Page 43 of The Billionaire's Fortunate Accident
Stone
On cloud nine, I felt like I floated through the rest of the day. There had been so much to do that I’d done nothing but run from place to place to get the proper legal documents ready to go for the following day.
I’d texted Jessa a couple of times, wanting to share with her my great news, but she hadn’t gotten back to me. My plan was to go home, shower, change, and then go see her at Hamburger Hut to tell her the news in person.
Just as I walked through my door, my cell rang, and I saw it was Baldwyn. “Hey, big bro. What’s up?”
“I’ve got our cousins here at my place. Come on over and make your case for the grant you’re wanting. Plus, they’ve brought barbeque, and we’re going to have a nice family meal all together.”
“Great!” Things were falling into place at a speed that I couldn’t have imagined. “I’ll shower and change, then be right over.”
“Prepare to stay the night because, you know, there’s gonna be lots of drinking. Cash brought samples of the liquors he’s been making. See you soon.”
“Oh, hell yeah!” The night had just gotten even better.
Sure, I wouldn’t be able to talk to Jessa until the next day, but that was okay. I could go see her at the hospital during one of her breaks and tell her everything then. I’d be up there anyway, signing papers.
An hour later, I walked into Baldwyn’s home with a big smile on my face. “Hello, family!”
The living room was huge, but there were so many people in it that it felt on the smaller side. Everyone had brought their families along.
Making my way around the room, I greeted everyone personally before we were all called to the dining room to enjoy the meal our cousins had flown in.
Baldwyn sat at the head of the table with his wife, Sloan, sitting on his right. He took her hand in his. “Since all of us being together is such a rare occasion, I think that saying grace over the dinner would be nice. Can we all join hands?”
I sat at the other end of the table and took my niece Madison’s hand as she sat on my right. On my left was sitting my sister-in-law Orla, who held my other hand. “I can’t believe y’all came all the way from Ireland to be here, Orla. But I’m glad you did.”
“Me too, Stone. This is great. I love big family gatherings.” Her smile was radiant, and it wasn’t lost on me why my brother Warner had followed her all the way to Ireland to make her permanently his.
“God, we’d like to thank you for this bounty,” Baldwyn began. “Breaking bread with family is a gift that we are all thankful for. Our cousins have delivered the finest meats in Texas, the finest spirits in Texas, and the finest company in Texas, too. For that, we are grateful. Lord, we ask that you bless this food that will serve to nourish our bodies and our souls. Amen.”
“Amen,” I said, ready to dig into the food. “This smells so good.”
Tyrell said, “Stone, why don’t you tell us all about this restaurant you’re gonna open and what you want us to help with.”
“Right now?” We usually didn’t talk business unless we were all alone.
“Yeah, right now. From what I’ve heard, you’ve got some pretty amazing ideas, and we’d all like to hear about them,” he said.
“Wow. Well, okay.” I wasn’t used to being the one with the amazing ideas, but I was the one in the spotlight for once. “So, I’m seeing this woman — she’s an intern at one of the local hospitals. She’s going to be a doctor.”
“A doctor?” Orla asked as she nodded while picking up a rib. “Nice, Stone.”
“I know, right?” I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face. “So, this woman, her name’s Jessa. She also works as a night manager at a fast food place. That’s where we met.”
Cohen chuckled as he reached for the barbeque sauce. “For once, Stone’s late-night partying paid off.”
“Kids, bro!” I didn’t want the little kids in our family to think I was some sort of party animal. “But yeah, my not-so-good ways finally paid off for me. And, for the record, I haven’t partied since I met her. She’s a good influence on me, apparently.”
“I agree,” Warner said before he bit into a steak burger. “Yum!”
“This food is really great, you guys. Whisper Ranch is raising some prime beef,” Ember said as she cut into a grilled steak.
“We do try,” Jasper said with pride. “So, tell us the idea behind your restaurant, Stone.”
“So, the idea behind this bistro — I’m not calling it a restaurant because it’s not going to be that big — is that I’ll only be serving healthy foods, but not the same old boring things that everyone is tired of. I’ve done tons of research on nutrition and have come up with some awesome items. I can fill egg roll wrappers with all sorts of things and fry them in coconut oil, giving them the feel of something that’s not good for you, butisgood for you in reality. Plus, it doesn’t leave you feeling bloated or heavy, but at the same time, it doesn’t leave you feeling hungry like you haven’t eaten anything substantial enough to fill you up either.”
“How many items are on your menu?” Cash asked.
