Page 24 of The Billionaire's Fortunate Accident
“You should see if you can find a copy of that magazine. They did a whole spread on all of them. From what I recall, he’s the youngest and has a culinary. But he’s never opened up a restaurant in the resort. And he’s pretty much considered to be a playboy, if you know what I mean. Just be careful. I know you’re a very good person, and I’d hate to see you get hurt by anyone.”
“Thank you.” My face was hot with anger and embarrassment.
The fact that Stone had left out such an important fact about himself bothered me. Granted, we hadn’t had much time to get to know much about each other, but I thought he would’ve said something about being a wealthy man.
As I stood in the operating room, watching the procedure, I couldn’t focus. This thing I had with Stone was already interfering with what I was in Texas for. To become a doctor, not some rich man’s plaything.
I’d left that world behind me, and I wasn’t looking to get back to it in another part of the country. If I didn’t know anything, I knew the way the wealthy did things. But the thing about Stone was that he hadn’t acted a little bit like any of the wealthy people I’d grown up knowing.
Stone seemed down to earth in many ways. I couldn’t even think of one person from back home who would’ve stepped up to help out at Hamburger Hut the way Stone had.
I had no idea how far he’d go to get into my pants, though. Maybe he was just pretending to be a nice guy who didn’t care about keeping up with appearances. Maybe he would do just about anything to get to what he was after.
Trusting him had been a huge mistake. I should’ve known better. Now the best thing to do would be to completely shut him out. There was no other choice.
The surgery went as expected, and within a half-hour, it was over. I followed the doctor out, taking his mask off for him. “There you go, Doctor Weaver.”
“Thanks.” He pulled his gloves off, tossing them into the receptacle. “You should come to my office across the street. I think I’ve got that magazine over there.”
I didn’t know if I wanted to read the article. But if I wanted to know the truth about the man, I thought I should read it. “Thanks. I’ll come with you when you go.”
An hour later, I sat in Doctor Weaver’s waiting room with the magazine featuring Stone and his equally handsome brothers on the cover. They all wore black suits, each one of them standing in front of the resort they owned. Smiles on all their faces, they certainly looked happy and proud.
I turned to the page where the article was and began reading.
Some of Austin’s newest sons have brought forth a resort that’s caught the attention of people from all around the globe. Baldwyn, Patton, Warner, Cohen, and Stone Nash work closely together to make Whispers Resort and Spa the great success it has become.
While the four older brothers run the company, Stone alone has yet to find his place within their sprawling business. As a chef, all thought he would head the first restaurant that opened at the resort. The Micheline star winning restaurant, Essence, has instead been the brainchild of another chef.
Many wonder when Stone Nash will find his calling, or if he ever will. Austin’s active nightlife seems to be his passion for now. Nearing the end of his twenties, many speculate that Stone’s older brothers will soon be forcing his hand. But then again, the billionaire brothers might just allow their equally wealthy youngest brother to just coast through life.
Closing the magazine, I couldn’t read any more of the article that spanned three pages. I’d gotten the gist of it anyway. Stone was a spoiled rich kid, and he would never grow up. He’d have no need to, since his bank account was nice and plump and there was no end in sight as to how much more money would be added to pad his already fat account, I was sure.
He could afford to screw around and not make anything of himself. I knew many who had the same luxury. And I did as well. Only I wanted to make something out of myself. There was no reason to let the rich playboy pull me down with him into the luxurious gutters full of wealthy brats.
That wasn’t the way I wanted to live my life. I had left that far behind me, and the last thing I wanted was to find it again out here. Placing the magazine face down on the pile of other magazines on the coffee table in Doctor Weaver’s waiting room, I got up and left his office, then walked back across the busy street to the hospital.
I needed to concentrate on what really mattered and stop thinking about that spoiled man. I would put an end to his advances that night. I had no more time to waste on the likes of him.
Heading to the pediatric wing, I hoped to get my mind off him. There was always lots of hard work to do in that area. Going to the nurse’s station, I found one of the nurses frowning. “What can I do to help, Shelly?”
“We’ve got an extremely cranky baby, Miss Moxon. She’s got some terrible issues. Her mother used drugs all throughout the pregnancy. The state is taking the baby out of her care. But not until we get her healthy enough to leave us. It’s a real shame. She hasn’t stopped crying since her birth, which was four hours ago. I know you don’t normally get on with the babies, but we need everyone to take a go at this little one.”
“I hope I don’t make things worse.” My mood was as foul as it had ever been. “But I’ll try to comfort her.”
“Go on back to the last room on the left. We had to put her in a room away from the nursery, as she was upsetting the other babies in there,” she explained.
I heard the sad cries before even opening the door. My heart broke for the poor thing. Not only was she suffering from withdrawal from the drugs her mother had pumped into her tiny, developing body, but she was also lost without her mother’s presence.
“I’ll take her,” I told the nurse who rocked and rocked the crying baby.
“Good luck. My heart aches for this poor child.” She got up, handed the baby to me, then left, shaking her head sadly.
I didn’t sit down. Instead, I took her to the window. The curtains were drawn, but I felt that some sunlight might help her. Pushing one open just a little, a few rays fell across her red face. She was in such a state that her entire body was beet red from all the crying.
“Things aren’t as bad as they seem, little one.” I swayed back and forth with her cuddled against my chest. “Hush now, don’t you cry, momma’s gonna sing you a lullaby. Everything’s gonna be alright. You’ll sleep well in my arms so tight,” I sang to her.
Her wailing reduced, and she nuzzled her nose against my chest. I went to get the bottle that sat on the table. As soon as I brought it to her mouth, she took right to it.
