Opposite Attraction

by Bernadette Marie

  Now she was sassing him and it felt normal.

  "Maybe later. Mom 's got a pie in the oven. Pie first. " He wrapped his arm around her waist and they walked back into the house.

  Chapter Three

  Simone listened to Carlos and his family share their stories of the honeymoon they had all taken. Zach had confided in her, before their wedding, that he was sending them to Disney World in style. They were a1 family, and they deserved to celebrate the union of their marriage as such.

  She felt bad now, listening to them discuss the trip in enthusiastic detail, that she 'd laughed at Zach. A honeymoon was to be spent on a beach, or on a yacht. She 'd thought she 'd always wanted to go to Fiji and spend her honeymoon naked in a hut with her husband. But she could see again, her upbringing was getting in the way of what the rest of the world thought was perfect. For the Kellers, Disney World was the perfect oasis to spend their second honeymoon as a family.

  Carlos and Madeline held hands atop the table among the many dishes that were passed around with ample amounts of food on them. Simone watched as their eyes settled on each other, and their lips were permanently turned into smiles. She wondered if anyone would know what they 'd been through and that they 'd been in love since they 'd been fifteen.

  Divorce, second marriages, and cancer hadn 't kept them apart in the end. What was it like to love someone so much?

  She turned and looked at Zach and Regan who balanced a toddler between them as they reached for food and added to the conversation happening around them. There was a peace - a comfort -between them that Simone had never seen in her home growing up. They worked together as the executive team that they were. But love radiated between them.

  Emily Keller sat at one end of the crowded table and her husband Alan sat at the other. They didn 't look at each other. They passed plates and talked to their children and grandchildren, and yet, love resonated in their voices. Simone knew nothing about them, really, except that they 'd brought together this eclectic family with love and compassion. And the fact that they would all gather together once a week for dinner said something about their marriage. You didn 't have a family like the Keller family without understanding true love.

  The food on Simone 's plate began to look unappetizing. Not because it was ill prepared or unpalatable, but because she realized how out of place she was at the family table. Her parents despised each other long before they divorced and married others. Simone 's family had been the children at school, and of course the awkward American boy who had been thrown into the a mix of friends at an early age. Zach and his parents had shown her a compassion she 'd never known, and yet it was nothing like the Kellers.

  Zach passed her a plate of mashed potatoes and gave her a comforting smile. "Everything okay? "

  "A bit overwhelmed. "

  "I 'm glad you 're here. It 's a very important night. "

  He turned back to his wife, but his words stuck with her. Had she missed something? Was there something more than Sunday dinner or the fact that Madeli1ne and Carlos had returned? She lifted her head and looked at Curtis and Cynthia who shared a laugh between them.

  Simone felt a bead of sweat roll down the back of her neck. The room had grown hot. What if the important night had something to do with Curtis and Cynthia? Could she keep her emotions in tact when they announced they were going to get married? Obviously he 'd moved on from her. Perhaps she 'd been a fling to him, and not the other way around as she 'd convinced herself. What was she going to do now?

  A moment later Zach stood up from the table. He looked down at his wife and then out at the others at the table who had grown quiet.

  He pulled Regan to his side and took Tyler from her, balancing him on his hip. "Regan and I have been waiting to share some news with all of you. " He wrapped his arm around her and she rested her head against his shoulder. "We are expecting another baby. "

  The moment his announcement had been made, the rest of the family at the table stood and rushed the small family to Simone 's side. They hugged and kissed them. Madeline and Emily cried. Carlos slapped Zach on the shoulder. Even Cynthia embraced them both and planted a noisy kiss on Tyler 's cheek.

  But Simone sat quiet, afraid of what she 'd say.

  Zach sat back down and the platters of food began to move around the table again. He touched her arm. "Are you okay? Aren 't you happy for us? "

  "Oh, I am very happy for you. " She forced the smile that was deserved by a friend. "Congratulations. "

  "Can you imagine how beautiful my daughter would be if she looked just like her mother? " And it was words like that which had always set her heart a flutter when it came to Zach, but now she sat next to him feeling the sting of jealousy as if she were a sister.

  He shifted a gaze to his wife and Simone thought she might burst into tears. Would a man ever look at her like that? Would Curtis ever look at her like that or would he hate her forever?

  It wasn 't that she wasn 't happy for them. No one deserved such a happy moment more than Zach and his wife. But her own predicament had her heart filled with bitterness, her stomach churning with fear, and a cloud of loneliness enveloping her.

  Curtis slammed the front door of Cynthia 's house when they arrived after dinner at his parents ' house. She turned and glared at him with anger brewing in her eyes.

  "Was that necessary? "

  "Sorry, guess I have a little adrenaline running through me. " Curtis ran his hands over his head and rested them on the back of his neck. He could feel the tension in his shoulders and it ran across his chest. "Too bad the gym isn 't open. "

  Cynthia tossed her purse on the couch. "I 'd offer to take care of that for you, but since I know it 's a woman who has you so worked up, I think I 'll save my offer for another day. "

  Curtis dropped his arms and she crossed hers over her chest. "Did you think I didn 't notice how worked up you got over Simone? Oh, she 's got you all tied up in knots. "

  "Well she worked me over. "

  Cynthia dropped her arms and her eyes softened. "She got into your heart. "

  "Bite your tongue. " The woman was delusional. What was wrong with the women in his life?

  She laughed and shook her head as she moved toward the kitchen. "Men are dumb. "

  There were still towels lining the floor where they had sprayed each other and to catch any leaks from the dripping faucet. She gathered them up and headed to the laundry room.

  Curtis followed her and when she dumped the towels into the washer she turned back around and ran right into him.

  "What 's with you? " She nudged him out of the way. This time she headed for the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water. She held it out to him and he waved it off. "So are you staying or what? "

  "I didn 't think there was much of an invitation. "

  "There is always an invitation. But I think tonight it 's just a sleep over. Your head is in the clouds and your mind is wrapped around that little French lady. "

  "French, maybe. Lady? That 's a stretch. " He jammed his hands into his pockets and leaned back against the counter. "Did you see how she reacted to Zach when he announced the baby? "

  "So. It 's no secret she 's always liked Zach. Even I know that and I 've only been around him a few times. "

  "She liked him when they were kids, Cynthia. " He took the bottle of water out of her hands and drank from it before handing it back to her. "She 's not in love with him. "

  "I don 't think she acted as if she wasn 't happy. "

  "No, but she should have been the first one out of her seat to hug him and congratulate them. "

  Cynthia sipped from the bottle. "I told you she got you all worked up. " She finished the water and threw the bottle into the recycle bin. "You watched her all night long. I 'll bet you even know what she left on her plate. "

  He winced. Of course he did, she hadn 't touched a thing. In fact, he didn 't think she looked well at all. It was probably nerves. After all, having dinner with the Keller family for
the first time was probably nerve wracking, no matter what your relationship was with the people at the table.

  Cynthia moved in closer to him and placed her hand on his chest. She looked up at him and batted her lashes. "I 'm going to bed. Why don 't you go home and get some sleep. I 'm off tomorrow. You? " He nodded. "Good. You 're going to meet me at noon lunch. And we 're going to sort out what 's going on in that head of yours. "

  "I don 't think that sounds like fun at all. "

  "Curtis Keller, I 've spent more time with you than any other woman has in the past three years. You 're one of my dearest friends. " She tapped her fingers against his chest. "That woman has wrapped herself so tightly around your heart you 're going to explode. We 'd better figure out what you 're going to do about it. "

  "I don 't want to do anything about it. She doesn 't deserve it. "

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and settled a friendly look on him. "Don 't you suppose there 's a reason she came back to Nashville? "

  Again, he winced. Yeah, she wasn 't the kind to just decide to move somewhere without an ocean to escape on. Something was up and he figured he 'd better find out what. After all, if Simone Pierpont was up to something, it could seriously affect his sister and her family. He couldn 't let that happen.

  Simone paced the floor in her bedroom. She 'd been embarrassed by her reaction when Zach announced that they were expecting another baby. Of all people she should have jumped up from her chair and kissed his cheek and sq1ueezed his wife. That was protocol for something like that. Instead she 'd sat there.

  She dropped into the oversized chair by the window and let her head fall back. Maybe no one else had noticed her reaction. Oh, that was just foolish to think that way. Curtis had noticed.

  Well things were certainly different now. She couldn 't stay with Zach and Regan any longer. Certainly she couldn 't tell them about her predicament now that they were ecstatic to have their own baby. Her father had pushed her away. She 'd dishonored him -embarrassed him. There was no crawling back to him, and her mother -well she wasn 't even sure where her mother was at the moment.

  First things first, she needed to get a job, find a place to live, and then, and only then, could she tell Curtis about the baby. She needed to prove, to herself and to him -and the rest of the world -that she could handle this responsibility. Indeed she was old enough. Somewhere in her private schooling and her etiquettes classes she had to have been taught how to take on the world without a butler and a chauffeur.

  When her father saw his grandchild he 'd want to accept her back. Her world would return to normal. Curtis would want her too. He wasn 't the kind to turn away family.

  Thoughts of his parents and his brothers and their wives clouded her mind. Curtis Keller might never turn her and their baby away, but would he ever love her as the other men loved their wives?

  Tears stung her eyes and she let them fall. She hated the way she thought. Having her baby wasn 't some tool to get a man, or regain her wealth. Hadn 't that been what her mother had done?

  No. She 'd make a life for herself first. If it was just her and the baby, so be it. Women did it all the time. She could do it too.

  The tears began to dry up and there was a sense of pride swelling in her chest. Simone Pierpont was somebody, not just some heiress with a yacht and a stunning wardrobe. She 'd prove that she could make it on her own and provide for another.

  Simone sucked in a breath and embraced the new sense of self-worth, which felt better than the acquisition of a new diamond bracelet or a custom made pair of Italian shoes. This was a feeling no one could pay for.

  Her moment was interrupted by a tapping at the door.

  "Come in, " she called as she stood from the chair and wiped at her eyes quickly hoping to hide the tears she 'd shed.

  Regan opened the door slowly. "Am I bothering you? "

  "Of course not. Please, come in. "

  Regan moved around the door. In her hand she carried a mug. "I made you some tea. I thought you could use it to relax. "

  "I appreciate it. Thank you, mon ami. " She took the mug from Regan and sat back down in the chair.

  "Simone, I hope I 'm not overstepping my boundaries, but is everything alright with you?

  "I beg your pardon. "

  Regan sat down on the bed across the room and laid her hands in her lap. "Zach is worried about you. He says you 're not yourself. "

  "He worries too much, that is all. "

  "Perhaps. But you mean a great deal to him, and to me too. If there is anything wrong, we want to help. "

  Simone thought of all the things she could tell Regan. She 'd always wanted a sister, and Regan was as close as she 'd come. But still, there was no way to tell her what had transpired in her life, after all, Regan was Curtis 's sister. Telling her what she 'd done could change her relationship with the woman forever. She 'd already been thrown out of her father 's life, she couldn 't risk Zach and his wife throwing her out too.

  "Everything is fine. I have just been having a moment of clarity, before you walked in. " She tucked her feet under her and smiled at Regan. "I 've decided I want to find my own place to live and get a job. "

  The reaction on Regan 's face should have made her angry, but she knew it was genuine. When an oil heiress tells you she wants to get a job most people would stare at her wide eyed with their mouths open, just as Regan was doing.

  "I think that 's great. So you 'll be staying in Nashville longer than you 'd anticipated? "

  "I want to. I think it is time. "

  "Simone, I think that 's wonderful. " And from the compassion in Regan 's eyes she knew she was sincere. "Zach could surely "

  Simone held up her hand to stop her. "I will not take a job or 1a home from him. "

  "But, Simone "

  "No. I will do this myself. I can do this. "

  Regan stood and walked toward her. She bent down and gave her a warm hug. "I know you can. I believe you are the kind of woman who gets what she wants. "

  Simone bit the inside of her cheek. She could only hope that was in fact the kind of woman she was.

  Regan took a step back. "I 'll let you get some sleep. Perhaps we could go to lunch tomorrow and discuss your plans. I 'm a great assistant and I 'm dying to do something. Maybe I can help you work on your resume, or hunt down some places to live. "

  "I think that sounds splendid. "

  "Great. Good night. "

  "Good night. " Regan turned to leave and Simone stood quickly. "Oh, and, Regan, " she waited for her to turn. "Congratulations on the new baby. I know Zach wants a house full of children. "

  "I hope so. Coming from a big family I want Tyler to have that. "

  Regan shut the door and Simone was alone again, but this time she didn 't feel alone. No, she had someone to take care of and she and Regan were going to make plans for her new life. She sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Was she ready for a new life? She placed her hands on her stomach. Well, ready or not, it was coming.

  Chapter Four

  Curtis pulled the lettuce off his sandwich, reassembled the bread, and then pushed it aside. Cynthia sipped her Pepsi and shook her head. "You 're not going to eat? "

  "Just not hungry. "

  Cynthia picked up her sandwich and took a bite. "Have you met Sam yet? "

  "Sam? "

  "Male nurse. Six-four. Short blond hair. Dreamy blue eyes. "

  Curtis let out a loud chuckle. "No, guess I 've missed him. "

  "He 's working at the clinic with me on my days off at the hospital. And he 's taking me out to dinner tonight. "

  Curtis pulled his sandwich back toward him and took a bite. He was more comfortable now that they were talking about her than had the conversation been about him and Simone. "Do I need to shake him down and make sure he 's worthy of taking you out? "

  "You even talk to him I 'll shove you in your locker. "

  And that was why he adored his friendship with Cynthia. He could take her to a ba
ll game, or a fancy dinner. If they felt like it, they 'd tangle up the sheets. Or she could abuse him and tell him all about her sex life with other men. He realized he was lucky. Every man should have that very special woman in their lives. The ones who would do anything for you or with you, but didn 't come with strings attached.

  "Oh, my gosh. Your sister is here. " Cynthia 's hand went up in a wave and Curtis turned his head to the door. "Oh, look. She 's with Simone. "

  He felt the bread from his sandwich lodge in his throat. He reached for his drink and the women approached the table.