Page 29 of The Billionaire's Fortunate Accident
Sparks were flying in my head as I gathered the rest of the ingredients for my Asian fusion-style egg roll recipe that I knew Jessa would love. A brilliant idea for a dipping sauce suddenly came to me. I grabbed one serrano pepper and one lime before going to pick up some lean steak from the meat department.
When I got to the meat department, I found one elderly lady taking her time as she moved from one section to another. She stood in the steak section, lingering for a while.
“Having trouble finding a good cut?” I asked as I looked over at the selection.
“Well, I’ve got these dentures, so it’s hard to eat steak. But I love it so.” She seemed daunted by the choices she had. “I’m just not sure what kind would be best for me.”
“It’s a little higher than most cuts, but the tenderness is well worth it.” I pulled a filet mignon off the top shelf and showed it to her.
“Thirteen dollars! For one tiny steak?” she shook her head. “I’m not about to pay that for one steak.”
“You’d pay up to fifty dollars for a steak like this in any steakhouse,” I informed her. “It’s not a bad price for this cut.”
“And if I overcook it, or cook it wrong, then it’ll be ruined,” she argued.
“This cut is pretty hard to ruin. You can eat this rare or well done, and it’ll still melt in your mouth.” I pulled out my notepad, inside of which I’d written my notes for Jessa’s meal. Jotting down the cooking directions for her, I pulled a twenty out of my wallet, then handed them both to her. “I’m paying for this one. And here’s how to cook it. I wrote down the oven time for rare, medium, and well done, so you can pick which one you like best. Try it. It’s on me.”
She took the money and the note as she looked at me with curiosity in her pale green eyes. “Who are you?”
“Name’s Stone Nash. I’m a chef.” The pride I felt was insane. “You have a nice day, and enjoy that steak.”
“I will. Thank you very much.” Smiling as she walked away, I heard her humming happily.
Picking up a thin-cut sirloin, I had almost everything I needed for the egg rolls. Mexican crema and then some coconut oil were the only things I had left to make Jessa’s meal.
I got the ingredients for the little snack bags too, making sure they were small enough to fit in the pockets of her scrubs. There would be no need for her to eat one single unhealthy thing throughout the entire day.
Checking out, the cashier yawned as she scanned the items. “Did you find everything okay, sir?”
“I did.” I couldn’t help but notice the bags under her eyes. She was tired, and that brought back to my mind the problem of being tired at work. There had to be foods that were good for you while helping you wake up and feel great. I looked at the various products shelved alongside the waiting line and found a bag of blueberries dipped in dark chocolate.
I handed them to her, and she ran them over the scanner. “You want these in a bag, or do you want them right now?” she asked.
“Don’t put them in a bag. I bought them for you. I think they’ll energize you and help you put the sleepiness behind you.” I grabbed the bags she’d already filled with the rest of my items. “Next time I come in, which will probably be tomorrow morning, I’ll ask if they’ve helped you or not. Okay?”
She looked at me like I was nuts. “Are you serious?”
“Very. If they do the trick, then I’m going to start making my own for the restaurant I’ll be opening soon.” I thought about the term restaurant — I wasn’t sure that’s what it would be. “Or café or shop or something along those lines. I haven’t come up with the exact idea yet. But all the food will be delicious as well as healthy. I’ll be using all sorts of superfoods.”
She opened the package then popped one into her mouth. “My brother swears by this thing called hemp hearts. It’s shelled hemp seeds, I think. He buys them here, he said, from the aisle with the flour and sugar and that kind of stuff. He says it tastes great, sort of nutty, but not too much. And he puts it on everything. He says it transforms any food into a superfood. You should get some.”
“I’ll have to check that out. Hemp hearts, right?” I knew speaking up about what I was aiming for would help me succeed faster than merely keeping everything to myself.
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s what it’s called.” She popped another chocolate-covered blueberry into her mouth. “I bet if you made these by hand, they’d taste even better. Like, the fresher the blueberry, the better it would taste.”
“And perhaps being sprinkled with hemp hearts would make them taste better and be better for you.” I loved the way my mind was working. “Thanks,” I looked at her nametag, “Macie. I’m Stone. And I’m sure I’ll be seeing lots more of you.”
“Great.” She ate another one, already looking much perkier. “See ya tomorrow.”
Getting home around eight, I had to get to work on the foods. Just as I donned my apron, my brother Baldwyn called. I answered the call, “Hey, big bro. What’s up?”
“Sloan wants to go try out something with you today. It’s Greek cuisine. You up for it?”
“You bet I am.” Greek food gave me the sudden idea of using grape leaves to wrap food up inside of it. “How about around one?”
“She’s giving me the thumbs-up. She’ll pick the place, then text it to you, and you guys can meet there.”
My heart swelled as I felt all the love my family had for me. “Tell her I can’t wait and thanks for doing this with me. I love you guys. And I think I’ve found something I’m crazy about too. I’ll talk to her about it when I see her.”
