Opposite Attraction Read online

  Simone nodded. Her mind was wrapping around being a single mother who had no options for her child. What was she going to do with her own child when she had to go to work to support them?

  Regina adjusted on the bed. "You doin ' okay? Your face is pale. "

  "I 'm fine. " Simone shifted the baby on her shoulder. "What will you do now? They certainly will not keep him in jail for long. "

  "If I could afford a place to live and had a job where I could take my baby I 'd make sure we had a decent life. He deserves that. "

  Simone listened to this woman who was desperately in need of help to make a better life for herself and her son. How did a woman do that when there was a man who wanted to hurt her?

  "What will you do if you do not get a job? "

  Regina shrugged. "I 've pawned all my grandma 's jewelry. Any money I did have Darius spent it on booze. "

  The curtain moved and Marsha stood there looking at Simone. "You 'd best get back to work. "

  "Yes, sorry. " She passed the baby back to Regina.

  "Thanks for helpin ' me out. "

  "It was my pleasure. " She gave her a smile and went back to her desk, thankful she had a job -for now.

  The rest of the day dragged on. She knew Regina and her son were still in the clinic. The pile on her desk kept growing, but her mind wasn 't on her work. She kept thinking about the cost of food, rent, and daycare. How did anyone make it all work?

  She combed her fingers through her ponytail and then absentmindedly she began to twist her earring between her fingers. It wa1s an old habit. One her mother used to nag her about stopping. When she let go of her ear she instantly went back to the earring. She unclasped it and held it in her hand. Her father had given them to her for her sixteenth birthday. She 'd worn them to work because she thought they were small and not fancy, but each earring was well over a karat. She took the other earring out and looked at them in her palm. Each earring would feed Regina and her son for a few weeks. She could afford diapers and maybe buy herself some time to get away from Darius.

  Her mind began brewing with ideas. She knew a lot of people in Nashville, a lot of people with businesses and means to help others. Zach. Zach offered his employees daycare for their children. She 'd remembered her father speaking ill of the idea. But now she saw the glory in it.

  She stood from her desk and hurried out to the clinic floor. Regina was standing with Sam, who was loading up her diaper bag with diapers from the storage closet.

  "Are you leaving? " Simone 's voice was fast and her heart rate quickened.

  "Yeah, your boss says I can 't stay any longer. "

  Simone nodded as Sam handed her back her bag. "You come back here if he comes home. You understand? " Sam asked.

  "Yes. I 'll come back. "

  He gave her a nod and walked away.

  Simone squeezed her hand tight, the earrings dug into her skin. "Here. " She opened Regina 's hand that wrapped around her son. She slid the earrings into her palm and closed her fingers around them. "You use these and feed you and your baby. If you need to get a hotel room, use them for that. Then, I want you to call me in the morning, here at the clinic. I think I can get you a job with daycare. "

  Regina stood before her, her eyes wide and her mouth open. "Why you bein ' so nice to me? "

  "Every mother deserves to protect herself and her baby. You need to protect yourself. "

  "And you 're helping me? "

  "This is all I can do. "

  Tears were forming in Regina 's eyes. "Thank you. You have the kindest heart. "

  That nearly had Simone 's knees buckling beneath her. No one had ever told her she was kind.

  "You call me in the morning. "

  "I 'll do that. " Regina smiled and batted away the tears. "Thank you. God bless you. "

  Cynthia sat at the nurses ' station leaned back in her chair when Curtis walked by. The smug smile on her lips had him stop. He realized he was smiling too just looking at her sitting there as if she was up to something.

  "You have something on your face. "

  She raised her eyebrows. "Do I? "

  "Yeah, a grin that says you 're up to no good. "

  She crossed her legs and bounced her foot which adorned bright pink Nikes. "Oh, well I 'm never up to any good. But that little princess of yours is. "

  "Little, what oh. " He leaned over the counter. "What did she do now? Abandon that job already? "

  "Oh, ye of little faith. " Cynthia moved in closer to him and rested her arms on the counter as well. "I 'll tell you what she did if you promise to go dancing on Saturday. "

  "Dancing? " Cynthia nodded and he shook his head. "If I remember right I can 't keep up with you. But fine. I 'll go dancing. Now tell me what did she do? "

  Simone paced in Zach 's office. She hadn 't had reason to visit him at work in months and when she 'd shown up with her hair piled atop her head, her makeup won off, and in scrubs of all things, his assistant Mary Ellen told her she 'd almost called security.

  Other times she 'd have sat on his desk and crossed her tan legs so that it would have been the first thing he 'd see, even though he 'd never looked at her legs in all the years she 'd known him. He was absolutely the only man who looked her in the eye.

  She sat down on the leather couch and gripped her hands together to keep them from shaking. Why was she so nervous? This was Zachary.

  It had taken him twenty minutes to make it back to his office after his meeting.

  "I swear I just witnessed you bite your nails, " he said from the doorway.

  "Tais-toi! " She stood up and wiped her palms on the legs of her pants. "I need help. "

  Zach quickly shut the office door and walked to her. He reached for her arms and looked her over. "Are you okay? What happened? "

  "I need you to hire someone. "

  Zach narrowed his eyes on her. "You need me to hire someone? " He shook his head and let lose a laugh that had her temper fume.

  "I need you. "

  "I offered you a job. And you turned me down. " He let go of her arms, walked to his desk, and began to go through the papers that lay on it.

  "It is not for me. Will you listen to me? "

  Zach looked up from the papers he shuffled. "Okay. Who do you want me to hire? "

  Simone swallowed hard. "Her name is Regina. She needs a full time job. She is comfortable in housekeeping and she needs to put her son in daycare. "

  He watched her carefully before crossing his arms over his chest. "What has gotten into you? "

  "I am asking for help. If you are not going to help me then I will ask someone else. You are not the only contact I have in this city. "

  Zach stepped around from behind his desk. "Now calm down. "

  "Are you going to help me? "

  "I 've never seen this side to you. It 's endearing. "

  "I need an answer, " she pleaded. How could she be so desperate for someone else 's wellbeing?

  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. "

  "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 sincer
ely 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.

  "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? "

  "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. "

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

  "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. "

  "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. "

  "Yes. "

  "And a roommate, huh? "

  "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. "

  "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? "

  "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.

  "Saturday. "

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

  "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?

  Chapter Eight

  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.

  "Do you never sleep in? "

  "Not on moving day. "

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

  "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. "

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

  "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. "

  "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. "

  "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? "

  "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.