A Chance at Love (A Ferry Creek Novel): (a billionaire romance novel) (12 page)

Then his cell phone rang.

All the thoughts, all the emotions,
all the attempted lying and perceived truth meant nothing, because it had been
Sullivan Chasen on the other line. And he delivered an apology, sincere words,
and a shocking last statement that sent Bobby into even more disarray.

Sullivan Chasen was coming to
Ferry Creek.

Bobby had done it. He would give
his dying father his last wish. His father would get to meet his first born
son, a title that Bobby always thought he held and something he always joked
about. Bobby remembered when he wanted to do something and his father told him
no, he
’
d tell him he was
the oldest. And his father would always respond with,
you
’
re an only child, Bobby...
When his father wanted him to do something and Bobby had no care for it, he
’
d tell his father he was the
baby in the family. His father, again, would laugh and say,
you
’
re an only child, Bobby
...
What seemed funny and innocent then were actually lies. Bobby had to face the
fact that his father had lied to him for years.

Bobby told himself he could deal
with that later. Right then, he had to prepare for everything that was about to
happen. He had to prepare his father for Sullivan
’
s
arrival. He had to prepare himself. The talk around Ferry Creek would certainly
be intense. People were already whispering here and there about some kind of
big secret Bob had. Bobby had blown it off until then, but there would be no
avoiding it now.

Bobby started to stand when he
caught sight of another picture on the cork board above the desk. It was a
picture of Bobby
’
s family.
The entire family. He, Annie, Billy, and Claire. They were at a pumpkin patch,
sitting on hay bales. Bobby had his arm tight around Annie
’
s shoulder, keeping her close.
Billy sat next to Annie, his head resting near her chest. He was always
attached to his mother
’
s
hip. Claire was on Bobby
’
s
lap, her big eyes with a pacifier still in her mouth. The picture was three
years old. Bobby wasn
’
t
exactly sure if he was happy but he appeared happy. It wasn
’
t the context of the picture
that mattered, it was the people in it.

Reality settled in.

His father was going to die. Probably
soon. Maybe he
’
d die before
Sullivan got there. Maybe his father just wanted to know Sullivan was alive,
well, and that Bobby had spoken to him. Maybe it was his father
’
s trick to get Bobby and
Sullivan to connect. His father had always been good at little ploys like that.

Or maybe his father would meet
Sullivan and then pass away peacefully.

Whatever was going to happen Bobby
knew he couldn
’
t control
it. His father would go when his body and soul were ready. But there was one
thing he could control...

Bobby plopped back down in his
chair and grabbed his cell phone.

He found Annie
’
s number. The number used to be
listed as
House
in his phone, but was now listed as
Annie House
.

The answering machine picked up
with the sound of the kids voices, giggling and innocent. Annie was in the
background explaining what to say. It wasn
’
t
all that long ago it was the four of them on the answering machine. Now it was
down to the three. The three who lived there. It wasn
’
t Bobby
’
s
home any longer. Maybe it had never been his home.

Bobby called Annie
’
s cell and she picked up.

“
Annie,
are you busy? I need to talk.
”

“
I
’
m on my way to gym.
”

“
The
gym?
”

“
What?
Have something to say?
”

“
No,
not at all. You... you always mentioned it...
”

“
Well,
now I have the time and energy,
”
Annie said.

Her voice was vindictive and
snotty.

Time and energy
... implying
she had wasted all of her time and energy on Bobby and their marriage.

Yeah,
Bobby thought,
welcome
to my life, sweetheart.

“
I
have to talk to you about my father,
”
Bobby said.

“
Oh,
no. Did he... pass?
”

Annie
’
s
voice was so calm. Uncaring. Bobby felt his nerves pinching already.

“
He
’
s alive,
”
Bobby said.
“
Having
a hard week. But every week is hard. Every day.
”

“
I
’
m really sorry, Bobby. I wish I
could do something.
”

“
You
can,
”
Bobby said.

“
Oh?
”

Annie sounded caught off guard. Her
empty statement was needed now. She could help Bobby. She could really help
him. And he would fight for it.

“
Bring
the kids here,
”
Bobby said.
“
Please. To see him one
last time.
”

Annie sighed.
“
You now how I feel about...
”

“
I
know how you feel, Annie. You
’
ve
explained it to me many times. I know death is scary. I know it
’
s going to be hard to tell the
kids. I get that. But he
’
s
their grandfather, Annie. He
’
s
going to be gone soon. I
’
m
sorry they would see him in the hospital and sick, but just one more time.
”

“
Why?
What
’
s it going to do for
them? For Bob?
”

For Bob...
Had Annie really
checked out that far from their marriage? Sure, they were divorced, but now it
was just
Bob
. It sounded wrong, considering all that
Bob
had done
for Bobby and Annie in the early part of their marriage.

“
What
’
s it going to do for them? How
could you ask something like that, Annie?
”

“
Ask
what? Am I not being honest here?
”

“
Sure,
you
’
re always honest. As
long as it benefits you.
”

“
That
’
s great, Bobby. Turn into a
jerk.
”

“
Jerk.
I
’
m a jerk. My father is
dying and I want him to see his grandkids one last time and I
’
m a jerk. Don
’
t the kids ask about him?
”

Annie didn
’
t respond. Her silence was a loud
Yes
.

“
That
’
s what I thought,
”
Bobby said.

“
Fine,
”
Annie said.
“
Fine, Bobby. They ask, okay?
They ask about grandpa. They ask to come to Ferry Creek and go to the diner.
Billy wants to stand on the stool and drink chocolate milk. Claire wanted
waffles. Waffles and
chocomilk
. That
’
s
what she asks for.
”

Bobby smiled. He could hear little
Claire
’
s voice asking that.

“
Then
bring them,
”
Bobby said.
“
Please, Annie.
”

“
Come
get them then,
”
Annie said.

“
Don
’
t do this to me,
”
Bobby said.
“
Just do me this favor, Annie.
Bring the kids here. They can come to the diner, have a good time, and then go
see my father. Then you and I can talk to them. Explain that he
’
s sick and...
”

“
What?
That he
’
s going to die? And
then I have to deal with Billy and Claire asking questions the entire ride home
about death. And then I have to deal with them asking about it before bed. It
’
s all on me then, Bobby.
”

“
It
wouldn
’
t be if I was there,
”
Bobby blurted out.

He regretted it.

“
So
it
’
s my fault everything
ended?
”
Annie asked.

“
Look,
I
’
m sorry I said that. Whatever
you want to do, Annie, is fine by me. I just really want the kids to see their
grandfather one last time. I don
’
t
think that
’
s a lot to ask.
”

“
For
you,
”
Annie said.

“
Annie,
I have something to tell you,
”
Bobby said.
“
I wanted you
to be here in person, but you
’
re
not understanding.
”
Bobby
took a deep breath.
“
I have
a brother.
”

“
A
what?
”

“
I
have a brother. Okay?
”

“
What
do you mean you have a brother?
”

“
Dad
admitted to me that he had another son,
”
Bobby said.
“
He asked me to
find him. That
’
s his last wish
right now. I found the guy. He
’
s
definitely Dad
’
s son. We
have different mothers. I talked to him this morning and he
’
s going to come to Ferry Creek.
I
’
m afraid that once Dad
meets him...
”
Bobby
swallowed the emotion.
“
I
’
m afraid he
’
s going to let go then.
”

Annie was silent. For a long time.
Bobby could hear her breathing. Bobby closed his eyes and realized this was the
closest he
’
d ever be to
Annie. This was the closest he
’
d
get to compassion or even a hug from her.

“
Bobby,
I
’
m so sorry,
”
Annie said.

Her voice was soft, soothing. It
made Bobby
’
s heart race a
little.
Why couldn
’
t
Annie be like this all the time?

“
I
would like you to bring the kids here,
”
Bobby said.
“
So they could
see Dad one more time. Okay? That
’
s
all. I have to deal with all this right now and I have a brother coming to meet
me.
”

“
Wow,
”
Annie said.
“
So your father had an affair?
”

“
I
don
’
t know what it was,
”
Bobby said.
“
I didn
’
t get that far into this yet. I don
’
t want to think about it. I
’
m trying really hard not to be
angry because I don
’
t want
that to be my last emotion toward him while he
’
s
alive.
”

“
You
’
re too good of a man sometimes,
”
Annie said.
“
You know what I would do...
”

“
I
know.
”

Annie would raise hell. She would
bust into the hospital room and demand answers. That was her personality. Shoot
first, ask questions later. Bobby was more of an observer. He watched,
listened, learned, then reacted. The only person that really made him fly off
the handle was Annie.

“
Can
you help me here?
”
Bobby
asked.
“
I
’
m begging you right now.
”

“
Okay,
”
Annie said.
“
Okay. I
’
ll figure something out. I
’
ll bring the kids. I
’
ll
do whatever you want to do, okay? All I ask is that if I need you... if the
kids start asking questions...
”

“
I
’
ll drive to your house,
”
Bobby said.
“
Mark my word.
”

Bobby would. He could give the
diner to Jess and Peggie. In fact, he could be doing that right now while
finding something else to do with his life. But he couldn
’
t. He loved the diner too much
and he loved being in Ferry Creek.

“
To
my house,
”
Annie whispered.
“
Hard to think of it that
way.
”

“
That
’
s what you wanted,
”
Bobby said.

“
Yeah.
That
’
s right. What I
wanted...
”

Bobby gritted his teeth. He managed
to end the call cordially.

He put his face into his hands and
let out a long sigh.

His ex-wife was coming to Ferry
Creek, with his kids.