Meant for You (16 page)

“I wouldn't have allowed it,” he said firmly.

“And I would have ignored you and gotten my own flight,” she said evenly. “I'm not a child anymore. I'm a grown woman and I am free to make my own decisions. You don't have to like them. Hell, you don't even have to agree with them. You do, however, have to respect me enough to let me make them.”

She thought maybe she had pushed just a little too far because she watched her father's expression tighten—the familiar, telltale tic in his jaw almost made her apologize. Then she remembered her own words just now and stood her ground.

“You're awful vocal today,” he said finally after taking a couple of deep breaths. “You never used to be this vocal.”

“You never gave me a chance. You never listened.”

Robert wanted to argue but he knew it was pointless. She was right. Lately it seemed as though all his children were reminding him of his behavior and how much they resented him for it. Maybe it was time for a change. Maybe…

“We've got another group ready to come down!” Mike yelled from his office.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, they were all heading down to their cars. The only information they had was the name of the hospital Zach was on his way to. No one could or would tell them his condition.

“We have two town cars and drivers,” William said as they exited the front door. “If it's all right with everyone, Robert and I will go in the first car with Ryder and Gabriella. We've got some business matters I'd like her to help us with.” Everyone nodded. “Ryder, you'll need to get in touch with our other West Coast office and see what they can do to lend a hand in Portland until we're all back.” Ryder nodded and climbed into the car. “Ethan and James?” He waited until they faced him. “Make sure Summer's okay.” With that he climbed into the vehicle.

For the first few minutes, no one spoke in Summer's car. They were all lost in their own thoughts, so Summer was surprised when Ethan took one of her hands in his.

“How are you holding up?” he asked quietly, just as he had earlier.

“I thought I'd feel better once we knew they had rescued him. I didn't count on them not giving us any information.”

He squeezed her hand. “We'll be there soon and no matter what the news is, we'll deal with it, right?” His voice was soft as he inclined his head toward hers, and when she looked up at him with her wide, dark eyes, he wanted to lose himself in them. If James weren't in the car, Ethan would have wrapped Summer in his arms and promised he'd be there for her no matter what. But he knew he had to control himself a little more.

On the opposite side of Summer, James watched the scene in front of him. Since when had Summer and Ethan gotten to be so chummy? He leaned back and did his best to observe without looking like he was watching them—a trick he had learned during his years on the force—and what he was seeing wasn't an interaction between two friends, but something a lot more…intimate.

His first reaction was to reach across the car and grab Ethan by the throat. How dare he lay a hand on his sister! Is that how he spent his time comforting her? By seducing her?
Shit
. What the hell was he supposed to do? Now was totally not the time to start a fight and yet at the same time, he wasn't sure he'd be able to keep from saying something—or just flat out threatening Ethan.

The thought of hitting Ethan was completely appealing. James's nerves were already on edge—thanks to this trip and being away from Selena—and the opportunity to hit someone would certainly help take the edge off.

But seeing how relaxed his sister looked took the fight right out of him. Ever since he'd walked into the office earlier and had seen how utterly exhausted and sad she was, he'd been wishing for a way to make her feel better. Then hearing her tell off their father had him wondering who this woman was and where had his little sister gone! But now? Sitting here and watching her interact with Ethan? James cursed under his breath and knew he'd have to find the right moment to talk to her. Or Ethan. Or both of them. A weary sigh escaped as he turned to watch the scenery go by.

Worst. Trip. Ever.

* * *

In the lead Montgomery car, Robert was giving Gabriella a list of people she needed to call and dictating a news release he wanted her to get out as soon as possible. She tapped away on her tablet while he spoke. In the front seat, Ryder was on his cell phone, speaking to his cousin Christian, who was heading up to Portland from the Montgomerys' San Diego office.

And in the corner of the backseat, seemingly relaxing, sat William.

He waited patiently while his brother prattled on about calls and letters and whatever other nonsense he could come up with to keep poor Gabriella on her toes. Didn't he realize she wasn't here as an employee? Couldn't he tell she was just as worried as every family member was?
Sometimes
Robert
can
be
completely
obtuse
, he thought to himself. When all of this was over and Zach was home and on the mend, William made a mental note to spend some time alone with his brother and do his best to help him get his head out of his rear!

When things were finally quiet, William did his best to come up with a clever question that would ensure a response from Gabriella—and no one else. “So tell me, Gabriella, have you ever been to Alaska before?”

She placed her tablet back in her bag and looked at William, her expression confused. “Excuse me?”

“I mean before this week. Had you ever traveled here before?”

She shook her head. “I don't travel much. I'm more of a homebody.”

William nodded. “Well, I must say you come off like a seasoned pro.”

Her brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“You certainly have a firm grasp on what everyone was going to need up here. You arranged flights and hotels and gave us clear information on the weather so we'd know how to pack. I just figured you must have had prior experience with the region.”

Gabriella leaned back in her seat and tilted her head toward William. “Actually, I did the research for Zach. He knew he wanted to climb, and so he did all the research on things he would need for that, but he never bothered to think about what he would need prior to and after the climb.” She chuckled. “I did a lot of online shopping for him.”

“I'm sure he knew you'd be very efficient in getting it done for him.”

“Oh, he didn't ask me to do it. I overheard him and Ethan talking about the things they were going to pack and realized they weren't going to be prepared. I made sure I didn't make it sound like I was eavesdropping; I mentioned I'd help him organize his packing list. Then I threw in my suggestions and let him think it was his idea to purchase the extra items.”

William laughed. “That was very clever of you. It seems like you know exactly how to handle my nephew.”

“I've worked for him for a long time,” Gabriella said and realized it was true. There were times when she couldn't even remember what her life was like before coming to work with Zach Montgomery. He was like a force of nature who challenged her like none of her other bosses ever had. He was as much of a workaholic as she was, and they made an excellent team.

“You certainly have,” William agreed. “How has it been with Summer around? How did Zach feel about her coming to work with him?”

Gabriella snorted out a laugh and then quickly placed a hand over her mouth in embarrassment. “Sorry,” she said as she composed herself. “He was furious. When Robert called and told Zach what was going to happen, he was fit to be tied.”

“Why? She's his sister, for crying out loud! Why would he be upset?” William already knew the answer, but he was interested in Gabriella's take on the whole thing.

“Zach has mastered the fine art of running the Portland office. Everything runs like clockwork—according to Zach's clock, that is. He felt Summer's arrival was going to cause chaos and throw his carefully crafted world out of whack.” She smiled. “And it kind of did.”

“How so? I've heard nothing but good things from the people I've spoken to in the office,” he asked conversationally. He was really enjoying himself.

Gabriella talked about Summer going from department to department and really getting involved in everyone's lives—in a good way. “Basically, everyone loves her.”

“But…” William prompted.

“But…now she knows more about our employees than Zach does. It's amazing; she takes a personal interest in everyone and she has a knack for remembering things. I've been with the company for years, and I didn't know half the things Summer's learned about the people I work with. It's a gift.”

William nodded. “It certainly is. So how did that throw things out of sync for Zach? It seems to me the things Summer was doing could only boost company morale.”

“Yes, it did, but it also served to show what kind of tyrant Zach had turned into over the years. More than one person made a comment about how Summer must have gotten the personality gene or the heart of the family. Zach overheard some of it and it really ticked him off.”

“Those people are being paid to work,” Robert interrupted. “Summer needs to remember Montgomerys is a place of business, not a playground.”

Gabriella frowned. “She knows it's a place of business, sir,” she said a little coolly. “She simply has a knack for working with people and encouraging them in a way that makes them want to work harder and do more with a better attitude. If you ask me, that is what you need to make a successful company. If all of your employees came to work happy, they'd be more productive.”

Robert was going to say more, but Gabriella's words stopped him.

“So why do you think Zach isn't more like that? Or can't
be
more like that?” William asked.

She sighed. “I don't know,” she said wearily. “He didn't used to be like this. There was a time when he was much more relaxed and in touch with everyone. I don't know what caused the change; it happened about two years ago, I'd have to say. I can't think of anything particular that would have caused such a dramatic change in him, but it was almost as if someone had flipped a switch in him and the easygoing man disappeared and in his place was this…taskmaster.” She made a face at the thought.

“And you're not happy with the change?”

“No. There are days I want to throw something heavy at him just to snap him out of it.” She realized her words and immediately scrambled to take them back. “What I mean is…um…I just get frustrated and…”

William took her hand. “Shh…it's all right. I know exactly what you mean. You don't have to apologize for being honest. It's one of the things I admire most about you.”

“You do?” Surprise laced her words.

He nodded. “You are quite an asset to the company, Gabriella. Your coworkers admire you and just watching the way you've handled yourself in this crisis, well…needless to say, I am beyond impressed.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“So it gets me wondering…you seem to be, shall we say, overqualified for your position with Zach.”

Her brows arched at his statement. “Excuse me?”

“It's true. I look at you and I see executive material, not executive assistant material—not that there's anything wrong with that—but I think you are capable of much more. We have more than enough offices for you to choose from and a number of open positions I think you'd be more than qualified for. I think you've done all you can do with Zach. And it sounds to me like you might be ready for a change.”

“I never said—”

“Nonsense,” William interrupted. “You deserve to be doing more than personal shopping for your boss. He's taking advantage of you and holding you back. We'll find him another assistant and let him worry about it. We'll wait until he's back at work, of course, but we can start planning your transition now.”

“Now just a minute,” Gabriella snapped, and everyone turned to look at her. “I cannot believe you are sitting here—as we drive to the hospital no less—offering me a job and telling me to leave Zach! That is…it's…horrible!” Her anger was palpable and she wanted to wipe the smile right off William Montgomery's face. “How could you even think this was an appropriate time for this conversation? We have no idea what kind of condition Zach is in! I've been with him for years, and if you think I'm just going to up and leave him, then you're crazy.” She crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. “He's going to need me now more than ever, and I think it was in very poor taste for you even to suggest that I leave him.”

The car came to a halt in front of the hospital. Robert climbed out of the car and held out a hand to help Gabriella. She stormed up to the entrance and Robert stood where he was until his brother and son came to stand beside him. When the automatic doors to the hospital closed behind Gabriella, Robert turned to William. “What the hell was that all about? We never discussed promoting her! Why would you do such a thing?”

William took the door out of Robert's hand and closed it. A mischievous grin crossed his face. “It was an experiment.”

“Oh no…” Ryder groaned before rolling his eyes and making his way to the hospital doors.

“What?” Robert asked, confused. “Why did Ryder just say ‘Oh no'?”

William chuckled and put an arm around his brother's shoulder and led him up the walkway to the doors. “Don't give it another thought. We've got to go inside and find the right person to talk to. We need updates and answers here.”

Robert knew he was right, but he was also curious as hell about what he had witnessed in the car. “First tell me why you told Gabriella we'd make her an executive.”

Stopping in his tracks, William sighed with irritation. “Your son quite possibly has some recovery time coming to him. You and I both know he's not going to like it. Zach has never liked to be held back and told he can't do something. I wanted to make sure the person who works closest with him is there for the long haul.” He looked toward the hospital entrance and then back to his brother. “If she thought he was difficult before, he's going to be out-and-out impossible now.”