Tasha woke at 5:00 am to the splashing of water against the rocks. She reached out without opening her eyes to silence the alarm. She opened her eyes slowly, blinking sleep from her eyes.
“Morning sweetie,” Grant’s voice was husky from sleep. He laid a hand on her thigh under the covers. “Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, good morning, babe.” Tasha purred and turned to face him. He looked so adorable with his sleepy smile. “Yes, I did.” She planted a kiss on his arm.
He moved closer to her, with his hand on her waist, and gave her a thorough kiss.
“How is your day going to be like today?” He asked when he pulled away. “Can we meet for lunch?”
They were not running this morning, so as usual, they lingered a bit in bed.
“I’m going to be busy today.” She said, “Jason is still not back in the office until next week.”
She had been standing in for Prof. Jason Douglas, the Head of department for the last three weeks. Marcus had undergone a minor surgery and was asked to take some time off work.
“No problem.” He balanced his weight on his elbow and ran his fingers through her long hair. “The three of us will go for dinner later at night. What about that?”
“That’s fine,” she slimed, gave him a peck on the lips and rolled out of the bed.
Tasha walked into the kitchen, engulfed by the aroma of freshly brewed coffee which her machine had done for her already. She poured a cup for herself and sat at the kitchen table to open her email box on her iPad. She was sipping her coffee and replying to an email when Grant walked into the kitchen. He pecked her and went to get a cup of coffee for himself, too. They chatted as they sip their coffee for half an hour before Grant stood up and said, “it’s time to wake my little man up.” He dropped his empty cup in the sink.
“Okay babe,” Tasha watched him leave the kitchen, her heart expanding with love for Grant.
She pushed back from the table and stood up with her empty cup, which she rinsed off along with the one Grant just dropped in the sink.
The morning light flitted through the kitchen window as she opened the cupboards to bring out what she needed to make breakfast. Tasha hummed along, her voice a soft melody that danced with the morning light as she started cooking.
By the time Tyson burst into the kitchen bringing his whirlwind of energy, their breakfast of pancakes, sausage and eggs was ready. She was just removing the sausages from the fry pan.
“Good morning mom,” Tyson greeted and hugged his mother. “Are we having pancakes for breakfast?”
“Good morning, my big baby,” she kissed his forehead and looked over at Grant, who just walked in with affection in her eyes. “Yes honey, it’s pancakes for breakfast.”
“Yee!” his eyes were wide with excitement. “I love pancakes.”
“Yes, you do, little man,” Grant joined in his excitement. “Now, sit down. Breakfast is ready.”
Grant helped Tasha to set the table and the three of them settled down to have breakfast. They shared laughter and stories over their pancakes and fruits, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere. They only had to stop when the school bus arrived for Tyson.
“I should be on my way,” Grant said after Tyson left.
“Yeah,” Tasha beamed. “Have a nice day, darling.”
“You too, babe.” he gave her a long kiss and then left too.
She rushed to the bathroom to have a bath and then left for work.
******
“I’m so sorry for keeping you waiting,” Blake apologized to his cousin Ethan as he took the seat across from Ethan. He was over thirty minutes late. “My meeting took longer than expected.”
“It’s fine,” Ethan waved him off. “I haven’t been here too long myself.”
Ethan had called Blake the night before, asking if they could meet for lunch. Blake had said yes.
“Let’s order first,” Ethan said. “I’m famished. We can talk about business later.”
“Yeah,” Blake nodded. “I am hungry too. Being a bachelor is not easy at all.”
They both burst into hearty laughter, making fun of each other.
Ethan waved at a waiter, who promptly came over to take their orders. They both made their orders, and they were promptly served.
“You want to sell fifty percent of the business?” Blake looked at his cousin, Ethan, eyes wide with astonishment after they finished eating when Ethan told him why he asked that they meet. “Don’t you think that is too much?”
“Blake,” Ethan took a deep breath. His weary gaze narrowed its focus on Blake. “I don’t seem to have any other options than to sell half of the business. The money is not there anymore.”
A massive wave of hopelessness washed over him.
Ethan felt how dejected Ethan was, and it broke his heart. He felt sorry for Ethan, an only child who alone only is saddled with the responsibility of upholding the family legacy.
“Who else have you spoken to about this?” Blake asked.
“One of my friends back in Texas,” Ethan sipped from his wine. “He’s very much interested. He wants to buy twenty percent and I will be glad if you can buy the remaining thirty.”
“You know what?” his sympathetic gaze rested on Ethan’s. “Tell him you are not selling again.”
“What?” he stared in disbelief at his cousin. “Are you kidding me? Didn’t you hear anything I said?”
“I did,” he smiled. “I am not a fan of selling parts of a family business. If anyone should know the consequences, it’s me.”
“So,” Ethan took a deep breath, with his hands folded on the table. “What would you have me do?”
“I will buy all fifty percent,” Blake replied. “And sell it back to you when the company is buoyant enough to buy it back. What about that?”
“You are going to do that for me?” Ethan stared at his cousin in awe, relief flooded his appearance. “Thank you so much, man. Oh my God, you don’t know what you have done for me.”
“It’s alright Ethan,” Blake smiled. “We are family. I gat your back any time, bro.”
“I will have the lawyer draw up the agreement before the week runs out,” Ethan said cheerfully.”
“Great” Blake chimed and gave him a thumbs up.