Maddie Fortune's Perfect Man

by Nancy Robards Thompson

  His smile was reminiscent of the one he’d given her last night when he’d challenged her to a friendly game of Ping-Pong. But this was a competition to determine her future—to decide who got control over her birthright.

  But damned if her own traitorous heart didn’t twist at the sheer rakish beauty of him. That hurt almost as much as the thought of her uncertain future.

  “Bring it on,” she said, instantly wishing she would’ve said something a little classier. But he didn’t seem to mind. His eyes glinted as if sparked by the competition. She forced her gaze away from the seductive pull of his.

  Once upon a time Zach McCarter might have been her secret crush, but now he was the competition. As far as she was concerned, he was the enemy.

  “Good,” said Kenneth, turning his gaze on Maddie. “Maddie, I’m proud of you for rising to the occasion. I must admit that I was worried about how you’d take it. But I have to hand it to you for wanting what’s best for the business.”

  Maddie dug her nails into her palms as she kept the smile fixed on her face. So, he’d worried about how she’d take it, but he hadn’t given her the courtesy of a heads-up before this meeting? Oh, yeah, they’d talk about what was best for the family business later.

  “The real estate business is brutal,” said Kenneth. “Whoever takes over Fortunado will likely face much tougher challenges in the years ahead. I want to make sure whoever I choose is up for the long haul.”

  Ostensibly, he was speaking to both of them, but he was looking at Maddie.

  And she’d believed it couldn’t possibly get worse.

  Were they really going to do this now?

  “I’m up for the challenge, Dad.” Her voice was clear and her words were crisp. “I didn’t realize our family business was up for grabs. You know, open to an outsider.”

  She was well aware that her words had surpassed crisp and veered into clipped. Her father winced, but she didn’t know how Zach reacted because she didn't look at him. But she’d guess that he’d managed to keep a pleasantly stoic poker face. And if she knew what was good for her, she’d compose herself, too.

  Her father cleared his throat. “The business is not up for grabs, as you put it. You might be the one I choose if you prove yourself the worthiest.”

  Prove myself the worthiest? What the hell do you think I’ve been trying to do my entire adult life?

  Her father’s words shook her to her very core. After all the hours she’d put in, all the sacrifices she’d made for the good of the company, he still wasn’t satisfied that she’d proven herself worthy?

  If she didn’t know better, she might think that this had more to do with turning over the reins to one of his daughters. His sons weren’t interested. So, what did he do? He adopted one.

  At least she had the good sense to not talk about this now. But they would talk. He had better believe they would talk.

  Even in her fury, she had the presence of mind to know that her father wasn’t a chauvinist. He’d trained her himself and he’d led her to believe—

  She shook away the thought. And she tried to ignore the little voice that taunted her, reminding her that Zach had outsold her last year.

  Not by much, but he’d won.

  He’d won and she’d lost.

  Kenneth looked from Maddie to Zach and back to Maddie. “Your future is in your own hands,” Kenneth said. “You can win the position, but you have to earn it. I’m speaking to both of you.”

  A sound like white noise buzzed in Maddie’s ears.

  “I’m a self-made man,” Kenneth continued. “I never had anything handed to me. I built this business from the ground up and I want to make sure my successor not only fosters it, but takes it to places I never dreamed possible.”

  He punctuated the statement with a shrug.

  Self-made man? Never had anything handed to him?

  Was he kidding?

  It took every ounce of Maddie’s self-control to keep from reminding him that the Texas Lottery money he’d won hadn’t exactly come from hard work and determination. He’d beaten the odds and was lucky enough to choose the right numbers. But she also knew what his retort would be. That he’d invested that money. He hadn’t squandered it on all the trappings that a man who’d been raised by a single mother who could barely make ends meet might’ve been tempted to buy: the fancy house, the expensive cars. She’d heard him tell the story a million times. At face value, a cool million seemed like a lot of money, but it wasn’t. In fact, it was just enough to provide a false sense of wealth. After a person lived like a rich man for a few years, all he’d have left to show for it would be an empty bank account—and very often he’d be in worse financial shape than when he’d started.

  It was a point of pride for Kenneth that he had been smart and invested his money. He’d worked hard to build Fortunado Real Estate into what it was today.

  Yeah, Dad, what about how hard I’ve worked for you? What about how much of myself I’ve invested in you and Fortunado?

  He glanced at his watch. “I need to leave in a few moments. I have a lunch appointment and I don’t want to be late. But do you have any questions I can answer before we adjourn?”

  Yeah, Dad, I do. What the hell?

  “What are you looking for?” Zach asked. “What’s the criteria?”

  Maddie turned and looked at Zach for the first time since her dad had made the announcement.

  Ah! Amateur question, McCarter.

  She knew instantly what her father would say before he said it.

  Kenneth shrugged. “Show me what you’ve got. That’s all I’m going to say. Well, that and may the best man—or woman—win.”

  Her father held up a finger, his eyes flashing. “Wait. There is something. You know the Paisley? That new high-rise Dave Madison is building downtown? I want Fortunado to be the exclusive agents for that property. I want you two to work together to land that listing. The whole building. You need to work together to come up with a plan to seal the deal. That’s an important part of the challenge.”

  “We’re on it.” Zach got to his feet, making all the right noises of agreement and understanding. As he shook Kenneth’s hand, Maddie stayed in her seat. Zach lingered on the threshold of her father’s office, obviously watching to see what she was going to say or do.

  Maddie got a little bit of satisfaction from the look on his face when she said, “I need to talk to my father for a moment, Zach. Please excuse us.”

  “No problem.” Zach gave a quick wave of his hand and closed Kenneth’s office door behind him.

  “How could you do this to me?” She turned to her dad the second they were alone. “I’m your daughter.”

  She couldn’t remember playing this card before. It had been a point of pride to never take advantage of the fact that she was the boss’s daughter. She knew she enjoyed a certain level of job security that those without the benefit of Fortunado blood didn’t have. But she’d never needed it. She’d worked damn hard to earn the presidency that her father had so unceremoniously announced was up for grabs.

  If that’s the way he was going to be, then for a few moments she was going to play the family card. She was going to be the boss’s daughter because he owed her an explanation—if for nothing else, as to why he’d blindsided her.

  She could tell by the look on his face that he could see the depth of her anger.

  “I’m sorry, Maddie,” he said. “I can understand that this comes as a surprise, but I think you’ll appreciate the challenge and rise to the occasion once you have some time to think it through.”

  She let his words reverberate in the air and took some satisfaction that at least he understood that she was upset.

  “I love you,” he continued. “I love all my children, but I also don’t intend to let you or your siblings get complacent—especially when it comes to the business I’ve spent my life building. All promotions at Fortunado Real Estate must be earned. I have complete faith that you’ll earn yours.”


  * * *

  People might have argued that Zach McCarter was a lot of things. One thing they couldn’t call him was a quitter. Overly sentimental probably wouldn’t be on the list either.

  So, why was it, he wondered, as he waited for Maddie at the Blue Moon Cafe, that he couldn’t stop thinking about the look on her face when Kenneth had presented the challenge?

  This should’ve been a day to celebrate his shot at the opportunity of a lifetime. This was the payoff for his hard work. Instead, he felt vaguely unsettled thinking about that injured-doe look in Maddie’s blue eyes.

  She’d probably kick him if she knew he was comparing her to an injured animal. She’d probably buck right up in his face.

  But that’s what he’d seen and he couldn’t get her face out of his head.

  This was business. Any other time—any other person—and Zach wouldn’t have given it a second thought. But he had a soft spot for Maddie.

  Zach was probably more surprised than Maddie when Kenneth asked them to compete for the position. After all, everyone who worked for Fortunado Real Estate knew that Maddie coveted her father’s job. She was the heir apparent, and everyone thought it was a given that she would take over for Kenneth when he retired.

  When Kenneth asked him to transfer from San Antonio to the Houston office, Zach knew change was in the air. At first, he thought it was a token gesture to pacify Zach’s restlessness. Kenneth seemed good at reading people. Even though Zach hadn’t said it, Kenneth had to know that after five years as a broker with Fortunado, it was time for a change, time to open his own real estate office. After all, he was making Fortunado a hell of a lot of money.

  Zach had no ties to San Antonio, no family to consider, no reason to not pack up and move to Houston. The move was an opportunity to learn the Houston market, which would be a useful tool once he did strike out on his own. When Kenneth had asked him to come to Houston, he’d said he wanted his senior associates to focus on teamwork, that there was some new construction in the Houston area and he wanted to put together an “A-Team”—Kenneth’s words. He hadn’t said who else was on his A-Team, but he’d specifically spelled out that he wanted Zach’s help assuring that Fortunado would get exclusive listing contracts. Of course, Zach had been up for the challenge, but that teamwork bit threw him. Generally, he worked alone. He rarely partnered with other agents on listings. It wasn’t his MO. Of course, it would take teamwork to run a business like Fortunado.

  But this—this chance to head Fortunado—it was an unexpected challenge and he liked it. It would take teamwork and maybe this was a good chance for him to prove to himself that he wanted to manage a team rather than flying solo.

  It all made sense—the transfer, the invitation to the barbecue where Kenneth announced his intent to retire, and today’s meeting where he’d tapped the two of them as front-runners for his position.

  The only thing getting in the way of intense satisfaction and immediate strategizing on how to annihilate the competition was that look on Maddie’s face.

  That’s why he’d wanted the two of them to have lunch and sort this out. Kenneth had been smart when he’d tacked on the Paisley addendum. The last thing he needed was for his two top associates to be at war. Not only did they need to sit down and strategize about the Paisley, but they needed to make sure everything was good between them.

  Easy for him to say since he was the interloper.

  When Maddie walked into the restaurant, their gazes snared. She didn’t smile. Her face looked neutral. Again, she seemed to be daring him to look away first—to walk away from the opportunity first.

  He stood and watched her walk toward him.

  He had two choices: he could bow out or he could go for it. If he chose to go for it, there would be no option but to pull out all the stops, to step up his game. If he stepped up his game, he would win. He always won. It was a point of pride.

  Even if this opportunity didn’t feel 100 percent right and it felt as if he was preparing to take something that didn’t belong to him, Zach McCarter had never been a quitter.

  He needed to put his game face on now. That face didn’t have to be mean or savage. The mark of a good manager was to deal with conflict and produce as many win-wins as possible—especially in situations like this where there could only be one winner.

  Him.

  He would need Maddie on his team when that happened.

  “Zach,” she said, as she reached the table.

  “Maddie, thanks for agreeing to meet on such short notice.”

  He reached for her chair, but she pulled it out herself. “Of course,” she said. “There’s a lot at stake here.”

  He nodded.

  “That’s why it’s even more important that we work together,” she said.

  He wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but based on the way she’d received the news not even two hours earlier, her eagerness to work together came as a shock. The woman was full of surprises.

  “I’m glad you feel that way,” he said. “We’re going to make a great team.”

  Chapter Three

  “Ping-Pong is not a date,” Maddie said to Schuyler as she drove her sister and Carlo to see a house in the Austin neighborhood of Westlake. She’d driven up to Austin to show them houses and commercial property for a nightclub Carlo wanted to open. Carlo had been looking for months and holding out for exactly the right spot to open his new business. He’d come close a couple of times with property Maddie had shown him. Now that he was getting married, Maddie had a feeling he’d settle down and make a decision on the commercial site.

  This trip was a welcome opportunity to get away from the office—to put some space between Zach and herself. If only Schuyler would stop making Zach tag along in spirit. “Or at least it’s not the kind of first date I’m interested in.”

  Liar. If circumstances were different, you’d be happy to pick up trash with Zach McCarter and call it a fun first date.

  But the situation was what it was. And it wasn’t fun.

  “Besides,” Maddie added, “I cannot believe you’d even mention Zach McCarter in that context now that Dad has pitted us against each other.”

  After the disastrous meeting with her father and subsequent tension-charged lunch with Zach, she’d driven home, thrown the basics into an overnight tote and driven the two and a half hours to Austin. Presumably, it was to show Schuyler and Carlo property. But, if she was perfectly honest with herself, it had been for self-preservation.

  She’d never been so happy to get out of the office—to get out of town. Because suddenly the entire city of Houston seemed too small to accommodate the dreams and ambitions of both Zach and her.

  It was clear one of them had to go.

  And it wouldn’t be her.

  Just because she was working out of town, it didn’t mean she would be the one to bow out. They had their marching orders. They would work together to secure the Paisley deal and sell out the luxury high-rise. In fact, she’d taken the initiative to call Dave Madison’s assistant and set up a meeting. He was out of town and Monday was his first available. In the meantime, she would help her sister and future brother-in-law. Working outside of the office would give her time to clear her head. It would only make her stronger.

  “It’s totally a date,” her sister said. “He is so gorgeous, Mads. Maybe Dad has a method to his madness. Maybe he’s doing this to throw you and Zach together? Remember how at the barbecue he said he thought of him as a son? Maybe he meant son-in-law.”

  Maddie shook her head. “I don’t think so. And Sky, I really don’t want to talk about him. Okay?”

  Now she was sorry she’d told Schuyler about her father’s plan. Even so, Schuyler was still going on about Ping-Pong as a first date.

  Maddie white-knuckled the steering wheel. Even her siblings supported Maddie as their father’s heir apparent. Her three brothers had chosen careers outside of the real estate industry. Valene was just starting out at Fortunado Real Estate. Schuyler had
never shown an interest in the family business. Even though she could’ve had a role at Fortunado, she’d chosen to follow her own path. She’d confessed that there was a time when she’d felt like the odd sibling out—since both of her sisters had been bitten by the real estate bug—but following her own path had brought Schuyler to the Mendoza Winery, and that’s where she’d met her husband-to-be. Now, Schuyler seemed to have made peace with her path in life.

  And Maddie’s once sure life was upside down.

  Beside her, Schuyler sighed. “But you guys would look so cute together.”

  “We would not look cute together.” Maddie’s voice was monotone.

  We would look gorgeous together.

  Mortified that Schuyler was going on and on about this in front of Carlo, Maddie glanced in the rearview mirror. She was relieved to see that he’d put his earbuds in and was gazing out the passenger window. He seemed to be nodding his head along to the music and not paying one bit of attention to their conversation.

  Thank goodness.

  This was sister-talk that they should be discussing in private.

  “And just to clarify,” Schuyler said, “Ping-Pong would be a sweet first date. You need to lighten up, missy.”

  Schuyler’s personality was like a Chinese finger trap. Once she latched onto something, she grabbed even tighter if the other person tried to pull away. The trick was to relax, to lean into it.

  Or make her think she’d hurt your feelings.

  “Zach didn’t mean anything by it. He’s probably forgotten all about it, anyway. So, just drop it, okay? Besides, how could I ever date a guy who was after my job? Please don’t make me feel any worse than I already do.”

  Schuyler’s face softened. Then she muttered something under her breath that sounded frighteningly like, There’s no wonder Dad passed you over for the promotion.

  “What did you just say?” Maddie demanded. “That was really mean.”

  Schuyler flinched. “I said, there’s no way Zach would pass on that after we caused such a commotion. What was mean about that?”