The Executive's Decision
Page 21
The tap on the door wasn’t unexpected. “Go away!” she shouted.
Carlos took it as his invitation to enter. She heard him sigh.
“I said go away!”
He let out a grunt that told her he wasn’t going anywhere. “So what happened to you?”
“As if you’d care.” She snapped up her head and reached for the box of tissues on her nightstand.
He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorjamb. “You’re right. I don’t, but Clara is here, and she doesn’t want to see Aunt Regan all crybaby.”
“You’re an asshole. All men are assholes.” She sat up and rubbed the tears from her cheeks.
“Yes, we have a club. Curtis and I are the founders, and I’m guessing your boss is a member.”
“Oh, you’re quick.” She almost smiled.
“So what’s the story? Did he make you write out a report in longhand? Let me guess, you had to sharpen sixty pencils? Or—wait, did he…”
“If you say beat erasers together, I’m throwing you out the window,” she said, shaking her head and finally mustering a smile. “You are a teacher down to the core, aren’t you?” She laughed as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
Carlos sat down next to her on the bed. “Reg, tell me what’s up.”
“I kissed him.” Her voice dropped, and heat filled her cheeks. “I shouldn’t have, but I did.”
“And how was it?” He rested his hand on her back.
“Wonderful.” She looked up at him.
“Good. It sucks to waste kisses on bad ones.”
“Carlos, I can’t do this again. I can’t fall in love with the man I work for.”
“Why? Because Alexander Hamilton was such a great guy?” His sarcastic tone made her straighten her spine. “He used you, Regan. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I should have known. How do you work so closely with someone, love him so much, and not know he’s cut you out of his life?”
“Because he didn’t want you to know.”
“God, I was carrying his baby, Carlos. You’d think he could have let me in on it then.” The tears were streaming down her cheeks faster.
“Don’t beat yourself up for that. You did the right thing. You’re an amazing woman, Regan.” He gathered her in his arms and let her cry it out. “I don’t know anything about Zachary Benson, but I don’t think he’s in the same class of men as Alexander Hamilton. Not many men are.”
“Daddy,” a small voice spoke from the door. Regan turned her head to see Clara, her expressive eyes dark with concern. “Is Aunt Regan okay?”
“She’s fine. We’ll be down in a few minutes, okay?”
She nodded. “Can I call Mommy?”
“Why?”
“I can’t remember the website with the games she lets me play.”
“Yes, honey that’s fine. Tell her I say hello.” He was soft with her, and Regan admired him.
Regan turned her head when she heard Clara walk away. She kissed her brother on the cheek. “You’re a wonderful father.”
“They don’t deserve to have me hate their mother.”
“You don’t hate her,” she reminded him. “It’s amazing how you still care for her and take care of her.”
“Lots of history there.” He kissed the top of her head and stood up. “I saved you some dinner.”
“I should have called. I’m sorry. I ate with Zach.”
“Well, at least he fed you.” He winked. “Don’t dwell on the past. If you’re attracted to this guy, and it sounds like he’s attracted to you, maybe you should feel this out. Give it a chance.”
“I don’t want to get hurt.”
“It seems like you’re hurting right now—and the kiss was good.” He smiled and left her alone.
Zach sat on the couch in his office and flipped through the channels on the television. Images passed by him, but he saw nothing. When his cell phone rang, he grabbed for it. There was no need to look at the ID. He knew it was his mother.
“Hello, Mother. How are you this evening?” he answered, still flipping through the channels.
“You’re at your office, aren’t you? Haven’t I told you that's not a safe place for you to be? You’re going to have a heart attack like your father,” she scolded.
“I’m fine. I had to do some redesigns.” He realized he hadn’t been able to concentrate enough on them since Regan stormed out of the office.
“Don’t let me find out you slept on that couch. I don’t want you staying there when you have a perfectly good place to live.”
He’d already decided he was staying the night. With all the amenities and the amount of work he had to do, it didn’t make sense to go home.
“Okay, Mom. You won’t find out,” he said, still unable to lie to his mother.
“Uh-huh, the reason I’m calling is that I’m having a little get-together on Saturday, and I want you there.”
“Mom, you had a little get-together last week. What’s the occasion?” He was praying it wasn’t another attempt to fix him up with socialites he just didn’t care about.
“I want you to bring Regan out here.”
He sighed and turned off the television. “Then call and invite her to lunch. You know you can find her in the office after eight.”
“Don’t get sassy with me, young man. You heard me. I want you to bring Regan on Saturday.”
“So I’m supposed to ask her to lunch?”
“You’re such a smart boy. I like her, Zachary. She’s a wonderful girl. Did you know her mother used to own a bakery? That’s why she’s such a genius with desserts.”
“Yes, I knew that.”
“We talked a lot at our lunch date last week.”
“I’m sure you did.” He’d forgotten about their luncheon. Regan hadn’t mentioned it again.
“I don’t like your tone. What’s wrong with you?”
“Let’s just say Regan and I aren’t seeing eye to eye right now.”
But they had been. She’d been as involved in that kiss as he had.
“Then pull it together. Eleven sharp, and I won’t accept any excuses from either of you.”
Carlos took it as his invitation to enter. She heard him sigh.
“I said go away!”
He let out a grunt that told her he wasn’t going anywhere. “So what happened to you?”
“As if you’d care.” She snapped up her head and reached for the box of tissues on her nightstand.
He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorjamb. “You’re right. I don’t, but Clara is here, and she doesn’t want to see Aunt Regan all crybaby.”
“You’re an asshole. All men are assholes.” She sat up and rubbed the tears from her cheeks.
“Yes, we have a club. Curtis and I are the founders, and I’m guessing your boss is a member.”
“Oh, you’re quick.” She almost smiled.
“So what’s the story? Did he make you write out a report in longhand? Let me guess, you had to sharpen sixty pencils? Or—wait, did he…”
“If you say beat erasers together, I’m throwing you out the window,” she said, shaking her head and finally mustering a smile. “You are a teacher down to the core, aren’t you?” She laughed as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
Carlos sat down next to her on the bed. “Reg, tell me what’s up.”
“I kissed him.” Her voice dropped, and heat filled her cheeks. “I shouldn’t have, but I did.”
“And how was it?” He rested his hand on her back.
“Wonderful.” She looked up at him.
“Good. It sucks to waste kisses on bad ones.”
“Carlos, I can’t do this again. I can’t fall in love with the man I work for.”
“Why? Because Alexander Hamilton was such a great guy?” His sarcastic tone made her straighten her spine. “He used you, Regan. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I should have known. How do you work so closely with someone, love him so much, and not know he’s cut you out of his life?”
“Because he didn’t want you to know.”
“God, I was carrying his baby, Carlos. You’d think he could have let me in on it then.” The tears were streaming down her cheeks faster.
“Don’t beat yourself up for that. You did the right thing. You’re an amazing woman, Regan.” He gathered her in his arms and let her cry it out. “I don’t know anything about Zachary Benson, but I don’t think he’s in the same class of men as Alexander Hamilton. Not many men are.”
“Daddy,” a small voice spoke from the door. Regan turned her head to see Clara, her expressive eyes dark with concern. “Is Aunt Regan okay?”
“She’s fine. We’ll be down in a few minutes, okay?”
She nodded. “Can I call Mommy?”
“Why?”
“I can’t remember the website with the games she lets me play.”
“Yes, honey that’s fine. Tell her I say hello.” He was soft with her, and Regan admired him.
Regan turned her head when she heard Clara walk away. She kissed her brother on the cheek. “You’re a wonderful father.”
“They don’t deserve to have me hate their mother.”
“You don’t hate her,” she reminded him. “It’s amazing how you still care for her and take care of her.”
“Lots of history there.” He kissed the top of her head and stood up. “I saved you some dinner.”
“I should have called. I’m sorry. I ate with Zach.”
“Well, at least he fed you.” He winked. “Don’t dwell on the past. If you’re attracted to this guy, and it sounds like he’s attracted to you, maybe you should feel this out. Give it a chance.”
“I don’t want to get hurt.”
“It seems like you’re hurting right now—and the kiss was good.” He smiled and left her alone.
Zach sat on the couch in his office and flipped through the channels on the television. Images passed by him, but he saw nothing. When his cell phone rang, he grabbed for it. There was no need to look at the ID. He knew it was his mother.
“Hello, Mother. How are you this evening?” he answered, still flipping through the channels.
“You’re at your office, aren’t you? Haven’t I told you that's not a safe place for you to be? You’re going to have a heart attack like your father,” she scolded.
“I’m fine. I had to do some redesigns.” He realized he hadn’t been able to concentrate enough on them since Regan stormed out of the office.
“Don’t let me find out you slept on that couch. I don’t want you staying there when you have a perfectly good place to live.”
He’d already decided he was staying the night. With all the amenities and the amount of work he had to do, it didn’t make sense to go home.
“Okay, Mom. You won’t find out,” he said, still unable to lie to his mother.
“Uh-huh, the reason I’m calling is that I’m having a little get-together on Saturday, and I want you there.”
“Mom, you had a little get-together last week. What’s the occasion?” He was praying it wasn’t another attempt to fix him up with socialites he just didn’t care about.
“I want you to bring Regan out here.”
He sighed and turned off the television. “Then call and invite her to lunch. You know you can find her in the office after eight.”
“Don’t get sassy with me, young man. You heard me. I want you to bring Regan on Saturday.”
“So I’m supposed to ask her to lunch?”
“You’re such a smart boy. I like her, Zachary. She’s a wonderful girl. Did you know her mother used to own a bakery? That’s why she’s such a genius with desserts.”
“Yes, I knew that.”
“We talked a lot at our lunch date last week.”
“I’m sure you did.” He’d forgotten about their luncheon. Regan hadn’t mentioned it again.
“I don’t like your tone. What’s wrong with you?”
“Let’s just say Regan and I aren’t seeing eye to eye right now.”
But they had been. She’d been as involved in that kiss as he had.
“Then pull it together. Eleven sharp, and I won’t accept any excuses from either of you.”
