Fortune & Fame: A Novel Read Online Free PDF Page B

clean and sober and living in Atlanta, but Mary hadn’t talked to her in over a year. Margaret had been trying to make amends for being a horrible mother, but Mary had no interest in letting that woman back into her life. So Alvin and Nathan would really be the only family she had.
    “Our church is about to blow up, baby!” Nathan said. “Just you wait and see. You’re not only about to be rich, you’re about to be famous, too!”
    She just smiled, relishing in his excitement. Whatever Nathan’s big plans were, Mary knew they’d be good.
    For now, she just wanted to get to the airport, get on that plane, head to Atlanta, and begin her new life.

Chapter
FIVE
Jasmine
    J asmine nodded toward the young woman who’d led her and Mae Frances into the conference room. “Thank you,” she said.
    “No problem. Melinda will be right with you.”
    The moment the young woman closed the door behind her, Mae Frances humph ed. “Fancy,” she grunted as she strolled past the artwork on the wood-paneled walls. Then, she turned to the conference table and pulled out one of the oversized chairs. She snuggled her hips into the leather as her fingertips caressed the polished grain of the mahogany table. “Isn’t this a black TV station?”
    “Uh . . . this is Oprah, Mae Frances. Oprah’s not black, she’s green. That’s the only color people see when they look at her.” Jasmine took the seat across from her friend.
    “Humph!” Mae Frances rolled her eyes. “Well, anyway, Jasmine Larson, you sure you really want to do this?”
    Jasmine laid her palms flat on the table. “You can ask me that question a thousand times, and I promise you, a thousand times, I will give you the same answer.”
    “I’m just trying to make sure ’cause I can’t see it.”
    “Would I be in these offices if I wasn’t sure? Would I have asked you to call Stedman if I wasn’t sure?”
    “Stedman,” Mae Frances whispered, then, her lips stretched into a wide smile. Her shoulders slumped and her eyes glazed as if she was suddenly in some kind of trance.
    Jasmine frowned. “Mae Frances!”
    Mae Frances blinked. Now, her shoulders squared. She sat straight, with her head up as if she was at attention. Clearing her throat, she said, “Well . . . uh . . . yeah. It was good talking to Stedman again. But . . . but this isn’t about me. This is about you. And this here reality show. I just can’t see it. You don’t even watch reality TV.”
    “No, because I have respect for my brain cells. But I’m aware of the potential of these kinds of shows.” Jasmine zipped open her tote and grabbed the folder of Internet articles she’d been collecting since Mae Frances told her that Stedman was going to take care of it all. “Do you know how much money these reality people make?”
    Mae Frances turned up her nose and waved her hand in the air. “I don’t know. I have brain cells that I respect, too. I don’t watch any of that foolishness.” She paused. “Well, any might be a strong word. Maybe I should say I don’t watch that foolishness all that much. Well, not too much, you know, every now and then . . . and then some.”
    Jasmine frowned, dizzy from trying to figure out the circle of words that Mae Frances had just spoken. But she just shook her head and went back to making her point. Jasmine slid a paper across the conference table, “Well, both of our brains need to take a look at this.” She paused just long enough to give Mae Frances time to take a quick glance at the page. “One of those housewives is taking her foolishness straight to the bank. She’s making a million dollars.”
    “I may be watching a few of those shows, but I didn’t know they had it like this. A million dollars?”
    “A million dollars an episode.”
    Slowly, Mae Frances’s eyes widened. “You mean to tell me that those women are earning one million dollars a week? Really?” Mae Frances turned toward the door as if she expected someone to walk