Wait for Me / Trust in Me (8 page)

If she were honest, Emma had thought that Lucas would simply turn around last night and go back to his place. Knowing that he was here and he had Jason in the car with him, she figured she'd have to face him at the office this morning.

Not something she was looking forward to at all.

Walking back to her kitchen, she dumped her untouched juice down the drain and placed the glass in the sink. The thought of eating or drinking anything right now only made Emma nauseous. She walked back toward her bedroom to finish getting ready, and when she couldn't put it off any longer, she walked out the door, toward a car she didn't want to drive, to a place she didn't want to be, to see a man she wanted to avoid.

Happy Monday.

Something wasn't right. William Montgomery looked around his office and knew without a doubt that something most certainly was wrong. It was only ten a.m. and the tension in the office was enough to make him scream. His plan had been perfect; there was no way for anything to go wrong! One look at Emma, however, had told him that something was off and Lucas had pretty much scared anyone who had tried to talk to him.

He was just about to go in search of his son when Emma knocked on his door. “Emma! Come in!” he beamed, hoping to get one of her famous smiles out of her. She came to stand in front of him but her expression was fairly strained. “I take it you got the car this morning. No problems, right?”

“Oh, no, sir. The car was waiting for me right on time. But, um, I was a little concerned that you sent me one of the company cars. I had thought that you would just get one from one of the rental companies in town.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Well, you tend to only use the company cars for family. It's far too luxurious for me. I would have been more than happy with one of the economy cars from the rental agency.”

“Emma, it's not a big deal. We have the cars and you needed one. There was no need to go through an agency.”

She sighed. “I just…well, I'm not comfortable driving such an expensive car, that's all.”

William laughed. “I don't think you'll have a problem. In all the years you've worked for us, you've never been in an accident until I sent you out in dangerous conditions.” His tone became serious. “I cannot apologize enough. I never meant to put you in harm's way.”

“I didn't think that you did it on purpose, sir,” she replied kindly. “It was an accident, no one's fault. But about the car…”

William waved her off. “It's one of the safest cars on the market. Please, I'd feel better knowing that at least for a short time, I'm protecting you while you drive.”

Her expression remained wary and she was standing ramrod straight in front of his desk. William noticed the large white envelope in her hand. When Emma saw where his attention was at she spoke. “Oh, I forgot to give this to you earlier. It's the paperwork I was trying to get to you.”

“Oh, right, right,” he said distractedly as he took the envelope from her hands. William sat back and studied her. “Are you sure you're all right, Emma? Have you gone to a doctor to make sure that you're okay?”

She smiled sadly at him. “No, I don't think that it's necessary. I feel fine.”

“I know you'll think I'm just being crazy, but I would really feel better if you went and had a checkup. A head injury is nothing to take lightly.”

“I'll see if I can get an appointment after work…”

“I'd feel much better if you went now. Rose can handle whatever we have going on. It's my fault that you're hurt and it would ease my conscience a little if I knew from the doctor that you were truly all right.”

How could she possibly argue with that? “I hate to miss out on any more work; I have some stuff piling up…”

“I'll have Rose take care of it; it's more important that we take care of you. Paperwork can wait.”

“I hate to inconvenience anyone,” she said, clearly searching for a way to convince her boss that she really didn't need to go and see anyone.

“Emma, it's not often that I have to use a stern voice with you or demand that you do something, but I'm doing it now. This is nonnegotiable. I need you to go and see a doctor and get a clean bill of health before I allow you to come back to work.”

Emma's mouth gaped. In the years she'd worked for William Montgomery he had never spoken to her like this, and in her fragile, emotional state, it almost brought her to tears. She mumbled a quick and quiet “yes, sir” and quickly left his office.

William felt as if he'd just kicked a puppy, but he really needed to know that Emma was okay. She was definitely out of sorts, and while it could have something to do with the accident, he had a gut feeling that it had something to do with Lucas. Once he was certain that Emma was gone, he called Rose into his office to go over his schedule for the day and then summoned his sons to his office.

By the end of the day, William Montgomery was going to figure out just what happened over the weekend and where his plan had gone wrong.

* * *

Lucas hated being summoned to his father's office.

Sure, it made working easier when they were in the middle of a big project like the one they were on now, but right now he didn't want to have to walk through the outer office and see Emma. He'd done a fine job of avoiding her all morning and if he had any hope of holding on to his sanity, he'd have to keep from seeing her.

He grabbed the required paperwork, and like a man facing execution, headed toward his father's suite. Keeping his head down and pretending to read something, he quickly walked by Emma's desk and noticed that she wasn't there. He breathed a sigh of relief, and then his mind started churning with thoughts of where she could be. Would she be in the office with his father? Was he going to have to work with her?

Lucas stormed through the door leading to his father's office with more force than necessary. All eyes turned to him—his brothers' and his father's. He mumbled an apology and set up at the conference table and sat down.

“Everything all right, Lucas?” his father asked.

“Fine.”

William was about to speak when Rose walked in carrying a tray with a carafe of coffee and several cups. “Thank you, Rose,” he said. “And when Emma calls, please put her through to me immediately.”

“Yes, sir,” she said as she walked out of the office, closing the door behind her.

Lucas was pretending to read over his paperwork. “Everything okay with Emma?” Jason asked, concern lacing his voice.

“I sent her home and told her that until I got clearance from her doctor stating that she was all right, she couldn't work.”

“Was she not feeling well?” Mac asked.

“She said she was fine, but she seemed a little pale to me, and head injuries can be tricky. I hated to be firm with her, but it was for the best.”

“Is she okay to drive herself to the doctor?” Jason asked. “Maybe you should call her and I can meet her downtown and—”

Lucas slammed his hand down on the conference table, and everyone turned to stare at him again. He had told Emma to go to the doctor and she had refused, but his father said it and she goes. True, he had forced her hand a little bit, which was what Lucas should have done.

“Is there a problem?” Jason asked, his lips twitching with amusement at his brother's obvious displeasure.

“Don't we have work to do?” he snapped. “I mean, I was told that I needed to be here because of this project and all we've talked about is driving Emma around. Seems to me if she needed help she would've asked for it. Now can we please get started?”

His brothers exchanged smirks while they took their seats at the conference table, and William soon joined them.

A new plan began to form in his mind and William did his best to keep his expression neutral, giving nothing away. If he played his cards right he'd get things back on track in no time.

“Ready to begin, boys?” he boomed and pulled up his chair at the head of the table. It was shaping up to be a great day!

* * *

Emma closed her front door and dropped her purse before heading into her living room to crash on the couch. A mild concussion. Unbelievable. If she and Lucas were on normal speaking terms, Emma knew she'd never hear the end of it. The doctor had cleared her to go back to work, but for today, she was staying put. Knowing that Lucas was in the office, she figured she'd take the day to recuperate and by tomorrow, he'd be gone.

Kicking her shoes off, she reached for her phone and dialed the office. Rose put her through to Mr. Montgomery immediately.

“Well?” William said expectantly. “What did the doctor have to say?” His tone was soft and it was almost as if he was trying not to be heard by the people around him.

“I'm sorry, but is this a bad time? I could have just given the update to Rose.”

“No, no, it's fine. Are you okay? What's the prognosis?”

“Mild concussion,” she said wearily, “but the doctor said that I'm fine to work. If it's okay with you, however, I'd like to take today to just rest and then I'll be in tomorrow.”

“That sounds good. Did they have to do a lot of tests? Do you need me to drive you home?”

Where had that come from, she wondered? “No, that isn't necessary. I'm home already and don't plan on going out.”

“It's probably for the best, Emma,” he said gravely and Emma had to wonder if he was really paying attention to what she was telling him. From her end of the conversation she was fine, but he was acting as if she'd given him bad news.

“I don't think you're following me, sir,” she began. “I'm fine; there's no need to be so concerned.”

“I'm very concerned, Emma,” he replied. “I need to know that you're going to be okay. Is there anything you need? Anything I can bring you?”

It was as if he wasn't listening to a word she'd said! “I'm fine, Mr. Montgomery, really,” she repeated with more emphasis. “The doctor even said I could come back to work right now. I'm just asking for the day for personal reasons.”

William could hardly contain a laugh. Lucas was nearly falling out of his chair straining to hear the conversation that William had deliberately taken on the other side of the room and Emma must think he'd lost his mind. “Well, I'm sure the doctor knows best,” he said with a sigh. “Take all the time that you need. Your health is what matters most here.”

Unable to take any more of the crazy conversation, Emma told him that she'd see him in the morning and hung up. “That was bizarre,” she said as she stood and went in search of something to eat.

Back in the office, Lucas waited for his father to fill everyone in on his conversation with Emma.

But he didn't.

He waited for one of his brothers to inquire about how Emma was.

But they didn't.

Lucas was beyond frustrated and he sighed angrily and finally gave in to the need to ask for himself. “What did the damn doctor say?” he snapped.

William arched an eyebrow at his son. “I don't see what you're so upset about, Lucas. Emma's the one with the injury.”

“Yeah, well, I was the one who pulled her from the damn car when she was unconscious, if you remember correctly. And I was the one who looked after her all weekend, so I think I have a right to know what the doctor said!” His tone was more demanding than it needed to be and his father's expression was a combination of shock and amusement.

“I didn't say that you couldn't know, Lucas, I merely pointed out that there was no need for you to be upset.”

“You know what? I don't need this,” Lucas griped as he stood and collected his paperwork. It was only three o'clock in the afternoon, and if he played his cards right, he'd be back in his own home before dark. “I'll fax you my portion of the numbers tomorrow,” he said as he stormed out the door.

There was silence in the room for about ten seconds before Jason turned and asked, “What the hell's gotten into him?”

William held up his hand and went to close the door so no one would be privy to the conversation he was about to have with his sons. “Boys, I think I've stirred up a bit of trouble,” he began and then went on to tell them about the weekend.

“So wait a minute,” Mac interrupted, “you mean to tell me that you purposely sent Emma up there in a blizzard? Dad, she could have gotten killed!”

“In my defense, I didn't know there was going to be a blizzard. I thought it was just going to snow a bit and then Lucas wouldn't let her drive in it. I'm just sick inside with the thought of what happened to her but in the end, she's okay.”

“Is she?” Jason asked. “What did the doctor say, and why wouldn't you just tell Lucas?”

He laughed. “What fun would that have been? I've seen more emotion in your brother in the last couple of hours than I have in the last couple of years! Emma's fine; she has a mild concussion and the doctor told her she was fine to work.”

“Then why were you being so secretive? From where we were sitting you made it sound like she was giving you bad news over the phone,” Mac said.

“I was poking the bear,” William replied simply. “Did you see the way he was acting while I was on the phone? That boy was desperate to know how Emma was and it was damn near killing him to sit back and wait. Those are not the actions of a man who has no interest in a woman.”

“I don't get it. You think that Lucas has feelings for Emma? That's what all this is about?”

“Hell yes! I've been noticing it more and more over the last couple of months, but I knew that Lucas would never act on it so I put a plan in motion to make him do something about it.”

“How can you be sure it did?”

William shook his head in disbelief. “Were the two of you not in the same room here with me? Was that normal behavior for Lucas? And earlier today, you both interacted with Emma. Did she seem like her normal self to you?” Both men shook their heads. “I don't know exactly what happened this weekend, but something sure did, and I'm guessing that it scared the hell out of Lucas.”

“So what are you going to do now? He's heading back home,” Jason pointed out.

“We'll see,” William said cryptically and sat back down at the table. “Now, where were we?”

* * *

By the time Lucas reached the parking garage, he was calling himself every rotten name in the book
. Way to draw attention to yourself
, he mocked silently. He never should have touched her, never should have given himself the opportunity to have the best sex of his damn life, which left him craving more. He cursed and made his way over to his truck.