Opposite Attraction (12 page)

Zach took her hands in his. "I 'll alert personnel that she 'll be by to fill out an application. "

"
Oh, thank you. " Simone wrapp1ed her arms around his neck. "You do not know what this means to me. "

When she took a step back, he was smiling wide. "I 'm proud of you. "

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No reason to be. I don 't think I have been a very good person in my life. "

"
You 've always been a wonderful person. You 're just now finding out what it is to be humane. "

She wasn 't sure that was in any way a compliment, but she couldn 't argue with him. It had felt good to give her earrings to Regina and even better to know her son would be well looked after. Six months ago she would have looked down on the woman. Then again, she 'd never have even had the pleasure to have met her had she not made the biggest mistake of her life and left Curtis on that yacht.

Regina had called first thing in the morning and Simone shared with her the information she had from Zach. There was a joy in Regina 's voice she 'd never heard in anyone else 's voice before. She sincerely appreciated the helping hand.

The pile on her desk dwindled before lunch and when she stood up to take her lunch she was surprised to find Curtis standing in her doorway.

"
I did not know you were here. " She tried to remain calm around him, but her body temperature rose just having him a few feet away.

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I never would have thought you could type that fast. "

She narrowed her eyes on him. "How long have you been there? "

"
Long enough. " He stepped into her office and from behind his back he pulled out a potted plant and handed it to her. "I thought this would look nice on your desk. "

Simone felt tears sting her eyes. Why couldn 't she keep her emotions in tact? "You brought me a plant for my desk? "

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Yeah, " he said as he sat it on the corner of the desk and took a step back toward the door. "Cynthia also told me what you did for your patient. Well for the clinic 's patient. "

"
Cynthia? How did she… "

"
Sam. "

She hadn 't realized anyone had seen her do that.

Curtis took a step back into the office. "My sister also called me this morning and told me that you 'd arranged a job for the with Zach so that she 'd have a job and daycare. "

Simone dropped her shoulders. "I wish he had not said anything. "

"
He 's proud of you. "

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There should not be such compassion given to me for what I did. "

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For helping someone? Why not? "

She shook her head. "Because it was the first time in my life that I have ever helped anyone, yet you and your family do it all the time. "

He smiled wide. "You are as close to a sister as Zach has. As far as I 'm concerned that makes you part of this family. "

Simone sucked in a deep breath and sat down in the chair behind her. He 'd included her in his family, even if just by association.

She focused on the gift he 'd brought her and tried to steady her breathing so her voice would not shake. "Thank you for the plant. "

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You 're welcome. " He crossed his arms over his chest. "I 'd wanted to take you to lunch, but I have a meeting. "

She was on the verge of a breakdown. Why was he doing this to her? Gifts, conversation, compliments and now even the thought that he 'd wanted to take her out was threatening to send her running to the bathroom in joyful tears. "That was very thoughtful of you. "

He took another step toward her. "I also heard you got yourself a place. "

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Yes. "

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And a roommate, huh? "

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It was quite unexpected. "

He cleared his throat. "Seems as though the women in my life have taken to Sam the Giant Nurse. "

The nickname made her laugh and she lowered her head to hide her smile. "He is a very nice 1man. "

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Yeah, well he 'd better be. I 'm not too worried about Cynthia. She 'll kick his ass if he hurts her. "

Simone 's jaw tightened. "I don 't think he would do that. "

"
I don 't think so either. "

There was a raw nerve that his compassion for Cynthia struck, jealousy, maybe? "You care about her a lot, don 't you? "

He nodded slowly, as if he were thinking about her. "I suppose it 's like you and Zach. She 's always got my back. "

The comparison gave her hope. Sure she 'd been giddy over Zachary Benson most her life, but it was only because he 'd shown her kindheartedness when no one else would. She 'd never turned his head, that much she knew was different between her and Cynthia. Cynthia had certainly turned Curtis 's head. But if he was comparing their relationship to the one she had with Zachary, then Cynthia wasn 't a threat at all.

He hooked his thumbs into the front pockets of his jeans. "It also seems as though your new roommate 's girlfriend has scammed me into going dancing this weekend. "

Simone looked up at him. "And you are going? "

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I assume you are too? " She nodded and he smiled. "When are you moving in with Sam? " His voice shifted in pitch when he said his name.

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Saturday. "

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Need some help? " A giddy flutter took over in her chest. This was a moment that could change her life.

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I only have a suitcase. "

He stood there a moment longer, gave her a slow nod, and turned and left. He hadn 't said goodbye and she took that as a good sign, as if they weren 't parting ways.

She put her hand on her stomach. There was hope. Curtis Keller had brought her a gift and an invitation to pick her up for a date.

The need to laugh replaced the earlier desire to cry. She was happy that her co-worker wasn 't in the room, because laugh she did. She laughed until she cried.

Money and prestige couldn 't by the kind of hap1piness she was feeling. This was going to work. If she kept her calm and made sure Curtis forgave her for what she 'd done, she could ease him into learning about the baby.

The time was coming. Regan had announced her pregnancy. There was joy in that arrival. Perhaps it was time she was able to share in that joy with her own pending arrival.

But the laugher died down and she sat still for a moment. She needed to keep a level head. What if Cynthia was right and Curtis Keller refused to forgive her?

Zach was up on Saturday morning dressed in a pair of jeans and a Benson, Benson, and Hart softball team T-shirt. He sipped his cup of coffee as he rested against the counter.

Simone would miss talking to him in the mornings, but now she wouldn 't live countries away.

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Do you never sleep in? "

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Not on moving day. "

She retrieved a mug from the cupboard and shifted her eyes to him. "Moving day? "

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You didn 't think you were just going to sneak out did you? I have John Forrester 's truck outside loaded up and ready to go. "

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Loaded up? " She set the empty mug on the counter. "I only have one suitcase. "

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Yeah, I know. But between John moving, my mother redecorating, and my wife 's need to clan her closet out, that truck is now full of clothes, a bed, a dresser, lamps, and I don 't know what else. I hope Sam 's place has space. You 're going to need it. "

She thought her heart might burst. "They all did this for me? "

"
They all love you, Simone. "

There was no fighting back the tears now. They streamed down her cheek and she brushed them away as quickly as she could.

He reached for the dishtowel that had hung over the sink, handed it to her, and she wiped her eyes.

Zach chuckled. "In all my life I don 't think I 've ever seen you cry at the drop of a hat. "

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This independence makes me a bit emotional. "

Zach picked up his coffee and took a sip. "I talked to your father yesterday. He asked about you. "

She wadded the towel in her hands. "And what did you tell him. "

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I said you were doing great. I told him he 'd be pleased with how you were getting along. "

The circulation in her fingers was being cut off from the tension from the towel being wrapped around them. "Is that all? "

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Yes. He was very brief. "

She nodded. It was certainly more than she 'd ever expected. She unwrapped the towel from her hands and hung it back over the sink. "I am ready to go. "

Zach nodded toward the empty coffee mug on the counter. "Don 't you want some coffee? "

"
No. I just want to get moving. "

Simone fought emotions that threatened to attack her between uncontrollable laughter and tears. The morning had been full of surprises already. Tyler had reached out for her and rested his head against her shoulder. Regan had cried when she 'd left, even though she wasn 't really going away. The truck filled with items that people were giving her to start her new life drove down the street in front of her.

The tears had started and stopped a number of times on the ten miles from her best friend 's house to her new home. And that was where the biggest surprise of them all nearly stopped her heart.

Curtis sat on the steps of the building. When he saw her pull up he stood and when she stopped the car he walked toward her.

Her breath was coming in rapid spurts, her heart beat an unnatural rhythm in her chest, and her mind was blank. She could see his blue eyes peering at her through the window, but she didn 't make a move to get out of the car.

A moment later Curtis pulled open the door. "Were you just going to watch us move all this stuff, or are you planning on helping? "

Her voice still hid within her throat. He was absolutely the most handsome man she 'd ever laid eyes on, and she 'd had her fair share of male models and well taken care of men. Curtis was a bit rugged for her usual taste, but she 'd long ago decided that she simply hadn 't known her taste until that first moment he 'd slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her in close to dance and Carlos 's first wedding of the year.

His brows lifted and then lowered in concern. "Are you okay? You look as though you 've been crying. "

"
This is all just a bit overwhelming -this whole week really. Your girlfriend gets me a job… "

"
Not my girlfriend, " he said with a grin.

Simone acknowledged with a nod. "Sam offers me a place to live, and I do not know him. "

"
He 's a decent man. He won 't hurt you. Are you worried about that? "

She couldn 't say no, even though she didn 't think he would. "It is just that I have never lived with a man. "

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It 's not like the two of you are going to be having sex in the kitchen. " His lips pursed. "You 're not are you? "

Heat rose in Simone 's cheeks. "I most certainly am not. " She pulled herself out of the car but was still pinned against it by Curtis who hadn 't stepped back. "Is that what you think of me? You think I moved here to sleep my way around? "

Curtis reached his hand to her face and caressed her cheek with his thumb. "I didn 't mean it to come out that way. I 'm a little gun shy having you this close. "

She was drowning in a sea of confusion. He wanted her, he didn 't. He loved her, he loathed her. She couldn 't get a grip on what was going on.

"
Curtis, you are crowding me. I need to get inside. "

His hand still lingered on her cheek. "I 'm here to help. " He bore a stare of warning and concern at her. "You hurt me, Simone. I 've never hurt that bad in my life. "