“Whatever you want, Sophie.”
She couldn’t make any sort of reply to that. She was too busy fighting the urge to kiss him again.
Thankfully, he attempted to break the awkward tension swirling around them. “Let me help you with your coat and we’ll walk down to Bernie’s. I don’t know about you, but I could eat a big bowl of dessert right now.”
Trying to ignore the electricity that seemed to be arcing between them, Sophie forced out a light laugh and reached for her faux fur jacket. “I could eat two bowls!”
She handed him the garment and as he held it open for her, she felt a rush of silly tears. Mason made her feel all the right things. But she’d never thought of him as her Mr. Right. Did that make her immature or just down right stupid? And what was she going to do about Thom?
Behind her, Mason switched off the desk lamp and planted a hand against the small of her back.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Sure. All ready.”
Her hands trembling, she reached for her handbag. Thankfully, he’d never guess just how ready she was to let herself make love to him.
Chapter Seven
Sophie absently rolled a pen between her palms as she sat on the corner of her sister’s desk. In fifteen minutes she was going to meet with a local magazine writer, Ariana Lamonte, and Sophie wasn’t looking forward to the interview. She supposed there were plenty of people who were interested to read what it was like to be part of the Fortune family. But Sophie couldn’t explain what it had been like to go through the name change and learn her father had been living a life of deceit for many years. She’d not totally digested it all yet, so how could she tell anyone what it felt like to become a Fortune?
“I’m not keen on meeting with the woman, Olivia. She didn’t exactly put a nice slant on her blog about Keaton. I cringe to think what she might write about me.”
Olivia shot Sophie a droll look. “She didn’t say anything unflattering about our new half brother.”
“Maybe you didn’t think so, but I’m sure it made him and Francesca very uncomfortable. Surely you’ve not forgotten she implied Keaton was a ladies’ man—like our father.”
Sophie followed Olivia’s gaze across the work area to where Thom was chatting with a female programmer. The young redhead was known to be a party girl. Maybe she had her own plans to make Thom her Valentine date. Strange how that notion didn’t even make a bleep on the radar of Sophie’s feelings.
A few minutes ago, when Sophie had entered the research and development department her first glance had been toward Mason’s desk, but to her disappointment, his cubicle had been empty. And then she’d spotted Thom by the water cooler. She’d simply given him a casual wave and continued straight to Olivia’s cubicle. No doubt he was probably wondering why she’d not made a point to talk with him. To be honest, she wasn’t quite sure why she’d avoided him. Other than the fact that it would be terribly uncomfortable to make conversation with Thom while her mind was preoccupied with Mason’s red-hot kiss. Ever since last night, the reckless moments she’d spent in his lap had been looping over and over in her mind, making it impossible to think of little else.
“And like our company lothario,” Olivia suggested with a smile.
Sophie let out a frustrated sigh. “Do you have to be so tacky? Thom might like women, but he’s hardly a lothario. Unlike our father, he doesn’t have illegitimate children popping up here and there.”
“Give him time,” Olivia retorted.
Was that how people really viewed Thom, Sophie wondered. Or was her jaded sister simply trying to put Sophie off the idea of making him her guy?
“Really, Olivia,” Sophie scolded. “We were talking about Ariana Lamonte and the blog she wrote about Keaton. Not about Thom.”
Leaning back in the desk chair, Olivia crossed her arms and gave Sophie a rational look. “Like father, like son. With all that’s come out about our family recently, I’m sure most everyone in Austin is thinking about Keaton and Dad in those terms. Which is totally unfair to Keaton. He’s not a playboy. But Ms. Lamonte sort of slanted things in that direction. Even so, we can’t avoid the media, Sophie. To try to hide from it would only make matters worse. Besides, what could the woman possibly write about you that would be unflattering? You’ve never done anything wrong or bad or—”
“Interesting?” Sophie finished wryly.
“You’re the one who used that word,” Olivia pointed out. “Not me. I was only going to say you’ve not done anything a person could criticize.”
“Well, I’ll try not to say anything that might reflect badly on our family.”
“Easier said than done,” Olivia told her. “I’m sure Ms. Lamonte will try to trip you up or put words in your mouth.”
Sophie rose and smoothed down her figure-hugging sweater dress. She’d chosen it today because she’d wanted to look sexy and fashionable for the interview. Or so she’d told herself. Deep down, she’d hoped Mason would glance her way and see her as a woman instead of a friend.
“Gee, thanks, Olivia,” she said with sarcasm. “That gives me a wealth of confidence.”
Olivia laughed. “Let me know how the interview goes.”
Sophie sighed. “We’ll know the answer to that when Ms. Lamonte’s article comes out in Weird Life Magazine. See you later, sis.”
She left Olivia’s cubicle, but before she reached the exit, Thom intercepted her and from the way his brow was arched, she got the impression he was a little confused by her behavior. He wasn’t the only one. Sophie was confused by it, too.
“What’s up? I thought you’d want to talk with me before you left.”
Sophie glanced at her watch while hoping her cheeks didn’t appear as pink as they felt. “I’d planned to. But I have a meeting in five minutes.”
“Business?” he questioned.
The suspicious note she heard in his voice made no sense. Thom had no reason to be doubtful or jealous. He was the golden boy of Robinson Tech. He could have his pick of women. As for her, she was quite sure he’d not developed any deep feelings for her. Not yet, at least. Perhaps the gossipers in the ladies’ room had been right about Thom, she thought. Perhaps he was viewing Sophie as a step ladder to the top of her father’s company and he didn’t want anything to prevent his climb.
“Uh, yes, the meeting is business related.”
She smiled at him even though she wasn’t feeling it, but the gesture must have pleased him, because his features softened and he moved a step closer.
“So when are we going to get together again? Tonight?”
Was it only a few days ago that she’d wanted to turn handsprings because Thom had asked her out on date? How could her feelings about him have changed in such a short time?
“Oh, it’s nice of you to ask, Thom. But I have a family engagement tonight. I’ll get back with you later. Right now I’ve got to run.”
She hurried out the door, leaving him staring after her.
*
When Sophie entered the conference room a few doors down from Wes’s office, she found Ariana Lamonte standing at a window, staring out at the Austin skyline.
“Ms. Lamonte?”
The tall, shapely woman with long dark hair turned and walked briskly toward Sophie. As she moved, a long printed skirt in orange and green swirled around a pair of brown suede boots. At the same time, the fringe on her leather jacket swayed with a life of its own. Ariana Lamonte rocked the chic bohemian look, right down to the long beaded earrings.
“Yes, I’m Ariana.” She offered her hand. “And you’re Sophie Fortune?”
“Sophie Fortune Robinson,” she corrected. “I was a Robinson for twenty-three years. I’m not yet ready to let go of the name.”
Ariana studied her thoughtfully. “And the Fortune name still feels a little strange, I’m sure.”
“Exactly. Shall we sit? There should be fresh coffee over on the serving table if you’d care for any.”
“No, thank you.” She to
ok a seat near the end of the table. “But please go ahead without me.”
Sophie eased into the chair across from her and tried to make herself comfortable. “I’m not very good at this sort of thing—interviews about myself, that is.”
“If you’d rather I didn’t record our conversation I’m perfectly fine with taking notes,” she suggested.
Maybe the woman wasn’t only about getting a scoop on the Fortune family, Sophie thought. Or it could be Ariana Lamonte was playing nice to get Sophie in a relaxed enough mood to spill her guts. The notion spurred Sophie’s guard to an even higher level.
“I would rather you not have a recorder, Ms. Lamonte.”
“Certainly. And please, call me Ariana.”
The woman dug a small notepad and pen from her bag and placed it on the table. Sophie crossed her legs and began to slice the air with the toe of her high heel.
“You’re very lovely, Ariana. To be honest, I was expecting an older lady with gray hair and wrinkles.”
She laughed. “Plenty of people tell me a writer is supposed to be old enough to write from experience. But I don’t intend to wait around for old age to set in before making my mark in the business.”
“Neither do I,” Sophie replied and suddenly she was thinking about Mason and how much that one little kiss had changed her. Just a tiny taste of real passion was all it had taken to reverse her course of action.
Although she hadn’t yet figured out how she was going to do that without snubbing Thom and making herself look like a fool in the process.
For the next few minutes, Ariana questioned Sophie about her job, how she’d come to the decision to work for her father’s company and how she’d felt when it was discovered that Gerald Robinson was actually Jerome Fortune.
“It’s impossible to for me to explain how I felt at that time, Ariana. I’m still trying to digest the revelation.” She studied the perfect oval of her pink nails rather than meet the scrutiny of the other woman’s gaze. “It’s very difficult to accept the fact that the father I knew growing up is someone else. There’s that secret part of him that’s a stranger to me. And that hurts—more than you can imagine.”
Sophie could have gone on to say that unraveling the truth of her father’s life had shaken every aspect of hers. At times she felt like a fraud, a person with a phony name who’d lived twenty-four years of lies. So many secrets still swirled around her parents. And though she reminded herself that she was her own person, she couldn’t shake the fact that her family was bound together by lies rather than love. But she wasn’t about to express those feelings to Ariana Lamonte or anyone. They were simply too deep and disturbing.
“I can only imagine,” Ariana said, then hastily scribbled something on the page. “I’m also curious as to how Charlotte—your mother—is handling this whole situation with Keaton Fortune Whitfield becoming a part of the family.”
There was so much Sophie could say about her mother. On the other hand, she didn’t want Charlotte’s problems broadcasted in a magazine article. Her mother had already endured enough embarrassment over the fact that her husband was a repeated adulterer.
“With Mother it’s impossible to gauge what she’s really feeling.”
“Are you saying she hides her feelings from the family? Her children in particular?”
“I think she hides her feelings from everyone. I suppose you could describe my mother as a loner. Although she has a countless number of friends, I don’t really believe she shares her private thoughts with any of them. But then, she’s from an older generation. Her views on a husband-and-wife relationship are far different than yours or mine.”
Ariana leveled a curious look at her. “How do you mean?”
Sophie shrugged. “Well, where Dad is concerned my mother has an overabundance of patience.”
Ariana’s brows arched upward. “Explain that for me.”
“It’s just that she…well, seems to look the other way with my father. I could never be as understanding as she is.”
“Hmm. I believe there are times when private things go on with our parents that children never discover about them. In this case, I’m wondering if your mother has a reason of her own for not kicking up a fuss about her husband’s naughty behavior. Did that notion ever cross your mind?”
Sophie studied the young woman’s thoughtful expression and decided she could trust her to a certain point. “More than once,” she admitted.
Ariana leaned eagerly forward. “Would you be interested in finding out what’s behind your mother’s—shall we call it—her blind eye to her husband’s womanizing?”
Sophie’s lips unconsciously pressed together. If it hadn’t been for Rachel’s bit of snooping into their father’s documents, no one in the Robinson family might ever have learned about Gerald actually being Jerome Fortune, about the nasty way his family had treated him, or how he’d faked his own death just to get away from them. But as much as Sophie would like answers about her mother, she wasn’t sure she would feel right playing detective.
“I’m interested,” Sophie told her. “But I’m not the person who can give you the keys to Mother’s past, or the motives for her behavior. She refuses to discuss Dad and their marriage with me.”
A smile crossed Ariana’s face. “Sometimes you can pick up clues without even trying. If you keep your eyes and ears open I have a feeling you’ll learn far more than you ever imagined.”
Sophie wasn’t exactly sure what the writer was hinting at, but after the recent events within her family, she doubted there was much left to shock her.
“Are you insinuating that you know something about my mother that I don’t?”
The smile on Ariana’s face turned suggestive. “Not exactly. But I do believe she has a story of her own. And any writer worth a grain of salt is interested in telling a good story.”
And any loving daughter would want to keep the awful truth about her parents safely hidden away. Or would she? Was hiding the truth the best way to deal with a problem?
Sophie didn’t know what to think anymore. Not about her parents, herself, or her misguided plans to snare her dream man.
*
Much later that evening, Mason rubbed his tired eyes and switched off his desk lamp. For the past several hours he’d been working non-stop on the health app. The new project was a chance to show Wes and Gerald Robinson what he could do.
However, after last night and that wild kiss he’d shared with Sophie, he’d not been able to focus for more than five minutes at a time on his work or, for that matter, anything else. All his mind wanted to dwell on was how soft and sweet her lips had tasted and how eagerly she’d kissed him back. She’d wanted him. He’d felt her desire as much as he’d felt his own. But what did it mean? What could it mean when her heart had seemed so set on Thom Nichols?
Last night, while they’d sat in Bernie’s drinking coffee and eating Italian cream cake, both had avoided mentioning the kiss or anything remotely connected to it. But Mason had felt the awkward tension between them and understood the intimate act had changed everything between them.
Groaning at the memory, Mason grabbed his jacket and left his cubicle. One glance at the dark entrance to the HR department told him Sophie wasn’t working late tonight. The realization caused his spirits to plummet and he wondered if she’d gone out on another date with Thom.
Why not, Mason? That kiss doesn’t make you her one and only. So don’t go thinking you’re something special to her. The two of you are friends. Not lovers. She wants Thom Nichols. She believes she can drag that little Bantam rooster away from all his hens. She’s too blinded by his charm to see how much you adore her.
Maybe she was looking past him right now, Mason mentally retorted to the mocking voice in his head, but he still had time. Valentine’s Day was a week away. By then he was going to come up with a plan of his own. Mason couldn’t allow the woman of his dreams to spend the special night of love with anyone but him.
Down in the park
ing garage, he got in his car, but instead of starting the engine, pulled out his phone. Moments later, his oldest brother’s voice sounded in his ear.
“Hey, Mason, what’s going on in Austin?”
Mason leaned his head back and massaged his aching eyes. “Not much. Are you busy?”
Doug chuckled. “Just going through a stack of depositions. The usual thing.”
“Sorry. That was a stupid question, wasn’t it? I won’t keep you long. I only wanted to see how everyone was doing.” Finding Sophie had already left the building had unexpectedly filled Mason with thoughts of his family. Even though it was only eighty miles down to San Antonio, there were times Mason felt like he was a world away from his brothers and parents. “Mom and Dad okay?”
“Busy as ever. Dad’s job sent him to New Mexico for a week, but he’s back now. And Mom has been trying to set up Valentine’s dates for Shawn and me. You know her, she desperately wants grandchildren. Why don’t you give her some?”
A wife and babies. At one time Mason had believed he’d be the first of the Montgomery brothers to settle down and start a family. But after Christa had walked out, he’d begun to doubt whether he was cut out for love and marriage.
Groaning, Mason said, “I’m not in the mood to talk about Valentine’s Day.”
“What’s wrong? Don’t tell me you’re having romance trouble again. After that stomping Christa gave you, I thought you’d sworn off dating.”
“I did—I have. Except I—”
“You’ve met someone and she’s turned your head. So what’s wrong? She won’t give you the time of day?”
Sophie had given him far more than Mason had expected. But he wanted more and he wouldn’t be satisfied until she looked at him with stars in her eyes and love in her heart.
“She—uh—likes me enough. But—”
“You want to be more than friends,” Doug finished Mason’s thoughts.
“You got it. But I’m beginning to think I’m being a big fool—again,” Mason said as he glanced around the nearly empty parking garage.
Her Sweetest Fortune Page 9
