I’ll Be There (9 page)

“Dude, you know why she said all that, don't you? Please tell me you're not
that
clueless!”

“What? She told me the truth. I was nothing to her. I'm still not.”

Ethan growled as he stood and stalked to the kitchen. He spun around and looked at Zach. “How is it that you are such a freakin' genius and completely stupid at the same time?”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Her family was essentially standing there taunting her about some
supposed
previous affair with her boss, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So, if you were her, would you admit to having feelings for your boss in front of those people?”

Zach sat there and stared at Ethan for what felt like an eternity. And then Ethan saw the moment he seemed to make the connection.

“
Shit
.”

“Um…yeah.” He sat back down. “You completely screwed up, man. You've been crapping on her for years because you didn't pick up on her trying to just get you the hell out of a situation that was embarrassing for her. And worse, you used it against her.” He shook his head. “Kind of makes you no better than her family.”

Eyes wide with panic, Zach leaned toward Ethan. “What can I do? How can I possibly make it up to her?” He groaned. “You have no idea the things—”

“Actually, I do,” Ethan interrupted. “She told me.”

Zach groaned and hung his head in embarrassment. “Seriously, what do I do?”

“I guess it depends,” Ethan began cryptically.

“On what?” Zach asked, lifting his head.

“Do you want her back?” Ethan asked as his eyes bore into Zach's. “And I'm not just talking about as your assistant.”

“That's all she is, Ethan,” Zach said dejectedly. “She's never shown any interest in me at all. Ever.”

Ethan stood and took his empty beer bottle to the kitchen. “Okay. I'm done.”

“Now what?”

Taking his time, he rinsed the bottle and put it in the recycling bin before washing his hands and strolling back into the living room. He stared down at the man who was like a brother to him and shook his head. “If that's what you believe, then you really are an idiot.”

“How can you even say that? When has Gabriella ever shown an interest in me? Don't you think I would have noticed?”

“Dude, why do you think she still works for you?” Ethan asked simply. “She's far too talented to just be an administrative assistant and she could certainly find a job just about anywhere for someone who didn't treat her like a punching bag. Think about it.”

Reaching out, he shook Zach's hand, then grabbed the keys to the Porsche from the hook by the front door and was on his way.

His work here was complete.

* * *

Hours later, Zach's head was still spinning. Ethan was right; he was an idiot.

How could he have possibly misread something so crucial so badly? Looking back—with a little help from Ethan—Zach now saw exactly what Gabriella had been trying to do. And how badly he had screwed up. He'd been riding her hard, punishing her, for years for no reason.

Yeah, he was an idiot.

With that firmly established, Zach had to try to wrap his brain around what he could possibly do to make it right. He'd been a horrible boss, a horrible human being, to Gabriella, and it wouldn't surprise him if she never wanted to see or speak to him ever again.

He just couldn't let it happen.

It was a bitter pill to swallow to think that with all the obstacles he was already facing with his recovery and rehabilitation, he also had to manage a complete personality overhaul. He had gotten so used to being gruff with Gabriella that Zach had no idea how to reverse it and bring them back to where they once were. At least not without losing his mind.

And his heart.

Hell, there weren't any other options. He had to do something—now—if he had any hope of making things right. If he waited too long, Gabriella was going to be working for Ethan, and Zach knew what kind of workload she'd be carrying. There'd be absolutely no time for him. No time for her to come over—since he couldn't physically get to her—and listen to him grovel and beg and plead for her forgiveness. He'd be lucky if she even responded if he did so much as send her a text message.

Unreal.

Zach was normally a better person than this. Or he had been a long time ago. He'd let petty gossip turn his entire world upside down and turn him into a different person. He didn't like it. And it was going to end today.

Looking around the room, he saw his crutches, a cane, and his motorcycle helmet. Dammit. That's what he wanted. He wanted to be able to get up, walk across the room, and take his bike out and ride the mountain roads with the wind in his face until he was exhausted. That wasn't going to happen if he didn't get himself together and make a commitment—here and now—that he was done living in the past. Done letting other people influence who he was and where he was going.

With a nod of his head, Zach slowly pushed to his feet and stood. There was pain. His legs shook. But for the first time in months, Zach opted to push beyond the pain and take the first step.

And then another.

When he made it completely across the room, he was covered in a fine sheen of sweat and nothing had ever felt better. With a flush of victory, Zach braced a hand on the wall in front of him and laughed triumphantly.

“I'm back.”

Sitting around on a paid vacation might be some people's idea of a good time. Not Gabriella's. She paced her living room looking for something to do, and then sat down and channel surfed through all fifteen hundred channels until she threw the remote aside with disgust.

She thought of calling Summer and seeing if she wanted to go for lunch or maybe to get pedicures, but quickly remembered how busy her friend was now that Ethan was moving into the CEO position and Summer was taking on his vice president responsibilities.

Damn Zach Montgomery.

She was bored out of her mind, and the sound of silence was starting to drive her insane. Which was why she screamed when her cell phone rang. With one hand over her heart, she tried to calm herself down, only to feel her heart rate kick up when she read the caller ID.

Zach
.

It would have been so easy to just ignore it and send it to voice mail, but her curiosity got the better of her. “Hello.” No response. Her immediate thought was he had dialed her number by accident and yet it didn't stop her from repeating a second “Hello?”

“Hey…it's me,” he said, and Gabriella could hear something different in his tone.

“Oh,” she said quietly. “Hey.”

“I, um… I talked to Ethan yesterday. He said you're going to be working with him now since he's taking over for me.”

“I haven't really agreed yet. He mentioned it to me as an option, but…” She sighed and curled up in the corner of her sofa. “Your uncle also made another offer. I'm not sure what I'm doing yet.”

“What kind of offer?” His voice was soft, like he used to talk to her so long ago.

“He said I could pretty much write my own ticket and go to any branch of Montgomerys. I'm not sure I'm ready to pack up and move or anything like that, but it's kind of nice that he offered.”

“Yeah. He's a prince,” he grumbled.

“What do you want, Zach?” she asked as her heart continued to race.

“I just wanted,” he began, and then cleared his throat. “I just wanted to say…I'm sorry. I was completely out of line with you. And not just yesterday. I don't have a good excuse and I'm not going to sit here and lie to you. So…I'm sorry.”

Gabriella took a steadying breath. She couldn't believe Zach was actually apologizing to her. And he genuinely sounded sincere. It was a little unnerving and she didn't know how to respond to it. “Thank you,” she said quietly. “I appreciate that.”

“Listen, I know I have no right to interfere or to ask anything of you, but…”

“But you will,” she said with a small chuckle.

“You know me too well,” he said, his tone matching hers. “Don't work with Ethan. Please.”

“Why? It makes perfect sense. I'm familiar with your responsibilities and how to schedule your time. I think it could make the transition go much smoother than if someone else was there with him.”

“How does Summer feel about you and Ethan working together?”

It was an odd question, she thought, but kept it to herself for the time being. “She was fine with it when the three of us talked about it. Why?”

Zach hesitated before saying, “You know what, it's nothing. Never mind.”

“No, seriously, what is it? Why did you ask that?”

“It's just… You're a single woman. An attractive single woman, and Ethan's engaged to my sister. I don't want him—”

“Oh my gosh. You did
not
just say that,” she said.

“Technically, I didn't. You cut me off.”

She mentally counted to ten and then sighed loudly. “I'm not doing this with you anymore, Zach. You're not going to get me on some ridiculous technicality. I know what you're implying and it's insulting. Summer is my best friend, and the fact that you would even think…”

“You know what? You're right. You're completely right,” he said quickly, wearily. “I'm sorry. It was completely uncalled for. I don't even know why I brought it up.”

Because you're a jackass
, she was tempted to say, but decided to hold her tongue. They were silent for so long Gabriella started to squirm. “Um…look, Zach, I appreciate you calling and sort of apologizing—”

“I did apologize,” he corrected.

“Okay, sure. Whatever,” she said. “But I don't think we have anything else to talk about. I hope…I hope you and Alex accomplish what you planned and you get better.”

“Gabs,” he said softly, “I know I've been a royal jackass, but I really don't want you to work for Ethan because—”

“That's it,” she interrupted. “I'm hanging up. Don't call me—”

“No! Wait!” he said loudly. “Please…please just…hear me out.” He paused. “I'm totally committed to working with Alex on my physical therapy, but I also need you here with me to get me back on track with the company. I understand why my father put Ethan in charge—I really do—but I want it to be temporary. I need to start pulling my weight. It isn't fair that Ethan's having to do so much and he and Summer have essentially put their lives on hold because of me.”

Gabriella found herself cautiously relaxing. He sounded sincere. Nice. Like the Zach she had originally known. “You know they didn't mind doing it, Zach,” she said softly. “They're concerned about you. It's just… It would be nice if you actually appreciated what they were doing rather than being so hostile about it.”

Silence.

She cursed herself for pushing her luck. They were just starting to gain a little positive ground, and she had to go and put her foot in her mouth. “I mean…”

“I know what you mean,” he said quietly and let out a breath. “I've been horrible to everyone. You were all just trying to help me and I was a complete jerk.”

There was no point in arguing with him, she thought. He'd know in an instant she was lying.

“I really do appreciate you, Gabriella,” Zach continued. “All you do for me…well…I don't know how to tell you how thankful I am for you. You've always taken care of me since day one and for the life of me, I don't know why. You should have kicked my ass to the curb a long time ago.”

She chuckled. “Believe me, I was tempted.”

“Then why? Why didn't you?”

How could she answer that? How could she possibly tell him she stayed because she longed for the days they used to have? That she loved to be challenged by him? She marveled at his business sense and how exciting it was to watch the business grow with him. But most of all, how could she possibly tell him she stayed because the thought of not seeing him every day, talking to him every day, was more than she could bear?

She couldn't speak. Emotion clogged her throat and it was all she could do to simply keep her heart rate normal. Right now it felt as if it was going to beat right out of her chest.

“Gabs?”

Obviously he wasn't going to simply accept her silence. He wanted an answer. “It doesn't matter. Not anymore,” she said.

“It matters to me,” he countered softly. “You've always been there for me, even when I didn't deserve it. I want… I
need
things to go back to the way they used to be. If I'm going to recover and get my position back in the company, I'm going to need you by my side. Please, Gabriella. I need you.”

She almost groaned out loud. How many times had she dreamed of hearing Zach say that? True, in those dreams they weren't talking about work, but still. It was impossible to know with any great certainty whether he was being genuinely sincere in his request or if he was playing with her to keep her away from Ethan.

It almost made her snort out loud. She had no interest in Ethan. Never had, never would. Besides the fact that he was a friend who happened to be engaged to her best friend, Gabriella had never found Ethan attractive in
that
way.

Not like Zach.

Dammit.

“I don't know, Zach,” she began. “I think too much has happened. I can't keep being your punching bag.”

“You won't.”

“I don't want to hinder your rehab with Alex.”

“You won't.” He waited. “Come on, Gabs. We make a good team.”

A shaky sigh escaped before she could stop it. “I used to think so too.”

“Give me another chance. I know I'm asking a lot and I don't deserve it, but I'm asking anyway. I can't do this on my own.”

“Oh please. You and I both know you're not on your own. You have Montgomerys from coast to coast anxious to help you out. All you have to do is pick up the phone and any one of them would be willing to come and be there for you.”

“I don't want them,” he said simply. “I want you.”

She ignored the little flutter her heart did at his choice of words. “I could find someone else to work with you. I'd train them in everything I know. You wouldn't be inconvenienced at all, I promise.”

“I don't want anybody else. I want…you.”

There was that near groan again. Seriously, did he have any idea how his words were affecting her? That silky tone? She shook her head and did her best to snap out of it. Of course he knew what he was doing. This was Zach Montgomery—the man who always got what he wanted and didn't care how dirty he played to get it. How could she have forgotten so easily?

“I'm sorry, Zach. I really am. But…I can't. I have a little more self-respect than that. I'm not willing to take a chance on coming back to you and having you belittle me again. I'm sorry.”

He was silent for so long Gabriella began to wonder if he was even still on the line. She was just about to say his name when she heard him sigh.

“It's for the best,” she said with a calmness she didn't feel. “I'll be there for Ethan to keep things on task. I know what you've been working on and I know how to schedule your days. Well…his days now.”

“And what happens when I return to the office and Ethan goes back to the VP position?”

“I don't know. I'm going to give some serious thought to the offer your uncle made me. By the time you come back, I'll be ready to move on…someplace.”

“I see.”

“I'll…I'll make sure someone is trained to take my place. Carolyn would do a great job. She'll need an assistant, but I'll take care of all of it so you won't have to worry.”

“I know,” he said, his voice sounding small, hopeless.

Gabriella sighed and rested her head on the back of the sofa and closed her eyes and wished things could be different. “I should go,” she finally said.

“Yeah, me too.”

“Take care of yourself, Zach. Don't worry about things at the office. Ethan's going to do just fine and anything that needs to get to you, I'll have Carolyn bring it by.” She hoped he understood what she was implying.

“It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for you to come by sometime. You know, just to visit.”

Was he crazy? Did he
not
remember how many times he'd thrown her out of his house just in the last several days? This was the longest they had gone without arguing in a long while. “Sure. We'll see.”

“Okay.”

Was it just her or did Zach seem to not want to hang up either? Maybe it was wishful thinking, but he seemed just as reluctant as she was to get off the phone. Why couldn't it have always been like this?

“So…um…when are you officially starting to work with Ethan?”

“I don't know. I guess I really didn't even realize I was going to accept the position until a few minutes ago. I had talked to him and Summer briefly the other day but I guess it makes sense to just start fresh on Monday.”

“Yes, it does.” He cleared his throat. “Can you…I mean…will you please do me a favor?”

“What?”

“Will you come by the house this weekend and pick up some paperwork? It's the stuff you and I were working on when you were here. Please.”

“I'll call Carolyn and have her stop by,” Gabriella said quickly. A clean break. She needed for them to have a clean break and she knew if she went to his house—if she saw him, talked to him—she'd cave.

“So this is it, then?” he asked finally. “I'm trying to make things right and you're going to keep finding excuses to not see me?”

Basically
. “I think it's best for both of us if it's this way. You need to focus on your sessions with Alex and working on the business stuff at your own pace without anyone interfering with you. And I need…” She paused.

“What? What do you need?”

His voice was deep and rich and it washed over her like silk. “I need to…to shift gears and remember I don't work for you anymore.”

“You still work for Montgomerys. That hasn't changed.”

“No, it hasn't. But I'll be working for Ethan now. Carolyn will take care of getting whatever you need over to you.”

“It shouldn't be this way.” Gabriella heard the anguish in his voice. “I'm sorry, Gabriella. Honestly and truly sorry. I… If you'll just come by this weekend. I really want to talk to you about…everything. Please.”

“We're talking now,” she reminded him. “And it's not getting us anywhere.”

“Please. Just…just a half hour of your time,” he begged.

Inhaling deeply, she felt her resolve weaken. “Okay. I'll stop by at some point.”

“When?”

“I don't know. Just…some point over the weekend.”

“How about dinner Friday night?” he suggested. “We can get some takeout and kind of hang out and talk.”

“I don't think that's a good idea. And besides, you said thirty minutes.”

“Right now I'll take what I can get,” he said, his voice sounding a little more hopeful. “But will you at least agree to come by Friday night? Alex will be here until about six. You could come by around seven if it works for you.”