Small Town Billionaire

Hudson Jennings is determined to get away from the cynical world of business his father is trying to trap him in. Instead, he’ll focus on hosting his mom’s favorite charity event at the local country club. If only the event planner was a little less hostile and a lot less distracting.

Shannon Kendrick wants nothing to do with the billionaire who has invaded the local country club she works at. Hudson is just another entitled, arrogant, rich guy she’d rather forget entirely.

Working together, they begin to find common ground in the streets of their small town. Shannon wants to believe he’s more than just another selfish stooge. And Hudson will do whatever it takes to protect her from the same fate as his parents’ disastrous marriage.

But when his responsibilities come calling, they both have a choice to make.

Shannon Kendrick gulped down a hot cup of coffee as fast as she dared before she turned to put on her apron, that read “Southern Pines Country Club”. The white shirt of her waitress uniform still held a few wrinkles, and her blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail, but a few wisps of hair had escaped and fell in front of her face. She tucked the pieces behind her ear and prepared herself to walk out of the restaurant kitchen and into the dining area to greet any customers. 

Get it together, she told herself. Don’t think about anything but being here right now. As hard as she tried, it was hard to convince herself. Thoughts of the final exams she had looming over her were hard to shake. 

In the dining room, she put on a fake smile and tried to act cheerful. Smiles and cheerfulness earned better tips. And she wanted as much as she could make. “Good morning, how are you today?” her southern accent only added to her charm. 

“Just coffee and scrambled eggs,” the dark-headed man handed her the menu without looking her in the eyes.

“Yes, sir,” Her blue eyes searched his face. “Busy morning?” she asked in an effort to get him to look her way. It didn’t work. He only uttered a grunt that she took as an answer. She glanced over his black pinstripe business suit and expensive-looking shoes before answering, “Alright, coffee and eggs coming right up.”

Back in the kitchen, she handed in the order to the cook then reached for a coffee cup. 

“Good morning, Shannon.” Paige, the restaurant manager, and Shannon’s friend carried a clipboard and checked off her list of supplies.

“Nice to hear someone thinks so.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah,” Shannon filled the mug with hot coffee, “Our one and only guest in the dining room doesn’t seem to find this a very good morning.”

“Hmm, I wonder why.”

“Don’t know. And I’m sure he’s not going to tell me. He barely said two words. And I put on my super friendly smile too.”

“Hmm,” Paige said as she peered out the small window in the kitchen door. “I don’t recognize him,” she said.

“I don’t either. Oh well, maybe that means he hasn’t been here before, and he won’t be again.”

“Shannon,” Paige gave her a look.

“What?” Shannon shrugged, “I don’t mind waiting on people, I can smile and be nice. But if you can’t even say ‘good morning’ back to someone, I think there was a problem with your raisin’.”

Paige laughed “No matter what, he’s here, which means he’s a member, and we treat all our members with the same courtesy. So how about you just take him his coffee and keep smiling.”

“Aye, aye, captain.” Shannon smiled at her friend with a little salute. 

She carried the coffee cup on a saucer in one hand and a small bowl with cream containers in the other. “Here you go,” she said as she placed the coffee on the table, “Would you like cream?” she asked.

“No,” he replied quickly. He did manage to look up to glance at her as he said it. 

“Alright, no problem,” she smiled tensely. “You’re eggs will be out in just a minute.” 

He looked up at her without a word, then drank his coffee and looked the other way.

“Taking advantage of the golf course on this sunny day?” Shannon tried again.

The man looked at her and furrowed his eyebrows in a disapproving look. “No.” 

“That’s a shame. It’s a perfect day for it.” 

He looked her in the face and snapped at her. “Look, I’m just here for breakfast, not to chit chat or play golf.”

Shannon tried to maintain her composure as she said “Yes, sir.” She cleared her throat to keep from saying anything she would regret. “Well enjoy your breakfast.” She flashed her best smile. When he didn’t say anything, Shannon turned to the kitchen, only one word came to mind. Jerk. 

She had dealt with plenty of rich people in her work at the country club. Most of the members were kind to her, and they usually spoke with her happily. But there were always a few people who treated her more like a servant. She had gotten used to that. Money wasn’t everything to her. Sure, she needed it to pay for school, and she liked having enough to buy groceries. But she wasn’t one to turn her head at a fancy suit. Her parents had brought her up in a simple life in this small town and she was happy with it. And Shannon had worked hard for everything she had, and that made her proud. 

So what if a dude is rude to me at breakfast? Shannon thought to herself as she headed towards another table where an elderly couple was now seated. That’s nothing unusual, I deal with difficult customers all the time. So then why was it bothering her so much? Maybe it was the way he spoke to her or just the fact that her coffee hadn’t kicked in yet. But she knew it had more to do with the suit and attitude that told her he was a wealthy man that didn’t care about people he thought beneath him.