The Executive's Decision
Page 8
Zach kept his distance as they walked to the parking garage, and she was okay with that. She knew what he was thinking, and she was okay with that too. There were times when having a good-looking doctor for your brother was a benefit.
She’d seen Zach’s eyes when Curtis told her he loved her. Yes, he thought she was in love with the tall, handsome doctor who had sought her out in a panic. Let him think that. It served him right for not being up front about his own identity.
She’d do a good job for him. She was good at what she did. But never again would she be manipulated—or careless enough to fall in love with—the man she worked for. No, never again. The risk to her life and the lives of her family wasn’t worth it. If Zach Benson pursued her, she’d just have to leave.
“Thank you for coming with me,” he said as he started the car.
“My pleasure. But you would have been fine.”
“No, I don’t think I would have been. Mary Ellen takes care of me. Not the other way around.” He backed out of the parking space. “I was scared. I was really scared. I can negotiate million-dollar real estate deals. I can face historical societies and tell them I’m tearing down an old building, or head to court and face down a contractor who took off with the money for a job and didn’t finish it. I can do all that without even a bead of sweat rolling down my back, but seeing Mary Ellen like that… that scared me to death.”
“You handled yourself very well, Mr. Benson. I never would have known.” Even when things became complicated and out of his control, he hadn’t lost his composure. He’d stayed even tempered. He’d taken care of Mary Ellen.
He glanced her way. “I guess I’ll be in good hands, then.”
“That’s what I was hired to do.”
“It’s too late to go back in and finish your work. Would you mind coming in a few minutes early tomorrow? I know I toyed with your first day, and I’m not sure how much training you got. I wasn’t really expecting Mary Ellen to take her leave already.” He blew out a breath. “I’m going to stay there tonight and finish up what I should have done today. If we get started early, that’ll help us both out.”
“No problem.” She guided him through the streets of Nashville until they came upon her house.
“Nice place.” He pulled up in front of the old brick row house.
“It’s my sister’s. She’s in New York doing an off-Broadway play.”
“Really?”
Regan nodded. “I’ve seen it. It’s horrible, but she’s fabulous and she’s happy. So I get the run of the place until July.”
“Then what?”
She shrugged. “I guess I have to find my own place.”
“I know a company putting up some great condos downtown.” He laughed.
“Well, maybe if she strikes it rich, she can buy me one.”
“What about the doctor? Not ready to move in with him?” She saw the pulsing in his jaw and watched him shift in his seat.
With a smile, she shook her head. “No, he’s a slob, really. I’m not ready to be his maid. Besides he has a roommate and a big black lab who hogs the bed.”
Regan stepped out of the car and looked up at the front door of the house as it opened. Carlos, another of her brothers, walked out onto the front step, and she smiled and gave him a wave before she turned her attention back to Zach. “Thank you for the ride. I’ll see you in the morning.”
She shut the car door and hurried up the steps to the house without giving Zach a chance to ask about the man who awaited her there.
Inside, Regan threw her purse on the desk by the door and fell into the overstuffed chair in the living room. She kicked her shoes off and rested her feet on the table. Arianna would have been yelling at her already, but it was Regan’s home until July, and she’d put her feet up if she wanted to.
The smile on Carlos’s face must mean he had the same thought. He handed her a beer, sat down in the opposite chair, and kicked his feet up too.
“You had me scared to death. They couldn’t tell me why you were at the hospital, just that you darted out in an emergency.”
She caught the tone in his voice. There was reason for him to worry, and she knew it. Once upon a time they’d had to race to the hospital to find her. And what had they found but her near death at the hands of some man she’d thought she loved.
“Some first day, huh?” he added.
“Some first day.” She took a long sip of the cold beer and tossed her head back.
“Sorry I couldn’t get here this morning to take you.”
“It’s okay. I may blame you later, but it turned out to be a very interesting ride.” She raised her eyebrows and finally smiled, thinking about it.
“Do tell.” He sipped his own beer.
“I rode to work on the lap of a very handsome man.”
“On his lap?”
“Yep, fell right into his lap and couldn’t move. I rode to work that way. He even took me to lunch.”
“Well then, I’m glad I didn’t make it. Sounds like a Regan Keller recovery plan of sorts.” Carlos smiled, tipping his beer toward her in a salute. “So do you have dinner plans now?”
“No, I’m pretty sure he assumes I’m dating Curtis, and now his mind is spinning because you met me at the door.”
“He was the one in the car?”
“Uh-huh.” She sipped. “Come to find out he’s my boss.”
“Oh.” His voice dropped and he grew still.
“Yeah. Oh.” She drank down her beer, hoping it would remove the face from her memory, but it had frozen there.
Zach drove back to the office and sat in his parking space for a moment, collecting his thoughts. It had been quite a day. Who would have known that when a beautiful woman was dropped in your lap, it would consume you?
He laughed it off as he rode the elevator up to his office. It seemed quiet, compared to the rush they had left it in. In their race out the door, he hadn’t even noticed they’d knocked papers off the table, and the small plant Mary Ellen had brought him. He knelt to pick up the plant and place it on the windowsill. He fed it a few drops of water he found in a forgotten cup.
As his gaze shifted out the window over Nashville, he again thought of Regan Keller. Her image remained in his mind. There were two sides to her, he’d realized. There was the professional that had fallen onto his lap. Her suit pristine, even in a rainstorm, and her hair pulled back and out of the way. But when she’d gathered Mary Ellen up and started for the hospital without another thought, he saw the compassionate side to her. Her eyes had softened, and when she’d let her hair free there was peace in her.
She’d seen Zach’s eyes when Curtis told her he loved her. Yes, he thought she was in love with the tall, handsome doctor who had sought her out in a panic. Let him think that. It served him right for not being up front about his own identity.
She’d do a good job for him. She was good at what she did. But never again would she be manipulated—or careless enough to fall in love with—the man she worked for. No, never again. The risk to her life and the lives of her family wasn’t worth it. If Zach Benson pursued her, she’d just have to leave.
“Thank you for coming with me,” he said as he started the car.
“My pleasure. But you would have been fine.”
“No, I don’t think I would have been. Mary Ellen takes care of me. Not the other way around.” He backed out of the parking space. “I was scared. I was really scared. I can negotiate million-dollar real estate deals. I can face historical societies and tell them I’m tearing down an old building, or head to court and face down a contractor who took off with the money for a job and didn’t finish it. I can do all that without even a bead of sweat rolling down my back, but seeing Mary Ellen like that… that scared me to death.”
“You handled yourself very well, Mr. Benson. I never would have known.” Even when things became complicated and out of his control, he hadn’t lost his composure. He’d stayed even tempered. He’d taken care of Mary Ellen.
He glanced her way. “I guess I’ll be in good hands, then.”
“That’s what I was hired to do.”
“It’s too late to go back in and finish your work. Would you mind coming in a few minutes early tomorrow? I know I toyed with your first day, and I’m not sure how much training you got. I wasn’t really expecting Mary Ellen to take her leave already.” He blew out a breath. “I’m going to stay there tonight and finish up what I should have done today. If we get started early, that’ll help us both out.”
“No problem.” She guided him through the streets of Nashville until they came upon her house.
“Nice place.” He pulled up in front of the old brick row house.
“It’s my sister’s. She’s in New York doing an off-Broadway play.”
“Really?”
Regan nodded. “I’ve seen it. It’s horrible, but she’s fabulous and she’s happy. So I get the run of the place until July.”
“Then what?”
She shrugged. “I guess I have to find my own place.”
“I know a company putting up some great condos downtown.” He laughed.
“Well, maybe if she strikes it rich, she can buy me one.”
“What about the doctor? Not ready to move in with him?” She saw the pulsing in his jaw and watched him shift in his seat.
With a smile, she shook her head. “No, he’s a slob, really. I’m not ready to be his maid. Besides he has a roommate and a big black lab who hogs the bed.”
Regan stepped out of the car and looked up at the front door of the house as it opened. Carlos, another of her brothers, walked out onto the front step, and she smiled and gave him a wave before she turned her attention back to Zach. “Thank you for the ride. I’ll see you in the morning.”
She shut the car door and hurried up the steps to the house without giving Zach a chance to ask about the man who awaited her there.
Inside, Regan threw her purse on the desk by the door and fell into the overstuffed chair in the living room. She kicked her shoes off and rested her feet on the table. Arianna would have been yelling at her already, but it was Regan’s home until July, and she’d put her feet up if she wanted to.
The smile on Carlos’s face must mean he had the same thought. He handed her a beer, sat down in the opposite chair, and kicked his feet up too.
“You had me scared to death. They couldn’t tell me why you were at the hospital, just that you darted out in an emergency.”
She caught the tone in his voice. There was reason for him to worry, and she knew it. Once upon a time they’d had to race to the hospital to find her. And what had they found but her near death at the hands of some man she’d thought she loved.
“Some first day, huh?” he added.
“Some first day.” She took a long sip of the cold beer and tossed her head back.
“Sorry I couldn’t get here this morning to take you.”
“It’s okay. I may blame you later, but it turned out to be a very interesting ride.” She raised her eyebrows and finally smiled, thinking about it.
“Do tell.” He sipped his own beer.
“I rode to work on the lap of a very handsome man.”
“On his lap?”
“Yep, fell right into his lap and couldn’t move. I rode to work that way. He even took me to lunch.”
“Well then, I’m glad I didn’t make it. Sounds like a Regan Keller recovery plan of sorts.” Carlos smiled, tipping his beer toward her in a salute. “So do you have dinner plans now?”
“No, I’m pretty sure he assumes I’m dating Curtis, and now his mind is spinning because you met me at the door.”
“He was the one in the car?”
“Uh-huh.” She sipped. “Come to find out he’s my boss.”
“Oh.” His voice dropped and he grew still.
“Yeah. Oh.” She drank down her beer, hoping it would remove the face from her memory, but it had frozen there.
Zach drove back to the office and sat in his parking space for a moment, collecting his thoughts. It had been quite a day. Who would have known that when a beautiful woman was dropped in your lap, it would consume you?
He laughed it off as he rode the elevator up to his office. It seemed quiet, compared to the rush they had left it in. In their race out the door, he hadn’t even noticed they’d knocked papers off the table, and the small plant Mary Ellen had brought him. He knelt to pick up the plant and place it on the windowsill. He fed it a few drops of water he found in a forgotten cup.
As his gaze shifted out the window over Nashville, he again thought of Regan Keller. Her image remained in his mind. There were two sides to her, he’d realized. There was the professional that had fallen onto his lap. Her suit pristine, even in a rainstorm, and her hair pulled back and out of the way. But when she’d gathered Mary Ellen up and started for the hospital without another thought, he saw the compassionate side to her. Her eyes had softened, and when she’d let her hair free there was peace in her.
