia wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "We are close. As close as two people can be, but I don 't have any plans to spend my life with Curtis Keller. "
"Why not? " It had almost come out as an accusation. Wasn 't he good enough for her?
"Are you serious? "
Simone didn 't like being played. Of course she was serious. What could possibly be wrong with the man that would make Cynthia not want to spend her life with him?
Not knowing what else to say Simone simply nodded hoping Cynthia would elaborate.
"Curtis works too many hours. His job is more important than anything else in his life. He 's not married to a woman, he 's married to the hospital. Next comes his family. But beyond that, he doesn 't want me. He wants you. "
This time it was Simone that choked on her apple. "Me? "
"Oh, you broke his heart into a million pieces, and he isn 't going to forget that. And I 'll admit, it might have cost you a chance with him forever. " That phrase alone stabbed Simone right in the heart. Cynthia continued. "He doesn 't forgive. If you do him wrong you might as well know you 're going to pay for it forever. But you have his heart, darlin '. The poor man is smitten with you. "
Well what was she supposed to say to that? Perhaps she could just tell him about the baby and he 'd be welcoming and drop on one knee. But Cynthia did make it a point to tell her he didn 't forgive. And what she 'd done to him was unforgivable.
She needed to keep working to prove to him -and the rest of the world -that she was able to change.
Sitting there with her hair pulled up, in another pair of scrubs that Cynthia had given her, a pair of comfortable walking shoes on her feet, and a lunch packed in a bag, she knew she was doing the right thing. Her posh life was surly missed, but she was enjoying the freedom of having nothing.
As Cynthia gathered her trash Sam opened the door and walked out of the clinic. Simone watched as Cynthia 's eyes lit up.
"Hey, tall and handsome, " Cynthia cranked her neck to look up at him.
