A Chance at Love (A Ferry Creek Novel): (a billionaire romance novel) (29 page)

“
I
wouldn
’
t have gone anyway,
”
Sullivan said.
“
I
’
ll
take my chances admitting this, but I
’
m
kind of angry at him for this. And before tonight if I went to see him, I
’
d be angry.
”

“
You
’
re not angry now?
”
Bobby asked.

“
Not
as much,
”
Sullivan said.
“
I talked things out. I
’
m trying to believe that we were
meant to meet like this. Right at this time.
”

“
Don
’
t hate him,
”
Bobby said.
“
He
’
s
a great man. He
’
ll give you
reasons, whether you like them or not.
”

“
I
know he will,
”
Sullivan
said.
“
Maybe that
’
s what I
’
m afraid of. Maybe the reasons will change my life
again.
”

“
I
’
m sorry I got drunk, Sullivan. I
messed up your night I bet.
”

Sullivan smiled. He wasn
’
t going to say a word. Of course
Bobby had messed up his night. For all Sullivan knew he could have been in the
backseat of his car with Jess... or better yet, he could have been at her
place. He could have been anywhere with her. Somehow, it wasn
’
t even about sex. If Jess just
wanted to talk for hours, or days, he would not care as long as she was with
him.

“
I
’
m glad I could be here right
now,
”
Sullivan said.

“
It
’
s all winding down,
”
Bobby said.
“
I mean, everyone has waited long
enough. Everyone has had time to make their peace the best they can. You
’
re the only one left. Then he
’
ll go.
”

Bobby hung his head and began to sob.

Sullivan slowly put an arm around
his brother. His little brother. Sullivan
’
s
heart ached. Everything was now on Sullivan
’
s
shoulders. He needed to face his father - his biological father - and try to
find resolution. Aside from that, Sullivan felt like he held the plug to his
father
’
s life. The longer
he waited, the longer Bob lived.

Bobby started to fall asleep and
Sullivan helped his little brother to bed.

He then stood in the middle of the
apartment and let it all play through his head again.

Sullivan closed his eyes and tears
came.

___ELEVEN___

Another week had come and gone. And
Ferry Creek really felt like home. That was the most shocking news to Sullivan
when he stood at the kitchen table with Parker on his screen, staring at him,
talking about financials for a few projects. Parker had taken control of not
only the major project in Alexandria, but also a slew of smaller, side
projects. It lessened the load on Sullivan
’
s
back to next to nothing, other than the thoughts of what to do with some of the
properties he saw right outside Ferry Creek.

“
You
’
re doing great, Parker,
”
Sullivan said.

“
Just
my job,
”
Parker said. He
looked down and closed the folder in front of him.
“
Hey, listen, Sullivan. I have to ask... how
’
s your...
”

“
My
father?
”
Sullivan asked.

“
Yeah.
Sorry. I
’
m not sure how you
want to be associated with him.
”

“
Either
way, he
’
s doing better now.
I thought that was it for him, last week...
”

The morning after Bobby
’
s night of drinking, Sullivan
woke and cooked breakfast for himself and Bobby in the diner. He worked
alongside Richie, desperate to get to know the man.

When they finished eating, and
before Bobby could ask when Sullivan was going to go to the hospital, Bobby got
a phone call that his -
their
- father had a mild heart attack in the
middle of the night.

Thankfully, they managed to
stabilize Bob, as they had been doing for some time now. Both Bobby and
Sullivan rushed to the hospital and Sullivan
“
met
”
his father for the first time.
His father was asleep and had been asleep since then. The doctors wouldn
’
t call it a coma because Bob
came in and out of consciousness a few times each day since it happened.

Although the first visit wasn
’
t as planned, it didn
’
t come without emotions.
Sullivan stood there, staring at the weak man in the hospital bed. He looked
dead, and that bothered Sullivan. He wanted to be angry with himself and with Bobby
for making him wait so long to come to the hospital. Now he worried that their
father would never open his eyes and would never see Sullivan. Bobby left
Sullivan in the room by himself for a few minutes, but Sullivan couldn
’
t handle it. Without his father
’
s voice to confess the truth or
his ears to listen to Sullivan
’
s
questions, there was no reason to be there.

Sullivan had not been back to the
hospital since that morning.  He told himself he would face his father again
when the man could talk. Sullivan had spent every single day working with Jess
in the diner and had spent two nights outside the diner with her. Those were
brief encounters though. A quick conversation. A stolen kiss. Nothing more.
Nothing less.

Time had been thrown into a blender
and put on a crushed ice setting. Sullivan never lost track of time, ever, but
the past week he had done just that. The routine of Ferry Creek sucked him
right in. He worked at the diner in the mornings and afternoons and spent the
evenings doing his company work. The entire time he thought about his father.
It was all Sullivan could do until his father was okay enough to talk.

Sullivan closed the laptop and let
out a grumbling breath. He hated waiting. He hated not knowing answers. He
hated that there was an address to his mother
’
s
house in the glove box of the car. She was in South Carolina. Just a car ride
away. But Sullivan promised himself that he wouldn
’
t speak to his mother until he had spoken with his
father. He didn
’
t want to hear
half truths from the woman who birthed him, watched him grow, and then left. How
ironic that he trusted a man he never met over his own mother.

Sullivan went to the bathroom and
washed his face. He needed to get back downstairs and help with the last rush
in the diner. Whether or not the help was needed, nobody said anything to
Sullivan about it, and that, more than anything else, was the greatest gesture
for all of Ferry Creek to give him. He felt like he had a purpose while waiting
for everything to work out.

Out of the apartment and down the
steps, Sullivan found Jess standing like he had caught her once before. Leaning
against the pole, staring out to the Ferry Creek horizon. He walked up and
stood next to her, making sure his side touched her.

“
Hey
there,
”
he said.

“
Hey
you,
”
Jess said.
“
How
’
s business?
”

“
Busy,
”
Sullivan said.
“
How
’
s business down here?
”

“
Busy,
”
Jess said.

They both laughed and Sullivan felt
his heart swell. Staying in Ferry Creek had become so normal that the thought
of ever leaving hurt. What would happen to Jess then? Who would take care of
her?

“
How
’
s your friend doing?
”
Sullivan asked.
“
The writer.
”

“
She
’
s always busy,
”
Jess said.
“
I don
’
t mind the company at home though.
”

“
You
know, I could give you some company.
”

“
Are
you imposing on me, Sullivan?
”

“
I
’
m just making sure you know
there
’
s more than one
person who could keep you company.
”

Jess laughed again.
“
I might take you up on that
offer.
”

“
Good.
Can I bring up a sore subject?
”

“
Why
not?
”

“
Has
Darryl bothered you since...?
”

“
Nope,
”
Jess said.
“
The last time I saw him was when
I was going to look at those houses with you. Hopefully he got the message.
”

“
That
’
s good. I mean, for you.
Hopefully he
’
s okay.
”

“
He
will be. This town has a way of hurting and healing all at the same time. Kind
of strange.
”

“
Yeah,
”
Sullivan said.

He stared out in the same direction
as Jess. It was nothing spectacular; just buildings, houses, land, and water.
But it made Ferry Creek what it was.

“
Hey,
Sullivan, there you are.
”

Sullivan looked back and saw Bobby
standing at the backdoor to the diner.

“
Right
here. What
’
s up?
”

“
Can
I talk to you? Privately?
”

“
I
’
m just getting back to work,
”
Jess said.

“
No,
wait,
”
Sullivan said.
“
Stay here.
”

“
We
’
ll talk in the office,
”
Bobby said.

“
Give
me a minute?
”
Sullivan
asked.

Bobby nodded and disappeared.

“
The
boss wants me,
”
Sullivan
said.

“
Hope
you
’
re not fired,
”
Jess said.

Sullivan touched Jess
’
s hips and turned her toward
him.
“
You think my own
brother would fire me?
”

“
Maybe,
”
Jess said. She smiled.
“
Probably not.
”

“
You
’
re so beautiful, Jess,
”
Sullivan said.
“
I want to steal you away for a
day... or a week... maybe a lifetime.
”

“
But
then what
’
s the fun in
life?
”

“
I
’
m looking at life right now.
”

Jess touched Sullivan
’
s stomach. She had no idea what
they did to him.

“
You
’
re just held up in this town,
”
Jess said.
“
Your perception is off.
”

“
Not
even close,
”
Sullivan said.

“
You
better go see the boss.
”

“
Yeah.
”
Sullivan looked left. The coast
was clear. He leaned down and kissed Jess. He needed her lips. The kiss stopped
and it wasn
’
t good enough.
Not to satisfy the hunger running through Sullivan. It was a hunger that no
food on the menu of the diner could cure. It was a hunger for Jess and her
body, her desires, the look in her eyes, the everything of her life.

Sullivan kissed Jess again. He
parted his lips and Jess touched his cheek. He took that as a good sign, so he started
to kiss her harder and faster. He bent his knees a little and gently pushed the
lower half of his body forward. He wanted to show Jess what she did to him. She
needed to know how amazing she was.

Before anything else could happen,
someone cleared their throat.

Sullivan looked and saw Peggie
standing outside the diner, hands on her hips.

“
Is
it my turn?
”
Peggie asked.

Jess burst out laughing, her cheeks
red. Sullivan
’
s mouth hung
up, stuck between the passion for Jess and the boldness of Peggie.

“
Sorry
about that,
”
Sullivan said.

“
Fine
by me,
”
Peggie said.
“
Wasn
’
t sure if this was a new break thing.
”

“
No,
it
’
s not,
”
Jess stammered.
“
I
’
m
going back to work.
”

Jess slipped away and Sullivan
’
s eyes lingered, staring at her.
Sullivan took a breath and looked at Peggie.

“
I
have to go meet Bobby,
”
he
said.
“
Enjoy your break.
”

“
I
won
’
t enjoy mine as much as
Jess enjoyed hers,
”
Peggie winked.
Sullivan smiled. As he passed Peggie, she grabbed his arm.
“
Don
’
t hurt her, okay? I
’
m
not sure what she
’
s told
you... but just don
’
t...
”

“
I
wouldn
’
t,
”
Sullivan said.
“
I
’
m
throwing everything I know to the curb for her right now, Peggie. In my mind, I
’
ve been telling myself that
Ferry Creek has a hold on me, but in my heart, it
’
s
Jess. She
’
s got me. Right
here. Right now.
”

Peggie nodded to the backdoor and
let Sullivan go.

Sullivan rubbed his arm and shook
his head. He found Bobby sitting at the desk, hands folded, staring at the
wall.
“
What
’
s up?
”
he asked.

“
Shut
the door. Sit down.
”

Sullivan listened. The office was
cramped and smelled of paper and dust.

“
Everything
okay?
”
Sullivan asked.

“
He
woke up this morning,
”
Bobby said.
“
He
’
s been up since.
”

“
He...
”
Then it came to Sullivan.
“
Oh.
”

“
Yeah.
Leslie called to tell me. I messed up the first time, Sullivan. I kept you
away. As much as you didn
’
t
want to see him, I didn
’
t
want you there. But after this past week, you have to go.
”

“
I
will,
”
Sullivan said.

“
No,
Sullivan...
”
Bobby pointed
at Sullivan.
“
You have to
go right now.
”

“
Right
now?
”

“
Right.
Now. Get in your car and go.
”

“
Shit,
Bobby. I
’
m not...
”

“
I
don
’
t care, Sullivan,
”
Bobby said.
“
I can
’
t do it anymore. Not like this. He
’
s awake. He
’
s alert and talking. Go see him.
Say your peace. Do whatever you need to do.
”

“
Are
you sure about this?
”