I’ll Be There (11 page)

“When was the last time you had your hearing checked?”

“There is nothing wrong with my hearing,” Summer said with a serene look on her face. “From what Ethan told me, Zach's been crushing hard on you, and it became pretty obvious while we were in Alaska you were feeling the same way. Now, granted, Ethan wasn't as hard on me as Zach was on you, but he certainly wasn't always nice. Men do stupid things because of their feelings. All I'm saying is give my brother a chance. Maybe he's finally seen the light. Maybe he finally realized no one wants to be around him because he's been a major jerk.”

They gave each other mock military salutes. “Major Jerk.”

Summer chuckled. “Go there tonight with an open mind.” Then she stopped and studied her friend. “And maybe…get a little out of ‘work mode.'”

Gabriella frowned. “What does that mean?”

“It means be casual. We're here getting pedicures and going to grab big fat burgers for lunch and you're in a skirt and blouse and your hair's pulled back. You weren't even working today! Seriously, I know you own jeans and sweaters—I saw you wear them in Alaska. You're not going there for work—no matter what excuse Zach used to convince you to stop by. Casual. Jeans. Sweater. And definitely wear your hair down.”

Gabriella rolled her eyes. “I never knew you had such a problem with my appearance.”

“I don't!” Summer gasped. “I'm sorry! That wasn't what I was trying to say. All I meant was it might be nice for Zach to see another side of you.”

“Have you seen the way your brother looks lately?”

“The yeti look?”

“Let's just hope he loses that before I show up there. I've never seen Zach look so…unkempt.”

“None of us have. He's like the poster child for looking good in any situation.”

One of the nail technicians came by and checked their toes and gave them the thumbs-up that they were good to go. Rising, they walked to the front of the salon, paid, and stepped outside into the cool late September afternoon.

“Okay, no more talk about Zach,” Gabriella said as she slid on her sunglasses. “We're going to go enjoy our burgers, complain that our clothes are too tight when we're done, and you're going to tell me all about the progress on the North Carolina house and what you have planned for your weekend there.”

“I feel like our lunch will last longer than the actual trip. I wish Ethan and I had more time to get away.”

“You will. Soon. I think we're on the upswing here with Zach. I'd say by the time the holidays hit, you and Ethan will have your lives back.”

“Ooo…that would be nice.” Summer sighed. “I can't wait to have our first Christmas together. I know the house won't be ready by then but I'm secretly fantasizing about it anyway.” They walked over to Summer's car. “I think if it's not completely finished, I might still try to convince Ethan we should go there and spend the week anyway. We'll get a tree and decorate and make it our own.”

Gabriella smiled and felt a twinge of envy. Summer had hope. She had the love of her life and was planning her future, and it all sounded wonderful. “I think that sounds perfect for the two of you. A little rustic—just like most of your adventures so far. Very fitting.”

And then Summer smiled the dazzling smile of a woman in love and climbed into the car.

Zach looked around the room and felt the first pang of uncertainty. What if she didn't show? What if she'd merely told him she'd stop by just to get him off the phone? None of it sat well with him. He knew he wasn't able to do much on his own right now, but he felt like he had made a pretty vast improvement since Gabriella was last here. Running a hand across his jaw, Zach realized the shave had been long overdue. It was good to feel skin again.

He looked at his watch for the tenth time in so many minutes. It wasn't quite seven but Gabriella was always early. Always. His stomach knotted. He hated the feeling. It was vital that she show up. How was he ever going to make things right between them—work-wise—if she didn't give him a chance?

His inner voice snorted with disbelief.
Work-wise? Dude, this has so little to do with work, it's not even funny. You don't want to lose her in any capacity. At least be man enough to admit it.

While that pretty much was spot-on, Zach knew he had to tread lightly tonight. With his head finally beginning to clear, he realized he'd turned into the type of man he'd always hated—a quitter. Not only that, but a bitter one. Well, he was done with all of that. It was time to prove to himself—and everyone else—he wasn't going to settle for the crappy hand he'd been dealt. He was going to overcome this rehab thing just like he had overcome every other adversity in his life. Zach Montgomery wasn't a man who shied away from a challenge. Any challenge.

As he glanced at his watch again, he vowed he wouldn't let the fact that Gabriella was now a minute late get him all twisted either. She was the top challenge at the moment.

After a couple days of working with Alex, Zach actually felt confident he was going to get better. There were no guarantees he was going to be as strong or in the exact top physical shape he'd been before the climb, but it didn't matter. As long as he could walk again without the use of crutches or canes, he'd be ecstatic.

Now
that
was progress.

Only a week ago, he would have sneered at the thought of being anything less than perfect. It had been what kept him from getting up and trying because his attitude had been “be perfect or why bother.” Now he had a little more of a reality check—thanks to his talks with Alex. While it still bothered him that he might not be able to do all the things he'd once enjoyed, Zach was slowly beginning to realize those things weren't important.

His family was important.

His company was important.

And as the doorbell finally rang, he added one more thing to the list: Gabriella was important.

* * *

Gabriella had sat in her car for at least fifteen minutes, continually second-guessing if she was doing the right thing. In her mind, she knew she should have stuck to her original plan—stay as far away from Zach Montgomery as humanly possible. It was important to her overall well-being.

Taking the position with Ethan would alleviate all the stress and anxiety she had carefully kept hidden for so long. She had been careful never to show how Zach's brusque treatment had affected her—no use in giving him any more ammunition to use against her. So she'd put a wall around herself for protection.

And she had a feeling tonight was going to play a part in that wall starting to crumble.

Taking Summer's advice, she'd dressed casually. It felt…weird. Sure, she'd dressed casually while they were all in Alaska and, if she were completely honest with herself, she didn't walk around her apartment in a business suit. But those business suits were part of the armor, part of the wall that was there because of Zach.

And maybe because of her family too.

She sighed loudly. “So not the time to let those thoughts in.”

Glancing toward Zach's front door, she couldn't help but wonder which scenario was going to unfold here tonight. Maybe Zach really did just want to apologize in person, give her the files, and wish her luck.

“Right,” she snorted. “Because my luck is just
that
good.”

Then there was the possibility he wanted to try to convince her to stay on as his assistant—working remotely—so his world wouldn't be any more disrupted than it already was.

Somehow she doubted that one too.

Or maybe he'd lured her here under false pretenses and was prepared to fire her, and wanted to make sure he put the final nail in the coffin so she'd leave and want nothing more to do with Montgomerys ever again.

A knot of dread settled in the pit of her stomach. That option didn't sit well with her either. All she'd accomplished with this little exercise was to confuse herself even more. Without her power suit, briefcase, and accessories, she felt a little unprepared, a little naked.

“Why did I listen to Summer?” she groaned. The faded blue jeans, black sweater, and ankle boots—and not to mention the fact her hair was loose—were not enough if she needed confidence to go up against Zach. Reaching for her purse, she pulled out a hair band and pulled the long tresses back into a severe ponytail.

She'd leave that detail out when she relayed the events of the night to Summer.

Knowing she'd wasted enough time, Gabriella checked her reflection in the visor mirror and frowned. For all the effort she put into looking nice and calm and relaxed, she knew it was just a facade. In a matter of minutes, her entire world could be thrown upside down and she didn't like it.

Was dreading it.

She was ready to throw the car in gear and drive away before Zach ever had the chance to make her cry again.

“You are a lot of things, Gabriella,” she said as she took a fortifying breath, “but a coward is not one of them. You can face him just as you have hundreds of times before. If he's going to bark at you and be insulting, it's nothing you haven't heard before. Just…get it over with.”

And with shaky legs and a racing heart, she climbed from the car and walked casually to the door, took a deep breath, and knocked.

* * *

On the other side of the door, Zach took his own deep breath as he balanced himself on his crutches and pulled open the door. The sight of her momentarily took his breath away. But then again, when had it not? Gabriella Martine was his every fantasy come to life. Seeing her dressed casually, without her usual killer heels on, she was even more so.

“Hey,” he said, relieved she was finally here. If he didn't know better, he'd say she was nervous. Her blue eyes looked at him warily and it killed him that he had put that look there.

“Hi,” she said quietly, her hands twisting in front of her.

“Come on in.” Zach stepped aside carefully and waited for her to enter. He watched as she walked by and stepped into the living room, admiring the way her jeans fit. “You could have used your key,” he said with a smile as he slowly followed her into the room.

Gabriella reached into her purse, pulled the key out, and went to hand it to him. With a shake of her head she said, “No. It wouldn't have been right. I don't work for you anymore.”

Zach stared at her outstretched hand and frowned. He hadn't expected them to broach this topic quite so quickly. Ignoring the key, he made his way over to the sofa, sat down, and watched Gabriella until she did the same. She put the key down on the coffee table.

“Thank you for coming over.”

She shrugged. “You said you had some files for me to take back to the office.” She looked around and tried to spot them but gave up after a few minutes. Then she looked at her hands folded primly in her lap.

“Gabs?” Zach began softly. “Come on. I know I've been a real pain in the ass, but can't you at least look at me?”

Big mistake.

Those eyes—those crystal-blue eyes—slowly rose and the way she looked at him nearly brought Zach to his knees.

Hurt.

Uncertainty.

Sadness.

And it was all his fault. Silently cursing himself, Zach knew he had to do something quick to get Gabriella to relax or she'd be running out the door in a matter of minutes. “I really am glad you're here.”

“You really didn't give me much of a choice.”

He chuckled because she was right. “Well, it was important to me we be able to talk in person.” He stopped and took a moment to collect his thoughts. It was funny, he'd been rehearsing in his head all day the things he wanted to say to her, but now that she was here, his mind was practically blank. “I wanted to apologize to you, Gabriella.”

She looked at him skeptically. “You did that over the phone already.”

Zach shook his head. “That's not how you apologize to someone. I wanted to be able to see you—and have you see me—so you know how truly sorry I am. For everything.”

He watched as she took a shaky breath, her gaze never leaving his. “Okay,” she said slowly.

“It's not okay,” he said with a hint of frustration. “I…dammit…I took things out on you that weren't your fault. I pride myself on being there for the people who mean something to me, and you do, Gabs. You mean something to me. You're more than an assistant to me. There was a time when I thought we were friends.”

“I thought so too.” Now she looked away. “And then everything changed.”

“I wasn't paying attention,” he began nervously. “That day. At your house. I…I was so focused on what
I
was feeling and what I wanted to say that I didn't catch on to what was really going on. You were trying to get me out of your house, away from your family, so they wouldn't react the way they did. Because of me, you had to stand there and take their abuse.”

She shrugged but kept her gaze averted. “I'm used to it.”

She was sitting opposite him, his coffee table between them, and all Zach could think was how he wanted to reach out and touch her.

But he didn't.

“It shouldn't be that way. No one should have to get used to a bunch of people ganging up on them like that. If I had listened to you when I called and just…stayed away, everything would have been different.”

She shook her head sadly. “No, it wouldn't. You still heard what the guys at the office said, and even if you hadn't witnessed my family being…my family, things still would have changed between us.” She shrugged again. “It's all right, Zach. I understand.”

“You're wrong,” he said defiantly. “I'm not going to lie to you. I was shocked by what the guys were saying, but I believe in giving someone the benefit of the doubt. I don't put much stock in gossip. I never have. And besides, whatever happened…back then…it had nothing to do with our relationship. Working or otherwise.”

Now she did look at him, her gaze even more wary before she shook her head. “I don't think so. Your reaction pretty much said it all. You were disgusted with me and what you heard.”

“No!” he shouted, and then he cursed himself for getting loud. Shifting on the sofa, he leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. “That wasn't what upset me, Gabriella.”

She shifted too, moving to the edge of her seat. “Then what was it, Zach? What in the world did I do to make you treat me the way you have all this time?”

Zach looked away as embarrassment made him flush. “You told me I was nothing to you. Just your boss, nothing more.” He lifted his gaze back to hers. “It just about killed me.”

Gabriella stared at him with disbelief. “Why? I don't understand.”

Zach had really hoped they would have had more time to just sit and get comfortable around one another before he had to make this admission. Goes to show how much he knew about groveling to the people he'd majorly pissed off. “I thought we were friends,” he began softly. “I thought we were more than just boss and assistant. I thought…I thought you enjoyed being with me.”

She sagged a little bit at his words. “Oh.”

Was there a hint of disappointment in that one quiet word? “Do you have any idea how much I valued our relationship?”

She silently shook her head, her long ponytail swaying behind her back.

“Do you have any idea how much I enjoyed being with you? Talking with you? And it wasn't only about work. It was you, Gabriella. Being with
you
made me…happy.”

“But—”

“Maybe I should have said something sooner. Maybe things would have been better if, sometime before that day, I had let you know how much you meant to me. Maybe if I had, I would have known about your family and then I would have done everything humanly possible to protect you from them. Sometimes I forget not all families are like mine.”

“You're very fortunate you have them,” she said. “I always envied the closeness you had—and not just with your parents and your siblings—but your cousins, your uncle…it must be very nice.”

He shrugged. “I'll admit I don't always appreciate it. I've spent the last couple of days thinking about all the ways I've been ungrateful for all the things my family has been doing for me since the accident. I haven't thanked even one of them. Everyone has turned their lives upside down to help me and I've repaid them by being a complete jackass.”

Gabriella let out a small laugh. “You're not going to get an argument from me. You've been horrible to be around.”

Zach laughed with her for a moment before turning serious. “I want things to go back to the way they were before. I want us to have that kind of relationship again. We're a great team, Gabs. I don't want to lose that.”

She stared at him long and hard. “You just don't want me working for Ethan,” she said sadly. “It all goes back to that stupid rumor. You think I'm going to—”

“Wait, wait, wait.” Zach held up a hand and interrupted. “Rumor? Are you saying the story wasn't even true?”

Gabriella's eyes went wide right before she stood up and began to walk around the room. “You know what? I don't want to talk about this. Where are the files? I really need to go.”