Forever (Time for Love Book 1) (2 page)

"Say it," Gemma said.

Rebecca sighed theatrically. "This year, all five of us will make time for love. We won't let our busy schedules or other lame excuses get in the way of making the first move on hot, decent men who aren't afraid of long-term commitment. I still don't know where we'll find them, though," she added sceptically.

"Remind me again why we made that stupid resolution?" Brenna asked.

"First, because we were crazy-drunk," Gemma said with a laugh. "And second, because it's been five New Year's Eves in a row that all five of us didn't have anyone to kiss at the stroke of midnight. And don't forget we've pinky-promised on this."

"Anyone already on your radar, girls?" Rebecca asked curiously.

Her friends shook their heads.

"We still have eleven months to go before the next New Year's Eve," Amanda said.

"And remember, the whole point is for us to
make an effort
instead of sitting on our butts waiting for them to fall on our laps," Sarah said.

"And not letting our exes or painful pasts get in the way," Gemma said, looking pointedly at Rebecca. "It's all about moving forward to find our happily ever after."

They all nodded in agreement.

Rebecca was actually glad of this pact she'd made with her four best friends. It was giving her the much-needed push and motivation to move on from Zach. She loathed to admit it, even to herself, but a big part of her still pined for him constantly.

Well, no use crying over something she couldn't undo. She'd try to give herself—and love—another chance. She'd start dating again and finally push Zach away from her heart and mind. It was about time she did.

*****

"H
i Granny."

"Zach! I'm so glad you could join me for dinner tonight, dear." Magda put down her cup of tea and motioned for Zach to bend down to her.

Zach kissed Magda and sat beside her. "Unfortunately I have things to finish off tonight so I'm just here to say hello. Are you looking forward to the start of your month-long eightieth birthday celebration tomorrow?"

"Of course. I'm so excited I probably won't be able to sleep tonight. And I'm glad you're going with me, Zach. You've been working far too hard lately. You deserve a break."

Zach laughed. "I'm young and energetic, Gran. You don't need to worry about me. But I want to let you know I can't stay for the whole month. I'll be disembarking in Hong Kong in two weeks."

"What? Why can't you stay for the whole month? I thought you would."

"I have work to do and important meetings to attend, Gran," he said in a contrite voice.

"Why can't you do your work from the ship? I was assured electronic communication from there would be reliable wherever in the world we are."

"The coverage might be patchy if we're at sea," he reasoned. "Besides, Jeff and Greg will join us from the Philippines so there's a few days when we're all together before I leave. You know it's not a good idea for the three of us to be absent from the company at the same time for long periods."

"Zachary, just because you're the CEO of our company, and Jeff is the CFO and Greg the COO, those titles shouldn't stop you boys from being my grandsons. I'm already disappointed that your brothers won't be joining me for the whole duration of this trip, but I thought
you
were. You haven't had a single day's break for months! This is the first time I've seen you in weeks and I was hoping the cruise was my opportunity to spend some time with you," Magda said a little tremulously.

Zach pressed his lips, guilt eating at him. Spending time with her grandsons brought Magda the joy and comfort their family's wealth couldn't give. He knew that for all of his grandmother's exuberance and resilience of spirit, she still acutely mourned the loss of her husband, her only son, and her daughter-in-law. Heck, even he still missed his grandfather and his parents terribly. That horrific light plane accident two years ago that had cruelly robbed them of three people they loved dearly was not something any of them would ever forget. And special occasions like Magda's eightieth birthday always brought back the best and worst of the memories.

He rubbed his chin, wavering in his decision to make the trip short. The weekly phone calls, he knew, didn't make up for his recent physical absence.

"Okay, Gran," he said, grasping Magda's hand. "I'll make arrangements so I can do my work on board the ship and stay with you for the whole month."

"Oh, thank you, Zach. I do miss you, you know," Magda said delightedly.

"I know," he responded as he got up. "I have to go and tidy up a few things before we leave tomorrow."

"Okay. Make sure you're free to join us for dinner tomorrow night—our first night on the ship."

"Who's 'us', by the way?"

"Well, there's your Grand-Auntie Miriam," Magda responded.

Zach nodded, not minding the thought of spending time with Magda's younger sister.

"And I've invited Phillip Lee."

Zach hid his grimace, not looking forward to socialising with the man. Phillip had been the bearer of hurtful news that Zach would rather forget, and lately, he'd been noticing repressed antagonism from Phillip directed toward him.

But Phillip's late mother was Magda's best friend, and Phillip was someone that Magda considered a nephew even though he wasn't blood related.

"That's very surprising that you've asked him to come," he commented casually.

"I felt sorry for him," Magda said with a sigh. "Did you know that the company he worked for went bankrupt a month ago?"

"Yes, I've heard about that," Zach said. Phillip had been hounding him and his brothers for a job at The Carmichael Corporation.

"Well, he was telling me the other day how lost and lonely he felt. So I asked him to join us. I'm paying for his expenses."

Zach simply nodded. His grandmother had a heart of gold.

"I've also invited my friends Olga and Debra to join us on this trip," Magda continued. "Their granddaughters are accompanying them."

This time, Zach couldn't help groaning out loud. He'd bet the granddaughter Debra was bringing with her was Vicky—a woman he'd had sex with four times in the last couple of months.

It was Vicky who'd offered a casual liaison agreement with him, since neither of them was interested in a committed relationship. But lately, she'd started to ask him out to dinners and events. He'd been quick to decline, reminding her of how it was between them. He wasn't interested in anything long-term with Vicky and didn't want her to have misconceptions.

At least Vicky was being as tight-lipped as he was about their arrangement. He could just imagine how their grandmothers would enthusiastically embrace the possibility of their grandkids married off to each other if they knew. He shuddered at the thought.

"Don't even think about pairing me off with anyone while on this trip, Grandmother," he warned.

Magda laughed at his tone. "If you insist."

"Oh, I insist, Gran."

"Fine, I won't," Magda said readily.

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay, Zach. By the way, my nurses will also be joining us for the trip."

"Your nurses?" Zach asked in surprise.

"Yes. Even though I'm fit and well, you never know what might happen while we're at sea. Better that they're on hand."

His heart hammered in his chest. "Who... uh... have I met these nurses before?"

"Yes. Rebecca and Sarah. They're those lovely girls who helped me recover from my hip replacement. You remember them, don't you?"

He paled.

Rebecca
. She was going to be there. On the ship. With him. For a month.

"Don't tell me you can't remember them, Zach. They looked after me for six months."

He roused himself from his shock. "Sure, I remember them. I'll... uh... see you tomorrow."

Z
ach stood outside the balcony of his expansive suite and looked down at the crowd below, gathered to check out the big cruise ship docked at Sydney Harbour. He found himself scanning faces, looking for one particular woman.

"This is crazy," he muttered, stomping back inside. While there was bitterness at the thought of seeing Rebecca again, he couldn't deny that every single cell in his body had stood up to attention at the mention of her name.

No surprises there. He'd had the hottest, most satisfying sex in his life with her—because his heart had been involved. Yes, he'd been crazy about her.

How he would remain calm in her presence, he didn't know. Even though they were well and truly over, his scars hadn't fully healed yet. He sighed, knowing he didn't have a choice but to grin and bear it for the sake of his grandmother.

He sat at the edge of the bed and stared unseeingly at the painting on the wall, reluctantly allowing his mind to drag him back to the past.

'I love you,'
Rebecca had whispered. Even though his heart had danced with joy at her declaration, he hadn't been able to say the same words back to her. Guilt and bad experience from previous exes had taught him not to say those three words again until he was absolutely sure the woman was someone he was prepared to have a long-term relationship with.

He'd asked Rebecca for time to figure out if what he felt for her was something that could last. But Rebecca didn't give it to him.

It had shocked him to the core when Rebecca broke up with him just two days after saying she loved him. How could she have done that?

He rubbed his face, remembering the pathetic state he'd gotten into after he'd been dumped. He hadn't been able to eat, sleep, rest, even work. Eventually, he hadn't been able to avoid the truth that was staring him in the face—he loved Rebecca.

It had been such a relief to finally admit it to himself. He'd wondered at how idiotic he'd been to even question his feelings for her when it was so damned obvious.

His brothers had wondered what his problem was—and he'd told them about Rebecca, and how he'd planned to get her back. What he didn't expect was Greg coming out with surprising news of his own. An ex-girlfriend had claimed she was pregnant with Greg's child.

Greg was ninety-nine percent sure the baby wasn't his, and had asked for a paternity test. But the woman had been having pregnancy complications, and an in-utero test might put the baby at risk. They'd have to wait a while to see when they could have the test done safely. In the meantime, the woman had been insisting that Greg take care of her financially since he was going to be the father of her child. She'd threatened to go to the press if Greg ignored her.

Jeff had blown up about Greg's lack of vigilance over what might come out in the press.

Privacy was an important thing for the Carmichaels. It was something they'd struggled to keep since their terrible family tragedy two years ago had been broadcast all over Australia. Since then, the media, who'd pretty much left them alone before that event, had taken a great deal of interest in their personal lives.

In the beginning, the press were more interested about the tragedy, their company and their close family ties. It didn't take long before the gossip magazines gleefully invaded their privacy. Because they were young, rich and good-looking, the magazines loved them. Copies sold like crazy when paparazzi shots of one of the Carmichael brothers were plastered on the front cover. Since then, the brothers had been extra careful to not give anyone something to write about—unless it was business related.

With a possible scandal looming due to Greg's issue, Jeff had been adamant that they get Rebecca investigated before Zach went crawling back to her.

Of course, Zach had refused. In the four months that they were together, there was nothing—
not one thing
—that Rebecca had said or done that indicated to him she was a gold-digger or a scheming manipulator. She'd even stopped him from showering her with material things. He had thought it was so refreshing to be with a girl who saw him for himself, not his money. Rebecca was different. And Jeff had reluctantly agreed to drop the subject.

Zach had intended to speak with Rebecca the minute he was back from his business trip. But there was no way he could have anticipated the shocking news waiting for him upon his return.

He raked his hair, not wanting to revisit that particular past. But he had to go there. Rebecca was here on the ship with them. Why? What were her motives? Could she be trusted around his grandmother?

After what he'd found out about her, he simply had to know the answers.

He exhaled gustily. He needed a drink—and a chat with one of his brothers.

*****

"I
'll question her myself," Zach insisted to Jeff.

Jeff exhaled loudly on the other end of the line. "Are you really the best person to get the truth out of her?"

"I'm not totally inept when it comes to subtle interrogation," he answered. "Gran did say it was her idea to take nurses on board with her, and that she'd specifically asked for Rebecca and Sarah."

"See, this here is my problem. You're already making excuses for her."

"I'm not, Jeff. I'm just saying that her being on this particular trip might not have anything to do with what she did to me. What was she supposed to do? Turn down a job and a cruise? That would have been insane. Anyone would have grabbed at the chance."

"I don't understand why you still defend her after what she's done to you," Jeff said disgustedly.

"I'm not defending her. I'm just being rational about this and not letting emotions get in the way of the truth. I'm a fair man."

"Okay, fine. Let me know how you go."

"I will. This is also my chance to get her to say to my face that she two-timed me. You stopped me from confronting her about that in the past."

"Zach! We've agreed to just drop it. It's a waste of your time and emotion. She was just another woman who wanted to snare you for your money. God knows she wasn't the first to attempt that, and she wouldn't be the last. I'm sure there'll be others," Jeff said bitterly.

"I just want to hear it come out of her mouth," Zach said stubbornly, taking another gulp of his beer. "I have this perfect opportunity for that."