Her Sweetest Fortune. Stella Bagwell

a sidewalk.

      “It was a start,” she said. “By the time Valentine’s Day rolls around, I’m sure things will be getting—uh, heated.”

      A wan smile slanted his lips before he turned his attention back to the game. Sophie was glad she could use the diversion to change the subject completely.

      “Are you a big sports fan?”

      “I’m not a fanatic by any means. But I enjoy basketball and baseball.” He inclined his head toward the small screen. “The San Antonio Spurs are playing at home tonight and I’m wondering if either of my brothers are at the game. Both of them have season tickets. Sometimes I drive down and go with them.”

      She looked at him with interest. “Oh. You have brothers?”

      He nodded. “They both live in San Antonio. One is a lieutenant on the city police force. The other is an assistant district attorney for Bexar County.”

      “Mmm. That’s impressive. You must be very proud of them.”

      He shrugged. “Yeah. They’re both a bit older than me. So I’ve pretty much spent my whole life trying to be as successful as they are. But I doubt I’ll ever make it.”

      Leo arrived then with their coffee and dessert. As she stirred half and half into her cup, she studied his strong profile.

      “Now why would you say something like that about yourself?” she asked him. “Don’t you consider working for Robinson Tech as being successful?”

      “Since I’m working for your father, I plead the fifth,” he said, his voice full of wry humor.

      “No. Seriously, Mason. You’re a brain. Everyone says so. And the new sports app you’ve created has great potential. Otherwise, Dad would never be investing money in a media blitz.”

      He sampled the pudding before he replied, “Yes, I can create things to use on our computers and smartphones. But that isn’t like my brother Shawn facing bullets on the streets. Or Doug arguing in court to make sure a dangerous criminal is put behind bars. They both work to make our lives safer. What I do is—well, it’s for entertainment. What my brothers do is meaningful.”

      Strange how very much she could relate to this man. For as long as she could remember, she’d always considered herself the inferior one of the family. The youngest sibling that didn’t quite stack up to the others. It was an awful feeling and she hated to think that Mason ever suffered in such a way.