Forever (Time for Love Book 1)

by Charles, Miranda P.

  "Thanks so much for including us, Magda," Rebecca said.

  The elderly woman smiled at them fondly. "You girls looked after me so well when I was recovering from my accident. I've missed you. This was a good excuse to spend some time with you again."

  "May I ask who else is joining us on this trip?" Rebecca asked, keeping her tone nonchalant.

  "Well, there's my sister Miriam and my late best friend's son Phillip, whom you've already met a few times. You'll also meet my friend Olga, her granddaughter Marilyn, my other friend Debra and her granddaughter Vicky. And of course, my three grandsons are joining us, although we won't see Jeffrey and Gregory until we get to the Philippines."

  Rebecca's throat closed up and breathing became hard. Did that mean Zach was already on board?

  "What about your other grandson—Zach?" Sarah asked, glancing at Rebecca surreptitiously.

  "He's here already. He'll be having dinner with us."

  *****

  Rebecca stared critically at herself in the mirror, smoothing her new blue dress. "Sarah, is this cleavage too low?"

  Sarah poked her head out of the bathroom. "Damn, you look sexy, sister."

  "I think I should change," she said, worrying her bottom lip.

  "Why? You look gorgeous!"

  "I don't want Zach to think I've dressed up for him."

  Sarah snorted. "I thought you won't be making any decisions based on him? If you want to wear that dress tonight, then wear it."

  "Well, actually, I originally put it on with him in mind. I don't want to look frumpy when the woman he replaced me with was Miss U-A," she said, trying to erase the picture of the incredibly beautiful Miss Universe-Australia out of her mind.

  Sarah put her hands on her hips. "All the more reason for you not to change."

  Rebecca chuckled. "I thought I shouldn't be making decisions based on him?"

  "This is different. This isn't you hiding away, this is you holding your head up high. So keep that dress on."

  *****

  Rebecca tried not to stare at the other two young women at their table. What were their names again? Marilyn and Vicky?

  She was more than glad she hadn't changed her outfit. The granddaughters of Magda's friends were stunning in their much sexier frocks.

  "Tomorrow, I'm going shopping at the ship's boutiques," Sarah whispered in her ear. "I feel so out of place right now. I don't care how much a new dress from here would cost me."

  "You look fine," Rebecca assured her. "And you can try one of mine and see if it would fit."

  "You're taller than me so I don't think I'd look good in any of yours—" Sarah's voice trailed as her gaze was drawn to something.

  Rebecca followed her friend's line of sight and froze—externally that was, because her heart did just the opposite. It galloped in her chest as if she were running a sprint.

  "Damn. I'd forgotten how ridiculously hot Zach Carmichael is," Sarah breathed.

  Rebecca scowled at Sarah.

  "Sorry," Sarah said. "I was just saying. Mind you, I think all three brothers are super hunky. But that doesn't mean Zach isn't a jerk," she added.

  "Zach! Hi!" cried the woman wearing the most revealing dress. Which one was she again?

  "Hey Vicky," Zach said. "Hi everyone. Sorry I'm late. I had to finish an important phone call."

  "We just got here, Zach. You're not late," Magda said.

  Zach sat on the lone empty chair between Magda and Vicky. "How's everyone going?" he asked casually.

  A babble of 'good' and 'fine' rose from around the table.

  "And how are you?" Marilyn said.

  "I'm well, thanks," Zach answered.

  "You remember Marilyn, don't you, Zach?" Marilyn's mother Olga asked.

  "Yes, of course."

  "And you remember Rebecca and Sarah, don't you, dear?" Magda said.

  "Yes," Zach said with a smile. "Thanks for being here for my grandmother, girls."

  Rebecca mumbled a 'no worries'—looking at Magda instead of Zach—as she forced herself to relax. Breathe, Bec. Breathe.

  Vicky quickly engaged Zach in a private chat as the other people at the table started their own conversations.

  "That wasn't so bad, was it?" Sarah whispered to Rebecca.

  "No," Rebecca answered. It annoyed her no end that Zach could look so cool, calm and collected while she was sweating profusely in her expensive new dress. Couldn't he at least have the decency to look just a tiny bit bothered that she was sitting directly in front of him?

  Hell, she really was one stupid girl for letting him get under her skin even up to now.

  Anger at herself took over, making her sit up straighter and lift her chin up. Damned if she'd let Zachary Carmichael notice how much he'd shaken her by his mere presence.

  "So Magda," Olga said, "you must be feeling some aches and pains to have nurses on board with you."

  "No," Magda replied. "I'm perfectly fine. I just want them here in case something happens to me. I seem to be getting clumsier as I age. It pays to be ready for unexpected accidents or illnesses."

  "Let's hope you stay fit and healthy, Gran," Zach said dryly.

  "That's my plan, dear."

  "So what would these lovely girls do everyday since you're well, Aunt Magda?" Phillip asked.

  "They'll be enjoying themselves just like the rest of us."

  "How nice," Phillip said, eyeing Rebecca.

  Rebecca returned Phillip's look squarely. She hadn't liked Phillip from the start, even from the first time she'd met him, when he became Magda's frequent visitor after his own mother died, and Magda was recovering from her hip replacement surgery.

  She'd noticed that Phillip had always shown his good side to Magda, but had an air of arrogance and a condescending attitude toward others. She bet he was thinking she and Sarah were taking advantage of Magda's generous nature.

  "By the way, Rebecca," Phillip said. "Did you know that I live in the same building as you?"

  Her eyes widened. "Really?"

  "Yes. I saw you in the basement carpark one time."

  "Right," Rebecca commented, trying to keep her expression passive. Drats. This man was her neighbour? How unfortunate for her. She hoped he lived on a different floor at the other end of the building, far away from her apartment.

  She didn't like the knowing look in Phillip's eyes and how his gaze kept falling to her cleavage. No wonder the man was still unmarried at mid-forties. She could see how he chased women away with his creepiness. What she still couldn't believe was that Magda considered this man a nephew. Rebecca could only assume that Phillip's mother had been a wonderful woman if she'd been Magda's best friend.

  "Do you live alone?" Phillip queried.

  "No." Hopefully, he'd take the hint with her one-word answers. She didn't want to encourage him to chat with her further.

  She looked around the ship's impressive and opulent dining room so she wouldn't have to make eye contact with Phillip, only for her gaze to be caught by one of piercing blue. For interminable seconds, she stared into Zach's eyes, unable to look away.

  Vicky touched Zach's arm to draw his attention back to her, enabling Rebecca to find her breath again.

  Sarah leaned to whisper in her ear. "Since Magda doesn't need our constant presence, I think I'll have to play bodyguard to you. I didn't like the look of that look."

  "What look?" she asked innocently.

  Sarah narrowed her eyes. "Don't play coy. You looked like you were ready to melt."

  She repressed a sigh. No point denying it, Zach still attracted her like no other man had ever had. Oh, how she hated that.

  "You know what?" she said to Sarah. "I think you're right. I do need your help. Stop me if you find me doing something stupid. Please."

  "It'll be my pleasure," Sarah responded, casting a glare in Zach's direction.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Zach brought his focus back on Vicky when he felt her hand on his arm. What was Vicky talking about again? He'd been noddin
g his head, pretending he was listening to the woman beside him, while his ear was striving to catch each word of Phillip and Rebecca's conversation.

  Rebecca had said she didn't live alone. How often did her boyfriend stay with her? Surely, the guy couldn't be with her all the time since he had a wife.

  His hands fisted on his lap. Hell, if Rebecca had asked him, he would have bought her ten houses and they'd still be together.

  He fidgeted in his seat, scowling. Where the fuck did that thought come from? He and Rebecca were over. There was no going back. All he was interested in was gathering some more facts so he could write 'the end' to their story and close the book. That was all. Nothing else. She'd broken him once, he wasn't going to let her do it to him again.

  First thing he must remember was to not look into Rebecca's scintillating grey eyes. He'd drowned in them often enough in the past that he should know better. He must be on his guard and not make the same mistake he'd just made a moment ago.

  "So what do you think, Zach?" Vicky was asking, squeezing his arm.

  "Pardon?" Heck. He hadn't heard a word Vicky had said.

  "Vicky, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I happened to overhear," Magda interjected. "This grandson of mine has been ignoring me for the past few months, so I plan to be his date for the next few days. I'm afraid you'll have to wait in line until I've gotten sick of his company."

  "I'll never get sick of your company, Gran," Zach murmured.

  "No problem, Magda," Vicky said sweetly. "There's a full month to go anyway. I'm sure Zach will find some time for me."

  Argh. He'd have to remind Vicky they weren't an item.

  "Zach," Marilyn called out. "I hope you don't mind me asking but I'm just dying of curiosity. What happened with Miss Universe-Australia?"

  Zach raised his eyebrows. "What about Miss Universe-Australia?"

  "Weren't you dating her at one point?"

  He restrained himself from rolling his eyes. Did people still believe anything that came out of those publications? He was used to seeing false stories about his and his brothers' supposed love lives plastered in magazines. He'd stopped paying attention to them a long time ago.

  "No, I never dated her," he answered.

  "But the article said—"

  "She was hired as the face of one of our social events," he interrupted. "Of course the tabloids couldn't resist putting a different spin on it."

  "Oh. Those photos sure were convincing," Marilyn commented.

  "Really? What was so convincing about them?" he challenged.

  "Well, you two were in a restaurant, deep in conversation..."

  "Our PR manager suggested it was a good idea to be seen together, as the event she was promoting for us was happening three days later. What the photo didn't show was that her agent and my brother Greg were having lunch with us."

  "But then you went to the theatre and you were holding hands," Marilyn said, with an expression that indicated there was no denying that.

  "We were invited—separately—as VIP guests of the producers, and since we had a business relationship, we were having a chat as we left the theatre. We weren't holding hands. She grabbed on to me for support as we walked down a set of stairs as she was wearing ridiculously high heels. It amazes me how women can walk with them," he added with a shake of his head.

  "Oh," Marilyn replied. "I guess it really goes to show we shouldn't believe everything we read, hey?"

  "Nope," he agreed, inadvertently glancing at Rebecca. He caught her gaping at him with a surprised look on her beautiful face before averting her eyes to look down to her plate.

  Something he didn't want to describe flared within him. He squashed it before it could take hold.

  No, Zach. Don't go there.

  *****

  Zach glanced around the restaurant casually as empty plates were being cleared from their table. He'd been pretending all through dinner that Rebecca wasn't in the same room with him. He'd been succeeding so far, until she stood up, presumably to go to the bathroom.

  Damn. That dress really showed off those sexy curves that drove him crazy. Correction. Used to drive him crazy—that was more the term he was prepared to acknowledge. Except that he found himself unable to look away as she sashayed to wherever she was going. Argh! How insane could he be to still be attracted to her after everything that had happened? What a certifiable idiot he was.

  "She's very pretty, isn't she?" his grandmother whispered in his ear.

  "Who?" he asked innocently.

  Magda chuckled. "Rebecca."

  He shrugged. "I guess."

  "Don't think I haven't noticed the way you look at her, Zach, even back when I was recovering from my accident. I want you to know that if you want to date Rebecca, I'm all for it."

  He gaped at his grandmother, not quite believing the conversation they were having. "I have no interest in asking her out, Gran."

  "Why not? What's wrong with her?"

  "You did say it was you who'd asked her and Sarah to come with you to this trip, right?" he asked, changing the subject.

  "Yes. Why?"

  "Nothing. Just wondering."

  "You're not saying I shouldn't have spent the money, are you, Zachary?" Magda asked, her eyes narrowing.

  "Of course not, Gran! Your health and safety are important and I am glad they're here for you."

  "Okay. So why don't you want to date Rebecca? She's a lovely girl and anyone can see you're attracted to her."

  "What?" Zach asked in dismay.

  "Well, maybe not anyone. But I can, since I pay a lot of attention to you. And," Magda leaned closer to him. "I think she's interested in you, too. If anyone should make the first move here, it's you. You're the man."

  Zach couldn't help the incredulous laugh that escaped him. Magda was playing matchmaker for him and the woman who'd already crushed his heart to a pulp.

  "I'm being serious here, Zachary."

  He sighed. "Gran, I told you, I'm not interested. Besides, how do you know Bec doesn't have a boyfriend?"

  Magda's eyebrows lifted. "Bec?"

  "I mean Rebecca," he said hastily. "But what's wrong with Bec? That's what Sarah calls her."

  "Rolls off your tongue so well," Magda said with a sly grin.

  "Come on, Gran," he said exasperatedly. "Enough of this already."

  Magda scrutinised him for long seconds, making him squirm.

  "I just admire her looks, but that's it," he said convincingly. "Like you said, she's pretty. But I prefer women who are straightforward and tell it like it is. Bec—Rebecca—seems to keep things to herself a lot. That's not my type."

  "All right, fine," Magda said resignedly. "If that's the case, then Vicky would suit you well. She doesn't seem afraid to show the world she's interested in you."

  Zach heard the disappointment in his granny's voice. "But you don't approve of Vicky, I take it."

  "Oh, it's not that. I approve of whomever you want to be with, Zach. You know that. I was just really hoping that you and Rebecca..."

  "Why this sudden interest in me and your nurse getting together?"

  Magda shrugged. "I like her for you. And I think there's something there."

  "Well, you haven't answered my earlier question. How do you know she doesn't have a boyfriend?"

  "Hmm. I think I'll ask her if she has one or not. And if there's no boyfriend?" Magda whispered.

  "I don't know, Gran. We'll see," he responded to his total surprise. Jesus, what the hell happened to stamping a 'the end' to this Rebecca saga? He gave himself mental slaps on the face for his ridiculous slip. He wouldn't want to encourage his grandmother. Or himself.

  *****

  "Why don't we go to a quiet lounge and have after-dinner drinks there?" Magda suggested to the group.

  "You're not having alcohol, are you, Magda?" Debra teased.

  "I am if you're having one," Magda said with a laugh.

  "I think I'll go back to my room, Gran," Zach said. "I want to finish a few things sinc
e I've had to change my schedule."

  "Just one drink, Zach, then you can go. Please? This is our first night here."

  "Okay. Just one."

  "And you girls will join us, too," Magda said to Rebecca and Sarah, not giving them a chance to decline. "From tomorrow, you can do whatever you want."

  Zach helped Magda out of her chair and held out his arm to her.

  "So, girls, what are your plans for tomorrow?" Magda asked her nurses as they walked to their destination.

  "Nothing in particular," Sarah responded. "We'll probably have a look around the ship and see what interests us."

  "I hope there are no boyfriends who'll get mad at me for keeping you girls away from them for a whole month."

  Zach's heart pounded at the question, just as he tried to smother his grin. His gran was smooth.

  "No. No boyfriends," Sarah said with a laugh.

  "And you, Rebecca?" Magda asked.

  "No boyfriend either, Magda," Rebecca answered.

  Zach frowned. Of course, if Rebecca was going out with a married man, she'd want to keep it a secret.

  "I heard your conversation with Phillip, Rebecca. You said you're living with someone?" Magda pried.

  "Yes. One of my other best friends currently lives with me," Rebecca answered.

  "Oh, you've mentioned your other friends to me before. Which one?"

  "Gemma, the piano teacher. Remember her?"

  "Yes, I remember her. She used to do nursing like you girls but decided to follow her true passion."

  Rebecca chuckled. "You have a great memory, Magda."

  "I remember a lot of the stories you girls told me. I enjoyed those conversations we had. Kept me from going insane from my hip replacement. Anyway, forgive me for being so nosy, but I know how expensive it is to live in your building. Do you mind me asking how you manage?"

  "Uh, no," Rebecca said with a rather embarrassed laugh. "There's no mortgage on it so I only need to worry about the strata and utility fees. Gemma pays me a small amount for rent, so that helps with those outgoings."

  "Good to know," Magda murmured. "And what about you, Sarah? You're still living in the same place?"