He filled the pot with water from the sink, taking a moment to look underneath the cupboard to make sure the pipe wasn 't leaking. That looked good.
He proceeded to pour the water into the maker, missing mostly and pouring it on the counter. With a grunt, he walked into the laundry room, grabbed a kitchen towel and wiped up the mess. After tossing the towel in the sink he opened the cupboard and pulled down a filter and the coffee. He shoved the filter into the basket and then readjusted it until it didn 't look as if it were going to collapse.
With a quick yank he pulled the top off the coffee can, but it was a brand new can, filled to the brim. Coffee grounds flew through the air and landed around his feet on the floor.
What the hell was he doing? He slammed down the can, which expelled more grounds into the air. Oh he could kill Simone for putting him in such a mood and Cynthia for making him make her coffee. She should have just had sex with him.
Curtis retrieved the broom from the laundry room and swept up his mess. Finally, he managed to get grounds into the adjusted filter and pushed the button to start the brew.
When he heard Cynthia burst into laughter he spun around and narrowed his stare on her. This only forced her to laugh harder.
"You 're a mess, you know that. " She pulled a chair back from the kitchen table and sat down. She 'd changed her shirt to one which wasn 't as revealing, combed her hair, and he could smell the mint of the toothpaste. That was a sign, there 'd be no sex.
Cynthia pushed another chair out with her foot. "Sit. "
He grabbed hold of the chair, spun it backward, and then sat, resting his arms atop the back of the chair.
"So her cooking was this bad that it has you running to me in the middle of the night? "
"It 's only eleven. "
"I fell asleep at seven -it 's the middle of the night for me. "
He chuckled. This was why Cynthia was one of his dearest friends. She could sass him and it only made him want more.
"First off, she didn 't cook. She enlisted my sister to cook. "
"Oh, I had thought she 'd at least burn something for your first. " She smiled.
"I didn 't even get to eat. I got called into work and ran out the door. "
That caused Cynthia to laugh again. "I told her you were married to your job. "
Curtis pushed to his feet. "You told her that? "
"She came at me the other day asking me if I was going to marry you. I laughed. "
"You wouldn 't marry me? "
"Hell no. " She stood to meet him eye to eye. "You 're married to your job. You love what you do. Next comes your family. If one of them needs you, you 're there. "
"That 's how it 's supposed to work. "
"Right. "
Now he was confused. What were they arguing about?
Cynthia moved past him and reached into the cupboard for two mugs. "My point is, Simone is looking for a fairytale. "
"Well she was living that wasn 't she? "
"Maybe, but she 's here now. And she 's set her sights on you. "
Curtis pulled his fingers through his hair and sat down again. "I swear that she was trying to ask me to marry her during dinner. "
Cynthia laughed again as she turned toward him1 with two full mugs of coffee. "I have a beer too if you 'd rather. "
"Still on call. "
"Right. "
He didn 't like that tone, but it was well deserved.
"Anyway, I cut her off. I ran out the door. " He didn 't like how it was sounding.
Cynthia took a sip from her coffee. "So go back to her and wake her up. "
He pushed the mug away and stood to pace the small kitchen. "I did go back. Stood there at the front door watching her cozy up with Sam on the couch. "
"Cozy up? As in they were naked and doing it? " Her voice hadn 't even quivered when she said it.
"No! " God she was making him crazy. "It was almost more intimate. He had his arm around her. Her head was on his chest. He covered her up with a blanket and kissed the top of her head. "
"Yep, you 're screwed. She 's sunk her claws into him. " The permanent grin on her face was pissing him off.
"You 're joking with me? You think this is funny. "
She sipped her coffee again. "I think it is hysterical. Sam isn 't moving in on your territory. "
"How do you know that? "
"Because I believe in him. It 's me that has my claws in him, and I tell you what, I don 't have any intentions on letting go. "
"You? One man? "
This time Cynthia stood to meet him eye to eye. "Listen, Keller. If you 're going to come into my home and point fingers you might as well leave. If I remember correctly you came seeking me out, not the other way around. If your little French kitten has you looking to lash out hit the gym, hit the bar, hit a damn wall for all I care, but leave me out of it. "
He couldn 't even react. Cynthia had never talked to him like tha1t before. Dear God, she was in love with Sam.
A smile formed on his lips. "Wow. I never thought I 'd see you settle into one man. "
"Likewise with you. " She gave him a shove and then sat back down. "You 're in love with Simone and you probably hurt her feelings when you walked out on her. Sam is a caring, compassionate man who was probably only giving her comfort. "
When he thought about it that was exactly how it had looked too.
He would need to make it up to Simone, and probably to Cynthia too. He always hated when reality made sense and he didn 't.
He knew what he 'd do. He 'd stop by the clinic tomorrow and take Simone some flowers. Every woman loved flowers, especially when the man in their life was a jerk. In a week he had a full weekend off. Perhaps it was time to make sure he wasn 't available to the hospital and he could take Simone away, nowhere fancy, but just the two of them.
If she had been trying to propose to him maybe he 'd beat her to the punch. After all it was a man 's job.
A sharp pain pierced his chest. What the hell was he thinking? Did he want to get married? Did he want to marry Simone? It only made sense. He 'd never loved anyone before. But marriage?
His own head spun now. Love. He could absolutely say he loved her, that scared him more than the thought of marriage, but then again there was a comfort in it too.
He chuckled to himself. Who would have thought he and Cynthia were ready to settle down? He guessed the friends with benefits gig was over.
The next day Simone filed papers in the cabinets in the room designated for files. She appreciated the quiet of the job. Her mind was crowded with thoughts and the peace gave her time to consider what she was going to do.
Curtis needed to know about the baby. She wasn 't sure he 'd choose her over his job, but he needed to know.
She 'd called him four times to see if he 'd meet her after work, but all she got was his voice mail. It was nearing the end of the day for her and she figured if she hadn 't heard back from him by the time she got home she 'd call her father next.
"Room is open. " She looked up from her stack of papers and saw Sam standing in the doorway. "C 'mon, Monica is gone, we only have ten minutes to do this. "1
"Oh, the ultrasound. Right. "
She put the stack of papers back into the folder she 'd carried in, hurried back to her desk and slid them in her drawer. Her co-worker watched her a bit too intently so she gave her a smile and hurried off with Sam.
The room was dimly lit. There was only one bed and the machine occupying the room the size of a linen closet.
"Get up on the bed. " Sam instructed as he pushed buttons on the keyboard attached to the large machine.
Simone did as he 'd instructed.
"Now, lift your shirt up so I can see your stomach and roll down the waistband of your pants. "
She gave him a hesitant nod and again did what he 'd asked.
He took a towel and tucked it into the waist of her pants then ran his hand over her taunt stomach.
"Won 't be long. Your about to po
p. "
"Pop? " Her voice cracked.
"Yeah, your baby bump is about to start showing. You have a cute little swell. "
Simone felt the surge of tears begin to surface in her throat as Sam took the blue gel from the holder. He shook it and squeezed some on her stomach. She winced for the cold.
"Sorry. Usually it 's warmed up, but there were no patients in here today. "
Simone nodded as Sam returned the bottle and grabbed the wand. "Okay, are you ready to see this peanut? "
Her throat was so clogged with the tears she knew were going to break free she only nodded.
Sam set the wand on her stomach and a moment later she saw the first pictures of her baby.
"Oh, my. " The tears broke free and there was no sucking them in. "I have never seen anything so precious in my life. "
"Hold on let me see if I can get the face. "
He managed the wand and then a perfect profile of the baby she and Curtis had created was there on the screen. His hand was near his face and he looked as though he hiccupped.
"Did you feel that? " Sam asked.
"Yes, " she said through her tears. "Yes, I did. "
"I can 't believe this. I can 't " She couldn 't speak anymore. She wanted to just stare at the image on the screen.
Curtis walked through the front door of the clinic and straight through the reception door. As giddy and stupid as he felt at that moment he wasn 't so sure he wouldn 't drop down on one knee and ask Simone to marry him.
He hid the flowers behind his back and walked directly to her office. There was no way to help the disappointment when he only saw the other girl she worked with sitting at her desk.
"I 'm sorry to bother you. I 'm looking for Simone Pierpont. "
The woman raised her eyebrows at him. "She just took off with one of the nurses, Sam. "
That didn 't sit well with him, but he 'd promised himself he wasn 't going to get worked up. "Do you know when they 'll be back? "
"Oh, who knows. They were being all secretive. She left her work in her desk and they ran off down the hall to the room by the bathroom. "
That straightened Curtis 's spine. He turned from her office, dropped the flowers in the trashcan in the hallway and headed to that room where she 'd snuck off with Sam. He 'd been a fool once, even twice, but there wasn 't going to be a third time.
He grabbed hold of the door handle and pushed it open.
Sam 's head shot up and Simone had let out a small scream, not one to cause alarm, but enough to let him know he 'd gotten his point across.
But then the moment hit him -hit him hard. He noticed her on the table, her shirt up. Sam had an ultrasound wand on her stomach and on the screen there was the image of a baby.
God damn! Simone was pregnant!
Chapter Thirteen
The moment was frozen in time. His breath caught in his lungs and wouldn 't move in or out. He could feel his head spin from the lack of oxygen.
The moment Sam stepped away from Simone the image of the baby disappeared from the screen.
Simone sat up and only looked at him. Did she have nothing to say?
Heat vibrated through his body. He 'd never been so angry in his entire life. He could feel the blood course through his veins and his jaw hurt from clenching his teeth together.
There should have been a million words to share with her, but they seemed to be stuck in his throat. Instead, he turned around and walked away.
He 'd heard her call his name as he turned and walked down the hall and out of the clinic. Every muscle in his body ached as he hurried out to his truck. Of course, his heart ached most.
Oh, what and idiot he 'd been to involve himself in her games. She must have thought he was some kind of fool to fall for her charm.
He started the truck and sped out of the parking lot.
So that was what her bumbling was all about last night. Talking about his family. She was using him to build a family for her baby. Well he wasn 't interested. And he wasn 't a fool anymore.
There was only one way to rid himself of Simone Pierpont and that was to send her packing.
Only one man could do that and Curtis was going to see to it that Zach made her go away.
Mary Ellen sat at her desk -the guardian to Zach 's private world. When she 'd seen Curtis walking toward his office she 'd lifted her head and smiled, but he knew the look on his face spelled out danger and instead of waving him in, as she usually would, she stood quickly and barricaded the door by stepping in his way.
"Curtis, it 's nice to see you. "
"I need him. "
She held up a hand. "He 's on a very important phone call. "
With all due respect to the woman who took care of his brother-in-law, she needed to get out of his way.
"Trust me, I won 't make a sound. "
He skirted around her and pushed his way into Zach 's office.
Zach sat at his large desk the phone receiver to his ear. He head shot up when he saw Curtis walk into his office and then his eyes darted to Mary Ellen who shrugged her shoulders.
Zach continued his conversation as he gave Curtis a nod and Mary Ellen a wave, which she took as her signal to leave.
Curtis sat down on the leather couch and wrung his hands together while he waited.
He watched Zach. He was rubbing his temples listening to the person on the other end of the conversation. Whatever the phone call was about Zach was immersed in it and it was weighing heavy on him.
Curtis felt like an idiot for barging in. Simone wasn 't Zach 's responsibility either.
A moment later Zach leaned back, looked at the receiver in his hand and then hung up the phone, without a word.
"I guess he was done with me. " He scrubbed his hands over his face and shifted his stare to Curtis.
There was an awkward silence between them, but Curtis was sure that Zach had something to say, and he was certain they were about initiate the same topic of conversation.
Zach pointed to the phone. "That was Monsieur Pierpont. "
There was a tightening in Curtis 's chest. "He ready for his princess back? I 'm ready to send her packing. "
Zach gnawed on his lip then tapped his fingers on the desk. "Seems as though she 's called him, just a few moments ago. He 's sending a plane for her. "
"Good. " Curtis stood and paced the small area between the desk and Zach 's desk. "I know she 's your dearest friend and all, but she 's nothing but trouble. I 'd feel better knowing she 's as far away from Nashville, my friends, and my family as possible. "
"What happened to you two working things out? I thought you were in love with her. "
"I was wrong. " He pressed his hands on the top of the desk and leaned on it. "So you know why she was turned away now? "
Zach pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don 't mean to be rude, but I have more problems than your love life. " He picked up a file on his desk and then tossed it back down. "Pierpont wants to do a build, but he 's got an investor. "
"So? " It was pissing Curtis off that Zach couldn 't for just five minutes leave his business and talk about getting rid of Simone.
"The investor is Alexander Hamilton. "
"Are you kidding me? " His temper was boiling again. "What 's wrong with that family? You don 't do business with a woman beating bastard. " He could feel the head beneath his collar. Just the mention of the name made him want to lash out.
He 'd been there when Alexander Hamilton had nearly killed his sister and her daughter. She 'd given the baby away to hide her, but the man still came around.
He hooked his thumbs into his front pocket. "You 're not doing the build are you? "
"No. " The answer was firm. Zach sat back in his chair. "He 's testing me. He wants to see if I 'll sell out -or if I 'm loyal to my family. "
Curtis 's mind shifted to Simone. "He doesn 't seem to be too loyal to his own family, why is he worried about you? "
"It 's a power trip. "
Opposite Attraction Page 14
