Page 12 of The Billionaire's Fortunate Accident
Maybe my sister was able to enjoy the benefits of our life because she held no guilt in her heart. But it wasn’t just that I couldn’t enjoy life the way it was back home, I couldn’t stand it.
My father never tried to stop me from leaving home. He never stood in the way of anything I wanted. But I’d seen the sadness on his face when I’d left that day. I could see that he felt he was losing me, almost the same way he’d lost his wife — our mother.
I went back home whenever school was out on holidays. And he’d greet me with open arms, swaying as he whispered in my ear, “So glad you’re home, my baby girl.”
I knew he didn’t mean to make me feel guilty about leaving, but it exploded within me each time I had to leave to come back to Texas, back to school. And all the while, my sister would barely notice whether I was there or not. She was too caught up in her active social life and her favorite hobby, shopping.
Not having a big sister to take the place of an absent mother was disappointing. Lily might’ve been the oldest, but she most definitely wasn’t the most mature, caring, or nurturing. I took on those roles within our family.
I often wondered how the two of them got on without me. It was me who Lily asked if she wanted someone to tell her whether her outfit looked nice. It was me who told her if the perfume she wore smelled good or bad. It was me who made sure she got to bed when she came in after some socialite party, plastered and barely able to walk.
As for our father, it was me who made sure he took time to eat and rest. He was such a busy man that he often worked right past breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I’d noticed that he’d gained weight, though. I’d noticed that his dark hair had turned grey in what seemed like overnight. And I’d noticed that he was tired, more so than he’d ever been before.
Part of me knew I should’ve been home more. They needed me. But the biggest part of me knew that I had to make something of myself, or else I could never truly be what anyone needed. And my passion could not be ignored. I’d wanted to be a doctor since I was old enough to know what one was.
Our pediatrician was a saintly woman. Caring, sweet, and so gentle; she’d been the one to spark my dream. I wanted to be just like her. I wanted to take care of people.
“North Carolina is my home. It’s my duty to go back. But I don’t think I’ll stay in the same house I grew up in. I think I’ll get my own place. Since being out on my own — even though it’s tough — I’ve grown to love it. My tiny efficient apartment feels more like home than our place ever did.”
“You should get your own place for sure,” she agreed. “Moving back in with the parents would be a terrible idea.”
Smiling, I nodded as I finished my donut then gulped down the remaining coffee. I’d never said enough about my family for anyone to know that it was just the three of us; Lily, Dad, and me. I hadn’t told a soul about what I came from. For all they knew, I came from squalor. But the truth was just the opposite.
Back home, I had a bank account that anyone would’ve been delighted to have. Not me, though. I hadn’t worked for a single dime of that money. I wasn’t going to spend it the way my sister spent hers. I knew that someday, I would know what to do with all that wealth. Someday, the reason why I was given all that money and what I was supposed to do with it to make the world a better place would become clear. It just hadn’t come to me yet.
“Code blue, code blue in ICU,” came over the speaker system.
“Break’s over.” We both got up, dropped our trash in the bin, then hauled our ass to the elevator to get up to the ICU.
“Is it weird that I pray the whole time someone’s in code blue?” she asked me.
“I think it would be weird if you didn’t.” I was a firm believer in prayer — even if I did forget to pray most of the time. “God help whoever is fighting for their life right now.”
“God be with them,” she added.
Chapter Seven
Stone
Wiggling her finger at me, come hither style, Jessa wore a sexy smile on her plump lips. “Wanna see the stockroom, Stone?”
Her white button-down shirt was untucked from the waist of her khaki slacks, and the top buttons were undone, revealing creamy hills of succulent flesh. I wasted no time getting out of that booth and hurrying to her. “Can’t wait to see that stockroom, baby.”
Giggling, she took my hand, leading me back into the bowels of Hamburger Hut. “Anything else you can’t wait to see, lover-boy?”
“You — naked.” Pulling her back to me, I pressed her body between mine and the wall, undoing the rest of the buttons on her shirt. Her breasts heaved up and down as she took rapid breaths of excitement. The lace of her bra felt soft under my fingertips as I moved them slowly.
“We have to get to the back where I can lock the door.” Her golden eyes sparkled with fire. “We need privacy.” Her hand moved to unbutton my jeans. “We need each other.”
Letting her go just long enough that she could take me back to this room where we could get to know each other much better, I inhaled her sweet scent. “You know, for a girl who works in a hamburger joint, you smell remarkably good.”
“Thanks.” Opening the door to the stockroom, she pulled me inside, and I kicked the door closed. Making sure to lock it, she leaned back on it, her eyes raking over my body. “Strip.”
“Bossy.” I pulled the t-shirt over my head. “I like that in a woman.” I had a bossy side too. “I took my shirt off. Now you take yours off.”
Shaking her head, she stepped forward. “You do it.”
It was already unbuttoned, so I pushed it off her shoulders, revealing more creamy flesh. “Want me to get that pesky bra off for you, sweetie?”
