Falling For Fortune. Nancy Robards Thompson

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       Chapter Five

      Jensen wasn’t surprised that his younger sister and brother wanted to return to London as soon as Amelia came home from the hospital with baby Clementine Rose. He’d briefly contemplated flying back with them, then returning for the weddings next month. But his mother wanted him to stay awhile longer, and he’d agreed for more reasons than one.

      He’d broken things off with Monica Wainwright just before the holidays, so the trip to America had allowed him to put some distance between them.

      The early days of their short-lived romance had been somewhat pleasant, but then she’d let down her guard and had shown him a selfish and haughty side he couldn’t tolerate.

      Besides, he owed Amber dinner for that horse race he’d lost, something he was actually looking forward to. But as soon as the weddings were over in February, he’d be making this trip to the airfield himself, rather than driving his two younger siblings and dropping them off.

      So, with the flight plan set, Jensen waited for Quinn to retrieve the car keys.

      “Here you go,” the proud new father said.

      “Thank you. It won’t take long.”

      “It doesn’t matter. Keep the car as long as you want.”

      Lady Josephine, who’d just entered the living room from the kitchen, said, “Wait for me, Jensen. I’d like to ride with you.”

      “You don’t need to do that, Mum. I’m sure Charles and Lucie will understand if you’d rather stay here with baby Clementine.”

      “Yes, I know, but Quinn and Amelia would probably like some time to themselves, and I’d enjoy an outing. It also gives me a chance to see Sawyer and Laurel. I haven’t talked to my brother’s son or his wife since Christmas. Just let me freshen my makeup. I’ll meet you in the car.”

      A few minutes later, Lady Josephine had not only applied a fresh coat of lipstick and face powder, but a subtle touch of Chanel No. 5. After she slid into the passenger seat, Jensen drove them to the B and B in Vicker’s Corners, where Charles and Lucie had been staying.

      Just as he’d suspected, his younger brother and sister were waiting in front of the quaint, three-story building with its green-and-white striped awnings. After they loaded the luggage in the car, they headed to the small airfield.

      As Jensen turned onto the country road that led to the small terminal, his mother glanced over her shoulder and into the backseat, where Lucie and Charles sat. “Be sure to check on Oliver and ask about Ollie. I miss that little boy so. And let me know if there is anything I should be concerned about.”

      Oliver, their oldest half brother, had divorced last year. His toddler son lived with his ex-wife.

      “We’ll do that,” Charles said. “But I’m sure Oliver would let you know if there was anything to worry about.”

      Jensen wasn’t so sure about that. He wasn’t the only one who didn’t like to see their mother overly concerned about things she had no control over.

      “But, Mum,” Charles asked, “can Lucie and I trust you to take care of baby Clemmie for us?”

      At that ridiculous notion, laughter erupted. Even Lady Josephine smiled at her youngest son’s attempt to lighten the mood.

      She was still grinning from ear to ear when Jensen parked in front of Redmond-Fortune Air, the flight school and charter service owned by Sawyer Fortune and his wife, Laurel.

      The new building they’d built last year, with its gray block walls, smoky glass windows and chrome trim, had modernized the small airport, which up until that point had only amounted to a small control tower, a couple of modular buildings, several hangars and the airstrip.

      Jensen had no more than shut off the engine when Josephine exited the car and was heading for the entrance.

      How strange. But then again, Mum had mentioned that she was eager to see Sawyer and Laurel.

      Lucie trailed their mother while Jensen and Charles brought up the rear, carrying the luggage.

      The small reception area was empty, although Orlando Mendoza, one of the pilots, sat in a chair, holding his smartphone and sending a text.

      Upon seeing Lady Josephine, the handsome man with graying hair and sun-bronzed skin broke into a smile then stood and took her hand. “Good afternoon. What a pleasure to see you.”

      She flushed. “Will you be flying Charles and Lucie to Dallas?”

      “No, I’m afraid not,” Orlando said. “I had an early day. I just completed a charter flight to Houston, so I’m heading home. At least, I will be as soon as Sawyer returns.” Orlando glanced out the window toward the parking lot, then back to Jensen. “I don’t suppose you happen to be heading back through town?”

      “No, but it’s not too far out of the way. Why?”

      “I had car trouble this morning, and my nephew, Marcos, gave me a ride to work.”

      Marcos Mendoza and his wife Wendy owned the Hollows Cantina.

      “I’d be happy to drop you off,” Jensen told Orlando.

      “Are you sure it won’t be any trouble?”

      “Not at all.”

      While Orlando made small talk with his mother and siblings, Jensen wandered off to look at a table that held a plastic-enclosed display of miniature-sized scale-model aircraft. As he did so, he reached into his pocket and felt the gold watch that rested there.

      He and his father used to stop by the small airfield near the Chesterfield estate, where they would watch the planes take off and land. It had been a special time, when they talked about life and hopes and dreams. Not a plane flew overhead without Jensen remembering those days.

      A door swung open, and he turned to see Laurel Redmond Fortune enter the reception area of the terminal. The lovely blonde pilot had once СКАЧАТЬ