A Chance at Love (A Ferry Creek Novel): (a billionaire romance novel) (16 page)

“
If
you insist,
”
Sullivan said.

Bobby disappeared into the back and
Sullivan walked along the counter. He touched the stools with the tips of his
fingers and admired the black and white photos on the wall. Some were in color
and the timeframe was obvious by the old equipment, old vehicles, and style of
clothing in the pictures. Each one made Sullivan smile. But then he saw one
that made him stop dead in tracks.

A picture of a tall man with his
arms folded. A white towel draped over his shoulder. He was wide, strong, and
he wore the biggest thin square framed glasses he
’
d
ever seen in his life.

It was his father.

Sullivan just knew. He knew because
the man sort of looked like Bobby. Some of the facial definition and certainly
the build came from their father. But the smile and the eyes were all Sullivan.
He almost couldn
’
t believe
it when he saw it. The man in the picture was very young when it was taken,
obviously long before when the man in the picture made the decision to have two
children from two different women.

Sullivan reached out to touch the
picture. He swallowed, harder than he thought.

“
I
’
m going to take off,
”
a voice said.

The voice startled Sullivan as his
mind had been so focused on the picture. He jumped and then sighed, trying to
keep calm. He turned and saw Jess walking along the counter.

“
Oh,
”
she said when she saw Sullivan.
“
I
’
m sorry. I didn
’
t...
”

“
It
’
s okay,
”
Sullivan said.
“
Can
I ask you something?
”

Jess hesitated but didn
’
t stop walking toward Sullivan.
The sight of her was captivating. An instant attraction that made Sullivan
’
s toes curl in his shoes.

“
I
guess you can ask me anything,
”
Jess said.
“
I
’
ll only answer if I know Bobby won
’
t get pissed.
”

“
Is
he a good man? Bobby?
”

Jess smiled.
“
Yeah. Maybe not completely like
his father, but he
’
s
learning. Ferry Creek is like its own world here.
”

“
I
can sense that,
”
Sullivan
said.
“
The pictures behind
me...
”
Sullivan threw a
thumb back over his shoulder.
“
Is
that my father?
”

Jess started to blink fast. She
already gave away the answer. It made Sullivan smile. She
’
d make a terrible businesswoman,
but that was okay. She made a damn sexy waitress.

“
It
is,
”
Jess finally admitted.
“
Long before I knew him.
”

“
Do
I look like him?
”
Sullivan
asked.

He almost felt an idiot for asking
such a question.

Jess studied the picture and then
Sullivan. It drove him mad watching Jess
’
s
blue eyes moving up and down, staring at him. He had the urge to rush forward
and scoop her up.

Instead, Sullivan stepped forward,
away from the picture but closer to Jess.

“
You
do,
”
Jess said.
“
It
’
s
funny because I see both Bobby and you. Bobby definitely looks like him more...
”

Sullivan could care less about the
picture right then. He wanted to stare at Jess for the rest of the day and
nothing more.

“
I
have one more question to ask,
”
Sullivan said.
“
Don
’
t take it the wrong way.
”

“
Okay...
”

“
Are
we related?
”

Jess laughed and touched her mouth.
“
Oh. You
’
re serious.
”

“
I
found out I had a brother,
”
Sullivan said.
“
Who else am
I related to in Ferry Creek?
”

Jess touched Sullivan
’
s arm. His body tensed. He had
power but yet felt powerless right then in front of Jess.

“
Sullivan,
we
’
re not related,
”
Jess said.
“
I
’
m
nowhere near related to anyone in Ferry Creek. I
’
m
not even from here. I wasn
’
t
born here. I just ended up here.
”

“
Good
to know,
”
Sullivan said.
“
What brought you here?
”

“
You
said one more question,
”
Jess teased.

“
Yeah,
I did.
”

Jess smiled and turned to leave.
Sullivan continued to undress her with his eyes until Bobby called his name
from the back of diner. Sullivan walked slow and made sure to check out Jess
one more time before she was gone. He let out a long breath and went to the
back where Bobby had two burgers on a grill.

“
What
do you want on it?
”
Bobby
asked.

“
Whatever
you
’
re having,
”
Sullivan said.

“
You
’
re not into some crazy food, are
you? Like rich snobby stuff?
”

“
Not
at all,
”
Sullivan said. He
paused and then added,
“
You
know, I wasn
’
t born
wealthy. I made my own wealth. I hope this isn
’
t
all about money.
”

“
Considering
you
’
re now the richest
person in Ferry Creek and probably the richest person to ever step foot in
Ferry Creek, it
’
s going to
be the news and talk of the town.
”

“
Great,
”
Sullivan said.

“
Don
’
t worry, nobody will bother you
for money,
”
Bobby said.

He pressed on the burgers and they
sizzled. Sullivan walked to the condiments and started collecting lettuce and
tomato on a plate. He handed it to Bobby and nodded.

“
Thanks,
”
Bobby said.

“
I
don
’
t want to start talking
about this whole thing on a financial note,
”
Sullivan said.
“
But is
everything taken care of?
”

“
What
do you mean?
”

“
I
mean, is he in a good hospital? Is he being cared for properly? Is everything
okay with insurance and money?"

Bobby smiled and put the spatula
down. He turned and leaned next to the grill.

"Believe it or not, our father
is kind of a financial genius."

"I believe it," Sullivan
said.

"Yeah, I guess those genes
went to you. I got the idiot romantic genes."

Jess popped into Sullivan's mind
and he couldn't be so sure that he didn
’
t
inherit the
idiot romantic
genes too.

"He took over the diner and
ran it like it should have been done," Bobby said. "He worked every
single day. He saved all his money. He never took a vacation. On top of that, he
dabbled in investments and did pretty damn well."

"That's good to hear,"
Sullivan said. "Sad though that he didn't take breaks. What kind of life
is that?"

Bobby grabbed the spatula and
flipped the burgers. He looked at Sullivan with sincere eyes and said,
"The best life ever. I know it may not seem like much, Sullivan, but Ferry
Creek is special. I left for a little while, but now coming back, I get it. I
see it.
”

A thudding sound caught both their
attention. Sullivan looked through the open kitchen window to the front door
and saw someone standing there. Pulling. Knocking. Wearing a police officer's
uniform.

"Trouble?" Sullivan
asked.

"Maybe," Bobby said.

"I'll cook."

Bobby looked surprised and Sullivan
swallowed his pride... and offense to the look on his brother's face. Everyone
was quick to assume that since Sullivan was wealthy he didn't, and couldn't, do
a thing for himself. However, that since he could afford anything it meant he
did nothing. Sullivan could take care of himself... and he could cook a hell of
a burger.

Sullivan kept a close eye on Bobby
and watched as he unlocked the door. The officer was let in. Sullivan pressed
on the burgers and knew they were ready. He found two buns and began to stack
the meat and toppings. Plates were above his head and by the time Bobby walked
to the counter with the police officer, Sullivan met him with two plates in
hand.

"Burgers are done."

"They can't be," Bobby
said.

"Trust me," Sullivan
said.

He held the plate out and Bobby
took it. Bobby inspected the burger with a skeptical eye. It offended Sullivan
but he again ignored it. He turned his attention to the officer.

"I'm Sullivan Chasen."

"Sullivan Chasen," the
officer said. "Nice to meet you. I'm Tyler Abereden."

"Pleasure, Officer
Abereden."

The two men shook hands and Bobby
bit into the burger. He hurried to chew and swallow.

"Shit," Bobby said.
"That's the best burger I've ever tasted. Perfect. Just... perfect."

"You
’
re welcome," Sullivan said. "What do I
owe for them?"

"The burgers? Christ,
Sullivan. We're family. Nothing."

"And for that much,"
Officer Abereden cut in, "don't ever call me
Officer
again or I'll
have to arrest you."

"Oh?" Sullivan asked.

"Small town rules. Call me
Tyler."

"Okay then," Sullivan
said. "Noted. Free food and call the local cop by his first name. Got
it."

"Free food for today,"
Bobby said. "It's not a soup kitchen."

"Pleasant," Tyler said.

Sullivan laughed and Tyler quickly
joined in.

"Sorry to bust up the
reunion," Tyler said. "I'll take off."

"No," Bobby said.
"We just met. Right?"

"Yeah," Sullivan said.
"Barely cracked the ice here. It's... been an interesting few weeks to say
the least."

"I can't even imagine,"
Tyler said. "But, Sullivan, you're more than welcome to stay here as long
as you want."

"Is there a hotel
nearby?" Sullivan asked.

"Hotel?" Tyler asked.
"Not local."

"How far?"

"Twenty miles," Bobby
said.

"No," Tyler said.

"Let me rephrase," Bobby
said. "The closest hotel worth staying in is twenty miles away."

"That much is true,"
Tyler said.

"I guess I'm up shit's creek,"
Sullivan said.

"That little sporty car out
there must have a comfy backseat," Tyler said. "I'll get you a
blanket."

Sullivan couldn't tell if the
officer was joking or not. He didn't have a chance to find out because Bobby
changed the subject.

"How's everything with
Darryl?" Bobby asked.

"He'll be fine," Tyler
said. "I took him somewhere. Somewhere he should have been a long time
ago."

"Rehab?"

"No, not rehab," Tyler
said. "I took him to a cemetery."

"What? Like a scare
tactic?"

"No, just the truth."
Tyler tapped on the counter and then pushed away. "I'm going to get going.
Just wanted to stop by and let you know that Darryl is fine. I took care of
him. I also hope he's welcome in here."

"As long as he doesn't act the
way he did today," Bobby said.

"Fair enough. I'm going to go
check on Jess. I'm sure she's worried about him."

Now Sullivan's attention was
peaked.

He had picked up on two names.
Darryl. Jess.

Were they together?

Were they related?

The first seemed more likely
because Sullivan couldn't believe for a second that someone as beautiful as
Jess could be single.

Tyler looked at Sullivan and
nodded. "Nice to meet you, Sullivan Chasen. The unknown first born
son."

"That's what I'm told,"
Sullivan said.

Tyler walked out of the diner.
Bobby locked the door. He returned to the counter and the two brothers ate in
silence. The burger was damn good, Sullivan had to admit. He finished and Bobby
did too, taking his last bite as he stood and walked around the counter.

"Drink?" Bobby asked.

"Thanks."

Bobby got two sodas and the two
brothers stood in awkward silence.

"Seemed easier when we were
cooking," Bobby finally said.

"Yeah, it did. Why don't we
cut the nonsense... just say what we're thinking."

"That's dangerous."

"What else are we going to
do?"

"Fair enough. You spill
first."

Sullivan rubbed his chin. Where to
start? He looked at Bobby and then around the diner.

"Did you know?" Sullivan
asked.

"Know what?"

"About me?"

"Hell no," Bobby said.
"When Dad said something I thought he was talking crazy. I thought his
mind was going, along with his heart."

"Okay," Sullivan said.
"I'm trying to put together a mental timeline here."