Fortune's Secret Heir Read online

  “Passport!” She couldn’t help but laugh. “When would I have had need for a passport?”

  He gave her a chagrined look. “Right. You’ve only been to Seattle and San Francisco.”

  “Even if I did have a passport, I wouldn’t go overseas. Not to London, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

  “It was.” He set aside the notebook and focused on her. “Why wouldn’t you want to go? If things get that far? Judging by your reaction to Boston, you obviously like traveling to new places.”

  She liked traveling with Ben.

  Telling him that was out of the question, though. “My brother has cerebral palsy,” she said. “With my mom’s work schedule, it’s tough on them if I have to be gone for too long.”

  Comprehension crossed his face. “That’s why you hesitated to come to Boston? Why didn’t you just say so?”

  She lifted her shoulder.

  “It must be a challenge having a brother with special needs.”

  She shook her head. “I’ve never known anything different. Rory’s great. He’s smart as a whip. Plays chess. President of his high school computer club. He’s pretty independent. He can walk with braces, but he also has really severe asthma. It’s put him in the hospital more than once.”

  “He’s sixteen?”

  She smiled. “Almost seventeen, a fact that he feels compelled to regularly share with us.”

  “He’s lucky to have you.”

  “I’m the lucky one. He gives me a hard time, knowing I’m working for you, but I know he loves me.”

  “Hard time?”

  “Like I said. President of the computer club. A complete tech geek. His bedroom is a shrine to all things electronic.”

  His lips twitched. “Sounds like Wes.”

  “You’re twins. Sure you aren’t a tech geek, too?”

  He laughed outright. “I’m business. Wes is development.”

  “And neither one of you were classified as geeks in the latest list of Austin’s most eligible bachelors.”

  “Yeah, well, lists like that only look at marital status and bank balances.” He jerked his chin toward the notebook. “They don’t factor in fathers who lie about their identity and cheat on their wives.”

  “I think you’re very eligible.” The words came before she could stop them. “I’ve never met him, obviously, but your father can’t be all bad. He founded Robinson Computers. I even know the company is active in philanthropic efforts because I read about them on the website. Those are good things.”

  He grunted. “You’re better off not meeting my old man. But I’d like to meet Rory. President of the computer club? Impressive. That’s something I never achieved.”

  She didn’t believe he meant it, but she couldn’t help appreciating the words. “He’s also competing in a chess tournament next week at his school.”

  “What day?”

  “Friday.”

  “All day?”

  She nodded.

  “Take the day off so you can be there.”

  “Thanks.” She squeezed her armrest for a moment. “If you, um, if you really want to meet him, you could drop by the school.”

  Ben studied her face, looking for proof that she’d only made the invitation out of duty.

  He found none.

  He smiled slightly. “I’ll check my schedule.” Then, before he lost himself entirely in her eyes, he turned his attention back to her notes and cleared the strange constriction from his throat. “Keaton Whitfield. An architect, you say?”

  “Yes.” She sounded relieved to get the subject back on track. “Since he’s in London, I wondered if you might find some help from the Fortunes themselves. Aren’t some of them from England? That’s only if we don’t have luck reaching him directly, of course. I mean, you got hold of Randy, so maybe we’ll have that sort of luck with Keaton.”

  He nodded, wondering why he hadn’t thought of that himself. “But if we don’t, the Fortune Chesterfields could be a place to start...”

  * * *

  “It was nice of Mr. Robinson to give you the day off,” Ella’s mother observed quietly for about the fifth time that day.

  It was Friday. The day of Rory’s chess tournament, and they were sitting on the bleachers in the gymnasium of Rory’s school. The chess matches were set up on the floor at the far end of the gym and were down to the last two rounds. “It was.” She propped her elbows on her knees, watching Rory study the board before making his move and hitting the time clock. “Rory looks tired. He’s been using his inhaler a lot.”

  Elaine peered at her son. As the day had worn on, so had the onlookers—something not particularly encouraged at a chess tournament, anyway—but there were still a good fifty or so parents huddled in the section of seating allotted to them. “Yes, but he’s determined. He’d never forgive me if I pulled him out at this point.”

  Ella knew that was true enough. She propped her elbows on her raised knees and cupped her chin on her hands.

  “You look tired, too,” Elaine murmured.

  “I’m fine.”

  “Everything still going all right with your job?”

  Ella had already told her mother all about the Boston trip the weekend before. Well, not all about the trip. But the sightseeing and the fancy hotel room and the food. “Fine. I haven’t even seen B—Mr. Robinson since we got back, actually. He’s been in California.” A fact she’d learned from Mrs. Stone. Instead of leaving Ben written reports of her daily progress, she’d sent them to his personal email address. His responses had been brief to the point of terseness. Maybe because she’d had to tell him neither the Chicago nor Montreal leads had panned out, after all. Nor had she had any success getting Keaton Whitfield to respond to her messages.

  “He travels a lot for Robinson Tech, it seems,” Elaine said.

  Someone sitting behind them shushed them.

  Ella looked over her shoulder, mouthing sorry.

  Ben had told her Henry lived with his parents now in California. Would he have tried to see the boy?

  To see the boy’s mother?

  She didn’t want to wonder. But she couldn’t stop herself from doing so.

  She suddenly stretched out her legs, unable to sit there and let her mind dwell on impossibilities. “I’m going to buy some lemonade,” she whispered to her mom. “Do you want something?”

  Elaine shook her head and patted her arm as Ella worked her way past her and down the tiered seats.

  It had been nearly six years since Ella had walked the halls of the high school as a student, but nothing had changed. There were still vending machines located in the entryway of the gym, which did double duty as the school auditorium, and even though finding a drink had only been an excuse, she fed coins into the machine and waited for the bottle to drop.

  It did.

  But only partway, sticking halfway down.

  “For crying out loud.” She banged her palm against the glass front of the machine, trying to dislodge it.

  “Got a problem there?”

  She whirled around at the voice behind her and stared at Ben in shock. He was in one of his gray suits again, with a black-and-silver striped tie. She had the fanciful thought that he must own dozens of ties; she’d never seen the same one twice. “What are you doing here?”

  His eyebrow peaked. “Did I mistake you inviting me last Saturday?”

  “No! No, but I didn’t even tell you what school.”

  He smiled faintly. “I have other means of discovering things than just you.”

  She flushed and his smile widened slightly.

  “I wasn’t sure you’d still be here,” he added. “How’s your brother doing?”

  She felt strangely tongue-tied. “Very well. He’s won all but two of his previo
us rounds, but he still has two more games to get through. And after six hours, I think he’s looking pretty tired.” Her brother was playing against some of the most talented kids in the state. None of whom had the physical challenges that Rory did. “He’ll keep going, though. That’s what Rory does.”

  “Good for him.” He stepped closer and lifted his arm and she completely forgot how to breathe.

  But all he did was smack the machine with a firm hand and her bottled lemonade tumbled down to the dispenser. “That’s what you were banging on it for, right? Can’t imagine you trying to get a bottle without paying for one.”

  She leaned over and retrieved the bottle from the bottom of the machine. “Yes. Would you like one?”

  “Don’t mind if I do,” he said, surprising her into muteness again. He pulled several coins from his pocket and fed the machine. “My flight back was delayed and I haven’t had a chance to eat.”

  She dared a glance at the vending machine next to the drink machine. It carried all manner of snacks from dried fruit to sweet rolls, but she couldn’t imagine a single thing inside it appealing to Ben. “I think there are granola bars there.”

  His bottle—lemonade, just like hers—dropped without impedance and he plucked it from the dispensing tray. “Unless it’s a rare steak, I’ll pass. So.” He looked toward the opened doorways on opposite ends of the entry. “Lead the way.”

  She hesitated. “My mother is here, too.”

  “Is that a problem for some reason?”

  “Of course not.” As long as her mother didn’t make too big a deal out of Ella’s boss showing up. She hadn’t told Elaine that she’d mentioned the event to Ben.

  He uncapped his bottle and took a long sip. “So, come on,” he said when he lowered it again, and gestured with the bottle.

  She honestly felt a need to gulp. She had never in a million years expected Ben to appear at the chess tournament. She also hadn’t told Rory to expect him, since her brother would only be disappointed.

  Yet here Ben was.

  And suddenly it felt like sunshine wanted to burst out of her.

  Chapter Eleven

  “No way,” Rory breathed, staring from the tablet computer Ben had just put in his hands to the man’s face. “This is for me?”

  “Unless you’d rather I give it to Janet Yee as consolation for the way you won the first-place trophy,” he said drily.

  He’d followed Ella and her mother and brother from the school to their home after the tournament, and from the corner of his eye, he could see the two women working in the kitchen while they prepared dinner.

  Elaine’s mother had insisted he join them, even though he’d have been happy to take them to any restaurant they chose. In celebration of Rory’s spectacular win, he’d said. But mostly because it gave him a good excuse to close out a hellish week with at least the positive note that Ella always provided.

  It was easy to see what she’d look like in another few decades. The only thing Ella hadn’t inherited from her mother was her auburn hair. Elaine’s hair was shoulder-length and brown without a hint of gray. But Ben figured he was probably as close to her age as he was to Ella’s.

  A helluva thought.

  He looked back at Rory. The boy was taller than he’d expected, but he was every bit as sharp as Ella had claimed.

  “It’s time that Janet Yee had to share the spotlight,” Elaine said, entering the living room. “The girl’s been winning every tournament she enters for at least five years.” She handed a thick white mug of coffee to Ben. “Cream or sugar?”

  “This is perfect, thank you.” He held up the mug in a toast to Rory. “So what’s your next mountain to climb in the chess world?”

  Rory’s fingers were stroking the thin tablet, almost as if he was afraid to turn it on. “There’s a regional tournament in a few months. But it’s in San Francisco.” He lifted his thin shoulder. “It’d mean hotels and stuff.”

  In other words, the cost of attending the tournament was an issue.

  Ben gestured at the tablet. “Sell that,” he suggested drily. “You’ve got it a full three months before we’re releasing it.”

  “No way,” Rory said again, clutching the tablet to his chest.

  Elaine caught Ben’s eye and they both chuckled.

  “I was just in San Francisco on business,” Ben told Rory. “Will the tournament there be held at a school, as well?”

  Rory shook his head, naming some hotel. But Ben was having a hard time listening. In the kitchen, Ella had twisted her ponytail into a knot on top of her head and was bending over, pulling something from the oven. Her curvy, jean-clad rear made concentrating on her brother a challenge.

  “Rory,” Elaine interrupted. “Go and wash up for supper.”

  The teen looked ready to protest, but he set aside the tablet and pulled himself to his feet with the aid of his metal crutches and left the room.

  “It was very nice of you to come to the tournament,” Elaine said when he was gone. “But the tablet is much too generous a gift.”

  “I’m not taking it back,” he warned lightly. “Ask your daughter. She’ll assure you I’m stubborn that way.”

  “He is,” Ella said, coming in from the kitchen to set a casserole dish on the middle of the dining room table. “It’s Mr. Robinson’s way or the highway,” she said lightly before hurrying back into the kitchen.

  “My daughter says she had a lovely time in Boston. You arranged a private tour guide for her, I understand?”

  He’d pawned off Ella on Johnny so he wouldn’t be tempted to put his hands on her again. But he nodded, since—technically—Elaine’s understanding wasn’t incorrect.

  “You’re very generous.”

  “She was in Boston at my request. The least I could do was insure she had the chance to see some of the city while I was tied up with other business.”

  Elaine just smiled, but her eyes were definitely taking his measure.

  So much so that he was a little relieved when Rory returned and started asking him a million questions about Robinson Tech that lasted all through their meal of some chicken concoction that was filling and unexpectedly tasty. Elaine followed that up with Rory’s favorite dessert—angel food cake with peach sauce drizzled over it—and even though Ben figured it was well past time he excused himself, he couldn’t make himself do it.

  Instead, while Ella and Elaine were clearing the table again, he eyed Rory. “So, how about a chess game? You and me? It’s been a while since I played, but—”

  “I’ll get the board,” Rory interrupted, and shoved away from the table so fast it was almost comical. He practically ran out of the room, his braces and legs so unevenly gaited that Ben got half out of his seat in case the kid fell.

  Ella noticed. “Sit. He’ll be fine. He doesn’t appreciate too much assistance.”

  Ben sat back down and looked up at Ella as she retrieved the pad that had sat under the hot chicken dish. She was wearing a gray V-neck thermal shirt patterned with little orange flowers that clung to her curves, but it was the cluster of pale freckles on the back of her neck that taunted him most.

  “I didn’t know you played chess,” she said.

  “It’s been a while.”

  Her eyes suddenly danced. “Hope you’re prepared to lose, then.”

  He couldn’t help smiling. “Maybe I won’t lose. Want to place a wager?”

  Ella laughed and shook her head. “No way, Mr. Robinson. I’m not naive enough to bet against you or my brother.”

  Before he could get too distracted by her, Rory came back with his chessboard and began setting up the pieces.

  * * *

  Ella returned to the kitchen, where her mom was still rinsing the dinner dishes at the sink.

  “Go sit with them,” Elaine urged
softly when Ella began loading the dishwasher with the rinsed plates. “You obviously want to.”

  Ella avoided her mother’s eyes. “He’s just being nice.”

  “And what’s wrong with a man who is nice?” Elaine turned off the faucet and handed the last plate to her. “Your father was a nice man, too.”

  Ella flushed and quickly shoved the plate into the dishwasher rack. “It’s not like that.”

  “Isn’t it?” Elaine leaned her hip against the counter, crossing her arms. “I see the way you look at him.”

  From the dining room table, Ella could hear Rory’s adolescent voice and Ben’s much deeper one as they trash-talked their way through their chess match.

  The fact that Ben was making Rory laugh made her feel stupidly soft inside.

  She dumped dishwashing powder in the dispenser and slammed the dishwasher door shut. “I don’t know what you mean.” She jabbed the button and started the noisy appliance, then reached for a dishtowel to wipe off her damp hands.

  “Ella.” Keeping her back toward the doorway leading to the living room, Elaine stepped into Ella’s path, keeping her from escape. To further cement her position, she grabbed Ella’s arm and pulled her into the laundry room, where their voices wouldn’t travel. “You’re a beautiful young woman and it’s equally apparent to me that your Mr. Robinson is very aware of that fact.”

  “I don’t need to be warned about getting in over my head, Mom. I know he’s out of my league.”

  Elaine lifted her hand. “I wasn’t finished.”

  Ella swallowed, looking at the ceiling.

  “What I was going to say was that I also know how wide that streak of responsibility is that you possess,” Elaine continued. “And I want to tell you to stop worrying so much about your brother and me. To stop worrying about your classes and medical bills and being the perfect daughter, which you are, anyway. Just be the beautiful young woman you are with a very nice man.”

  Ella looked at her mom. “What are you suggesting?”

  Elaine laughed. “Good heavens, Ella, get that look off your face. I’m not suggesting you go out and seduce your boss. I’m just telling you to enjoy yourself for once. I’m not so doddering that I can’t tell Mr. Robinson didn’t come to dinner because he wanted my chicken casserole. He wanted more time with you. Not that you need to ask, but I’m telling you that I approve.”