Her Sweetest Fortune

by Stella Bagwell

  “Sounds like you’re on an upward climb.”

  He slicked a hand along the side of his hair. “One of these days your father will realize this company can’t exist without me.”

  If he’d made the statement in a teasing context, she would’ve laughed. But he wasn’t teasing and his arrogance suddenly made her task far easier.

  “Well, Dad has a good business eye,” she said. “He instinctively knows when an employee is a true asset to the company.”

  He glanced over her shoulder, as though he was more interested in who was about to walk through the door than what she had to say.

  “Er—so, was there some reason you needed to talk with me?”

  She let out a weary breath. Ever since the family meeting yesterday, Sophie had felt as though someone had stomped on her. Now as she moved about the Robinson Tech building, she found herself looking at the employees close to her age and wondering if any of them might be a secret offspring of her father. She couldn’t imagine anything being more embarrassing.

  “Actually, I wanted to tell you that I’m not up to going out tonight. I’m not feeling very well. In fact, I almost didn’t come to work this morning.”

  Which was partly true, Sophie thought. She was mentally and physically sick. Her spirits were squashed so flat, she could hardly think of putting in a productive day of work. Much less going on a date with this man.

  Thom stared at her in shock. “Sophie! Are you trying to be funny? If so, I don’t find any of this a bit humorous.”

  “Look, Thom, I do not feel like joking. Or going out on a date. I’m sorry. You’ll just have to give me a rain check.”

  Clearly outraged, he said, “I’ve already spent a ton of money for this date! I’ll have to cancel reservations and that’s going to cost me, too! How can you do this to me at the last minute? Today is Valentine’s Day! I thought you wanted to make a big hoopla about the day. Damn it, Sophie, I just don’t get you!”

  No. He never would get her, Sophie thought dismally. That was the whole problem. His lame gifts and phony-sounding messages proved that. “I’m sorry, Thom. Really. I’m just not feeling up to a big night.”

  His angry gaze swept up and down the length of her. “You look perfectly fine to me. You’re well enough to work today. But not well enough for a date with me?”

  Sophie had to bite down on her tongue to stop herself from telling him to go jump in the deepest lake he could find. “I’m sorry you don’t believe me, Thom. Like I said, you’ll have to give me a rain check.”

  “Sophie—”

  Not sticking around to hear more, Sophie turned on her heel and left the room.

  She was almost to the elevator when a hand grabbed her shoulder and she whirled around to see it belonged to her sister, Olivia.

  “Sophie, what in the world is wrong? You look sick.”

  “Too bad someone else can’t see that,” she muttered, then shook her head at the look of confusion on Olivia’s face. “Sorry, sis, I’m not having a good morning, that’s all.”

  Olivia’s eyes narrowed as she glanced in the general direction of Thom’s desk. “Oh. Having trouble with your boyfriend?”

  Thom wasn’t her boyfriend. He was a jerk, Sophie thought dismally. And she’d been worse than stupid for wanting to date him in the first place.

  “I am trying to forget about men. Completely!”

  Olivia was stunned. “Today? This is the day for love and romance! This holiday was tailor-made for a woman like you!”

  She shot her sister a cynical stare. “You mean for a woman looking at the world through rose-colored lenses? Or a butterfly flitting around without enough sense to see that men are always thinking about themselves and never to be trusted? Believe me, Olivia, I can do without this day just fine!”

  Angry tears threatened to spill onto her cheeks and Olivia quickly pulled her into an empty office, away from any prying eyes that might be looking their way.

  “Sophie, this isn’t like you at all,” she said in a hushed tone. “You’ve got to get a grip on yourself. Are you still upset over the news about Dad? About him and Mrs. Reynolds?”

  Once she’d left the family meeting yesterday, Sophie had avoided speaking with any of her siblings and when she’d gotten home her mother had been nowhere in sight. Which had been a relief. Discussing such a painful issue with her was the last thing she’d wanted to do.

  “Upset? Is that how you’d describe it? I’m crushed, Olivia. Totally crushed that our father had no more respect for his family than to consort with our neighbor! Now Chloe Elliott will no doubt want to worm her way into the family. Well, as far as I’m concerned, she’s not one of us and never will be!”

  “Sophie! You might as well start toughening up that soft skin of yours right now! Dad is no angel. We’ve all known that for some time now. And you shouldn’t allow his behavior to dictate how you feel about men and love and marriage.”

  Marriage! Dear God, the thought of spending one night of married life with Thom was enough to put her into a straightjacket.

  Swallowing hard, she sniffed and straightened her shoulders. “Don’t worry about me, sis. I can see very clearly now. Dad’s thoughtless behavior toward Mother and his children proves to me that true love is far more than a handsome face or bulging bank account.”

  “I don’t know what’s going on in that pretty head of yours, but you need to clear it.” Olivia gave her a brief hug. “I have to get back to work. Now put a smile on your face and have a happy Valentine’s Day.”

  Oh, sure, Sophie thought, as she headed toward the elevator. She’d called off her date with Thom and would be spending the night alone. It wasn’t the sort of Valentine’s evening she’d envisioned two weeks ago. But so much had happened since, there was nothing she could do about it now.

  A part of her wanted to run to Mason and throw herself into his arms. She wanted to pour her heart out to him and hear his strong voice assure her that everything would soon be better. But Mason had his own life. No doubt he was looking forward to a night out with his lady love. Today was not the time to burden him with her father’s shortcomings, or her busted dreams about Thom. She was going to have to deal with her misery on her own.

  But as she passed the entrance to his department, it took every bit of willpower she possessed to walk on and forget about Mason and the comfort of his arms.

  Chapter Ten

  At the end of the work day, Sophie was the last person to turn off her computer and pull on her coat. She’d purposely stayed behind as her coworkers had left for their dates. Most every female in her department had gotten flowers or candy delivered to their desks. The only thing Sophie had gotten was more complaints concerning the insurance changes.

  What are you whining about, Sophie? Thom has been sending you all kinds of gifts. You never appreciated any of them. And if you hadn’t feigned sickness and called off your date, you would’ve probably gotten roses or candy. You’re getting just what you deserve.

  The accusing voice in her head left a bitter taste in her mouth. She tried to ignore both as she buttoned her coat. She might be down for the evening, she thought as she made her way out of the building and to the parking garage, but by tomorrow she would pull herself together and put on a brave face. If anything, she wanted to show Mason she was a strong woman. Not a whiner.

  Darkness had settled over the city more than an hour ago. The dim lights illuminating the garage showed only a handful of vehicles left on this level. Which was hardly surprising. Everyone had been in a hurry to go off on a night of romance.

  She had no idea what, if anything, her parents were doing. With the news breaking about Mrs. Reynolds and Chloe, she figured her father had most likely found an out-of-town business meeting to attend.

  Trying to shove away the melancholy cloak wrapping itself around her, Sophie hurried to her car. The sooner she got home, the sooner she could sink herself into a hot bubble bath with a glass of wine. By then she might forget she’d wasted all t
his time pursuing Thom, when Mason was the man she should have set her eyes on.

  She was unlocking the door, when she suddenly stopped in her tracks and stared at the cuddly red teddy bear propped against the windshield.

  Who could have left the precious stuffed toy? Oh, please, not Thom, she thought. She couldn’t bear to deal with him again.

  A note was stuffed under one of the bear’s arms and Sophie quickly retrieved it.

  No one should spend Valentine’s Day alone.

  Clutching the bear to her breast, she glanced around to see if there was anyone who could tell her who’d left the stuffed animal. And then she spotted a man standing next to a nearby car.

  Was that Mason?

  Her heart tripping over itself, she took a hesitant step forward. Across the expanse of concrete, the man emerged from the shadows and joyous relief flooded through her.

  “So you found Mr. Bear?” Mason asked, a sheepish grin on his face.

  Hope spurted through her. She didn’t exactly comprehend how or why Mason was standing there in front of her. But at the moment, it didn’t matter. The sight of his handsome face sent her spirits soaring.

  “You’re the one who left this adorable little guy on my car?” she asked.

  Nodding, he said, “I thought you might be needing someone to hug about now.”

  The urge to laugh and cry hit her at the same time, creating a hard lump in her throat. She tried to swallow it away, and her voice came out sounding like a husky whisper.

  “I thought—uh—shouldn’t you be leaving soon?” she asked in confusion. “Your date must be waiting for you.”

  He shrugged as a guilty expression crossed his handsome face. “To be honest, I don’t have a date, Sophie. I never cared much for going out on Valentine’s Day. Everyone has such high expectations—like they’re going on a romantic fantasy. Then the reality of the evening sets in and all those hopes fall flat. It’s deflating.”

  Strange how only moments ago the parking garage had felt freezing and spooky, but with Mason standing close to her, she was as warm as if she was standing on the beach of a tropical island.

  “Before—well, before things happened I always loved this day,” she admitted. “Valentine’s Day is a time when a woman can get mushy and flirty and no one will laugh at you for being a romantic. And there’s hardly a woman alive who doesn’t dream of finding her prince. But today…”

  “What about today?” he gently urged.

  She glanced down at the bear’s fuzzy red ears. “It’s not been a good day. I came to work dreading it and I stayed late hoping no one would see I was going home alone. Especially after the way I crowed to you about Thom and how I was going to make Mr. Perfect all mine.”

  “I don’t understand, Sophie. I thought you had your Mr. Perfect right where you wanted him. The big Valentine’s date—everything just as you’d planned.”

  Her head swung back and forth as she lifted her troubled gaze up to his brown eyes. “It was too perfect, Mason. And nothing like I thought it would be. Everything about it—from the very start—was absolutely wrong. I was wrong for imagining Thom was the man for me.”

  He let out a long breath and Sophie had to wonder what he was thinking about her now. That she was fickle and couldn’t be trusted? She could hardly blame him. One minute she’d been purring about Thom and next minute she’d given him the boot. The whole thing made her look worse than shallow.

  “I confess, Sophie, I was in the marketing department this morning and I overheard you telling Thom you weren’t feeling well. Are you feeling better now?”

  So that was how he’d known she wasn’t going with Thom tonight, Sophie concluded. Sometime after that, he must have purchased the bear with the intention of waiting until she showed up at her car. What did it mean?

  “I have a confession, too, Mason. I wasn’t really sick. Not physically sick, that is. Emotionally—well, that’s a different matter.”

  His eyes continued to study her face and it suddenly dawned on Sophie that Mason had given her the benefit of the doubt about being sick, whereas Thom had brushed her off and practically accused her of lying. The two men were as different as night and day. And it had become crystal clear to her as to who was the better man.

  He stepped closer and her heart nearly stopped as he smoothed a finger along her cheekbone. “Sophie, it would make me happy to see a smile on your face.”

  She must truly be standing on a hot beach, she decided, because her heart was melting right into the palm of his hand.

  “You don’t think I’m awful for cancelling the date with Thom?”

  His gaze delved deep into hers. “Sophie—”

  Suddenly anything else he might have planned to say went unspoken. Instead, he lowered his head and kissed her.

  The sweet contact instinctively caused her eyes to close, her lips to part. The feel of Mason’s mouth upon hers sent a shower of hot sensations pouring through her body, prompting her to move closer, to savor even more of the masculine taste of him.

  Wild and reckless and oh, so good. That was Mason’s kiss and not for anything did she want it to stop. It didn’t matter that they were standing in a cold, parking garage or that any passerby could see them. Touching Mason, kissing him, being close to him was taking away all the doubt and misery in her heart. This man was all she wanted or needed.

  By the time he finally lifted his head, Sophie was completely dazed and realized she probably looked it.

  “Umm—that was quite a Valentine’s Day kiss.”

  He grinned and tugged on one of the bear’s ears. “To go with little red here.”

  She smiled impishly up at him. “Thank you for the bear. And the kiss.”

  His hand kneaded her shoulder and Sophie felt the heat of his fingers all the way through the heavy coat.

  He asked, “Would you like to go out for dinner?”

  Not about to play coy, Sophie punched the button to relock her car, then looped her arm through his. “I’m hardly dressed for a night on the town, but I would love to go out to dinner.”

  “You look perfect to me. Let’s go see if we can find a restaurant that isn’t booked solid.”

  *

  Fifteen minutes later, Mason tossed his phone onto the console between the bucket seats and groaned with frustration. “Everything is booked up. I can’t find one nice restaurant in Austin with available seating. Looks like we’re going to have to settle for fast food. What about pizza?”

  Laughing, she fastened her seatbelt. “Sounds wonderful to me. Let’s go.”

  Grateful that she was being so understanding, he said, “There’s a pizza joint not far from my place. The food is delicious and the service fast. How does that sound?”

  “I’m in your hands.”

  As Mason drove through the city traffic, he kept glancing over at Sophie and wondering how his luck had managed to change in the matter of one short day.

  If he hadn’t overheard Sophie cancelling her date with Thom this morning, he would’ve never known she’d be spending the evening alone and he’d have missed the opportunity to spend this special evening with her. Now, somehow, he had to make the most of it.

  A few minutes later, as the two of them sat in the pizza parlor waiting on their order, a group of rowdy kids romped through the tables and yelled across the room. The chaotic atmosphere was hardly the sort of evening he wanted to give Sophie.

  “I’m sorry about this, Sophie. This is not the romantic dinner I’d envisioned.”

  She reached across the table and squeezed his hand. “Don’t fret about it. Just spending the evening with you is enough for me. But maybe we should get the pizza to go and find someplace quieter to eat.”

  Was being with him really enough for her, Mason wondered. These past few days he’d sensed that all was not well between Sophie and Thom. Still, that didn’t mean that she’d suddenly fallen head over heels for Mason. He needed to put the brakes on his runaway feelings. He couldn’t let his hopes get ou
t of control just because she’d kissed him like she’d never wanted it to end.

  “I could take you home,” he offered.

  She shook her head. “I still live with my parents. And I have no idea if either of them is home.”

  He nodded, his mind whirling with possibilities, none of which seemed appropriate. Finally he asked, “What about going to my place? It’s only about five minutes away. It’s nothing fancy, but it would definitely be quieter than this.”

  She laughed as a plastic fork went whizzing by his head, while Mason glared at the pair of adults who seemed oblivious to the children’s unruly behavior.

  “That sounds nice, Mason. I’d like to go to your place.”

  *

  Minutes later, Mason showed her into a charming, second-floor apartment with a small balcony that looked out at the river.

  While he switched on a pair of table lamps and lowered the overhead lighting, she gazed curiously around the living area. “This is so homey and comfortable, Mason. I love it.”

  He chuckled. “I don’t expect it’s anything like your home. But I try to keep it tidy and make the most of the space I have.” He inclined his head toward a short hallway to his left. “If you’d care to freshen up before we eat, the bathroom is that way.”

  “Thanks. I would like that. I actually think some food hit the back of my head while we were waiting in the pizza parlor,” she said with a laugh.

  “Take your time. I’ll get our dinner ready. Where would you like to eat? At the table or the couch? You choose.”

  She glanced at the dark green leather couch with a long coffee table sitting in front of it. “Oh, then I choose the couch. If you don’t mind it would feel great to kick off my heels and get comfortable.”

  Mind? Mason didn’t know how many times he’d dreamed of having her on that couch. The fact that she wanted to get comfortable was making his fantasy really come true.

  “Then the couch it will be,” he told her.

  While she was gone, Mason placed the pizza box on the coffee table, then fetched napkins and paper plates, and just in case she didn’t want to use her fingers, added two forks.