Opposite Attraction

by Bernadette Marie

  "How am I? Confused. That 's how I am. " He shifted his glance toward Cynthia. "What 's going on? "

  Her lips turned into the smile he 'd seen many times before. It was the kind of smile that said she was up to something. "Simone got a new job today. She 's trying on her new wardrobe. "

  "She what? " He spun his head back toward the French beauty in the hall. "You what? "

  "Oh, settle down, Curtis. " Cynthia shoved the glass of wine toward him. "We got her a job at the clinic. I thought it would be fun to get some new scrubs and told her she could have a few of my others. "

  The thought should have caught him as funny. Simone Pierpont not only had an hourly, minimum wage job, but she was excepting hand-me-downs from someone she just met. Something was seriously wrong with the situation. But before he could protest the situation there was another knock at the door.

  Cynthia quickly moved past him and opened the door. Standing on the other side was Sam, and Curtis did in fact remember the tall, blond nurse Cynthia had mentioned she had a date with.

  The moment he looked past her his face became uncomfortable, but he smiled and gave Curtis a nod.

  "Curtis, you remember Sam? " Cynthia stepped back and Sam walked into the house and extended his hand toward him.

  "Nice to meet you. " His deep voice resonated and his large hand enveloped Curtis 's hand.

  "Likewise. "

  Cynthia stepped between them. "And this is our friend Simone. "

  Curtis watched as the well trained Simone pushed back her shoulders and with a natural shift of her head, her long black hair moved over her shoulder as she smiled and slid her dainty hand toward the giant of a man.

  "Sam, it is my pleasure to meet you. "

  "You too. French? "

  "Yes. Born and raised just outside of Paris. "

  "Cool. "

  Curtis took a long sip of the wine which had been handed to him. Yeah, Cynthia had picked a winner with this one.

  "Well, " Cynthia looked at Curtis as she retrieved her purse from the couch. "Now that you 're here you can give Simone a ride home. "

  He heard Simone gasp from the hallway, but before he could look up she 'd composed herself in her debutant way. How 'd he walk into such a set up?

  "It would be awesome if neither of you were here when I got back, " Cynthia whispered as she reached for Sam 's hand and walked out of the house.

  As soon as the door closed he finished the wine in his hand. Simone stood watching him and that made him as angry as the situation he 'd walked into.

  "You got a job at the clinic? "

  Simone only nodded. Cat must have gotten her tongue. That was funny. She always had something to say.

  He took a step toward her, and that was when her head snapped into its defensive tilt. Oh he was ready for a fight. Maybe it was time to let her know just how pissed he was over being left in the middle of the ocean with nothing but a swim suit.

  "How is it you could land a job it one afternoon? "

  "Cynthia was very gracious to vouch for me with her supervisor. "

  He chuckled. "You have skills an employer would want? "

  Her hands came to her hips and she balled her fists. "How dare you speak to me like that. "

  "How dare I? Oh, I think I have every right. "

  She dropped her hands. "I am trying to make a new life for myself. I would think you would appreciate that. "

  "Oh, sure. I 'd appreciate it if it were in Paris and not right under my nose. "

  Her mouth opened, yet she still didn 't seem to have anything to say. She wasn 't very good at this fighting thing, but he wasn 't quite done.

  "Do you have any idea what you 're in for? Do you think you can show up in your pearls and your diamonds and they 'll hand you a pay check? That 's not how it works, doll. "

  Her nostrils flared and the corners of her mouth tightened. "Do not call me that. "

  "You 're not a working stiff. "

  "Maybe I want to be. "

  "And who in their right mind would want to be? " He found he 'd taken a step closer to her and she to him. Now they were standing nearly toe to toe. Her blue eyes seared through him and it wasn 't a comfortable position to be in.

  Curtis took a breath and let his shoulders fall. "Simone, why do you want to do this? Why move here, get a job, and wear a uniform? " He motioned to her clothing. "You don 't have to do this. " His voice was soft now and it irked him. Damn it he cared about her and he didn 't want to.

  "Did your father ever want you to do something and it was not what was in your heart? "

  He thought back. He supposed there was something. But he couldn 't imagine what it was. His parents had never been anything but supportive, no matter how many times they brought up the cost of educational loans.

  "What is it that your father makes you do that has driven you across the world to prove him wrong? "

  She looked away. He 'd made her uncomfortable and he wasn 't sure what to do about that. He 'd wanted to pick a fight, but the nature of his job and his upbringing had him wanting to scoop her up and hold her. But he fought the urge. She deserved to be uncomfortable in his presence.

  "I should get changed. If you want to leave I will call for a taxi. " She turned from him and shut the bedroom door behind her.

  Simone fell against the door. Was it possible for her heart to actually explode? She placed her hand on her chest. One moment Curtis had looked at her as if he hated her and the next moment his eyes and voice had softened as if he still cared. Could she possibly make the best of this horrible situation she 'd caused herself?

  She changed back into her regular clothing and folded up the scrubs Cynthia was letting her have. She 'd never have imagined she 'd need to borrow uniform either, especially one with teddy bears on it. Even worse, she couldn 't afford her own uniforms yet. This was a feeling she 'd never known -utter desperation.

  When she walked out of the bedroom, adjusting the pearls on her wrist, Curtis was still there seated on the couch.

  "You are still here. " She tried to keep her voice even.

  "I 'm not going to let you take a taxi home. It 'll be dark soon and I 'm sure, no matter how many times you 've been in Nashville, you don 't know your way around. And I 'm darn sure you 've never called for a taxi. "

  He was right she had never needed a taxi, there 'd always been a car waiting for her. More than likely she 'd have called Zach because she couldn 't afford at taxi, but she 'd keep that to herself.

  "I 'm ready to go. Thank you in advance for the ride. "

  Curtis stood and scrubbed his hand over his face. The shadow of his whiskers darkened his face and gave him a rugged look. Heat stirred in her belly as he dropped his hands to his side.

  "I 'd showed up here looking for company for dinner. Looks like Cynthia had other plans. So what do you say? Want to grab a bite? "

  It certainly was the most backward of invitations, but in her state she thought it best to take the opportunity to be alone with him. She was going to need every second she could get to make him fall in love with her. And this time she couldn 't run.

  "I could use some dinner. Thank you. " She reached past him for her purse on the couch and her arm brushed his. She tried not to tremble as their skin touched, but she heard him suck in his breath. Would it be wise just to look up at him and kiss him? Could she make him forget that she 'd run from him -abandoned him. She swallowed 1hard and stood straight, but he was already backing away.

  It was going to be harder than she thought to win him over again.

  Curtis was driving around in circles, but he wasn 't sure she noticed. He 'd thought of taking her to some diner and just getting a meal and taking her home. Then he decided she deserved something better than some greasy hamburger, so he 'd started toward a nice Italian restaurant. Now he was back to thinking that if he hit McDonald 's it would be good enough.

  She hadn 't said a word since she climbed into the passenger seat of his truck. A million questions were raci
ng through his head. Maybe he should just drive through somewhere and park. She 'd be a captive audience if he parked on some dirt road and made her tell him why she left him alone on the yacht. Didn 't she think what they 'd shared was important? Didn 't she know how he felt about her?

  And then there were the rising concerns over her moving to Nashville and taking an hourly job. Who did she really think she was trying to fit into the working class in Cynthia 's hand-me-downs? She must have thought it was a great big joke to walk in there in her red high heels and pearls. He had a mind to -well he didn 't know what he 'd do. That was his problem. When it came to Simone Pierpont he lost all common sense.

  His fingers were tensing around the steering wheel and the heat under his collar was growing almost unbearable. He turned to look at her, to sense her, to get even more worked up. She was asleep. Her head was rested against the back of the seat. Her dark hair curtained her face. God, she was beautiful.

  Change of plans, he decided.

  He continued down the street and headed toward home.

  The truck had come to a stop, and Simone quickly realized her eyes were closed. She jumped up in her seat and when she looked at Curtis he was smiling at her.

  "I 'm sorry. " She widened her eyes and tried to gather herself back up.

  "Why? You must be tired. " He was still smiling.

  She took account of where she was and why she was with him. Certainly she couldn 't be dreaming. But when she looked out the window and saw his apartment building she knew she had to be.

  "I couldn 't think of a thing for dinner, " he said. "But I have a 1steak defrosted in the fridge. I could start up the grill and throw down a salad if you 're up for it. "

  She nodded, not quite sure what he 'd said, but it meant he 'd brought her home and was going to spend enough time with her to feed her. She 'd take that and she 'd do whatever it took not to make him want to throw her out.

  The apartment was just as she 'd remembered it. Small. Dark. Dusty. She felt right at home knowing he was there with her.

  He must have realized how dark it was. He went directly to the windows and the sliding doors that led to the patio and opened the blinds and curtains.

  "Sorry. It 's usually daytime when I 'm sleeping. I didn 't realize this place never saw the sun, " he hurried around the room picking up odd pieces of clothing and dirty dishes.

  "Please do not worry about it. You do not have to tidy on my account. "

  He gave a grunt and stopped. "You seem different. "

  That small statement had her hands shaking. Did he know already? She held her hands behind her back and squared off her shoulders. "I do not understand. Why do I seem different? "

  He gave a shrug. "I don 't know. You seem quiet, as if " he shook his head.

  "As if what? " She didn 't want to raise her voice, but it teetered on the edge of annoyance. If he knew something he needed to say it. Did it seem as though she were keeping a secret?

  "Nothing. I 'll get dinner started. Can I get you a drink? I have some wine -I think. "

  Simone tried to relax. "I would love some water. "

  "Really, I can go get some wine. "

  She drew her fingers into her palms and forced sincerity into her voice. "I said water would be lovely. "

  He nodded slowly. "I just want you to be comfortable. "

  "I would be more comfortable if you would stop fussing. "

  He laughed. "I am fussing. I look like my mother. " He set the plate in his hand on the counter. "You1 make me nervous. "

  That wasn 't a positive comment. She could jump all over that, but if she did everything would go poorly the rest of the night and she 'd be back to square one. "I am sorry you are uncomfortable around me. I certainly do not want that. " She clasped her hands together. "Again, if you would prefer, I could call a taxi. "

  Curtis rubbed the back of his neck. "No. I do not prefer, " he mimicked her accent. "I just don 't want us being awkward around each other. "

  The pace of her heart began to ease. "I do not want that either. "

  "Good. I mean I know things between us are going to be strained. We shouldn 't have acted like horny teenagers and let that night at Carlos 's wedding get so out of hand. We 're adults who share many of the same people in our lives. We need to get along. "

  His words had sliced into her heart. They were said so matter of face, as though he 'd never considered them as more than a one night item.

  She agreed, for the most part, that they needed to get along, they did share a great deal of people in their lives. But she certainly didn 't want him to think that their time together had been wasted. She could fix this all with one statement. I 'm pregnant! And she could risk him throwing her over the balcony too.

  No. He needed to be okay with her before she told him she was carrying his baby. Even if he never loved her, which she hoped he would, she wanted him to like her. And no matter what he was saying she wasn 't quite convinced he did.

  Curtis backed up as the grill flamed. The hair on the back of his hands might have caught the last flame that shot out from the grill, which could certainly use a cleaning.

  At this point there was enough of a crust on the steak he didn 't know if the inside was bloody or overcooked. All he knew was the French heiress that broke his heart was standing only feet from him staring off into the woods from his balcony nursing a glass of water.

  Something was different about her, but he couldn 't peg it. But wasn 't that the way with women? They didn 't actually want to tell you what was on their minds, but they sure as hell wanted you to suffer trying to figure it out. Well, he thought as he pulled the lonely steak from the grill, he didn 't care.

  There was nothing Simone Pierpont could be thinking that had any effect on him. He had his home. He had his job. And by God, he was going to keep 1his sanity.

  He watched her as she lifted her hand to her hair and brushed her fingers through it. Even with her mind preoccupied, she was graceful.

  What could she ever have seen in him, he wondered. He didn 't wear suits, or have a Rolex watch. Before he met her, the only boat he 'd been on, besides his father 's fishing boat, was a river boat down from down town to Opry Land. The thought made him laugh. What would she think of that?

  He pulled the stake off the grill and slid it onto a plate. "C 'mon. I 'll cut this up and we 'll have a salad. Then if we 're still hungry I 'll hit a Ben and Jerry 's on the way out to Zach and Regan 's. "

  She smiled, but she didn 't laugh. This much he knew, if she was humored, or even pretending to be, she 'd toss that raven hair behind her shoulder with a flick of her wrist and roll her head back with a laugh. She did neither. Oh, something happened to her to make her leave the posh life she 'd been used to and take some clerical job. There was a great amount of certainty that she wouldn 't tell him why she 'd moved to Nashville, but he figured he could get Zach to spill it.

  Simone followed him inside.

  She set her water glass on the table. "What can I do to help? "

  Where did he begin? She could let go of the grip she had on his heart for starters. Instead, he handed her the bag of premixed salad. "Just throw some on plates. "

  As he turned to reach for a knife out of the drawer she reached above him to the cupboard where he kept his plates. Their bodies brushed against each other 's. He 'd been so close he felt her breath hitch, but she hadn 't moved back, and neither did he.

  He couldn 't risk hurting again, but what did it matter? She 'd be gone soon, no matter what she said. Simone would never live in Nashville and work for a clinic forever.

  But he already hurt having her so near, smelling her scent, feeling her breath on his cheek.

  Curtis rested his hand on her hip, just to steady each of them. When he looked at her, her eyes were closed. Was she taking in the moment too? They were touching. There was heat.

  He could see the pulse in her neck beating rapidly. It would be easy to drop his head and kiss her. Just kiss her senseless until they
wound up in a tangled mess on the floor as they had months ago.

  But 1when Simone opened her eyes there was fear in them. That seemed more normal. She probably thought he was just some common man she could play with when she was in town.

  Curtis shoved past her, took the knife out of the drawer, and stepped back. He wasn 't going to make the same mistake twice.

  The steak was cooked to his liking, but Simone hadn 't touched hers. She 'd picked at her salad, and drank three more glasses of water. On her third yawn, at only seven-forty-five, he decided to head toward his sister 's house and take her home.