Meant for You (23 page)

“That's different. He doesn't hate you; he just felt like your family was trying to keep tabs on him by making him babysit you.”

“You know, I really hate that everyone keeps saying that, like I'm some sort of child who needs to be looked after.”

“It doesn't matter how old you are, Summer. To them, you'll always be their baby sister. It's kind of sweet.”

“Sure. When it's not insulting.”

They sat in amicable silence for a long time until Summer's phone beeped. Pulling it out of her purse, she saw she had a text from Ryder. Putting her phone back, she took one last sip of her drink and stood. “Time to face the music.”

Gabriella looked at her quizzically. “Excuse me?”

“We've been summoned up to his lordship's room. Looks like we both get to hold court with him.”

“It's like being called into the principal's office. Only worse.” She stood and together they walked back into the building.

“At least we get to do it together, right?” Summer said hopefully, but Gabriella walked silently beside her.

And all the way up in the elevator.

And down the hall.

They bypassed the waiting area and stood in front of the door to Zach's room. “Okay, this is ridiculous,” Summer said as she turned to face Gabriella. “We don't need to be afraid of him. We need to have compassion and understanding because he's hurt and in pain. So let's just go in there and visit with him like he didn't just act like a complete ass to you and hasn't acted like one to me for the last month or so. Deal?”

The only acknowledgment was a quick nod of Gabriella's head as she pushed open the door. Summer was two steps behind her and came to an abrupt halt when she realized they were well and truly alone with Zach. Neither wanted to move any farther into the room for fear of what he was going to say.

As if sensing their wariness, Zach rolled his eyes. “Seriously? I can barely move a muscle on my own. I think you're safe to come closer than ten feet away.” Summer moved first, and as soon as she got next to the bed, she burst into tears and leaned down to gently hug him. His one good arm came up around her and hugged her. He felt the sobs wrack her body and knew he was responsible for them. “Hey, squirt, come on. Don't cry,” he said softly.

Summer lifted her head and looked at him as if he were crazy. He hadn't used any form of endearment for her in a long time. Years, actually.

“I'm sorry. I've been a real bastard to you since you showed up in Portland, and that wasn't fair to you. I don't have an excuse for my behavior.” He tried to shrug, but it caused him to jerk with pain. “Dammit. I didn't realize how hard on you I was being. Ethan got me to think about that, and all I can say is it wasn't anything you did, Summer; it was all me. Can you forgive me?”

In a million years she had never thought this would be the conversation they'd be having right now. She straightened and wiped away her tears. “Of course I forgive you, you big jerk,” she said with a watery smile. “You're my brother and I love you. I couldn't stand to think that you hated me or you didn't want me around.”

He chuckled and then winced. And cursed. “I still don't think Montgomerys is your future, but I'm glad you're here. And there. In Portland,” he stammered. “You know what I mean. We all just want you to be happy, and I don't want you to feel pressured to stay in Portland or at the company. You need to do what makes you happy. And I'm sure it's something a little more…creative, shall we say, than what we do.”

She immediately wanted to argue with him, to remind him she didn't need to be doing something creative because it didn't define her. But now wasn't the time. He was making the effort to be a good guy, and she wasn't going to ruin the moment. They could discuss her future with the company another time.

Pulling up a chair beside him, she asked how he was feeling and found that she was just enjoying listening to the sound of his voice. This was the brother she remembered; this was the brother she enjoyed spending time with. The man she had been working with did not resemble this in any way, shape, or form. She listened to him talk about the physical pain he was feeling, and her heart broke as he spoke about the fall itself. What he had gone through was nothing short of terrifying, and Summer had never been more grateful for anything in her life than Zach being able to sit here now—even though he was a bit battered and broken—and talk about it. She had no idea what she would have done if they'd lost him.

When he had exhausted his story, he looked beyond Summer to Gabriella. She had stayed rooted to the spot two feet inside the room the entire time Zach and Summer had talked and reconciled. His eyes narrowed for a moment. “Who's handling things back at the office?” he said curtly.

“Bob Davis is running the day-to-day operations. Ethan calls him at least three times a day to check in.”

“And who is covering your work?”

“My assistant Carolyn. With you out of the office, her workload isn't quite as intense. She handled the rescheduling of appointments and is keeping everything else up-to-date so I won't be behind when I get home. If you'll remember, it was your decision for me to take my vacation time while you were away. I'm not missing anything important. I talk to her almost daily, so getting up to speed won't be a problem when I get back.”

“You should probably look into doing that. Going home,” he said for clarification.

Gabriella stood a little taller as she walked closer to his bed. “I probably should. Now that we've confirmed that you're alive and on the mend, there's no reason for me to be here.”

“There never was,” he said with a hard edge to his voice. “You would have been more useful back in Portland, making sure everything is running the way it needs to. Bob is a good guy and he has a good work ethic, but he doesn't know everything there is to know about running the company.”

“Neither do I,” Gabriella retorted. “After all, I'm just the hired help too.”

Zach quirked a brow at her tone. “You work with me every day. You know what needs to be done before I even have to say it. That's why you need to be back there.”

Without another word, Gabriella nodded, turned on her heel, and walked out the door. Summer sat with her jaw practically on the floor. Geez, if she thought Zach had been hard on her before, it was nothing compared to what she'd just witnessed. She looked over at him and saw he was staring at the closed door. Clearing her throat, she carefully said, “What was that about?”

As if coming out of a trance, Zach turned to her. “What?”

“With Gabriella. You were a little hard on her. She was very concerned about you, and having her here with all of us was extremely helpful. She handled all of the transportation and hotel reservations. I don't know how she keeps everything straight in her mind, but she is scary organized.”

“Yeah,” he said wearily. He yawned and badly wanted to stretch, but the casts and pins and bandages prevented it.

Summer stood and leaned down and placed a kiss on his cheek. “You should rest.”

“I've been resting for days. I want to get out of this damn bed.”

She laughed. “I was wondering how long it would be before you started complaining. We should have placed bets.”

“You try having to stay in this position for any period of time and tell me you wouldn't be chomping at the bit to get out of it.”

“You've got me there.” She smiled down at him and wished there was something she could do to comfort him. The door opened behind them and Ethan walked in. He was placing his phone in his pocket, and Summer smirked at him. “How many times have you been told you're not allowed to use your cell phone in here?”

He made a face at her. “It was a work emergency. Sue me.”

“Emergency?” Zach asked, perking up. “What's going on?”

Ethan realized his mistake immediately. They were supposed to be keeping Zach calm and here he was talking about work. Real smooth. “It's…it's nothing. Really. Bob's got it all under control.” Zach shot him a look of disbelief, and Ethan began to squirm under his scrutiny. “What?”

“Look, I may have hit my head when I fell, but I'm not a moron. Something's wrong. What is it?”

Walking across the room, Ethan stood next to the bed and figured he'd better just tell Zach what was going on or risk agitating him more. “Morrison wants to pull out of contract negotiations.”

“What?” Zach roared and then cursed when he couldn't move. “Why? This was supposed to be a done deal!”

“Word's gotten out about your accident and how you'll be out of commission for a while, and Morrison's feeling squirrelly. Bob reassured him nothing was going to change, and you'd be back at the helm in no time, but our competitors are already swooping in and trying to lure customers away.”

“Son of a bitch,” Zach muttered. “Are you going to talk to Morrison?”

“I've just left him about half a dozen messages. It seems he doesn't want to talk. He's agreed to meet with Bob before completely pulling out, but I don't think it's going to do any good.”

“Then you've got to go and meet with him,” Zach said firmly. “Go back to the hotel, pack, and make sure he doesn't leave.”

“I can't,” Ethan protested.

“Why the hell not?”

Why did Zach always feel the need to complicate everything and argue? Ethan wondered. “Look, don't get pissed but…your father was standing right there when I got the call and he wants to arrange a conference call with Morrison from here. This way we can all talk to him and try to calm him down. It seems like one of his biggest gripes is he wants to deal with a Montgomery specifically. I can go there, but I'm not a Montgomery.”

“I'll go,” Summer said diplomatically. “You all stay here and I'll go back to Portland and sit with him and hold his hand if need be while he talks to you.” There were any number of reactions she was expecting—thankfulness, relief, gratitude—but what she got was laughter. And she wasn't sure who was laughing more—her brother or Ethan. “What's so funny?”

Zach looked at her like she had sprouted a second head and then turned to Ethan. “Do you believe her? One month in the company playing Debbie-Do-Gooder and she thinks sitting down with a corporate giant like Morrison is her thing!” He laughed until he was almost crying in pain.

Ethan shook his head and tried to rein in his laughter. He placed a hand on Summer's arm and patted it. “Summer, you're out of your league here. A guy like Morrison is not someone you can handle. You can't bake him cookies or teach his daughter to dance. He'll take one look at you and definitely run from us.”

She was fuming. Not only were they unwilling to even consider taking her seriously, but they were out-and-out making fun of her for it. Summer might not know a lot about the corporate world—or love, apparently—but she knew it shouldn't be like this.

An idea began to form in her mind. As she glared at the two men beside her, she decided to play it cool. “I guess you're right. You know me, I tend to jump in without thinking.” She put her all into a fake laugh and was relieved when they seemed to believe her. “I'm sure he would have appreciated the cookies, but I know that's not the image you want for Montgomerys. Sorry.” Her smile was bright and her tone was light and breezy. She glanced at her watch before leaning over and kissing Zach on the forehead.

“I'll let you two big shots talk business. I'm going to go and check on Gabriella. I'll see you both later!” With a smile and a wave, she flounced out the door and ducked into the first room she could find and dialed Gabriella's number. Luckily she answered right away. “Where are you ?”

“Downstairs waiting for a cab.”

“Don't leave without me. I'm on my way down.”

“Wait, why?”

“I'll explain on the way.” She disconnected and slinked out of the room and down the hall without any of her family members seeing her. Her heart was hammering in her chest, and she didn't take an easy breath until she was on the main floor and racing toward the exit.

She stepped outside just as Gabriella's cab was pulling up. Stepping up beside her, Summer looked up at Gabriella's confused face. “You and I are about to show these jackasses what we're made of.”

She didn't need to know the details. All Gabriella knew was whatever Summer had planned, she was one hundred percent on board.

“I'm not sure we should have taken the company jet,” Gabriella said two hours later as the plane lifted off the runway.

“Oh, hush. It was just sitting there not being used, and Mark knows he has to come right back after we land in Portland. After he gets some sleep, of course.”

“Of course,” Gabriella parroted, although she still wasn't sure what they were doing was right. She shifted in her seat until she was facing Summer. “So tell me again how this is all going to work?”

“I think it's cute how you remember every little thing everyone else tells you, and you're choosing now to have memory issues.”

“Okay, let's just say I think it's not going to go as smoothly as you do.”

“Oh, ye of little faith,” Summer said with a confident smile. “Here's the deal—you've already called Bob and told him Ethan and my father cannot be disturbed because they are in meetings with Zach's doctors, right?” Gabriella nodded. “Okay, once Mark gives us the green light, we are going to call Bob and tell him I am on my way back to Portland and to set up a meeting with this Morrison guy. Bob will be none the wiser because—let's face it—he's kind of out of his element already. He's going to be so grateful someone is coming to take over this mess that he's not going to question which Montgomery is there to do it.”

“Yes, but can you do this?” Gabriella asked cautiously. “I mean, I know you are an extremely talented woman, Summer, and you've yet to find anything in the company you can't do but…let's be realistic. Zach has been throwing you table scraps. He hasn't let you get your hands on anything major yet. What if you go through all of this and Morrison still walks away?”

“What if we go through all of this and Morrison stays?” she countered.

There always was that possibility, but Gabriella still had her doubts. “You know your entire family—and Ethan—are going to freak out when they realize what you've done, right?”

“They're lucky I didn't freak out in the hospital. I mean, it's one thing if they all think I'm some sort of brainless twit; it's another to pretty much say it right to my face.”

Hard to argue that logic.

Mark's voice came over the intercom to tell them they had reached cruising altitude and were free to use their phones and electronic devices. Summer looked anxiously at Gabriella. “Do you want to call the office or should I?”

“I'll do it. It will seem more official if it comes from me,” Gabriella said. “No offense.”

“None taken. Are you kidding me? If they get the call from the company president's executive assistant, I'm sure he'll take it seriously. You're an evil genius.” She smiled conspiratorially. “By the time we're done, I think we will both be owed apologies. From everyone.”

Gabriella had a feeling the great Zachary Montgomery didn't apologize to mere employees. Family, yes. Employees, no. With a steadying breath, she pulled out her phone. “And we're sure about this? You really have no idea what the exact problem is with Morrison.”

“Listen,” Summer began, “I know everyone looks at my kooky résumé and thinks that I'm only into fluff jobs. What they all choose to ignore is my psychology major in college, my year of veterinary school—”

“Last I checked, Morrison was a human.”

“Not funny,” Summer chimed. “What I'm saying is I had to take a lot of business and sociology and psych classes. I know a lot about dealing with people, and besides that, I am a people person. You've seen the way I've been with everyone in the office. I know how to listen, decipher what's wrong, and get a solution. With guys like Morrison—from the little I gleaned from Ethan and Zach's conversation—a lot of times it's about ego. He's upset Zach is unavailable, and now he feels like he's not important enough to warrant time with the president of the company.” She rolled her eyes. “So stupid, really. It may only take a few minutes of making this guy feel like there is no one in the world more important than he is to make him not only change his mind, but agree to do even more business with Montgomerys.”

Gabriella frowned. “It can't be that easy.”

“Why not? Men always make everything more difficult than it needs to be. Trust me. I have three brothers and about a hundred male cousins. I know what I'm talking about. And even if I didn't, just dealing with Ethan the last couple of weeks is enough to prove my point.”

“You know you're going to have to deal with him eventually, Summer. I know you're upset and running was the way you felt you needed to go, but I'm sure he's going to be upset too.”

“Well, then he can join the club. I'm upset he laughed at me. I'm upset he didn't defend me. I'm upset he wouldn't go near me whenever my father or brothers were around. I'm upset it was okay to sneak me in and out of his room! He can take his pick.”

“Okay, okay, down girl.” Gabriella laughed. “I'm on your side. I was just pointing out the obvious. How long do you think it will take for them to realize that we're gone?”

Summer looked at her watch. “Well, they all know you left the hospital and I went to go check on you, so they're not going to question anything. They may call the hotel when they're heading to dinner to see if we want to join them, but if we don't answer, they'll think we're pouting.” Leaning back against her seat, she considered her options. “Or we could answer and make it seem like we're out on our own, maybe going to see a movie…something that will plausibly have us out of the hotel until late.”

“That's fine until Ethan's sitting in his room waiting for his nightly booty call. When you're a no-show, and he thinks that we're out on the town, he's going to think something happened to us and get everyone all freaked out.”

“Hmm…I hadn't thought of that,” she muttered. “Okay, so then we go with the silent treatment and they'll think we're pouting. By the time they leave the hospital tonight and get back to the hotel, they'll come to the room and when we don't answer, they'll possibly contact the front desk and concierge and then they'll find out we've checked out.”

“And it will be too late for them to do anything because we'll already be back in Portland,” Gabriella concluded. “It will be too late for Mark to get back there tonight, and if we play this right, we can have a meeting with Morrison first thing in the morning and be done with it before Ethan or your father can get back.” She glanced at Summer and smiled. “If this actually works, it will be a stroke of genius.”

“If this actually works, I should firmly secure my place in this family and have everyone stop treating me like I'm a child.”

Gabriella waved her off. “Not going to happen. You are the baby of the family and the only girl.”

“Great.”

“But,” she added hopefully, “now they'll see you can also take care of yourself.”

“That's the dream.”

Standing, Gabriella went to the galley and got them each a beverage. She came back and handed a can of soda to Summer. “And where do you think this will all land with Ethan?”

“I wish I knew,” Summer said. “As much as I want to be with him, I don't think I can be with someone who doesn't defend me. Who doesn't believe in me.”

“Maybe he was just doing it for Zach's sake.”

Summer shook her head. “That would make it even worse. I know he defended me before to my brother; right before the climb I know Ethan did his best to make Zach understand where I was coming from. No, today was different. It was hurtful.”

Gabriella nudged Summer's knee. “Hey,” she said softly. “You know he's in an awkward position with your family. Maybe you just need to cut him a little slack on this.”

“No,” Summer replied just as softly. “If Ethan was really serious about me, about us, about our future, he would have been a little bit kinder with his words—and actions. It breaks my heart because it tells me he's not the man I thought he was.”

“Do you love him?”

Sadness filled Summer's eyes as she nodded her head. “Always. I always have and I'm sure I always will. But I need someone who is going to put me first and to hell with the consequences.” She shrugged. “I know my family would have given us a hard time, but it would have happened and then everyone would have moved on. Ethan is so stuck on playing it safe and not upsetting anyone that he never took into account how he was hurting me.” She paused and took a steadying breath.

Unable to help herself, Gabriella put her drink down and pulled Summer into her embrace. “I am so sorry, sweetie. I really thought the two of you were going to get it together. When Ethan pestered me to tell him where you had gone off to when you went to the springs, I was secretly hoping the two of you would hook up.”

Summer pulled back. “You were?”

She nodded. “It was so obvious you were both into each other. And I knew if it weren't for your brother, you would have acted on it. I thought, with a little nudge in the right direction, you'd finally get the chance to explore the chemistry you had.” She pulled Summer back in and hugged her tight. “I'm so sorry.”

“Me too.”

After a few minutes, they broke apart and got comfortable in their seats. Gabriella remembered she still had a call to make. “I better get Bob on the phone and get him busy. If we want this to go according to plan, he'll need to get Morrison into the office first thing in the morning. I'll tell him to get all of the information you're going to need organized and have it faxed over to your place. Do you have a fax machine there?”

“No. Ask him to scan it and email it to me. This way I'll have it on the computer, and if he gets it out fast enough, I may even be able to start looking at it while we're here on the plane, on my phone.”

“Good idea.” Gabriella sat up straight in her seat and then did what she did best. In her most authoritative executive-assistant tone, she barked out her orders to poor Bob Davis and made sure to remind him it was up to him to make this happen—or Zach would not be pleased. She actually felt a little guilty for doing it, but she had worked for Zach long enough to know exactly how to speak to some of the executives to get them to do what was needed.

Once she hung up with Bob, she placed a second call. Summer looked over at her quizzically. “Even though you are a woman on a mission, you are going to want your puppy home with you tonight.”

“Oh my goodness! Yes! Thank you for thinking of that!”

Gabriella smiled. “Hey, it's—”

“What you do,” Summer finished for her. “I know, I know, and I am so thankful for it.” She curled her feet up under her and faced Gabriella. “I hate that I had to leave Maylene for so long. Do you think she's going to even remember me? She's just a baby!”

“Um, Summer, she's a puppy, not a human. And I'm sure she'll remember you. She may be a little bit spiteful for a few days once you get her home, but then the two of you will bounce right back into your old routine.”

“Spiteful, huh?” She frowned. “I hadn't thought of that.”

“If I were you, I'd be hiding my shoes.”

Summer's eyes widened.

“And your pillows.”

That didn't sound good.

“And pretty much anything that means anything to you.”

“I guess we'll have to go back to kennel training for a little while, until I'm settled in back home,” Summer said.

“So you're planning on staying in Portland? Even after all of this?”

Summer shrugged. “I don't know. It's all too much to think about. I want to stay; I really do like it there. But if things don't work between me and Ethan, I don't think I can. Then I'll probably head back to North Carolina and maybe see about working for James or Ryder or one of my cousins.”

“I would hate to see you go, Summer. You're my best friend,” Gabriella said quietly. “Actually, you're the only real friend I have.”

It was hard to see a woman who seemed so confident and so outgoing admit she was alone. Of all the people in Portland who mattered to Summer, Gabriella was the one she would miss the most. She'd miss her brother, but she knew she'd still see him and talk to him all the time. She would definitely miss Ethan, but she knew in time it would be for the best.

No, she would genuinely miss Gabriella the most because she was a true friend and ally. If it hadn't been for her, Summer didn't know how she would have survived any of this. “You could always come with me,” she suggested. “I'm sure you've had enough of my brother, and maybe you could use a fresh start too.”

“Don't tempt me. After his behavior earlier, he's lucky I didn't break the rest of his bones.”

Summer laughed. “Nah. The way to go would have been to break his jaw so he couldn't speak. It would have gotten the message across better than anything else.”

Now Gabriella was laughing too. “I'll have to remember that for next time.”

* * *

“Guys,” James said as he walked into his brother's hospital room, “I think we have a problem.” Zach, Robert, William, and Ethan all turned and looked at him expectantly.

“What's the matter?” Robert asked.

“I can't get either Summer or Gabriella on the phone.”

Robert waved him off. “Oh, they're just a little upset. They probably went off to get their nails done or their hair done or they've gone shopping. Nothing to worry about. Apparently your brother here upset them both pretty good.”

James couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he didn't think it was quite that simple. “Then I could see them not answering the phone for him, but why won't they take my calls?”

“Guilty by association,” Zach said from his bed with a chuckle. His pain medication was kicking in, and everything was mildly amusing to him.

Everyone laughed and for a moment, it was okay to forget the girls were upset because it was a relief to see Zach doing all right and returning to his normal self. When everyone quieted down, James said, “Well, I was going to see if they wanted to meet us for dinner so we could let Zach get some sleep.”