A Chance at Love (A Ferry Creek Novel): (a billionaire romance novel) (21 page)

Bobby laughed.
“
What a damn week.
”

“
It
’
s life,
”
Sullivan said.

He started cooking the last two
orders and he felt Bobby just standing next to him. He could sense the urge to
speak coming from Bobby.

“
You
know,
”
Sullivan said,
“
the more you think about it, it
’
s going to seem harder.
”

“
What?
”

“
Whatever
is running through your mind right now.
”

“
Fair
enough,
”
Bobby said.
“
It
’
s
about that favor I need.
”

“
Okay.
Ask away.
”

“
I
really need this.
”

“
Tell
me. Let me see if I can help.
”

Sullivan looked at Bobby and
wondered if it was financial. Bobby seemed somewhat ashamed and worried. If it
was money related Sullivan would probably help. If it kept the diner open. If
it kept Jess there...

“
Finish
those orders,
”
Bobby said.
“
Then I
’
ll talk.
”

Sullivan did just that. He then turned
his focus to making food for himself and Jess. Turkey club sounded good so he
decided to make it two.

“
I
’
ll put money in the register for
these,
”
Sullivan said.

“
Don
’
t worry about it,
”
Bobby said.

“
What
’
s the favor?
”

Bobby looked around and made sure
they were alone.
“
I need
you to not go see him until I say so.
”

Sullivan gently placed tomatoes on
the sandwiches. He stopped and turned to face Bobby. There hadn
’
t been any talk of their father
all day and it felt good. Right up until that moment.

“
You
want me to not see him. After I was told to come down and see him? I know it
’
s been a week and I
’
m figuring things out
…”

“
Listen,
Sullivan, I know how it sounds. But hear me out.
”

“
I
’
m all ears,
”
Sullivan said.

“
My
ex-wife is coming. I
’
ve
been begging her for a while. She
’
s
bringing my kids with her. It
’
s
their last chance to say goodbye to him. To their grandfather. It kills me,
Sullivan, that they
’
re not
going to grow up with the man I knew. I could say the same for you. It pains me
that you never got to experience him. But for my kids, they deserve this.
”

“
Okay,
”
Sullivan said.
“
I understand. You mentioned when
I first got here she was coming soon.
”

“
Her
version of soon and reality are very different. My ex is so afraid of death.
She tries to avoid it all costs, even if it
’
s
her own kids grandfather.
”

“
That
’
s rough.
”

“
The
sad part is that she does have a point to it all. She doesn
’
t want the kids to see him like
he is. You know, have that be their last memory of him. Go figure, we get
divorced and she
’
s still
always right.
”

Sullivan laughed.
“
I get it. But they should see
him. For his sake, right?
”

“
How
do you know? You don
’
t know
what kind of man he is.
”

“
Point
taken,
”
Sullivan said.
“
Maybe I
’
ll go visit him today.
”

“
Okay,
Sullivan. I
’
m sorry. I
’
m getting touchy and I shouldn
’
t be. I
’
m really sorry.
”

“
Bobby,
it
’
s fine,
”
Sullivan said.
“
I
’
m
still not sure what I want to do yet. I mean, I
’
m
glad I came here, I really am. I
’
m
glad I
’
ve met you. But...
everything else... I
’
m sort
of distracted.
”

Jess came walking into the kitchen
and Bobby laughed. Sullivan hoped Bobby wouldn
’
t
say a word and he didn
’
t.

“
Why
so quiet?
”
Jess asked.
“
Talking about me?
”

Sullivan pointed to the food in
front of him.
“
I
’
m hungry. Ready to eat, Jess?
”

“
Give
me two minutes,
”
she said
and rushed away.

“
Wow,
”
Bobby said.
“
You got to her.
”

“
What
do you mean?
”

“
She
’
s going to get ready. She
’
s nervous. I
’
ve never seen her nervous around
a guy. Lucky you.
”

“
Lucky
me,
”
Sullivan said.

“
But,
hey, to stay on topic for a second. My ex and kids.
”

“
Bobby,
it
’
s fine,
”
Sullivan said.
“
Have them come see their
grandfather. If anything, at least know things here can be taken care of.
”

“
Thanks
for stepping in like that,
”
Bobby said.
“
I had no
idea...
”

“
Not
a problem,
”
Sullivan said.
“
You know, I didn
’
t become wealthy by just sitting
around. I spent a lot of time knocking down walls, painting, getting filthy.
Trust me. I
’
m not afraid of
work.
”

“
That
’
s good,
”
Bobby said.
“
We
’
re a family of workers. And we
’
re loyal.
”

Sullivan wasn
’
t sure if the statement was a
threat or what but Sullivan wiped his hands off and stepped up to Bobby. He had
height on Bobby. And size.

“
Bobby.
Listen to me. There
’
s
plenty to work through right now. I need you to trust me and I
’
ll trust you. If you need this,
for yourself and your family, I
’
m
right there. When you
’
re
ready, let me know. Then I
’
ll
get ready. He
’
s your
father. He raised you from birth, I assume. I don
’
t
know what made all this happen. I don
’
t
know why he made the decisions he made and I don
’
t
know why my mother made the decisions she made. But, please, stay with me,
Bobby.
”

“
Okay,
”
Bobby said. He put a hand to
Sullivan
’
s shoulder.
“
Okay. Sometimes when I talk
about my ex...
”

“
Old
feelings, man,
”
Sullivan
said.
“
They
’
re a bitch, aren
’
t they?
”

“
Yeah,
they are. Let me clean up back here. Go enjoy your lunch.
”

Bobby nodded and Sullivan turned
his head just in time to see Jess walking by the counter. She had fixed her
hair and taken off her apron. In a white button down shirt and a black pair of
pants she was stunning and distracting.

Sullivan left the kitchen and had
the sudden urge to never leave Ferry Creek.

___EIGHT___

Jess watched Sullivan walk toward
her with food in his hands. Her eyes were locked to him and she didn
’
t have to worry about it because
nobody else was in the diner. She assumed Bobby was still in the back and
knowing Richie, he
’
d be
back the second he got his finger stitched. He was too obsessed with his
kitchen to trust anyone else to touch it.

Sullivan stopped at the table and
stared down at Jess for a few seconds. She liked the dominating stance. He put
the food down and never once took his eyes from hers.

 
“
Drink?
”
Sullivan asked.

“
Whatever
you
’
re having.
”
Her body started to ache in a
way she hadn
’
t felt in a
very long time.

“
I
’
ll be back.
”
Sullivan tapped his left hand
on the table.

Jess noticed there wasn
’
t a ring on his finger. It made
her think of Katey, who was back at her place debating what to do next after
her failed marriage. It almost surprised Jess that a man as good looking as
Sullivan wasn
’
t taken. Even
if he was truly single, he must have women throwing themselves at him. Jess
looked down at herself and her cheeks blushed. She had a few small stains on
her shirt, her skin felt greasy and she knew her hair was a freaking mess. What
was she doing in the diner with Sullivan Chasen?

Sullivan came back to the table
with two glasses of iced tea and they began to eat.

Sullivan devoured his food while
Jess sort of picked at it. Everything in her life just felt off. Between
Darryl, Bob, Bobby, Tyler, Katey, and now Sullivan, Jess was starting to wonder
which direction was up.

“
You
looked lost over there,
”
Sullivan said. He sipped his iced tea and gently put the glass down.

“
Just
exhausted. Long day yesterday. Long day today. Long day everyday, it seems.
”

“
I
hope whatever it is, it works out,
”
Sullivan said.

“
My
best friend called me to help her. She got divorced from her husband.
”

“
Oh.
That
’
s sad to hear.
”

“
Depends
on how you look at it,
”
Jess said.
“
She wasn
’
t happy. Now she has a chance to
be.
”

“
Very
true.
”

“
And
all this with Bob... well... your father...
”

Jess felt two inches tall. Sullivan
noticed her uncomfortable state and reached for her hand.

“
Don
’
t worry,
”
he said,
“
I
don
’
t know how to approach
this either. Just call him Bob for now. If it
’
s
easier.
”

“
Okay,
”
Jess said.
“
I just don
’
t want to cause a problem.
”

“
You
won
’
t. You never will,
Jess.
”

Jess glanced down at Sullivan
’
s hand. She watched him squeeze
her hand and then let go. Her arm tingled and the feeling slowly crept through
her body. When she met eyes with Sullivan that tingling feeling had gone to
other
places
and it forced Jess to look away.

"Tell me about him,"
Sullivan said. "At least what he means to you."

"Only if you answer a question
of mine first."

"Ask away."

"Why haven't you gone to see
him? I mean, you understand that he's dying right?"

"Fair question," Sullivan
said.

Jess stared at Sullivan intently as
he hesitated to find words. She had to admit that while Sullivan was a very
good looking man -
no, he wasn't very good looking, he was sexy
- it
sort of bothered her that he didn't just run to see Bob in the hospital. Even
as she reminded herself that Bob wasn't exactly the greatest man in the world
for having another son and not doing a thing for him, it just didn't seem right.
At all.

"Here's the simple
story," Sullivan said. "I came to Ferry Creek by following my gut.
That's what I'm doing right now, following my gut."

"And your gut doesn't want you
to see your father?"

"The thing is, Jess, I already
have a father. Well, had a father."

The words shut Jess right up. This
wasn't the exact conversation she had thought of having with Sullivan. Then
again, the thoughts running through her mind in the past week really had
nothing to do with conversing.

"I'm sorry then," Jess
said.

"See how tough this is?"
Sullivan asked. "I was raised by a man I called
Dad
and that man
isn
’
t here to defend
himself. I can't ask him what he knew. So I have to rely on what I find out
here."

"Or just ask Bob," Jess
said.

"What if I said I couldn't
because I was doing someone else a favor?"

Jess looked to the back of the
diner.

"Bobby?" she whispered.

"Or," Sullivan said,
inching closer to Jess. "Or maybe I'm just afraid. Is that wrong to
admit?"

Jess felt a surge through her
heart.

A rich man, afraid? A billionaire,
afraid?

Now Jess was the one reaching
forward. She took Sullivan's hand and squeezed. For a businessman he had very
strong hands. Not that the detail mattered in the face of circumstances Ferry
Creek and everyone in it had to face, but it was a detail Jess picked up on.

"Bob is hands down one of the
greatest men I've ever met," Jess said. "This whole thing has me
confused, too, because I can't imagine him not taking care of someone. That's
all he ever did here. This diner was not a diner to anyone... this place was
something like sacred. From the second I stepped foot in here, he did
everything he could to help me get settled in Ferry Creek and figure out my
life."

"Did you figure out your
life?" Sullivan asked.

Jess laughed but noted the serious
look in Sullivan's eyes. "I'm not sure. I know that I managed to survive
on my own. I know that I love this place. I know that I'm going to miss Bob
when he's gone... and I..." Jess hesitated.

"Open book," Sullivan
said. "You can tell me anything. The more I know, the better."

Jess looked and didn't see Bobby
anywhere. "I just really hope nothing happens to this place when Bob
passes."

"You think Bobby would get rid
of it?" Sullivan asked.

"I don't know," Jess
said. "I mean, he threw his entire life off course for this place and his
father. Now this thing with you."

"Boy, I'm really messing
everyone up here, aren't I?"

"No, not like that,
Sullivan."

"I'm just kidding,"
Sullivan smiled.

He lightened the mood with his
smile. Jess felt butterflies float through her stomach.

"Bob's a good man," Jess
said. "I hope you get the chance to talk to him before he goes. Maybe it
will help you move on."

"Move on," Sullivan said.
He looked around the empty diner. "Move on..."

Jess worried she had offended him. She
couldn't remember the last time she was so nervous in her life.

"Or maybe I'll stay,"
Sullivan said. "See what Ferry Creek has to offer."

Jess laughed. "I doubt
that."

"Why not?" Sullivan
asked.

"Thank you for the
lunch," Jess said. "I have to get home and check on Katey. Knowing
her, she probably found ten apartments, two houses, and wrote a book."
Sullivan raised an eyebrow. "She's a writer. Kind of famous. Fiction
stuff."

Jess shook her head. She really
needed to stop blabbering.

"Thanks for joining me,"
Sullivan said. "Can I ask something?"

"I guess."

"Can I bring up Darryl?"

It caught Jess off guard. "No.
Don't bother."

"Okay," Sullivan said.
"Just want to make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine," Jess said.
"Nothing to worry about."

Jess could feel the lying vibe rushing
from her. She watched Sullivan slide from the booth and stand up. He stood over
her. She could smell the scent of The Pot Diner on his clothes.

"Maybe we can do this
again," Sullivan said.

He didn't ask. He said.

"Sure," Jess said.

Sullivan looked over his shoulder
and then back to Jess. "Not to piss off my brother or anything, but maybe
we can this someplace else next time."

"What?" Jess asked.

"Someplace else. You and me.
So we can go somewhere besides work and smell like something besides work."

"Are you saying I smell?"
Jess asked.

She found the urge and ability to
flirt.

"I think we both smell,"
Sullivan said. "I'm sure we can find a way to fix that, right?"

"Well, a shower..."

Jess caught herself when she
realized how it came out of her mouth.

Sullivan let out a laugh and then
touched her face. His hand cupped perfectly at her cheek.

"Maybe when we go out you can
tell me how someone as beautiful as you ended up in Ferry Creek."

"We'll see," Jess managed
to say before her breath was stolen for a few seconds.

When Sullivan walked away, Jess
touched her cheek.

She wasn't sure what to be more
amazed and confused about... Sullivan implying a real date or that he touched
her face.

Bobby sat outside the hospital room
while the doctors were checking on his father. A fresh round of guilt pumped
through his coarse veins as he stared at an ugly tile pattern on the floor. He
felt like he was being unfair to his brother. Greedy and petty, two things that
his father certainly didn
’
t
allow in or near the diner.

The truth was already spoken as far
as Bobby was concerned. He needed the favor from Sullivan for the sake of his
kids. Whether it was right or wrong didn
’
t
matter to Bobby, his kids deserved to see their grandfather one last time. That
meant Bobby would also have to deal with his ex-wife. It was just going to be
that kind of week. And there would be no chance to settle for a minute because
somewhere in Bobby he knew that once Sullivan met his father, that would be it.
Bob would let go and be gone.

Bobby had slipped out of the diner
while Sullivan and Jess were talking. Well, talking would be putting it
lightly. There wasn
’
t as
much talking going on as there was both of them trying to figure out what the
other one was thinking. The connection between them was instant and mind
boggling. Of all the years Jess had lived in Ferry Creek, the only guy she got
involved with was Darryl Stant. Some punk on a motorcycle. Bobby never understood
it. Bobby even noticed that she and Tyler were close, but not the same kind of
close he saw between Jess and Sullivan. It was nice to see Jess smiling and
happy, and even flirting, but it had to be taken with a grain of salt because
Sullivan lived in Virginia. Not that there was anything wrong with Jess, but Sullivan
could probably get any woman he wanted in the world.

The hospital door opened and Leslie
came out. She wore blue scrubs, white shoes, and her hair was a little messy.
She always tried to pull it back in a ponytail, but her hair wasn
’
t quite long enough. That meant
her bangs always popped free and she would fight them to reach the back of her
ears. Bobby noticed it all as he sat there and watched Leslie running her
fingers along her hair, trying to fix it as best she could without a mirror.

“
How
is he?
”
Bobby asked.

“
The
same,
”
Leslie said.
“
His blood pressure is really
high right now. They asked him to move his legs and he really couldn
’
t. They bent his legs and he
couldn
’
t feel it either. He
’
s really tired and in and out of
it right now. He
’
s been that
way all day.
”

Bobby nodded. Bad news had become
the normal. He told himself that if his father wasn
’
t dead, there was some good news to take from it
all.

“
Coffee?
”
Leslie asked.

“
Yeah,
”
Bobby said.
“
Please.
”

“
Stay
put.
”

Leslie walked and Bobby stared
straight ahead.

Don
’
t do it... don
’
t do it...

His eyes strained and he lost the
will not to look at Leslie as she walked away. He couldn
’
t help himself. Her scrubs worked so well with her
body. When she turned down a hall, Bobby closed his eyes to play the image
again, and then he put his hands to his face.

What the hell am I doing?

That was the question Bobby could
never answer. He asked that question hundreds of times when he was with Annie.
During those moments of solidarity and clarity, when his heart tried to be
honest, he
’
d stand outside
the house and stare at it, wondering just what the house meant. But each time
he
’
d open the door, he was
attacked with love from the kids. He still remembered the first time Billy
walked to him. He opened the front door and Annie stood near the steps holding
Billy
’
s fingers. She said,
“
Show Daddy what you learned
today...
”
and
she let Billy
’
s fingers go.
Bobby dropped to his knees and his son walked to him. Even then, as he stood
holding Billy, he looked at Annie and wondered what the hell he was doing.