One of his thick brows rose.
“Someone is sinking a ton of money into the Austin Commons project across the street. Reports say it’s going to be the new retail and residential anchor for the neighborhood. They wouldn’t leave the design to someone who couldn’t handle it.” Now she leaned in, something about the warmth in his gaze inviting her closer. “Was I wrong about you?”
“No.”
“Are you famous?”
The smile widened. “In some circles, I suppose.”
“I also heard,” she murmured, “that you’re part of the Fortune family.”
He nodded, his blue eyes turning cool as he sat back against the vinyl-covered cushion of the booth. Interesting. Most people she knew would be shouting their connection to such a powerful family from the rooftops. Keaton seemed uncomfortable that she’d mentioned it. All traces of the smile disappeared from his face, making him look no less handsome but a lot more intimidating.
“It was pretty big news in Austin when Gerald Robinson was revealed to be that Fortune heir who everyone thought was dead.”
“Jerome Fortune.”
“Right,” she agreed. “Gerald Robinson is really Jerome Fortune. He’s your father?”
“He is.”
“Is that why you took on Austin Commons? To get to know your dad?”
“No,” he answered, the word spoken through clenched teeth. “I want nothing to do with the man, although I’m happy to spend time with my half siblings.”
It seemed she’d struck a nerve, so she quickly changed the subject. “I always wanted brothers and sisters.” She reached for her water glass and took a long drink, suddenly aware that she was sitting in Lola May’s, having a conversation with Keaton Fortune Whitfield. So much for all her plans about flirting.
She was lucky to be able to put a complete sentence together with him watching her from those gorgeous blue eyes. The lashes that surrounded them were so long they looked almost unreal. The strong line of his jaw and the faint shadow of stubble covering it balanced his beautiful eyes and full mouth.
“You’re an only child?” he prompted, the half smile returning, as if he could read her mind and understood exactly his effect on her.
She nodded. “It was just my mom and me.”
“I was raised by a single mum, as well.” He blew out a breath. “The whole time I was growing up, she worked at least two jobs to support me. She was my hero.”
All she could do was stare at him. Of all the things this man could have said, there was nothing more endearing to Francesca than how much he obviously loved his mother.
He flashed a full-fledged grin, somewhat self-deprecating, as if he hadn’t meant to share that detail with her. “Do I sound like a mummy’s boy?”
“Hardly,” she said on a small laugh. “You sound like the type of son every mother dreams about.” She paused then said, “I like the way you say ‘mum’ with your accent.”
“This coming from the woman with the adorable twang.”
“I’m a proud Texan native,” she told him, hitching a thumb at herself. “Go Longhorns. Keep Austin weird.”
“Remember the Alamo,” he added.
She giggled. “Exactly.”
“What are you studying?” He tapped a finger on the pile of notes in front of her.
“Accounting,” she said with a sigh. “I have a test tomorrow and it took everything I had to pull out an A last semester. This class is going to kill me.”
“Not going for a finance degree, I take it?”
“I’m a business major with a concentration in marketing. It’s not that I don’t like accounting...”
He nodded. “Because most people find it fascinating.”
She laughed again. For all her nerves around Keaton, it was also surprisingly easy to laugh with him. It had been a long time since Francesca had joked around with a man, other than her customers at the diner.
“I’m not sure fascinating is the right word,” she answered, “but the truth is math and I don’t always get along.” She pointed a finger at him. “I bet you’re a math whiz.”
“Not exactly,” he said, “but I do use dimensions, quantities, area and other math-based principles in my work, as they relate to spatial thinking and patterns.” He took a breath then gave her another lopsided smile. “From mummy’s boy to architecture geek. I’m not doing a bang-up job of impressing you, am I?”
“I wouldn’t say that,” she muttered, because Keaton uttering building terms had the same effect on her body as another man whispering love words.
“Are you far along in your coursework?”
A familiar twinge of regret zipped across her stomach. “I’m in my second year,” she told him. “I took some time off after high school to...travel.”
“Visit any interesting places?”
She didn’t think the backstage area of every seedy concert venue between Austin and Los Angeles was what he had in mind, so she only shook her head. “Nothing worth mentioning.” She took another drink then idly flipped through her study guide. “I’m sorry to say my study break should probably be over now. I really do need to be ready for tomorrow morning.”
Was that a look of disappointment that darkened his eyes for a brief moment?
“Thank you again for coming to my rescue tonight.”
“No problem. I’m sure your project is going to be great,” she answered.
“Would you like an early view of the plans sometime?”
She swallowed. This was her chance. Say something witty. Something flirty and cute. “Sure,” she answered on a squeak. Okay, that was pathetic.
Keaton didn’t seem to notice. “Good luck with your test tomorrow.”
She blew out a breath and tucked a stray curl behind one ear. “I’m going to need it.”
He slid to the edge of the booth like he was going to ease himself out then stopped. “I could help you study,” he offered suddenly. “Quiz you on concepts and such?”
Francesca felt her mouth drop open. “Really? Because I’m sure you have someplace better to be.” Obviously he was being kind, but she didn’t want him to feel obliged to sit with her. Despite being her best friend, Ciara had made it clear on several occasions how boring Francesca was when she studied.
“I have no plans and there’s still...” He glanced at his watch then back at her. “Over an hour until the diner closes.” He moved back to the center of the bench seat. “It’ll be fun.”
“You must have a strange definition of fun in England.” She handed him a stack of notecards. “But I can use all the help I can get. Thank you.”
He asked the first question and Francesca couldn’t hide her smile. Maybe if principles of accounting were spoken in a British accent, she’d enjoy the class more. She made a mental note to buy handsome men slices of pie more often. Already this was the best study session she’d ever had.
Chapter Three
Keaton walked toward the restaurant in downtown Austin where he’d agreed to meet Ben for lunch the next afternoon. The sidewalk was filled with men and women from all different walks of life. There were corporate types in expensive suits hurrying to and from meetings and power lunches that reminded him of being on the streets in London. Although Austin didn’t have the same Wild West atmosphere as Houston or Dallas, he still saw plenty of cowboy boots and Wrangler jeans mixed in with the trendy and somewhat casual style favored by most people in the city. It still felt a world away from the quirky neighborhood that housed his latest project and the casual restaurant that was quickly becoming his home away from home.
He’d thought about inviting Ben to Lola May’s, but for some reason Keaton wanted to keep the little gem of a diner to himself. It probably had something to do with retaining a bit of his anonymity, or at least keeping the focus o
n his work or even his accent, and not the craziness that came with being a Fortune.
Growing up in London, Keaton understood that people went a bit wacky for the royals and the Fortunes were their own version of an American royal family. They were particularly well known in Texas. Last year cosmetics mogul Kate Fortune had appointed Keaton’s half brother, Graham Fortune Robinson, as CEO of Fortune Cosmetics. That bit of news, coupled with the earlier revelation that Gerald Robinson was really Jerome Fortune, meant a brighter spotlight continued to shine on the branch of the Fortune family from Austin.
It was still an adjustment to be recognized as a Fortune when Keaton had been raised so differently from his half siblings. He liked that the staff and other customers at Lola May’s had quickly accepted him as a regular. Since it was just him and his mother growing up, Keaton appreciated any time he could be a part of a bigger community, even the casual kind at Lola May’s.
It was a far cry from the night clubs and swanky house parties he was used to back in London and it seemed to fuel his creative side as well as his spirit. He’d stayed up late last night redesigning the residential section that would become the second phase of the Austin Commons project based on feedback he’d received from the development company’s CEO. In addition to the brownstones and smaller apartments, he’d added an inner courtyard that could function as a community gathering space.
Many of the changes centered around an open-air design with shade pavilions to take advantage of the mild temperatures in Austin. Granted, he had yet to live through a Texas summer, but he was definitely enjoying the fact that he could be out in just a shirt in January.
He’d spoken to his mother just yesterday, and she’d told him it had rained in London every day since the new year began. Keaton lifted his face to the bright Texas sun and was grateful for the warmth on his skin.
Almost as grateful as he was to the obnoxious local at the diner last night who’d given him an earful of grief. Listening to that blighter was a small price to pay for finally getting an opportunity to talk to Francesca Harriman.
At first she’d been as skittish as one of the colts on Graham’s ranch outside of town. The pink that had tinged her cheeks when she’d mentioned his accent was adorable. It was a strange thing, the way American women got so flustered when he spoke. But he had to admit he’d placed an extra emphasis on rounding his vowels and making his voice a bit more clipped when speaking to Francesca just to elicit a reaction from her.
It seemed only fair given the way she made him feel as nervous as a schoolboy with his first crush. He would have been content to sit and stare at her all night long. From a distance it was difficult to notice anything except her riot of blond curls and that luscious figure. Up close he realized her features were quite delicate, from her caramel-colored eyes with flecks of gold dancing through them to her high cheekbones and rosebud mouth.
More surprising was how much he’d enjoyed simply talking to Francesca once they’d each acclimated to the other. He could tell she didn’t even realize how appealing she was with her humor and gentle teasing. He was used to women who played games by volleying veiled sexual innuendoes and flirting outrageously. Francesca was wholly real, and helping her study for her test had been the most fun he’d had in ages.
If only he’d had a study partner like Francesca when he’d been at university. Scratch that. He would have spent far too much time watching her nibble on her bottom lip, something she did when concentrating and one more thing about her that drove him absolutely wild.
“Who is she?”
Keaton stopped as his half brother Ben Fortune Robinson stepped in front of him on the sidewalk. He was surprised to realize he’d made it to the restaurant, as he’d been oblivious to any thoughts except those of Francesca.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he lied. “I’ve got work on the brain.”
Although they had different mothers, Keaton looked enough like the Robinson twins, Wes and Ben, to make it clear to any stranger that he was related. Ben had come to London last year after his sister Rachel had revealed that Gerald Robinson was truly Jerome Fortune and the eight legitimate Robinson children might have other half siblings they didn’t know from their father’s various short-lived affairs over the years. Keaton had never known his father but the photo that Ben had of Gerald showed the same man from the photo Keaton’s mother kept hidden in her dresser drawer. The man who had broken her heart.
It had been a shock for Keaton to discover he was part of such a large and famous family, but he was determined to track down the rest of the children Gerald had left in his wake.
Ben was now happily married to Ella, who he’d hired to help him track down Keaton and other possible siblings. The happy couple was expecting their first baby in the next few weeks, which meant that in the course of one short year, Keaton had gone from an only child to a brother and soon-to-be uncle.
He held the door of the cafe open for Ben, who leveled a knowing look at him. “Give me a break,” Ben said before greeting the hostess by name. As the young woman led them to a table in the back, Ben continued to goad him. “If designing a building puts that cow-eyed look on your face, you definitely need to get out more.”
“I don’t know what kind of cows you have in Texas,” Keaton shot back, “but I’m not one of them.”
Obviously listening to their conversation, the hostess gave him a strange, assessing smile as they sat and she handed them menus.
“I guess you’re simply infatuated with our fair city,” Ben answered. “We’ll leave it at that.”
“Good idea,” Keaton agreed. He wasn’t ready to share Francesca with anyone. They’d only had one conversation, but he wanted more. The trick was going to be how to convince her. “How is Ella?”
“In her words she’s ‘ready to pop,’”
A waitress approached the table and recited the lunch specials in a bored, monotone voice. Keaton couldn’t help compare this place with Lola May’s, where the waitstaff and customers joked and laughed and generally treated each other as an extended family. Lola May set the tone for the casual, sociable environment so that eating there felt like pulling up a seat at a friend’s table. It was silly, but the restaurant had eased his transition to a new country and unfamiliar city, making him feel like he had a place he belonged.
They ordered and Ben continued, “We have everything set up for the baby’s arrival, but I still don’t feel ready.” He shrugged. “I never thought being a father was in the cards for me, you know?”
Keaton knew all too well. “You’ll do great.”
“Because I had such a bang-up role model in my dad?” He cleared his throat, then added, “I mean our dad.”
“Gerald wasn’t a father to me,” Keaton said quietly. “He isn’t anything to me.”
The waitress returned with two glasses of iced tea, and he took a long drink to cool the angry heat that pooled low in his stomach at the thought of the man who’d abandoned him and his mother. “But, yes, that’s part of the reason why I have no doubt you’ll take to fatherhood like a duck to water. It’s important for you not to repeat the same mistakes Gerald made.”
“I used to believe he’d made mistakes, but now I wonder if he was simply willfully ignorant for so many years.” Ben tapped one finger against the table. “Or the type of man who just didn’t care.”
Keaton inclined his head. “He’s still your dad, and I don’t want my personal feelings about him to color your opinion.”
“Trust me,” Ben said quietly, “I’ve had plenty of reasons to develop my own feelings about him. Each new revelation is a challenge, but Ella has helped me make peace with a lot of it.”
“You’re lucky to have found her.”
“Damn straight. I almost have to be grateful for all the turmoil Dad’s new identity caused because it led me to Ella. If I hadn’t crashe
d Kate Fortune’s birthday party last year, I never would have met her. It’s hard to imagine my life without her. Ella is the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“There’s another reason you’ll be a good father—you love your baby’s mother.”
“With my whole heart.”
Keaton sucked in a sharp breath at Ben’s words. What would it feel like to give his whole heart to another person? To him, it felt like a recipe for disaster. He’d seen what that kind of love had done to his mother. She’d never gotten over having her heart broken by Gerald Robinson, and it had colored every part of her life. Keaton wouldn’t allow himself to be vulnerable to another person, nor did he want the responsibility of someone loving him that way.
An image of Francesca popped into his mind, but he immediately discounted it. Yes, there was something about the woman that made him want to know her better, but it was infatuation—nothing more.
“Do you have any new leads on other Fortune offspring?” he asked, wanting to change the subject away from love. If Ben was head over heels, there was no sense in Keaton trying to convince his half brother that those feelings were just an illusion. Keaton still worried that he wasn’t as distant in personality from Gerald Robinson as he wanted to believe. He simply wasn’t built for long-term commitment.
“I’m working on tracking down a woman living right here in Austin. It’s a pretty solid lead.”
“My contact in France,” Keaton said, “is gathering information about your former au pair. Nothing substantial yet, but he’s close. I’ve also been working to track down another lead in Oklahoma.”
Ben gave a small nod. “It’s slow going, but that’s how we want it. All of these people who my father left behind have lives and families, just like you did. We need to be sure that we approach them the right way.”
“It’s also important that we’re sure they are Gerald’s children. There are many reasons someone would want to be part of both the Robinson and the Fortune families.” Even before their connection to the Fortunes was revealed, the Robinson family had fame and wealth of their own account. Robinson Computers, the technology company Jerome Fortune founded after he changed his identity to Gerald Robinson, was worth millions and growing every year. Keaton refused to allow his new siblings to fall prey to impostors looking to make a quick buck off a feigned familial connection. But for the ones out there like him...
A Fortune in Waiting Page 3