Opposite Attraction
Page 36
There should have been a million words to share with her, but they seemed to be stuck in his throat. Instead, he turned around and walked away.
He 'd heard her call his name as he turned and walked down the hall and out of the clinic. Every muscle in his body ached as he hurried out to his truck. Of course, his heart ached most.
Oh, what and idiot he 'd been to involve himself in her games. She must have thought he was some kind of fool to fall for her charm.
He started the truck and sped out of the parking lot.
So that was what her bumbling was all about last night. Talking about his family. She was using him to build a family for her baby. Well he wasn 't interested. And he wasn 't a fool anymore.
There was only one way to rid himself of Simone Pierpont and that was to send her packing.
Only one man could do that and Curtis was going to see to it that Zach made her go away.
Mary Ellen sat at her desk -the guardian to Zach 's private world. When she 'd seen Curtis walking toward his office she 'd lifted her head and smiled, but he knew the look on his face spelled out danger and instead of waving him in, as she usually would, she stood quickly and barricaded the door by stepping in his way.
"Curtis, it 's nice to see you. "
"I need him. "
She held up a hand. "He 's on a very important phone call. "
With all due respect to the woman who took care of his brother-in-law, she needed to get out of his way.
"Trust me, I won 't make a sound. "
He skirted around her and pushed his way into Zach 's office.
Zach sat at his large desk the phone receiver to his ear. He head shot up when he saw Curtis walk into his office and then his eyes darted to Mary Ellen who shrugged her shoulders.
Zach continued his conversation as he gave Curtis a nod and Mary Ellen a wave, which she took as her signal to leave.
Curtis sat down on the leather couch and wrung his hands together while he waited.
He watched Zach. He was rubbing his temples listening to the person on the other end of the conversation. Whatever the phone call was about Zach was immersed in it and it was weighing heavy on him.
Curtis felt like an idiot for barging in. Simone wasn 't Zach 's responsibility either.
A moment later Zach leaned back, looked at the receiver in his hand and then hung up the phone, without a word.
"I guess he was done with me. " He scrubbed his hands over his face and shifted his stare to Curtis.
There was an awkward silence between them, but Curtis was sure that Zach had something to say, and he was certain they were about initiate the same topic of conversation.
Zach pointed to the phone. "That was Monsieur Pierpont. "
There was a tightening in Curtis 's chest. "He ready for his princess back? I 'm ready to send her packing. "
Zach gnawed on his lip then tapped his fingers on the desk. "Seems as though she 's called him, just a few moments ago. He 's sending a plane for her. "
"Good. " Curtis stood and paced the small area between the desk and Zach 's desk. "I know she 's your dearest friend and all, but she 's nothing but trouble. I 'd feel better knowing she 's as far away from Nashville, my friends, and my family as possible. "
"What happened to you two working things out? I thought you were in love with her. "
"I was wrong. " He pressed his hands on the top of the desk and leaned on it. "So you know why she was turned away now? "
Zach pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don 't mean to be rude, but I have more problems than your love life. " He picked up a file on his desk and then tossed it back down. "Pierpont wants to do a build, but he 's got an investor. "
"So? " It was pissing Curtis off that Zach couldn 't for just five minutes leave his business and talk about getting rid of Simone.
"The investor is Alexander Hamilton. "
"Are you kidding me? " His temper was boiling again. "What 's wrong with that family? You don 't do business with a woman beating bastard. " He could feel the head beneath his collar. Just the mention of the name made him want to lash out.
He 'd been there when Alexander Hamilton had nearly killed his sister and her daughter. She 'd given the baby away to hide her, but the man still came around.
He hooked his thumbs into his front pocket. "You 're not doing the build are you? "
"No. " The answer was firm. Zach sat back in his chair. "He 's testing me. He wants to see if I 'll sell out -or if I 'm loyal to my family. "
Curtis 's mind shifted to Simone. "He doesn 't seem to be too loyal to his own family, why is he worried about you? "
"It 's a power trip. "
"And that 's all this was with Simone? She tripped up his power. "
"I think so. I can 't imagine what she did. "
Curtis winced. Obviously Zach didn 't know.
He wasn 't sure it was his place to discuss it, but if anyone deserved to know that Simone Pierpont was as conniving as her father, it was Zach.
He took a breath to tell him about the baby when Mary Ellen burst through the door. "Security just called. " Her voice was 1quick and sharp. She moved to the elevator in the corner of the office and pushed the button.
Zach must have noticed her concern. He jumped from his chair and followed her.
Mary Ellen shifted a look at Curtis and then back to Zach. "Simone is here. " She hushed her voice, but there was enough panic in it that it hadn 't quieted any. "She just crashed her car in the parking garage. "
That gave Curtis 's heart a start. As the door opened to the elevator he dashed across the office and stepped in. "Push the button, hurry. "
Mary Ellen placed her hand on his arm. "I don 't think it 's too bad, they didn 't ask for an ambulance. "
Curtis turned and looked Zach square in the eye. "She 's pregnant. We have to make sure she 's okay. "
The door closed and Zach turned to him, his eyes narrow and angry. "Run that by me again. "
"Simone is pregnant. That 's why she 's in Nashville. That 's why her father pushed her out. "
He 'd seen fear in Zach 's eyes before -even hurt and desperation, but this was the first time he 'd seen pure anger surge through his brother-in-law. "What have you done? "
He 'd heard her call his name as he turned and walked down the hall and out of the clinic. Every muscle in his body ached as he hurried out to his truck. Of course, his heart ached most.
Oh, what and idiot he 'd been to involve himself in her games. She must have thought he was some kind of fool to fall for her charm.
He started the truck and sped out of the parking lot.
So that was what her bumbling was all about last night. Talking about his family. She was using him to build a family for her baby. Well he wasn 't interested. And he wasn 't a fool anymore.
There was only one way to rid himself of Simone Pierpont and that was to send her packing.
Only one man could do that and Curtis was going to see to it that Zach made her go away.
Mary Ellen sat at her desk -the guardian to Zach 's private world. When she 'd seen Curtis walking toward his office she 'd lifted her head and smiled, but he knew the look on his face spelled out danger and instead of waving him in, as she usually would, she stood quickly and barricaded the door by stepping in his way.
"Curtis, it 's nice to see you. "
"I need him. "
She held up a hand. "He 's on a very important phone call. "
With all due respect to the woman who took care of his brother-in-law, she needed to get out of his way.
"Trust me, I won 't make a sound. "
He skirted around her and pushed his way into Zach 's office.
Zach sat at his large desk the phone receiver to his ear. He head shot up when he saw Curtis walk into his office and then his eyes darted to Mary Ellen who shrugged her shoulders.
Zach continued his conversation as he gave Curtis a nod and Mary Ellen a wave, which she took as her signal to leave.
Curtis sat down on the leather couch and wrung his hands together while he waited.
He watched Zach. He was rubbing his temples listening to the person on the other end of the conversation. Whatever the phone call was about Zach was immersed in it and it was weighing heavy on him.
Curtis felt like an idiot for barging in. Simone wasn 't Zach 's responsibility either.
A moment later Zach leaned back, looked at the receiver in his hand and then hung up the phone, without a word.
"I guess he was done with me. " He scrubbed his hands over his face and shifted his stare to Curtis.
There was an awkward silence between them, but Curtis was sure that Zach had something to say, and he was certain they were about initiate the same topic of conversation.
Zach pointed to the phone. "That was Monsieur Pierpont. "
There was a tightening in Curtis 's chest. "He ready for his princess back? I 'm ready to send her packing. "
Zach gnawed on his lip then tapped his fingers on the desk. "Seems as though she 's called him, just a few moments ago. He 's sending a plane for her. "
"Good. " Curtis stood and paced the small area between the desk and Zach 's desk. "I know she 's your dearest friend and all, but she 's nothing but trouble. I 'd feel better knowing she 's as far away from Nashville, my friends, and my family as possible. "
"What happened to you two working things out? I thought you were in love with her. "
"I was wrong. " He pressed his hands on the top of the desk and leaned on it. "So you know why she was turned away now? "
Zach pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don 't mean to be rude, but I have more problems than your love life. " He picked up a file on his desk and then tossed it back down. "Pierpont wants to do a build, but he 's got an investor. "
"So? " It was pissing Curtis off that Zach couldn 't for just five minutes leave his business and talk about getting rid of Simone.
"The investor is Alexander Hamilton. "
"Are you kidding me? " His temper was boiling again. "What 's wrong with that family? You don 't do business with a woman beating bastard. " He could feel the head beneath his collar. Just the mention of the name made him want to lash out.
He 'd been there when Alexander Hamilton had nearly killed his sister and her daughter. She 'd given the baby away to hide her, but the man still came around.
He hooked his thumbs into his front pocket. "You 're not doing the build are you? "
"No. " The answer was firm. Zach sat back in his chair. "He 's testing me. He wants to see if I 'll sell out -or if I 'm loyal to my family. "
Curtis 's mind shifted to Simone. "He doesn 't seem to be too loyal to his own family, why is he worried about you? "
"It 's a power trip. "
"And that 's all this was with Simone? She tripped up his power. "
"I think so. I can 't imagine what she did. "
Curtis winced. Obviously Zach didn 't know.
He wasn 't sure it was his place to discuss it, but if anyone deserved to know that Simone Pierpont was as conniving as her father, it was Zach.
He took a breath to tell him about the baby when Mary Ellen burst through the door. "Security just called. " Her voice was 1quick and sharp. She moved to the elevator in the corner of the office and pushed the button.
Zach must have noticed her concern. He jumped from his chair and followed her.
Mary Ellen shifted a look at Curtis and then back to Zach. "Simone is here. " She hushed her voice, but there was enough panic in it that it hadn 't quieted any. "She just crashed her car in the parking garage. "
That gave Curtis 's heart a start. As the door opened to the elevator he dashed across the office and stepped in. "Push the button, hurry. "
Mary Ellen placed her hand on his arm. "I don 't think it 's too bad, they didn 't ask for an ambulance. "
Curtis turned and looked Zach square in the eye. "She 's pregnant. We have to make sure she 's okay. "
The door closed and Zach turned to him, his eyes narrow and angry. "Run that by me again. "
"Simone is pregnant. That 's why she 's in Nashville. That 's why her father pushed her out. "
He 'd seen fear in Zach 's eyes before -even hurt and desperation, but this was the first time he 'd seen pure anger surge through his brother-in-law. "What have you done? "
