Fortune & Fame: A Novel

by Murray, Victoria Christopher

  Her thought had been to wait until she was securely in her hotel room to make the call, but even though it was just a short ride to the Plaza, she no longer had that kind of patience. Seeing Jasmine had made her anxious, made her wonder if she could pull this off.

  Her hand was shaking as she pulled her cell from her purse and scrolled through the names until she came to Darlin’. She pressed *67, then clicked on Hosea’s number and closed her eyes as the phone rang.

  “Please, God, please, God,” she whispered.

  And then, “Hello.”

  Natasia’s eyes popped open.

  “Hello?”

  With a sigh, Natasia clicked off the phone.

  The voice was like nails on a chalkboard. Jasmine!

  Jasmine had answered Hosea’s phone. Jasmine was on to her. And even though she had blocked her number, Natasia was sure that Jasmine knew who was on the other end of that call.

  There was no way Natasia would get to Hosea now—at least not during these two days.

  “Miss . . .”

  Natasia blinked.

  “This is the Plaza,” the driver said.

  Natasia peered through the window; she hadn’t even realized that the cab had come to a stop. “Oh,” she said. And then, in the next moment, she added, “Would you mind waiting? I left my bag with the bellman and I just want to run inside and get it.”

  “Okay, where’re you goin’?”

  She paused for just a moment. “To the airport, LaGuardia.”

  “Okay,” he said. “I’ll be right here.”

  She pushed herself from the cab and walked as fast as she could into the lobby, all the time thinking that she hadn’t lied to Melinda after all. She was going home tonight. There was no need to stay in New York if she couldn’t see Hosea.

  She would just have to come up with another plan.

  * * *

  As the airplane descended and the Atlanta skyline came into view, all Natasia could do was sigh. In the time that had passed since New York, she hadn’t come up with anything else. And now she was about to be in Atlanta . . . with Jasmine. Natasia didn’t know if Hosea would be joining Jasmine, but from what she remembered about the man she still referred to as the love of her life, he wouldn’t want any part of reality show madness. But he was also a man who loved his family and even if he wasn’t on the show, he would definitely come to visit Jasmine and his children, who she assumed would be with their mother.

  It wasn’t going to be easy, but during one of his visits, Natasia was going to see Hosea alone. The only challenge was that it would have to be soon. It would have to be before her time ran out.

  Chapter

  EIGHT

  Mary

  This was where she was supposed to be. This was the life she was supposed to live.

  As Mary sat in the second pew of Pleasant City Missionary Baptist Church, she couldn’t help but smile at how far God had brought her. Gone were her cut-too-low blouses and cut-too-high skirts. She was dressed in a respectable, metallic jacquard suit that she wouldn’t have been caught dead in a year ago.

  Mary had longed for this life with Lester Adams, and at the time, couldn’t understand why she couldn’t have it. Now, she knew it was because God had something better in store. That something better was standing in the pulpit, straight showing out.

  “Family,” Nathan said, a huge smile on his face, “you’ll have to excuse the extra pep in my step.” He did a little jig. “The bounce in my ounce. But y’all know, the missus is home and let’s just say, we’ve been like some bunny rabbits.”

  Mary gasped as the congregation erupted in laughter.

  “But I come to you today to tell you that dreams do come true,” Nathan continued, his voice rising. “When I came to this church, I took a leap of faith. I walked in that faith because I knew there was something great in store.”

  A chorus of amens rang out as Nathan talked about all of his plans for Pleasant City. It didn’t escape Mary that not once had he preached the Word or referred to any scripture; he’d just spent the last twenty minutes talking about all the big things in store. And the congregation had been eating it up. Maybe this is what they did in church. Lord knows she didn’t know. A product of the foster system, Mary never saw the inside of a church growing up and had only started going when Rachel’s enemy hired her to seduce Lester.

  Yet here she was, not only going to church, but sitting up as First Lady. If anyone from her past could see her now, they wouldn’t believe the woman that she’d become.

  Mary brushed a piece of lint off Alvin, who was sitting beside her. The-eleven-year-old fiddled with his belt before scooting closer to her. They’d instantly bonded these past two weeks, almost as if Alvin longed for a mother figure. That was probably because his father was never at home. Alvin actually lived with his grandparents. Mary wanted him with her and Nathan, but Nathan had been adamant, saying, “Not yet” because Alvin was such a help to his parents.

  “Church,” Nathan continued, snapping Mary’s attention back to the pulpit, “I told you all right before I went to pick up my wife that I had a blockbuster announcement.” He smiled as he looked at Mary. Immediately, something didn’t feel right. Nathan’s eyes were dancing and though they hadn’t spent much time together, she’d quickly learned that when he had something up his sleeve, his eyes gave it away.

  “Well, I can’t hold it in any longer. The missus doesn’t even know about this yet.”

  That made Mary lose her smile. She didn’t care for surprises, especially surprises in front of hundreds of people.

  “Many of you know that reality shows are the hottest thing on TV right now. How many of you watch them?” There were some small rumblings, but only a few people raised their hands.

  “Come on, you’re in the house of the Lord, be honest.” Laughter filled the room as several hands finally went up. “Um-hmm,” Nathan sang. “You know you get your fill of Stevie and Mimi.” A few more hands went up. “You can’t wait to see NeNe and Kenya.” Even more hands. “And some of y’all even find yourselves rooting for Honey Boo Boo. Let the church say amen?”

  “Amen!” someone from the third row yelled.

  “I’ll admit it, I love Honey Boo Boo,” someone shouted.

  “I’m a Basketball Wives fan,” someone else yelled.

  Mary looked around, stunned. All these people were actually admitting to following that foolishness?

  Nathan continued. “While many of these shows are degrading, millions of people are tuning in on a regular basis. And the Lord spoke to me and said ‘Pastor, that’s an audience waiting for the Word.’ We can reach those people through the back door.” He slammed his palm on the podium. “Y’all know we believe in reaching people by any means necessary here at Pleasant City.”

  Mary scrunched her face and peered at her husband. She definitely didn’t understand where this was going. Why was he talking about reality shows?

  “Well, I found a new way to spread the gospel.” Nathan turned to Mary and smiled again. “My wife is all set to appear on a new First Ladies reality show.”

  “What?” Mary found herself saying as a low rumble filled the room.

  “I told you I have a big surprise for you, honey. One that was going to make you famous.” Nathan was talking like he’d just announced they’d won the lottery. He ignored her glare as he turned back to the congregation. “While my wife will be the one featured, they’ll show us,” he swept his arm over the congregation, “and we’ll be able to spread the Word and bring more souls to Pleasant City.”

  Reality show? Nathan had lost his mind. When she was locked up, her TV watching had been limited, but she hadn’t missed the explosion of those stupid shows. A lot of the inmates watched them, but she wasn’t one of them. She was trying to better herself and watching a bunch of ratchetness on TV wasn’t the way to do it.

  “We’ll begin filming here in Atlanta next week so get ready, Pleasant City is about to go to the next level! And if you’re do
ubting that we’re going to the next level, let me add that my wife will be on the show with one of the premiere First Ladies in the country. You all know her as the First Lady of the American Baptist Coalition. That’s right, folks, my wife will be starring with Rachel Jackson Adams.”

  Several people applauded and Mary felt sick to her stomach. Now she knew Nathan was working with half a brain cell. He knew her history with Rachel, so why he thought this was a good idea was mind numbing. Mary had been the submissive, obedient wife since she’d gotten out of prison, but he’d gone too far with this move and the minute he set foot off the pulpit, she would let him know. Mary had worked too hard to grow as a woman. Rachel was taking care of her child now and Mary had prayed long and hard to get over the hatred she felt for that woman. God had answered her prayers, so she needed to leave well enough alone. Rachel brought out the worst in Mary and she’d come way too far to turn back into the conniving, scandalous chick she once was.

  After service, Alvin went with his grandmother and Mary headed straight to Nathan’s office to wait for him. Twenty minutes later, his door opened and he must’ve known that she was about to go clean off, because before Mary could utter a word, he said, “Babe, hear me out.”

  “How could you do that?” she said.

  “Look, I told you, everything I do, I’m doing for us.” He took a step toward Mary and took her hands. “For the betterment of us and our family.”

  “Nathan, a reality show?”

  “First of all, we need the money. Do you know how much money those people make?”

  “Yeah, but at what cost?” Mary replied. “They’re getting money to make themselves look like fools on national TV.”

  He dropped her hands like he was disappointed in her. “This isn’t about you, Mary. This is about building up our church.” He removed his robe and draped it across the chair. “I thought that’s what you wanted.”

  “Don’t do this,” Mary said.

  He pulled her close to him. “Come on, sweetie, you told me how you wanted the nicer things in life.”

  “Yeah, but I’m perfectly content now.” Something else she never thought she’d say.

  “But you don’t have to be. You have a golden opportunity right here knocking at your door.”

  Mary let out a long sigh. “How’d this even come about?”

  His eyes started dancing again. “I heard about the show, and I worked my magic. I had a friend make some calls. He knows the executive producer, Natasia something, and he got me into the studio. Once I met with her, told her our story, she was in.”

  Mary folded her arms and glared at him. “So, you gave her my history with Rachel?”

  He smiled as he nodded. “I did. That’s what sold her on it.”

  “Nathan, putting Rachel and me together is going to be toxic.”

  “And toxicity makes for good TV,” he said matter-of-factly.

  “But I’m not the same person. I’ve grown,” Mary protested. “And Rachel, she’s the mother of my child now.”

  Nathan pulled back, then walked around his desk. “I’m glad you brought that up.” He reached in a folder on his desk and pulled out what looked like a Christmas card. “Here,” he said, handing it to Mary.

  Mary took the card and her heart dropped. Happy Holidays from The Adams Family was embossed across the top of the card. Below those words was a picture of Lester, Rachel, their two daughters, their son, and Mary’s precious baby boy. Seeing Lester Jr. brought tears to her eyes.

  “They’re touting that baby like he’s theirs,” Nathan said sternly. “He’s not. He’s yours.” He stepped closer to her. “He’s ours. And he belongs here with us.”

  Mary didn’t look up from the card. “I signed away my rights.” She sniffed, touching a finger to the image of her baby’s face.

  “There is nothing the right amount of money can’t undo.” Nathan wrapped his arms around her waist. “Do this show. We’ll drum up support, get people behind you, make some money for a good attorney, and make it a public relations nightmare for the Adamses. Then, we will convince a judge to return Lewis to you—his mother.”

  That gave Mary pause. Could it be? Could she really get her son back?

  “You paid for your mistake. It’s time for our son to come home,” Nathan said.

  “How are we going to get him back?” Mary said, her voice soft and filled with hope.

  “You leave that to me. You just do your part. Get the people”—he brushed a tendril of hair away from her face—“to fall in love with you. Give the camera what it wants, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

  Mary glanced down at the card again. She’d never in a million years thought she had a shot at getting her child back. But now that it was a real possibility, she’d be willing to do whatever it took to make that happen—including star in a ratchet reality show with Rachel Jackson Adams.

  Chapter

  NINE

  Jasmine

  Jasmine rushed down the hall, but then paused right at the landing. She stood at the top of the steps and surveyed the sprawling foyer below.

  This was the life, their temporary Atlanta home, or “baby mansion,” as she’d been calling it for the last week. When Hosea had told her that the church had found a house for them, she’d been leery. Her plan had been for her and Hosea to make the trip to the Peach State and find their own home. But Jasmine had to admit that Mrs. Whittingham and Brother Hill, two of Hosea’s father’s most trusted assistants, had done the doggone thang.

  This five-bedroom, six-bath, forty-two-hundred-square-foot home with a family room, library, backyard pool, and jacuzzi not only had enough space for Jasmine, Hosea, and their son and daughter, but their nanny, Mrs. Sloss, and Mae Frances both had their own bedrooms, too.

  Jasmine placed one Gucci pump on the step below, then the other, and slowly descended down the curved stairway. This was exactly the home she’d dreamed of when she was growing up in that little two-bedroom cottage in Inglewood, California. Jasmine, her mother, her father, and younger sister, Serena, had been squeezed into eleven hundred square feet that had felt like a closet. She’d been so jealous of her best friend, Kyla’s, Ladera Heights home that she’d vowed long ago to live a grand life. And she’d made it!

  Jasmine so wished that Kyla could see her now. But of course, that wasn’t possible. She and Kyla hadn’t really spoken since Jasmine had slept with Kyla’s husband. Jasmine didn’t understand why Kyla couldn’t just let that go. After all, she’d been so different then; coveting everything that Kyla had. But now that Jasmine had more than Kyla (and everyone else she knew), she’d been delivered from coveting.

  Letting go of that sin was probably the reason why God had bestowed so many blessings on her—including this upcoming one. Jasmine was so ready to become the million-dollar-a-week reality TV star that she was born to be.

  At the bottom of the stairs, Jasmine decided that they would definitely have to shoot a few scenes here at her home. And every time, she’d have to make her grand entrance just this way. Of course, they would only be able to do that when Hosea was away. It had been easy enough to convince him that her doing this show was fine, but she hadn’t told him about Natasia—and she didn’t plan to!

  Jasmine’s heels clicked against the foyer’s marble floor, but then she quieted her steps when she pushed through the French doors that led to the family room.

  “There you are, darlin’,” Hosea said, jumping up from the sofa. “I was beginning to worry.” He glanced down at his watch. “You’re running late.”

  “Sweetheart, don’t you know that every star has to make an entrance? We cannot be the first ones there.”

  Hosea chuckled. “I still can’t believe you’re doing this.” He looked over his shoulder at Mae Frances, who was sitting in one of the burgundy wingback chairs. “Nama,” he said, calling Mae Frances by the name that Jacqueline had given her when she first learned to talk, “was just trying to talk me into going to the restaurant with y’all.”
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br />   Jasmine’s eyes widened when she looked at her friend. Was Mae Frances really starting to lose it? Her talking to Hosea about this made Jasmine think that maybe she really was coo-coo for Cocoa Puffs.

  Mae Frances’s face was masked with innocence when she said, “Yeah, I was telling Preacher Man how that Melinda VP lady kept asking about him.”

  “Yeah, I told you that, honey,” Jasmine said to Hosea. “But I told her that you were quite busy with the church and probably wouldn’t have time—”

  “I won’t have time. I’m not going to be on the show, but I would’ve gone down there with you today to check it out,” Hosea said, making Jasmine hold her breath. “If I didn’t have to watch the kids.”

  She exhaled. “That’s right, the children,” Jasmine said, not able to recall a time when she loved her children more. “Someone has to stay with them. Speaking of that, Mrs. Sloss’s plane lands at seven in the morning.”

  Hosea chuckled. “I know that’s way too early for you, but don’t worry. I’ll be there to pick her up.”

  “I was just going to send a car.”

  Before Hosea could respond, his cell phone rang. Picking it up from the side table, he glanced at the screen, then said, “I’ve gotta take this.” Kissing Jasmine on the cheek, he added, “Have a good time and don’t hurt nobody. Between this house and our place in New York I don’t have a dollar left for bail, so behave yourself.”

  When Hosea strutted out of the room, Jasmine whipped around to face Mae Frances. With her hands on her hips, she hissed, “You were trying to get Hosea to come to the restaurant?” She didn’t give her friend time to answer. “You know he can’t be there.”

  Mae Frances pushed herself up from the chair. “Why? ’Cause you haven’t told him about Natasia?” She grabbed the lapels of her mink and pulled the coat tighter around her.

  Jasmine rolled her eyes, grabbed the chained straps of her purse, and stomped from the room. She had a few things to say to Mae Frances, but Jasmine didn’t say another word as they passed through the hall, to the kitchen, and then out the back door to the garage. She didn’t open her mouth until they were both seated in her rented BMW and she’d driven several streets away from her home.