Opposite Attraction Page 15

  "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 kee
p 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.

  "Did you hit your head on the steering wheel? " he asked.

  "Yes, " she said very softly, nearly inaudible.

  "Simone, how did you do this? You couldn 't have been going too fast, " Cynthia chimed in as Curtis opened the package of bandages.

  "I was just worked up and not paying attention, " again her voice was soft, almost inaudible.

  Curtis lifted the bandages from their protective case with tweezers. Cynthia moved in beside him to help secure their placement and a moment later he tore off his gloves. "Done. "

  "I 'm glad you didn 't hurt yourself worse. You can still dance with this, " Cynthia said and they both looked at her. "Oh, c 'mon, I heard you two had a great time. I want to go out again. "

  Curtis watched as Simone 's eyes lowered and he stood up from the stool. "I 'll be right back. "

  He walked out of the curtained area in search of a sonogram machine and realized Cynthia was right on his heels.

  "She 's bawling like a baby in there. What the hell did you do to her? "

  "How is it that everyone assumes I 'm the reason for her misery? " He opened the door to another room and saw the machine he was looking for. "She 's old enough to have made her own mistakes. I have nothing to do with her. "

  "Nothing to do with her? I thought you two worked things out. I thought you were in love with her. I thought you were going back after you pissed me off and working on not being such an ass. " Cynthia stood at the door and watched him. "What 's the machine for? "

  He huffed out an angry breath. "If you must know, she 's pregnant and I promised her I 'd check on the baby. "

  Cynthia stepped into the room and let the door shut behind her. "She 's what? "

  "Oh, please. You see this every day of your life. Simone is pregnant. "

  "You 're having a baby? "

  He wrapped the c1ord around his hand. "Not me. Her. I have nothing to do with this. "

  "She told you it was someone else 's baby? "

  "She didn 't tell me anything. " And that was getting to him more than any part of her antics. Even when he said he 'd check on the baby she hadn 't said a word.

  "Curtis, " she placed a gentle hand on his arm, "you need to talk to her. Why would she have come here if it wasn 't your baby? "

  "You don 't know her. She comes from a conniving family and she 's just posh enough to think she needs a daddy for her baby. What better man than one who has a gracious family around him all the time. "

  "I don 't think she 'd use you. "

  "Oh, yeah? She 's been around the block, honey. I 'm sure there are a lot more men who have claim to that baby than me. "

  "I could slap you. " She moved up to him and stood there nearly chest to chest. "Just because a woman has been a bit free with herself doesn 't mean she can 't love the right man. Things happen, Curtis. Maybe if you 'd give her a moment you 'd see that. "

  "She seems to be in a much better relationship with your boyfriend than she is with me. Maybe we should talk to him about this. Maybe he 's the daddy. "

  At that point Cynthia did slap him right across the cheek and it stung.

  He gritted his teeth against the pain. "Get out of my way. I 'm going to check on her and then take her to the airport. She 's already called her daddy and he 's sending a plane for his princess. My charity work here is done. "

  He pulled the machine past Cynthia and pushed it down the hall to the curtained off area where Simone had been, but now she was gone.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The only thing Simone could hope for was that by the time she landed in Paris all of her tears would be dry forever, but for now, alone on her father 's charted jet, she 'd cry.

  For a moment at the hospital she thought there might have been a chance t1o salvage what had gone so badly wrong. She 'd never intended on Curtis finding out she was pregnant in such a horrific way. He hadn 't even asked any questions, he 'd just turned to leave. Perhaps he was more volatile a personality than she 'd thought. Just because all the other Kellers were sound minded didn 't mean he was.

  Perhaps that was good to know now, but still she would have thought he 'd have said something. The only mention he 'd even made was that he 'd check on her baby.

  The tears kept pouring down her cheeks and her head pounded where the strips of fabric held her cut closed. Oh, she must have looked like an idiot crashing into the wall at in Zach 's building. That hadn 't gone as planned either. The phone call to her father where she cried like a baby was about the only thing that had gone right. He 'd said I told you so and sent for a plane.

  She pulled the small lap blanket from the empty seat next to her and covered herself up. Her body shivered, not from the temperature of the air, but from the hateful words she 'd overheard Curtis say to Cynthia.

  He thought she 'd run out of the room and skipped out on him, but not until after he 'd left the hospital. She 'd waited in the restroom until it was clear to walk out without being seen.

  He had some lessons to learn about bedside manner. If you were going to talk so loudly that you could be heard from the bathroom across the hall perhaps you shouldn 't be a doctor.

  She 'd only needed to go to the restroom, she didn 't know she 'd find that Curtis thought the baby was someone else 's and that she was trying to force him to be the father.

  Well obviously, he was not father material.

  She 'd be better off in Paris with her father 's money and her mother 's strange empathy than with Curtis, who only thought of her as a tramp who got in some trouble.

  The tears began to dry as she reclined in her seat, but the small flutter in her stomach couldn 't be ignored. The baby was moving and it was just another moment Curtis would miss in their life of his child.

  Simone certainly was surprised to see her mother waiting for her when she arrived in Paris.

  The tears were back when her mother lifted her arms and Simone hurried to her and accepted the embrace.

  "Darling, you look terrible. " Her mother pulled back and looked her over. "Are these pajamas? And, oh, what happened to your head? Simone, you never should have left France, dear. Look at you. "

  Simone swallowed hard. The comfort of a hug should have made her feel better, just as the one from Sam the other night had. But in her mother 's grasp she felt small and insignificant.

  Beatrice, wasn 't mother material, and never had been. She never asked how her daughter 's day was or planned for birthday parties or sleepovers. Not once in all the years that Simone lived away at schools did her mother send her a care package, but Audrey Benson had.

  Simone climbed into her mother 's awaiting car.

  "I did not expect you to pick me up. "

  "Your father had some business. I suppose he could not be bothered. He phoned my assistant and I arranged to be here for you, darling. " She gave her another glance and the corners of her mouth turned downward. "We should stop and buy you some new clothes. Those are hideous. "

  "Mother, I have no money. "

  "Your father will pay me back. He had better. " And that was the way Beatrice thought and it angered Simone.

  "The clothes I have on now are fine and very comfortable. I would really prefer to just sleep for a spell. "

  "I would have thought Zachary Benson would have taken much better care of you than this. " She motioned her hand in the air as if to ward away and evil the clothes might emit. "I am very disappointed in him. "

  "In Zachary? Mother do you even know why I left Paris? "

  "Darling, you leave all the time. That is joy of being an heir to an oil fortune. "

  Hearing those words drip from her mother 's tongue nearly made Simone sick. There was no pride in knowing that when her father died she 'd have everything he 'd worked for. Just the opposi
te. Money didn 't buy happiness, she 'd learned that first hand. At that moment she would have giving up everything, again, just to go back to her small office, her dank apartment, and to even have Curtis hate her in person if she didn 't have to be faced with the shallowness of her own mother. But she 'd left Nashville -run away. She was a coward with her tail between her legs.

  Her mother 's new home was an hour from the airport. Simone was impressed, not in the house, or where it sat, but in the fact that her mother had made such a trip to pick her up.