Maddie’s heart sank.
“But before I go, I want to thank your parents and congratulate them on your father’s big decision. But first, Ping-Pong.”
Maddie was sure she’d heard him wrong. “Did you say Ping-Pong?”
He flashed that grin and those dimples made Maddie’s toes curl in her sandals.
“It was my favorite pastime when I was nine,” he said. “I’m sure you didn’t know that.”
She laughed. Ping-Pong.
“No, I didn’t know that.”
“Do you play?”
“As a matter of fact, I was pretty darn good at it, back in the day.”
“We should play sometime,” he said.
Maddie drew in a sharp breath and nearly choked. She didn’t understand her reaction. He wasn’t asking her on a date.
“You two should totally play,” Schuyler urged. “In fact, I think we still have a Ping-Pong table somewhere around here. Mom never gets rid of anything. She just learns new techniques to masterfully store everything. But I digress. We should have a Ping-Pong date night. It would be so much fun. Totally retro. My money would be on Mads, though. She was pretty good at it. Or at least she was the most competitive out of all of us. She’s always hated to lose. She still does.”
Maddie impaled her sister with a look, to which Schuyler seemed oblivious.
Not true! Okay, maybe it’s a little true.
Even so, she wished Schuyler hadn’t said it.
“It’s a date, then,” Zach said. “The loser will buy the winner’s beer one Friday at the Thirsty Ox.” He turned and started walking away, but stopped and turned back. “And the loser has to tell the other winner five personal things.”
Chapter Two
The next morning, Maddie glanced up from her computer and saw her sister Valene standing in the doorway of her office.
“Do you have a moment?” Val asked. “I have some questions about the McKinney listing on West Pine.”
Maddie’s eyes flitted to the time at the bottom of her computer screen. When she’d gotten to her desk at 7:30 this morning, her father’s executive assistant, Rae Rowley, had phoned and asked her to clear her schedule at 11:00. Maddie had been a jumble of nerves for more than three hours this morning, doing everything she could to distract herself. Why hadn’t Val come to her sooner?
The 11:00 meeting was the meeting. The one she’d been waiting for since she’d joined the firm. Probably longer than that—since she was born.
She’d been reading an email about a career day event sponsored by the local school system. She’d volunteered to share everything she knew and loved about the real estate business with elementary schoolkids, but today she was reading the material to distract herself more so than to prepare for the annual event, which was next month.
The diversion had worked because now it was 10:55.
“I’m supposed to meet with Dad in five minutes.” She smiled a knowing smile and her younger sister’s mouth fell open as realization dawned in her eyes.
“Is this about...?” Val made circles with her hands, as if she were indicating something that was too big to put into words.
“I think so,” Maddie said. “I hope so. I guess I’ll find out in about—” She glanced at the time again. “Four minutes.”
Maddie stood and gathered her leather folio and her lucky Montblanc fountain pen. It had been a gift from her father when he’d promoted her to vice president.
“I’m sorry I can’t talk right now. Unless it’s super quick and you want to walk and talk. Or we could meet later?”
“Oh, my gosh, don’t you worry one bit.” Val reached out and gave Maddie’s arm a little squeeze. “My questions can wait. This is much more important. This...” She made the all-encompassing hand circles again. “This is our future. Fortunado Real Estate’s future. And I am thrilled that I know about your promotion before anyone else.”
Maddie shrugged. “It isn’t official just yet.”
“We all know it’s coming.” Valene pulled Maddie into a hug. “Okay, chief. Go in there and show him who’s boss.”
Val let go and grimaced, shaking her head as if trying to erase the words. “Well, you probably don’t need to show Dad you’re the boss. He already knows. Oh, you know what I mean.”
Sweet Val. She was young and a little naive, but her heart was in the right place and she had such good instincts. It would be a great morale booster for her if Maddie could find some way to reward her—maybe a token promotion—after things settled down. Maddie filed that thought away to revisit soon. Right now, she had a meeting to attend.
She and Val chatted as they walked down the office’s main hall toward the formidable double doors at the end of the passageway.
“The long and short of it is the McKinneys and I are wrangling on the listing price for their house,” Val said. “They think we should ask $200,000 more than what I’m recommending for the property.”
“Did you base the price on comps in the area?” Maddie asked.
Valene shrugged. “Really, there’s nothing quite like it in the neighborhood. That’s why I need your advice. They say their home is special—”
“Everyone thinks their home is special,” Maddie said. “And I’m sure it is, to them. But at that price, we’re edging close to $185 per square foot. It would be a record for that neighborhood.”
By that time, they’d reached their dad’s office and his assistant spoke before Val could. “Your father is expecting you, Ms. Fortunado. Please go in when you’re ready.”
“Thank you, Rae,” Maddie said and turned her attention back to Val. “I’m sure they don’t want to price themselves out of the market. I’ll stop by your desk after I’m finished and we can figure it out. But I need to go. I don’t want to be late.”
She hated to leave Valene hanging, but of all people, Val knew it wasn’t a good idea to keep their father waiting. Especially not today. Besides, this was a good exercise for Val. If she was going to succeed, and Maddie had all the confidence in the world that she would, her sister needed to learn how to steer the client toward a reasonable listing price. It took practice, but she’d get the hang of it.
“No, you certainly don’t want to keep him waiting.” Val said the words with a lilting songlike quality. “Not today. Not for this meeting. Good luck.”
Maddie breathed through a hitch of anticipation that had become almost Pavlovian since her father had allowed himself to introduce the R word into his vocabulary.
Retirement.
He’d committed to it yesterday when he’d made the big announcement. Now he was about to seal the deal by putting the rest of the plan in place.
Lately, her parents had been talking about spending more time together. They wanted to travel; her father had been promising he would cut his hours. But even after the barbecue, when he hadn’t named Maddie as his successor, she wondered if he’d really go through with it. Something felt a little off. One step at a time, she’d reminded herself last night as she’d tossed and turned while reliving the announcement.
She’d never seen her mother as serious as she’d been when she’d said the cruise around the world would sail with or without him. Barbara didn’t draw lines in the sand very often, but when she did, she didn’t play. That boat was leaving on June 4, and she would be on it with or without him.
Barbara Fortunado was possibly the only thing Kenneth loved more than Fortunado Real Estate. Sure, he loved his kids, but he’d go insane if his wife was away for four months. Still, he was an all-or-nothing man. There would be no semiretirement for him. There was no way he could stay away from the office that long without making a clean break.
Even if he had sealed the deal on his retirement yesterday, this meeting made the slim chance that he might change his mind seem less likely.
“Are you free for lunch?” Val asked. “We could talk about it then.”
Maddie glanced at her watch. It was edging on 11:00. Even if Rae hadn’t specifically mentioned lunch when she’
d called about the meeting, she’d said clear your schedule.
“I’m not sure, Val. You know how Dad is. He may just want to meet, but he may want to go to lunch afterward.”
To celebrate.
Her stomach did a triple gainer at the thought.
Finally.
She would insist they get a bottle of champagne. The very best vintage in the cellar. And when he reminded her it was the middle of the day, that they had work to do, she would put her hand on his arm and tell him that he had earned this champagne. It was as much to celebrate his life-changing decision as to celebrate her promotion.
She’d pick up the tab. It would be symbolic of his passing the mantle.
“I don’t have anything scheduled this afternoon,” Val said. “Let me know when you’re free. I’d really like to get back to the McKinneys before the end of the day.”
“Of course. Of course.” Maddie smiled her most benevolent smile. “I’ll see you as soon as I’m free.”
After all, Val was Maddie’s protégé. Just as their father had trained her, it was up to her to pay it forward and teach Valene everything she knew about the Houston real estate market. Since they were so close in age, it was unlikely that Val would ever head up Fortunado. After all, the company only had room for one president. But Maddie would make sure that Val’s hard work was rewarded.
Once Val got more experience, maybe Maddie could make her a vice president? Or CFO?
Val nodded. “Sounds good. Thanks, Maddie. Good luck.” She mouthed the words and congratulations.
As Maddie turned, she smiled at Rae and walked toward her father’s office. All the hard work she’d poured into her job was about to pay off. All the long days and weekends dedicated to business rather than dating and having fun. No, scratch that. Work was fun. It was a sure thing, a solid investment. The harder she worked, the more she proved herself.
She didn’t mind chasing after a business deal. In fact, she was in her glory when she was hunting down a deal. She’d latch onto it and stay the fight until she won. But she never chased men. Men were untrustworthy. They were too unpredictable. Giving her all to business was the closest thing to a sure thing she’d ever find.
Work was a solid investment of her time. Unlike the uncertainty of the dating world. Would she like to get married and have a family? Sure. Someday. But right now, Fortunado Real Estate claimed her full attention. The more she proved herself, the more comfortable her father seemed to be about retiring and turning Fortunado Real Estate over to her.
The sound of male voices coming from her father’s office snapped her out of her reverie before she gave a staccato rap on his office door.
“Enter,” Kenneth said.
When she opened the door, she smiled askance when she saw Zach McCarter sitting in one of the two cordovan leather club chairs across from her father’s mahogany desk.
Her father and Zach stood up when they saw her.
“I’m sorry.” Maddie glanced at her watch to make sure she had the time right. It was 11:01. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. Rae said you were ready to meet with me. I can wait outside while you two finish up.”
“No,” her father said. “Come in. Come in. Zach is part of this meeting, too. Now that we’re all here we can begin.”
Maddie’s stomach dropped as the men lowered themselves into their seats. Why was Zach part of this meeting? This meeting had nothing to do with Zach.
“Sit down, Maddie.” Kenneth Fortunado gestured to the matching leather chair next to Zach.
Her mind raced as she smoothed her black pencil skirt before sitting down.
Maybe today isn’t the day. And that’s okay. It’s fine.
Actually, it wasn’t okay, but what other option did she have?
She’d talk to her dad after the meeting and assure him she knew it was hard to relinquish control. After all, if anyone knew that, she did. She’d inherited the tendency to micromanage from the man himself. He probably just needed a little reassurance that Fortunado Real Estate would be fine in her hands. It would be more than fine. It would thrive.
He just needed to bite the bullet and make the decision already.
She tamped down her disappointment by letting her gaze do a quick sweep of Zach in his dress khakis and white button-down, which was open at the collar. As always, he looked effortlessly professional. And gorgeous. Neither too casual nor overly preened. Leave it to him and his broad shoulders and perfect butt to make simple white and beige look like a work of art.
Yes, she’d noticed.
She studied the angle of his cheekbones, the slant of his aquiline nose, the waves of his blond hair and the gleam of his blue, blue bedroom eyes. It was hard not to notice Zach McCarter and all his masculine perfection.
In fact, just last night she’d indulged in a late-night fantasy about Zach’s masculine perfection—those perfect shoulders and butt. And those dimples. Oh, those dimples.
He was gorgeous. And she was human. And he was totally and completely off-limits, which made him the perfect secret crush. And, well, a guy like Zach never looked at a woman like Maddie, which was fine with her. In fact, it was just the way she liked it. If she was going to be his boss, he could never know about the thoughts that ran through her head.
It wasn’t as if he was a mind reader. So, she had nothing to worry about.
Except she was worrying about his presence at this meeting. What was he doing here?
Maddie thought her father would’ve talked to her separately.
A sinking feeling lodged itself in the pit of her stomach.
Last year, Zach had barely edged out Maddie as Fortunado’s top sales producer. This year they were running neck and neck. But it was only May and she fully intended to reclaim the throne. That victory would be the final jewel in the crown after she took over for her father. Of course, she’d been focusing on administrative tasks other than sales—mentoring Valene, learning the advertising and promo end of the business, researching client-building methods, and such. There were only so many hours in the day. She was doing all the extras and almost matching Zach as the top sales producer. It went without saying that if all she did was focus on sales, like Zach did, she’d be running circles around McCarter.
“Thank you for making time to meet with me this morning,” her father said, as if either of them would’ve opted out. “I’ve been eyeing retirement for a while now. It’s taken me a long time to wrap my head around the concept, but with a little help from Barbara, I’ve finally decided to take the plunge.”
He paused for what seemed an eternity and Maddie held perfectly still, resisting the urge to shift in her seat, redistributing her impatience.
Now that sinking feeling was gripping her stomach and attempting to turn it inside out.
“Congratulations, Kenneth,” Zach said. “I know it wasn’t an easy decision.”
“Thank you, Zach. It’s been one of the most difficult decisions of my life. This business represents the sum of my life’s work. I’ve invested a lot of sweat equity in this place, building it from the ground up. So, you can imagine that I want to leave the business in the best hands once I step back.”
Maddie sensed what was about to happen before her father spelled it out. She wanted to say something, but she didn’t want Zach McCarter to glimpse any weakness or uncertainty in her. This was her future. Her legacy. This wasn’t happening—
“I consider the two of you my right-hand people,” Kenneth continued as Maddie’s peripheral vision was overtaken by a white-tinged fog.
You can only have one right hand, Dad. Who is it? Him or me? It’s me, dammit. It’s me. Why are you doing this?
Her gaze could’ve singed a hole into her father as she tried in vain to telegraph her feelings to him. But he seemed clueless.
“That’s why I’ve narrowed the candidates for my replacement down to the two of you.”
He glanced first at Zach and then at Maddie.
“Maddie?” Kenneth’s smile fell. “Are
you okay?”
Feeling two sets of eyes on her, Maddie forced her mouth into a smile. “I’m just surprised, Dad. This was the last thing I expected when you asked me to meet with you this morning.”
Her father gazed at her a few beats too long and she was sure he sensed her confusion. He was an intuitive man. He had to know that this was not just a surprise, but a personal affront, an insult.
“I thought you would’ve had some kind of idea,” her father said, “since we’ve discussed the possibility of you running Fortunado in the future.”
The possibility.
He’d led her to believe that it was more than just a possibility. No, he’d led her to believe that she would step into the position of president of Fortunado Real Estate upon his retirement. Now he couldn’t walk it back fast enough.
“I guess I thought you were offering more than a possibility,” she said.
She had dedicated every bit of her postgraduate self to Fortunado Real Estate. She’d sacrificed her personal life, her dating life, working eighteen-hour days and weekends, making herself available to clients twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. While her father may not have out-and-out promised her she would be his successor, he had implied it. Besides, Kenneth Fortunado was all about family. Why in the world would he consider turning over the family business to an outsider?
Her father either chose to ignore her remark or pretend as if he hadn’t heard it, because he was already moving on. It was a good thing he hadn’t pressed her because she wasn’t about to say anything more in front of Zach.
Her father leaned forward, his hands folded on his desk. “Barbara and I leave on our cruise on June 4. That means right after the wedding—in approximately two weeks—I will name my successor. If the two of you choose to accept the challenge, one of you will take my place as president of Fortunado Real Estate.”
Maddie glanced at Zach, fully expecting him to do the right thing and bow out. She wanted him to hold up his hands and say that it wasn’t appropriate, that it wasn’t his place to challenge Maddie for what was rightfully hers. Instead, he flashed that perfect smile with those dimples that opened doors and broke hearts. He looked Maddie square in the eyes and said, “I’m in.”
Maddie Fortune's Perfect Man Page 3