Opposite Attraction (19 page)

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. "

"
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? "

"
Me? Oh, this is far beyond me pal. "

"
She told you that? "

"
She didn 't tell me squat! " His temper was rising and God help him he was still a man. If you attacked him personally he was going to come out swinging, but this was Zach, he couldn 't do that.

When the door opened on the main floor of the parking garage the three of them hurried out of the elevator and ran up the ramp until they saw the security car parked behind Simone 's. She 'd hit the cement barrier on the opposite side of the ramp.

Zach hurried to the car, but Curtis slowed. For the first time in his life the medical first responder didn 't react. He didn 't want to see her. He didn 't want to acknowledge her. He didn 't want to feel.

The distance didn 't matter. He could hear her cry -sob.

Zach 's voice was soft, but Simone was still hysterical. He couldn 't just stand there anymore.

Slowly he walked toward the car. Zach was crouched down next to her, the car door open only slightly, confined by the concrete wall.

Zach stood and exchanged glances with Curtis. He walked toward him leaving Simone still sobbing in the car.

"
You should look at her. She hit her head. She might need stitches. "

That wasn 't what he wanted to hear. He 'd wanted her to just be miserable, not hurt. Oh, who was he kidding, he 'd only wanted her gone so he wouldn 't be miserable.

Upon Zach 's request he walked to the car.

Simone sobbed and blood covered her forehead. There was a gash above her right eye. No doubt she 'd hit her head on the steering wheel.

"
Are you okay? "

"
Do I look okay to you? " She brushed her hand under her nose. "I just need to get out of this car. I have a… "

"
A flight, I know. "

He heard her sigh. "Curtis, go away. "

"
C 'mon. Let me get you to the hospital and get that closed up. Then I 'll get you to your flight personally. "

He wasn 't sure if it was the nature of his job or his upbringing that had him giving her compassion, but when the urge to kiss her to calm her took over he quickly squashed the idea by remembering that he didn 't love her anymore. How could he love someone who wanted to use him and his family?

He took time to assess her as he helped her from the car. Aside from a few bumps and bruises, and of course the cut on her head, she looked fine. He agreed she didn 't need an ambulance.

Curtis held onto her arms as she skirted the back side of the car. She shook and it resonated through his skin.

"
Now, stay right here with Zach for a moment. I have to get my truck. "

"
Wait, " Zach said as he pulled his keys from his pocket. "My car is right there. It might be easier for her to get into. "

Curtis let out a breath1. As much as he hated to agree with him he did so with a nod. Of course, it also meant he 'd have to return the car and answer back to Zach.

He pulled his keys out of his pocket and handed them to Zach in exchange for Zach 's car keys.

"
Zach, perhaps you should take me. I do not think Curtis should drive me, " Simone spoke through her sobs.

"
He 'll take good care of you, " Zach promised. "Now, go. " He moved in and kissed her on the cheek and then leaned in to her and whispered in her ear. "If you need anything you call me. I 'll miss you. "

"
He called you already? "

Zach nodded.

"
He still hates me. "

Zach scanned a look over her and his eyes brightened. "He has no reason to. Now go with Curtis.

Curtis helped Simone toward Zach 's car.

There wasn 't a single word between them as he helped her into the car and then climbed in and started the car. But her sobs had increased.

Against his better judgment he turned to her. "How did you hit that wall? How do you crash in a parking garage? " He 'd meant to ask if she needed anything, but this was what flew from his lips.

"
I got confused. Everything confused me. " She wiped at her eyes and then looked at her hands which had blood on them. "Oh, this is horrible. "

"
It 's not that bad. "

"
It is not on
your
face, " she spat back. "Just get me out of here. You can drop me on the corner; just go so Zach cannot see me. "

Curtis put the car in reverse and drove out of the parking garage.

He swallowed the lump in his throat and cleared it to speak. He only had a few more hours with Simone Pierpont in his life, he could show some compassion. "After I get your head fixed, and I think it 'll only need a butterfly stitch, I 'll look at the baby and make sure he 's okay. "

She tensed, he noticed that, but she didn 't look at him. He gripped the steering wheel tighter as her sobs came harder. If she 'd wanted to talk she couldn 't have and now, her face was flushed red and her breathing was increasingly heavy. He was afraid she 'd hyperventilate.

Curtis was relieved when they pulled into the parking lot at the hospital and it wasn 't too full. Perhaps he could get her in and out without too much trouble. He couldn 't remember being less comfortable around anyone in his entire life.

He helped her out of the car and escorted inside, past those waiting in the waiting room, and quickly past the nurses ' station, but they hadn 't snuck past Cynthia.

"
Simone! What happened? " She hopped up from her seat and followed them to a bed where Curtis closed the curtain in around them.

"
It is nothing really. "

Curtis washed his hands and turned right into Cynthia. Now he had two crazed women on his hands.

"
Nothing? You 're bleeding. " She shoved past him and washed her hands.

Curtis went through the cart looking for the items he needed to get Simone fixed up. Cynthia, on the other hand, was doing all the fussing over her.

She reached past him for the sterile water bottle and towels. Then she shoved him aside for a pair of gloves, all the while talking up a storm as if she were the one who was nervous about something. Simone, on the other hand, hadn 't said anything.

"
Okay, lay back, " she ordered Simone. "This is going to be cold. " She placed the towel under the cut and over Simone 's eyes and began to wash out the small wound.

What hadn 't gone unnoticed by Curtis was the fact she 'd laid her hands on her stomach and for the first time he noticed the very small swell.

He fisted his hands and then opened them reminding himself she 'd be out of his life in a few hours.

Cynthia continued to clean out the wound and talk to keep Simone calm, but Simone lay quietly.

Finally Curtis took a seat on the stool next to the bed. He laid all the materials he needed on the tray next to him. The wound wasn 't bad. Head wounds always looked worse than they were because they bled so much.