Maddie Fortune's Perfect Man. Nancy Thompson Robards

       Chapter Three

      “Ping-Pong is not a date,” Maddie said to Schuyler as she drove her sister and Carlo to see a house in the Austin neighborhood of Westlake. She’d driven up to Austin to show them houses and commercial property for a nightclub Carlo wanted to open. Carlo had been looking for months and holding out for exactly the right spot to open his new business. He’d come close a couple of times with property Maddie had shown him. Now that he was getting married, Maddie had a feeling he’d settle down and make a decision on the commercial site.

      This trip was a welcome opportunity to get away from the office—to put some space between Zach and herself. If only Schuyler would stop making Zach tag along in spirit. “Or at least it’s not the kind of first date I’m interested in.”

       Liar. If circumstances were different, you’d be happy to pick up trash with Zach McCarter and call it a fun first date.

      But the situation was what it was. And it wasn’t fun.

      “Besides,” Maddie added, “I cannot believe you’d even mention Zach McCarter in that context now that Dad has pitted us against each other.”

      After the disastrous meeting with her father and subsequent tension-charged lunch with Zach, she’d driven home, thrown the basics into an overnight tote and driven the two and a half hours to Austin. Presumably, it was to show Schuyler and Carlo property. But, if she was perfectly honest with herself, it had been for self-preservation.

      She’d never been so happy to get out of the office—to get out of town. Because suddenly the entire city of Houston seemed too small to accommodate the dreams and ambitions of both Zach and her.

      It was clear one of them had to go.

      And it wouldn’t be her.

      Just because she was working out of town, it didn’t mean she would be the one to bow out. They had their marching orders. They would work together to secure the Paisley deal and sell out the luxury high-rise. In fact, she’d taken the initiative to call Dave Madison’s assistant and set up a meeting. He was out of town and Monday was his first available. In the meantime, she would help her sister and future brother-in-law. Working outside of the office would give her time to clear her head. It would only make her stronger.

      “It’s totally a date,” her sister said. “He is so gorgeous, Mads. Maybe Dad has a method to his madness. Maybe he’s doing this to throw you and Zach together? Remember how at the barbecue he said he thought of him as a son? Maybe he meant son-in-law.”

      Maddie shook her head. “I don’t think so. And Sky, I really don’t want to talk about him. Okay?”

      Now she was sorry she’d told Schuyler about her father’s plan. Even so, Schuyler was still going on about Ping-Pong as a first date.

      Maddie white-knuckled the steering wheel. Even her siblings supported Maddie as their father’s heir apparent. Her three brothers had chosen careers outside of the real estate industry. Valene was just starting out at Fortunado Real Estate. Schuyler had never shown an interest in the family business. Even though she could’ve had a role at Fortunado, she’d chosen to follow her own path. She’d confessed that there was a time when she’d felt like the odd sibling out—since both of her sisters had been bitten by the real estate bug—but following her own path had brought Schuyler to the Mendoza Winery, and that’s where she’d met her husband-to-be. Now, Schuyler seemed to have made peace with her path in life.

      And Maddie’s once sure life was upside down.

      Beside her, Schuyler sighed. “But you guys would look so cute together.”

      “We would not look cute together.” Maddie’s voice was monotone.

       We would look gorgeous together.