Michelle Major – A Fortune In Waiting (страница 7)
Ariana didn’t seem put off by his question. “I want to reassure you I intend to approach this series of blogs with the utmost respect to your family. The Fortunes are important in Texas, and the family’s history appeals to many readers even beyond Austin. I’m curious what it’s like to discover that you are part of such a venerable legacy.”
He schooled his features as he thought of Gerald’s legacy. Yes, Ben and his siblings, the legitimate heirs to the Robinson name, were a big part of that. Each of them had dealt with their own issues since they’d learned that their father was really Jerome Fortune. There was also Charlotte Robinson to consider. Keaton couldn’t help but wonder how Gerald’s wife of more than thirty years was adjusting to this turn in her family’s dynamic. From the little he’d heard from his siblings about their mother, Charlotte was handling the changes with stoic poise, but it had to be acutely difficult for her.
“There are those who have had a bigger adjustment than me,” he answered. “You seem to have done your research on the family.”
Ariana smoothed a hand over the stack of files that sat in front of her. “I have.”
“As I’m sure you know, I was raised by a single mother. That means I always knew there was a part of my history that was missing. For some of the Fortune heirs, I believe it’s been quite a shock to discover there is more to their family than they’d grown up knowing.”
“But it must have been a shock for you to find out that the father you never knew was actually part of such a well-known and powerful family?”
Keaton inclined his head. “Yes,” he admitted.
“That’s the focus of this series. I want to profile some of the newer members of the Fortune family and share with readers the unique process of becoming a Fortune.”
“Becoming a Fortune,” Keaton repeated.
“That’s the title of the series,” Ariana told him. She slid several of the photos toward him, and he recognized the people in them as other recently minted Fortunes. There were several images of the children of Josephine Fortune Chesterfield. Unlike Gerald, Lady Josephine and her sister, Jeanne Marie Fortune Jones, hadn’t kept their status as Fortunes a secret. The women had both been put up for adoption as babies, two of a trio of triplets that also included family scion James Marshall Fortune.
It was only a few years ago that Jeanne Marie and Josephine’s connection to the Fortunes was revealed and they and their children had made the transition to being part of the famous family. Keaton already knew of the Fortune Chesterfields, as their ties to the royal family made them celebrities in Britain. From what he’d learned of the Fortune Jones branch of the Fortune family, based in the small Texas town of Horseback Hollow, they’d been regular people who had a bigger adjustment to being part of the limelight that came from being a Fortune.
“Which of the Fortunes have you spoken to already?”
Ariana’s dark gaze didn’t waver. “You’re the first.”
“Why me?”
She held up a hand to tick off the reasons on her fingers. “You’re now a local, which will be interesting to my readers, and the Austin Commons project is already news. The fact that you discovered your relationship with Gerald Robinson—or Jerome Fortune to be more precise—as an adult is intriguing. The Fortunes are quite well known in the States, particularly in Texas. The Fortune Chesterfields are famous in their own right, but you’re different.” She flashed a wry grin and added, “Unique.”
“Not as unique as you might think,” he muttered then regretted speaking the words out loud when Ariana leaned over the table.
“What does that mean?”
He thought about ignoring the question and refusing to be a part of the interview and subsequent profile. Other than recognition for his work, Keaton had never craved fame. But he remained deeply committed to discovering the others out there who’d been discarded by Gerald, and he felt certain there were more. Maybe if he spoke with Ariana, he could shake up the family tree a bit and see what else might fall from the branches.
He had to balance his need to locate other Fortune children with his desire to respect his half siblings and what the knowledge of their father’s philandering would do to them. That meant he had to tread carefully with Ariana.
“It means there’s more to the story of Jerome Fortune than anyone outside the family knows.”
The reporter’s eyes widened and she reached into the purse that sat on the chair next to her and pulled out a hand-held recorder. “What can you tell me?”
“Nothing while we’re on the record,” he said, shaking his head.
She sucked in a breath, clearly frustrated with his answer. “I have a responsibility to my readers.”
“I have a responsibility to my brothers and sisters,” he told her. His lungs expanded as he said the words. They were a truth he felt from the bottom of his heart. He might be new to the Fortune family, but Ben, Wes, Graham, Olivia, Rachel, Kieran, Zoe and Sophie meant something to him. They meant he wasn’t alone in the world any longer. “I’ll talk to you about my theories on Gerald Robinson and the implied consequences of how he’s chosen to live his life, but that can’t be part of the story you publish.”
Ariana studied him for several moments then placed the recorder back in her purse. “Will you agree to a featured profile on you in the magazine and on the blog?”
“I’ll think about it.”
“What about your theories on your father?”
“He’s not—” The urge to deny his connection to Gerald came fast and hot, but he swallowed it back, letting the bitterness burn a path down his throat. “For now, let’s just say that I don’t think I’m the only skeleton in Gerald’s adulterous closet.”
“That’s quite the bombshell,” she murmured.
“Indeed. I plan to uncover my father’s secrets.”
“I can help,” Ariana offered immediately.
He started to protest, but she held up a hand. “Off the record, Keaton. I won’t lie to you, if the ‘Becoming a Fortune’ series takes off, it will be a great stepping stone for me. I’m good at research and tracking down leads. But I’ll only take it as far as makes you and your half siblings comfortable. All I ask in return is that you agree to let me interview you, and not block my way to speaking with other Fortunes.”
“That’s fair,” he agreed then glanced at his watch. “I have a meeting at my office this afternoon. Call me and we’ll set up a time to talk about my Fortune journey.”
She stood at the same time he did and they shook hands. “I look forward to it,” she told him.
He expected to feel tense about what he’d agreed to, but as he returned to the Austin Commons project site, a sense of peace descended over him. He could try to convince himself and everyone around him that Gerald meant nothing to him, but the lack of a father had shaped almost every decision Keaton had made in his life. This was his chance to define what “becoming a Fortune” meant to him, and if Ariana Lamonte could help track down other half siblings then all the better.
When the bell above the door to Lola May’s chimed at just past six that evening, Francesca didn’t need to turn around to know that Keaton had just walked in. The fact that her heart began to race and a tiny shiver made goose bumps pop up all over her body left no question.
She smiled at the couple at the table in front of her as she set down their plates of food. The man made a silly joke about buttering biscuits and Francesca tried to think of a clever response. She liked bantering with customers, but right now every one of her brain cells had taken the fast train south to parts of her body she’d assumed were stuck in permanent hibernation.
Keaton Whitfield might be the reason for global warming, at least in Francesca’s world.
Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she saw him slide into a booth in her section. It shouldn’t be so difficult to think about speaking to him. They’d had an entire conversation last night where she hadn’t stuttered or drooled or made an obvious idiot of herself. He’d been polite and charming, neither of which surprised her given how she’d seen him interact with Lola May and the other waitresses during his daily visits to the diner.
But actually enjoying his company had been a bit of a revelation. She couldn’t remember ever simply having fun with Lou. Every moment they’d been together had been about her adoring him. His life. His band. His schedule. His needs.
She was still embarrassed to admit how easy it had been to ignore her own needs in trying to take care of him. She knew it stemmed from the fact that she’d grown up without a father. When she’d asked her mother why her dad had left, the answer was always the same—“I couldn’t give him what he needed.”
Francesca had been determined to give Lou everything he needed so she’d never lose him. The problem was she’d lost herself in the process.
Ciara had the section next to Francesca’s on this shift, so it would be easy to beg her friend to take care of Keaton. She stole another glance and found him watching her. A slow, sexy half smile curved one side of his mouth. She was positive he knew that she’d been planning to ditch him. Seriously, it was like the man was some sort of British mind reader.