Betting on a Fortune
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Nancy Robards Thompson
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Chapter One
“I’m here to see the owners.” The deep, masculine voice was attached to an equally sexy guy in a sport coat. “Ashley, Nicole and Megan Fortune? I have a ten o’clock appointment.”
Ashley let go of the high-top table she’d been moving and shoved a strand of blond hair out of her eyes. She hadn’t scheduled an appointment for this morning. She’d set aside the entire day to stage the dining room.
The soft opening of Provisions, the restaurant she owned with her triplet sisters, was set for next week. She was in the weeds. The furniture had arrived yesterday morning—two days late. After she’d spent several hours unwrapping and checking it in, she’d discovered they’d shorted her a table and four chairs. She had lost more valuable time resolving that problem, but by the end of the day, after a lot of sweet-talking, the owner of the Houston-based restaurant furnishings company had delivered the missing items himself.
She’d hired some of the staff to come in today to help her set up everything. They would be here within the half hour. It was the final step toward transforming the place from an old feed and grain mill to the restaurant of her dreams.
It was imperative that she work with the staff, showing them how she wanted everything arranged. She couldn’t be holed up in an office in appointments...even if the guy was tall, dark and jaw-droppingly handsome.
“I’m Ashley Fortune,” she said, offering him her hand.
He smiled and accepted it. “Rodrigo Mendoza.”
That smile. Those perfect white teeth. Ashley melted a little inside. Okay, maybe she could spare ten minutes—fifteen tops—for Mr. Perfect. Besides, she needed a break.
“Nice to meet you, Rodrigo. How may I help you?”
His smile faltered. “We have an appointment? I’m the restaurant consultant you hired.”
“Excuse me?”
For an awkward moment, they stood looking at each other—him in that expensive-looking sport coat, Ashley realizing she looked far too casual in her gray T-shirt and shorts. Even if they were 7 For All Mankind and they’d cost her an entire day’s pay, they suddenly felt a little ratty.
“Rodrigo Mendoza,” he repeated. “Vines Consulting Group? Ring a bell?”
Ring a bell? She narrowed her eyes at him. She and her sisters did not forget business appointments.
“No, I’m sorry, it doesn’t. Are you sure you’re in the right place?”
Maybe one of the nearby establishments had hired a consultant to help up its game since Provisions was sure to take a bite out of business. Granted, Rambling Rose wasn’t exactly known for its restaurant scene. They had a café-diner, Mexican and Italian restaurants and the food truck convoy stationed at Mariana’s Marketplace.
The lack of culinary offerings was one of the aspects that her brother Callum had recognized and labeled as untapped potential in Rambling Rose. The sleepy Texas town was a diamond in the rough. He and her brothers, Steven and Dillon, who made up Fortune Brothers Construction, had jumped at the chance to purchase the old downtown property. Callum was such a great big brother. He knew how much his baby sisters wanted to realize their dream of opening a restaurant and he’d found them the perfect location.
“You’re Ashley Fortune, right?” Rodrigo asked. “And this is Provisions? In Rambling Rose, Texas, right?”
“Yes to all three questions.”
“Then I’m in the right place.” He flashed that smile at her. Ooh, the guy is cuu-ute. For a split second, she felt herself slip under his spell.
Until she forced herself to snap out of it.
She was too busy for this nonsense.
Squaring her shoulders and pretending her hair and makeup were perfect, she channeled the power she’d feel if she were wearing that sleek, black double-breasted Alexander McQueen suit she’d spied at Neiman Marcus before she’d left Fort Lauderdale for Texas.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Mendoza.” Why did that name sound so familiar? “There has be some kind of mix-up. We didn’t hire a restaurant consultant. We have everything perfectly under control. Thanks for thinking of us, though.”
Suddenly it hit her. This could be a scam. Or a new tactic for securing business. A consultant on the lookout for potential new clients reads the business pages and then walks into a place acting like their working relationship is already a done deal. While he’s there, he uses his million-dollar smile and smooth-operator tactics to seduce the woman setting up tables and pow! He’s in like Flynn.
Whoever Flynn is.
Maybe in like sin would be more apropos.
Rodrigo looked perplexed and she was tempted to say Sorry, dude, you’re not fooling me. Before she could, he said, “Excuse me. I’ll be right back.”
She watched him walk out the door, pausing a moment to appreciate the rear view, imagining that his backside, which was covered by the expensive jacket, was just as nice as the rest of him.
Ashley couldn’t blame him for being ambitious. In that regard, they spoke the same language. Who knew, maybe this Vines Consulting Group was legit, despite his dubious method of procuring new business.
The restaurant business wasn’t an easy game to win.
Her sister Megan was the financial brains of their operation. She had scrutinized every single expenditure, making sure they stayed on budget and set aside an emergency fund.
No matter how smooth and tempting Rodrigo Mendoza might be, he did not qualify as an emergency.
What a shame.
Right now, Ashley needed to give Provisions her complete and undivided focus. It was her and her sisters’ one shot at making their collective dream come true. They had invested every penny they’d been able to scrape together, adding it to the generous cash infusion their father had gifted them upon turning twenty-one—as he did for all of his children. If the restaurant tanked, they would lose everything.
But it wasn’t going to tank.
At twenty-three years old, she and her sisters might be young, but they had years of experience in the restaurant industry. Among the three of them, they’d worked in every role—from cleaning bathrooms and washing dishes to setting tables, pouring water and taking reservations to planning menus and cooking food. Granted, their experience wasn’t in fine dining, but their tastes were.
They’d been at this since they were sixteen years old. Not only were they good at what they did, they were hard workers.
There was still a lot to learn, but they had a solid handle on the industry, which was why her brothers and their father believed in them.
With one last wistful glance at the front door, Ashley figured that was the last she’d see of Rodrigo Mendoza.
He wasn’t coming back. When he’d realized he wasn’t fooling her, he’d known he needed an exit strategy. The guy was long gone.
Ashley turned her attention back to moving the high-top table.
She ran her hand over the glazed concrete tabletop. Everything about the furnishings was perfect—all copper-patinaed metal and neutral-toned upholstery. It flawlessly complemented the industrial décor of the converted warehouse, but still offered an inviting, come-hang-out vibe.
Ashley was proud of her findings. She and her sisters had chosen to furnish the place without the help of a commercial interior designer. It was one way to cut costs without having to scrimp on the quality of the furniture. They had worked together, choosing the color palate and furniture, but as front-of-the-house manager, Ashley had taken on the lion’s share of the decorating and sourcing.
Megan was busy with the budget. Nicole, who was Provisions’ sous chef, had been too busy working with the executive chef they’d hired, dreaming up potential menus and whipping up dishes for the staff to try.
Ashley was pushing the table into position when the door opened again. “Let me help you with that.”
Rodrigo Mendoza was back.
Really?
“No, I’m fine,” she said through gritted teeth. “But thanks.”
“Be careful,” he said as he lifted the opposite end of the table. “This is too heavy to move by yourself. Lift with your knees, not your back, or you’ll hurt yourself. Why isn’t anyone helping you with this?”
Was he trying to figure out if she was alone?
“My sisters are in the kitchen with some of the staff. I have people coming in to help. They’ll be here any minute.”
Why was she explaining?
“Mr. Mendoza, is there something I can help you with? If not, now really isn’t a good time. However, I’d like to invite you back to dine with us after we officially open.”
No sense in putting off a potential customer.
“Please, call me Rodrigo.” He set down the table and opened his folio. After thumbing through a stack of papers, he selected one.
“Do you know David Fortune?”
Ashley nodded. “I do.” He was her father.
And he will not be pleased when he finds out that you’re trying to worm your way into our business with sneaky tactics.
“Is he available?”
Ashley put her hands on her hips and frowned. “No. He’s in Fort Lauderdale.”
“Hey, Ash,” Megan called as she came into the dining room by way of the office, which was near the kitchen. She was carrying a stack of papers and catalogs. “Do you have the invoice for the throw pillows for the lounge sofas? Remember, we ordered them separately and I—”
She stopped and blinked as she looked at Rodrigo Mendoza, who was looking back and forth between Megan and Ashley, a bemused smile on his face.
“You two are twins?” he asked.
“No, we’re not twins,” Megan said. “Who are you?”
“I’m Rodrigo Mendoza of Vines Consulting Group. I’m here for our ten o’clock appointment.”
“Did you set this appointment?” Ashley asked her sister. “Because I didn’t.”
“Your father, David Fortune, is the one who hired me and scheduled the appointment,” Rodrigo interjected. “I have the contract right here. Did he not tell you?”
Ashley and Megan looked at each other.
“Contract?” Ashley said. “Did Dad say anything about this to you?”
Megan shook her head.
“May I see that piece of paper, please?” Ashley held out her hand and Rodrigo complied.
She glanced at the contract. It looked legitimate. And it was her father’s signature.
“I know how to get to the bottom of this.” She pulled her cell phone out of her back pocket. “I’m calling my father.”
Luckily, David Fortune answered on the second ring. “Hello, sweetheart. How are you? Is everything coming together with the restaurant?”
“I’m fine, Dad. But I’m a little confused. Do you know a guy named Rodrigo Mendoza?”
“Of course,” he said as if Ashley had just asked him if he knew the sum of one plus one.
“Um—okay. Did you hire him as a consultant for Provisions?”
“I did. Hold on a second, sweetheart. I’m on the golf course. It’s my turn and I don’t want to hold up play.”
Ashley looked at Megan, shook her head and shrugged.
“What’s he saying?” Megan asked.
“He’s golfing. He’s taking his turn.”
Ashley felt Rodrigo watching her and she wondered if she and her sister should move the conversation into the office where they had more privacy. Because right now, being caught unaware and waiting for her father to play golf made her feel about as professional as she did when she and her sisters used to play restaurant with their Fisher Price appliances in the playroom of their parents’ Fort Lauderdale home.
“I’m back,” said David. “Are you there, Ashley?”
“I am. What’s going on, Dad? Did you hire a restaurant consultant without discussing it with us?”
“I did hire Mendoza.”
Wonderful. There goes the budget.
Ashley opened her mouth to object, but she realized Rodrigo was watching her. She and Megan really should finish the call privately. “Hold on a moment, Dad. Meg and I need to take the call in the office.”
She motioned with her head, indicating that her sister should follow her, but Megan wasn’t paying attention. She was chatting with Rodrigo Mendoza. The smile on her face hinted that she didn’t find him as off-putting as Ashley did.
“Megan,” Ashley commanded, “let’s go into the office, please.”
“Can y’all come in here and taste something?” Nicole walked out of the kitchen wearing an apron, wiping her hands on a white towel. “I can’t decide if I like the broccoli slaw with or without dill. I’m doing a taste test and—Oh!”
In much the same fashion as Megan, Nicole stopped when she saw Rodrigo standing in the dining room.
“All three of you look exactly alike.” Smiling as if he was the butt of a joke, Rodrigo looked back and forth between the trio.
“We’re triplets,” Megan said.
“Come on, let’s go into the office, please.” There was an edge to her voice. As she watched Megan flirt with him, pinpricks of irritation pierced her patience.
“I can’t say I’ve met a set of triplets before.” He smiled at Megan before turning to Nicole and offering his hand. He introduced himself again. Nicole hooked the towel she was carrying into the waistband of her apron.
“Nice to meet you,” she said as she shook his hand.
“Wow! It’s uncanny how much you look alike.”
“I know, right?” Ashley said. “And we have a situation. Nicole, please come into the office with Megan and me. We need to talk to Dad.”
“We’ll be right back,” Megan said. “Feel free to make yourself at home, Rodrigo. Sit wherever you’d like.”
Inwardly, Ashley rolled her eyes at her sister’s solicitous comment. Megan would change her tune as soon as she realized the hot guy in the suit had blown their budget. She started walking and her sisters followed, each of them casting a backward glance at Mendoza, as if to make sure he was really there and not just an apparition.
Oh, yes he was. Not only was his muscled bulk taking up space, but also the sheer beauty and presence of him seemed to be sucking all the air out of the room.
At least, that was the excuse Ashley made for the way her heart was thudding and why she found it increasingly difficult to take full, deep breaths.
That and the blown budget.
She had never been so happy in her life to shut herself inside her office.
“Okay, Dad, we’re back. What is going on here?”
She put the phone on speaker so her sisters could hear, too.
“Are you not familiar with the Mendozas?” David asked.
“Should we be?” Ashley’s tone was flat. She looked at her sisters and shrugged.
“Hold on,” Nicole said. “Are you taking about the same Mendozas who have the winery and restaurant just outside of Austin? I was reading about them the other night.”
“Then you should know the family has a long history of success in the restaurant business, going all the way back to Red and other establishments in Red Rock, Texas,” their father said.
Wonderful. If they were super successful, it probably meant Rodrigo Mendoza’s services were super expensive. It took every ounce of Ashley’s self-control to keep from stamping her foot, which would do no good because their father couldn’t see her.
He had to learn that he couldn’t do things like this. Not only would this move wreck their budget, it meant he didn’t believe they could handle the business without his help.
“I’m happy for the Mendozas and all their success,” Ashley said, “but we can’t afford to hire a restaurant consultant, much less someone like Rodrigo Mendoza.”
“Ashley—”
“Dad, it’s not in our budget. I wish you had asked us before you’d taken it upon yourself to hire him and—”
“Ashley, take a breath. I’m paying for this. Think of it as a business-warming present.”
He just didn’t get it, did he? “So, you think we can’t do this on our own?”
“That’s not what I think. Not at all. It’s just that—”
“We may be twenty-three years old, but we’ve been working in restaurants since we were teenagers. That’s a collective twenty-one years of experience among the three of us. Besides, Dad, we’re Fortunes. If you don’t think we’re capable of running a restaurant, we’ll prove you wrong.”
He was quiet for a long moment. Ashley’s ire stoked once more as she wondered if he’d put down the phone again so he could take his turn at golfing, but then he said, “I don’t know if I’d fly the Fortune flag so proudly. They’re not exactly role models.”
Her father had only recently discovered that he was related to the Texas Fortunes. Along with that birthright came a rich and complicated history. Thanks to patriarch Julius Fortune’s numerous affairs, the Fortunes were an ever-expanding family. Each year they seemed to grow even larger. Branches of the Fortunes family tree had sprouted in Houston, Austin, and Horseback Hollow, Texas; Atlanta; New Orleans; New York; Ft. Lauderdale; among other places. They’d even discovered a royal branch in England.
Her father had recently learned that Julius Fortune, his biological father, had refused to acknowledge him. His mother, Penny, had gone to great lengths to protect David from that rejection.
But that didn’t matter. David was very proud to be a self-made man. He’d said time and again that he didn’t need or want the Fortunes’ money and all the baggage that came with it.
However, Ashley and her siblings thought discovering new and vast branches of their family tree was kind of cool.
In the past, before it was confirmed that they were indeed related to the infamous Fortunes, people would ask if they were related to those Fortunes, as if they were American royalty. Until just recently, when they’d learned the truth, they’d had to say no, no relation. It was disheartening to see the way some people dismissed them, as if they were less-thans or somehow didn’t measure up. Even though their father had made a name for himself—and his own fortune—in the gaming industry. People, especially Texans, seemed to revere the Texas Fortunes as celebrities.
Now it was fun using their birthright to their advantage. It wasn’t hurting anyone or costing anyone anything. So why not use the name to its fullest advantage?
After all, they were legitimate Fortunes, even if ol’ Julius had rejected their father.
Ashley knew better than to rehash that argument with her dad. It was one area where they would have to agree to disagree. Besides, her father was still talking.
“The first step in operating a successful business is to be open to help, girls. The fact that you’re balking at listening to Mendoza shows your inexperience and naïveté.”
Ashley gave an incredulous snort. Her face went hot. She looked at Nicole and Megan, silently telegraphing that they were free to jump in at any time. Nicole was staring at her with her mouth agape. Megan had crossed her arms and was frowning.
“Our father is calling us inexperienced and naïve,” she said, fully intending for David to hear the hurt in her voice. “And I thought he believed in us.”
“I do believe in you,” David said. “I also want to equip you with every possible tool for success. We’ve already talked about the restaurant failure rate. I want Provisions to be a success story and I know you can do it. But you don’t have to learn lessons through the school of hard knocks. Learn from someone who has been there. Getting help is simply smart business.”
As much as his interfering went against her grain, their father was a smart, creative, self-made businessman. He’d taken his love of video games and parlayed it into a multibillion-dollar business. He had a proven business track record. She and her sisters hadn’t even gotten out of the starting gate yet.
It rankled her, but he might have a point—even if she didn’t agree with the way he’d gone about hiring Rodrigo.
“Dad, we appreciate your concern,” Megan said. “And we do appreciate your help.”
Nicole wasn’t so quick to see his point. She huffed and rolled her eyes as she mumbled something under her breath that sounded like, “Mendoza had better not think he can step one foot in my kitchen and tell us how to run it. Nuh-uh. He’s got another thing coming.”
Megan swatted away Nicole’s words.
“Listen, girls, don’t mistake my intentions. I guess it’s the father in me coming out. I know the three of you are smart, strong, talented young women who are perfectly capable of handling whatever challenge is thrown at you. But you’ll always be my little girls. My babies. You can’t blame a dad for that. Ash, you there? Do you forgive me?”
“Oh, Dad. Of course, I do. Actually, there’s nothing to forgive. I’m just stressed. I have a million things to do and the soft opening is next week. I guess my gut reaction was fear that Rodrigo Mendoza would try to undo everything we’ve already done. But you know what? I’ll consider his suggestions and if he makes some good ones, I’ll take them into consideration.”
“That’s my girl,” David said. “Look, it’s my turn and I’m holding up play. The foursome behind us is shooting daggers at us, so I’m going to run. Let me know how things go with Mendoza after you’ve worked with him awhile.”
Ashley’s stomach did an unexpected twist at the thought of working with Rodrigo Mendoza.
Why was she suddenly all jumpy at the mention of the guy’s name? Because Rodrigo Mendoza and his handsome face with that million-dollar smile was a distraction she didn’t need.
Even so, she’d be lying to herself if she didn’t admit that she felt a little breathy at the thought of working closely with him, but she’d get ahold of herself.
“All right, I’ve got to run. It’s my turn to putt again.”
“’Bye, Dad,” they said in unison.
Trying to quell the sensation of butterflies, Ashley placed her free hand over her abdomen as her father disconnected the call.
“Well, the upside is that Rodrigo Mendoza is hot,” said Nicole, as if reading Ashley’s mind. “It could be much worse.”
“I know, right?” said Megan.
“Yeah, he’s definitely a good-looking guy, and I’m pretty sure he knows it. But we need to focus here.” Ashley clapped her hands. Right now, focus was more important than ever. In a sense, the restaurant was an extension of them. Since they were each in charge of a very specific cog of the business, if one of them stopped turning—because she’d gotten tangled up in a hot dude—then they were destined to fail.
“We need to keep our eyes on the prize, which is making Provisions successful. Are we all on the same page?” Ashley held out her hand, palm up.
Without hesitation, Megan and Nicole put their hands in, too.
“Sisters before misters,” they said in unison.
That had always been their mantra and Ashley intended to show this mister—and her father, for that matter—that she and her sisters knew their stuff.
