Maddie Fortune's Perfect Man

by Nancy Robards Thompson

  “Come in.” Barbara’s stool scraped the hardwood kitchen floor as she pushed it away and stood. She took the cupcakes and Oreos out of Maddie’s hands, unbagged them, and placed them on the island.

  The zippered bag of cookies seemed to scream that Maddie had recently binged. For a second she contemplated pretending like she’d brought them as a garnish and sticking one in each of the cupcakes’ fluffy icing. But she wasn’t sure Oreo would go with the various flavors. No, she was better off leaving well enough alone.

  She was a connoisseur, not Martha Stewart. She knew her strengths and her limits, and that was a strength she was proud of.

  “Sit down,” her mother told her. “Try some of these stuffed mushrooms and brisket-wrapped asparagus that the caterer sent all the way from Austin with Schuyler for us to try.”

  Schuyler and Carlo were getting married in the sculpture garden at the Mendoza Winery in Austin, which Carlo and his cousins had purchased last year. The reception would be catered by La Viña, the winery’s restaurant that overlooked the vineyard. It would be a stunning evening.

  Maddie’s heart twisted. She was so happy for her sister and she didn’t begrudge her one single second of the happiness she’d found with Carlo and the thrill of feeling like a princess as she planned this once-in-a-lifetime event. But since her father had dropped the bomb, Maddie had to admit, beneath the anger, she’d discovered a gaping hole. Something was missing from her life and when she saw how happy and complete Schuyler looked after meeting the love of her life, Maddie wanted the same for herself.

  Or at least she did in theory. In reality, allowing herself to lose control and fall in love was a scary prospect.

  “All the way from Austin, huh?” Maddie asked.

  Schuyler nodded. “They sent them in one of those insulated bags so they’d stay warm. I think they’re delicious. What does my maid of honor think?”

  “They look fabulous,” Maddie said and helped herself to a mushroom.

  “Let me fix you a glass of iced tea.” Barbara was fussing over her just a little too much. It made Maddie wonder if her mom was overcompensating for her dad’s promotion challenge. Kenneth Fortunado might be the head of his real estate empire, but there was no mistake that Barbara ruled the roost at home. Maddie wished she could’ve been a fly on the wall when her mother had first heard the news. Although Barbara was never one to interfere in her husband’s business matters, she held an MBA and was an astute businesswoman in her own right. She ran the Fortunado Foundation, working with the financial gurus who oversaw the nonprofit’s vast portfolio and beneficiaries, which mostly consisted of women and children.

  “How are you, honey?” Concern was etched on Barbara’s face as she slid a large glass of tea, complete with lemon round and mint sprig, in front of Maddie, who was still standing. “Are you doing okay?”

  “I’m fine, Mom.” Maddie squared her shoulders and smiled as if she hadn’t noticed her mother’s pained look. “How are you?”

  She bit into a spear of asparagus.

  “Just fine, sweetheart. I’m so happy to have all my girls here today. Or at least we will be once Val arrives.”

  Maddie nodded. “These are great, Sky. I vote yes on both.”

  Barbara was peering at her with a look that registered somewhere between motherly concern and tiptoeing on eggshells. It was as if she might be able to spot the crack in Maddie’s facade if she looked closely enough. But all cracks and bruises had been carefully patched and concealed. Her mother would be hard-pressed to detect even a hint of damage.

  Schuyler seemed oblivious to her mother’s delicate questioning.

  “Whatcha got there, Mads?” she asked, eyeing the items their mom had placed on the granite island.

  “Cookies and Moonbeam Bakery cupcakes.” Maddie reached for the box and slid it down to her sister.

  Schuyler held up her fingers in the sign of the cross. “You she-devil! Keep those cupcakes away from me. You know I’m trying to diet so I can fit into my wedding gown. How could you?”

  “If you lose any more weight, your wedding gown is going to fall off,” Maddie said. “Come on, Sky, it’s a girls’ weekend. We deserve a treat.”

  “Yes, we do,” Barbara said, as she untied the light blue ribbon with the trademark white stars. Their mother lifted the lid and inhaled deeply. “My, oh, my, they smell good. I call dibs on the sweet tea cake with lemon icing.”

  Schuyler scrunched up her nose. “And you brought us a half-eaten package of cookies? Are the Moonbeam cupcakes just a Trojan horse to hide the fact that you’re trying to unload all your leftover sweets on us?”

  “No, Schuyler.” Maddie flashed a mischievous smile at her sister. “You don’t have to eat them. There will be more for us, right, Mom?”

  Except, that was exactly why she’d brought the cookies to her parents’ house, to get them out of her own house.

  Schuyler reached over and helped herself to a cookie. She separated it, exposing the creamy center, which she scraped with her teeth.

  “Save some for the rest of us,” Maddie chided, snatching one for herself.

  “Girls,” their mom reprimanded.

  Even though this was the way Maddie and her sister had always communicated—they gently sparred—they didn’t mean anything bad by it. They certainly didn’t wish each other any harm. They were simply as different as the tortoise and the hare—in every regard—and this was one of the ways they celebrated their differences.

  “Maddie, why don’t you put the cookies and cupcakes on a plate?” Barbara reached into the cabinet and pulled out a colorful ceramic platter she’d purchased in Italy on one of the rare vacations she’d managed to coerce her husband into taking. She handed it to her daughter, who prepared to do as her mother suggested.

  “Where’s Carlo this weekend?” Maddie asked, happy to change the subject.

  “He’s in Napa this weekend, taking care of some vineyard business before the wedding.”

  A quip about when Dad was going to meet with Carlo to arrange the final payoff for his agreeing to marry Schuyler played through Maddie’s head. Even though it was meant as good-natured teasing, she stopped short of saying it because it might sound mean. As much as she and her sister loved to banter, Maddie feared that would cross the line. At worst, it might hurt Schuyler’s feelings; at best it might make Maddie look jealous. And she was. Sort of. Well, not the begrudging type of jealous, simply the type that wished she had someone who loved her as much as Carlo loved Schuyler.

  “Napa?” Maddie echoed. “I’m surprised that you didn’t go with him. Napa is gorgeous this time of year.”

  “It’s always gorgeous,” Schuyler said, “and there will be plenty of opportunities for us to visit in the future, but this might be my last chance for a sisters’ weekend while I’m still single.”

  Schuyler had made it clear that instead of a party-hard bachelorette party, she wanted a nice, quiet pampering weekend with her sisters.

  It suddenly dawned on Maddie that this was that weekend.

  Had she been so self-absorbed that she’d nearly forgotten her sister’s bachelorette party? God love Schuyler for being willing to meet her halfway—and with such a good nature, too. Her sister had taken it upon herself to show up. The least she could do was provide the bachelorette weekend of her sister’s dreams.

  At that moment, they heard Val sing, “Hello!” from the hallway. Like magic, she appeared with a bouquet of pink and gold balloons and a shopping bag from the liquor store.

  “Where’s my favorite bride-to-be?” she said. “Are you ready for a sisters’ weekend of a lifetime?”

  Val set down the bag and fished out a beauty pageant–type sash that aptly said Bride-To-Be in gold glitter, along with a plastic tiara with rhinestones and a strip of baby pink marabou at the base. Schuyler squealed.

  “Let’s get this party started,” Val said. “I brought the champagne. And I got us fancy glasses.”

  Val set out four bottles of Veuve C
licquot rosé and four painted wine goblets, that were customized to each of the women present.

  Schuyler’s, of course, said Bride-To-Be. Their mother’s glass said MOB Boss—MOB meaning mother of the bride. Maddie’s was Maid of Honor, but should’ve said Self-absorbed Slacker; and Val’s said Favorite Sister.

  Not only did Val deserve that title, but Maddie wanted to add Goddess and Lifesaver. Her little sister had saved the day and she was making it appear that she and Maddie had planned everything this way.

  She was humbled. Even though she hadn’t forgotten Schuyler’s visit, she had been so caught up in her own issues that she’d been failing on her maid of honor duties. But Val—fabulous, wonderful Val—had quietly picked up the slack.

  Maybe she didn’t have it as together as she thought. Maybe she still needed to grow a little bit—rather than being fully formed and perfectly ready to step into the Fortunado president’s role. If she could forget her sister’s bachelorette party, she needed to take a step back and see what else she was missing. But not now. She’d already spent too much time focused inward. She wasn’t going to do that this weekend. But she did file away an urgent mandate to do some serious inventory at the beginning of the week.

  Schuyler opened the first bottle of sparkling rosé with a loud pop of the cork. It caused the champagne to foam up out of the bottle and spill down over the neck.

  “Oh, Schuyler,” Barbara good-naturedly reprimanded. “Let me get a dishcloth to clean up that mess.”

  “No, Mom,” Maddie said. “You relax. I’ll get it.”

  Barbara put a hand on her oldest daughter’s shoulder. “Oh, honey. Let me do it. You’ve been working so hard with all that your father has put on you this week.”

  Maddie silenced her mother with a nearly imperceptible shake of her head. Thank goodness, the astute woman caught on. The last thing they needed right now was for the attention to be diverted from Schuyler to the race for the Fortunado presidency. The last thing Maddie wanted to deal with right now was Schuyler peppering her with questions about Zach.

  Too late.

  “Speaking of working hard,” Schuyler said. “How’s everything with Zach? Have you two had that Ping-Pong date yet?”

  “No, we haven’t.” Maddie kept her voice light. “Is there anything special you want to do this weekend, Sky?”

  “I swung by the Thirsty Ox last night,” Val said as she gave her sister a knowing look. “I saw that you and Zach were the only ones from our usual group. So, I didn’t stay. The two of you looked pretty intense.”

  Val arched a brow before she picked up the bottle and started serving the champagne.

  Val had seen them? Oh, crap. What else did she see?

  And why was she bringing it up? She was in dire danger of losing her “favorite sister” status if she wasn’t careful.

  “So, you and Zach were getting intense at the Thirsty Ox last night?” Schuyler’s mouth fell open and her eyes were huge and greedy.

  “Yes, a bunch of us always go there for happy hour on Friday nights.” Maddie shrugged it off like it was no big deal and let her gaze fall to her mother who was mopping up the spilled pink champagne and watching the scene unfold like she had a ringside seat at the roller derby.

  “But it was just you and Zach. And Val says you were getting intense.” Schuyler raised an eyebrow. “What exactly does that mean, Mads? And more important, is there something brewing that we should know about? Come on, Maddie. Spill it. I’m the bride-to be. This is my party. I demand to know.”

  Oh, there was something brewing, all right. Only, not in the way her sister was insinuating.

  An emotional storm was brewing. A storm of gargantuan proportions. If Val saw her kissing Zach—and judging by how coy she was acting, Maddie had a sinking feeling she had seen them—Maddie predicted there might be some squalls this weekend.

  “Calm down, Bridezilla.” Maddie rolled her eyes at her sister. “I’ve already told you he’s not my type.”

  Schuyler scrunched up her pretty face. “Well, okay. Since you brought it up, what is your type, Mads?”

  “My type doesn’t really matter because I haven’t even had time to think about what my type would be.” Liar. It’s Zach. “Even if I knew, I’m too busy working to date.”

  “I don’t buy that.” Schuyler squinted at Maddie.

  Maddie shrugged. “Sorry to disappoint you, but that’s my life right now. I’m happy for you and Carlo. You found each other. You’re going to marry the love of your life and that’s great. But you know what, Sky? I’m perfectly happy with my life the way it is.”

  Double liar. Maddie purposely avoided eye contact with her mother since the woman sometimes possessed the uncanny ability to read her mind.

  “But you’re bringing a date to the wedding, right?” Schuyler was undeterred.

  “Probably not.” She took a bite of her cookie.

  “Why not?”

  “Did you not hear what I just said? I’m not bringing just anyone to a family wedding and I certainly don’t have time to go out and meet someone now.”

  “You should ask Zach,” Schuyler said.

  The way Maddie’s breath hitched at the suggestion made her swallow wrong and choke on her cookie.

  Barbara clapped Maddie on the back.

  “Mom, I’m fine. I just—” Another round of coughing preempted Maddie’s words.

  “Here.” Barbara thrust her glass of sparkling rosé at Maddie. “Drink this.”

  Grateful for the diversion, Maddie took the champagne and took a long swallow. The bubbles tickled her nose and burned the back of her throat, making her eyes water.

  “Gosh, I didn’t mean to get you all choked up,” Schuyler said. “Who knew that the mere mention of Zach McCarter would do that.”

  As Maddie blinked away the moisture that had gathered in her eyes during her coughing fit, a stifling heat settled around her. It had her pulling at her dress and trying to ignore the way the searing heat burned her cheeks.

  “Even more reason that you should bring him as your date to the wedding,” Schuyler said.

  “And on that note,” Maddie said, “I think we need to have a toast.”

  Barbara jumped up. “And after that I’ll just go put these extra bottles in the spare refrigerator. I wouldn’t want them to get warm.”

  The Fortunado women held up their glasses. “To a fun weekend together,” Maddie said, trying to infuse enough happiness into her voice that it would sway them to change the subject. “And to family, the most important thing in the world.”

  After they clinked glasses, Barbara snagged an Oreo off the plate and popped it into her mouth. Before she grabbed the unopened three bottles and walked out of the kitchen, she turned to her daughters. “You girls behave yourself. And, Schuyler, eat a cupcake and don’t bully your sister about bringing a date. This may be your weekend, but it doesn’t give you a license to abandon your manners.”

  Maddie could have kissed her mom. She loved her sister, but sometimes Schuyler had a one-track mind. Like a bulldog with a bone, she could latch onto things and not give up. Case in point: Schuyler was happily engaged to Carlo Mendoza and therefore thought everyone should be as happily in love as she and Carlo.

  Nice idea in theory, but not exactly practical for the rest of the nonromantics of the world. But you might as well speak Latin to Schuyler instead of trying to explain this concept. She couldn’t seem to comprehend that not everyone was destined to meet their soul mate.

  If only.

  Barbara had no more than cleared the kitchen when Schuyler set down her glass and turned to Maddie.

  “I know you’ve been super busy with work. But you’re free this weekend.” Schuyler’s eyes had a certain glint that scared Maddie.

  “No, I’m not free. It’s your bachelorette party. It’s our sisters’ weekend. I’m very busy—we are going to be busy—and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  She would be crazy busy next week working a whole lot more si
nce it was the final week to put the finishing touch on the Paisley proposal and reel in the deal so she could secure her future.

  “I know that,” Schuyler said. “And I appreciate that you’re devoting a whole weekend to me when you have so much on your plate. So, I’m going to make it extra simple for you. You know what I want to do tonight?”

  “I’m afraid to ask, but I have a feeling you’re about to tell us.”

  “You’re darn right I am.” Schuyler knocked back the champagne that was in her glass and held it out for Val to pour some more. “I want to play Ping-Pong tonight.”

  Oh, no, she wasn’t—

  “And I want one gorgeous guy to come over and play with us.”

  Schuyler bit her bottom lip and looked as if she might explode with delight as she milked the situation for all it was worth.

  “Val, would you be a sweetheart and call Zach McCarter and ask him to join us tonight?”

  * * *

  “Maddie brought cupcakes.” Schuyler thrust the open box at Zach, and Maddie wanted to hide under the Ping-Pong table. “Try one.”

  “I’d love to sample your sweets,” he said, his eyes locking with Maddie’s, and damned if she didn’t feel the heat flood her cheeks again.