A Chance at Love (A Ferry Creek Novel): (a billionaire romance novel) (35 page)

Leslie stepped forward and hugged
Bobby. "I'm so sorry about your father." She let go and walked away.

Sullivan watched the entire thing
and hoped the best for his brother and everyone else. He faced the casket and
swallowed. He wasn't going to say anything to himself or to the casket. There
wasn't anything to say. Not in that moment. It was a peaceful moment, all
things considered.

Sullivan looked at the flowers
around the grave. It was like a garden. Everything was bright, colorful, and full
of life. There was purpose for the scene, but he couldn't figure it out. It
probably didn't matter but it was a scene he would never forget. Then a white
card caught his attention. There was a collection of flowers. They were among
many others, but it was the white card with the Virgin Mary praying that intrigued
him. The handwriting on the card was sloppy, but the name was very clear.

For the love we had and what we
made. I'll miss you forever. - Sandy

Sullivan read the card twice,
rubbing his thumb against it. He almost wished he could smear the ink
completely away. The card was from his mother. A woman that may or may not have
still been carrying the Chasen last name. The last time Sullivan called her
Mom
her legal name was Sandra Chasen. Sandy for short. The love of Henry Chasen's
life. The woman who had disappeared all those years ago. Yet she found out
about Bob's death and sent flowers and a card.

...what we made.

It made Sullivan's blood boil. He
already knew his mother knew the truth by the letters and pictures she sent to
Bob. Seeing the card though was current and living proof. It told Sullivan that
while he may have found a place to live in Ferry Creek, his traveling and
searching for the truth wasn't done. He looked to his father's casket and shook
his head.

Even in death, Bob still worked
wonders.

His death made Sullivan's mother
send flowers and because of that, Sullivan knew it would be only a matter of
time before he'd travel to South Carolina and hear her side of the story.

But before that, he needed to hug
Jess, make sure she knew he loved her, and find a place to stay in Ferry Creek,
because it was his new home.

Leslie drove separately on purpose.
She wasn't sure what to expect. The emotion of seeing Bob one last time, saying
goodbye, seeing Bobby, she just knew it was going to be one of those long,
never ending days. Bobby never returned her message. She told him she could
fall in love with him if she let herself. In hindsight, was it something that
should have been said in a voicemail?

"Whatever," Leslie
whispered.

She drove the opposite direction of
the traffic. Leslie had her own way of grieving. She went to the edge of town
and found Dave's. It was a small sports bar that only cared about football
season. So the rest of the time it was a place to lose track of time. The
brokenhearted went there. Those who needed a break from their lives and soul.

Leslie sat in the parking lot looking
at the neon signs hanging in the window. She wasn't sure if it was the right
place to be right then but it sure felt right. She would need a ride home, but
that she could deal with later. She needed to kill the sting of loneliness from
Bobby's cold shoulder and Bob's death.

When Leslie entered the bar the
tables were cleared. The chairs were on top of the tables. The bar had a
handful of people sitting at it. Leslie only recognized one person.

She took a seat and stared at the
wall of choices. Liquor under lights. Her mouth ran dry and her heart ached
even more.

"Surprised you're not at the
diner."

"Same for you, Darryl,"
Leslie said.

"I'm not really welcome
there," Darryl said.

Leslie looked at the glass in front
of Darryl. A glass half full of amber liquid.

"How long have you been
here?" she asked.

"Just sat down five minutes
ago. Still thinking of my toast before I start."

"Your toast? For what?"

Darryl laughed. "Lost someone
on this day."

"Buried someone today,"
Leslie said.

The bartender, an old man with deep
pockets under his eyes, put his skinny arms on the bar. He had faded and
wrinkled tattoos.

"Far too pretty to be in a
place like this," the man said.

"Don't break her balls,
Chuckie," Darryl said. "She buried someone today."

"That's a shame," Chuckie
said. "First drink's on me."

Leslie hesitated. She couldn't
remember the last time she ordered a drink at a bar other than a beer. And even
then, how long had it been since she had been out for a drink?

"First time in a bar,
sweetie?" Chuckie asked.

"Give her what I have,"
Darryl said.

"That's a strong drink."

"You're buying, what does she
care?"

Leslie looked at Darryl and then to
Chuckie. "Uh, yeah. What he has. Get it."

"Coming right up,"
Chuckie said.

"Thanks," Leslie said.

Darryl nodded and slid over onto
the barstool right next to her. He put his drink in front of him but didn't
drink from it.

"Can I ask you
something?"

"Go for it," Leslie said.

"What the hell are you really
doing here?"

Leslie scoffed. "What do you
care? Aren't you just the town drunk by now?"

Darryl's face tightened. Leslie
couldn't believe she just said that, but whatever. She wasn't in the mood for
anyone.

Chuckie put her drink on the bar
and Leslie looked at it.

"The town drunk," Darryl
said. "That's some reputation to live up to."

"Start drinking," Leslie
said.

"Like I said, I still don't
have my toast."

"Just say what you're
thinking," Leslie said. "That's what I'm going to do."

"It's a shame about Bob,"
Darryl said. "I mean, I didn't have a chance to get to know him like the
rest of Ferry Creek. But it is sad."

"He's at peace now,"
Leslie said. "That's good enough for a sick man in my book."

"Heard a rumor that his other
son is staying put here."

"Maybe. Maybe not."

"Just what Ferry Creek
needs."

"That's right. You were
involved with Jess. Sorry about that."

"I wasn't involved,"
Darryl said. "I liked her because she didn't ask questions and she kept me
company. And not just in the bedroom. She understood the beauty of
silence."

"Why don't we try that right
now?" Leslie asked.

"Doesn't make sense why you're
not at the diner," Darryl said.

Leslie put the glass down and
looked at Darryl. "Why does it bother you so much?"

"I don't know," Darryl
said. "Maybe I do have a heart after all. Just seems wrong, that's all.
You took care of Bob. I bet you were there when he died. Yet you're in here
with someone like me."

"Doesn't matter," Leslie
said. "Bob wouldn't have cared. I'm here. That's all he wanted. Me to be
here. Me to be living."

"That's a good toast,"
Darryl said. "I like that." Darryl lifted his glass. "A drink to
being here... to being alive. To living." Darryl licked his lips.

Leslie watched Darryl put the glass
to his lips. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him away from the drink.

"Don't," she said.

"What?"

"Don't drink that."

"Why not?"

"Don't do it like this,"
Leslie said. "Come with me, to the diner. Right now."

"You're talking crazy,"
Darryl said. "I'm not welcomed there."

"Yes you are," Leslie
said. "Everyone is. That's what Bob did. He made that place for everyone.
Rich or poor. Good or bad. Those in need. Those hungry. Those passing through.
Bob made that diner a way of life. We shouldn't be here, Darryl. We should be
there."

"You should be there,"
Darryl said. "I'm just the town drunk. I have work to do right here."

"I'm sorry I said that,"
Leslie said. "Drinking is going to get you nowhere."

"It's gotten me here,"
Darryl said.

Leslie looked around the beat up
bar. "Yeah. It's paradise here."

"You don't know anyone's
story," Darryl said.

"I know enough of yours to
know you don't belong here."

Leslie pushed her drink away and
stood up. "Come with me, Darryl. I have to go to the diner to talk to
someone. You should do the same."

"Jess is with someone
else," Darryl said.

"So what? You could apologize
to her. To the town even. Or just show up and show support."

Leslie stared at Darryl. She couldn't
explain the feeling inside herself. She knew that Bob wouldn't have wanted her
in that bar drinking away memories and pain. She had better things to do.

Like tell Bobby how she felt. Face
to face.

"Darryl?" Leslie asked.

Darryl held his glass to his nose.
He inhaled the scent of the booze and licked his lips. He put the glass down
and stood up.

"Welcome to Ferry Creek,"
he said. "The town that changes everyone and everything."

Darryl walked into The Pot Diner
feeling like a stranger. He expected everyone to turn and throw food at him.
Boo him. Throw comments at him. Chase him away. He expected the verbal abuse
and would have taken it, considering the amount of physical abuse his life had
already endured. The real beginning of that abuse started on this date quite a
few years ago. His mother had been run off the road by someone the police were
never able to identify. The car had been on South Bend Road, a road that was
full of twists and turns, along a ravine that gave a scare if you looked out
your window while driving on it. Off the ravine and into a tree was where
Darryl's mother took her last breath. Darryl always knew in the pit of his
stomach that his father drove the car that sent his mother's car off the road.
But it was never proven and never would be.

Everyone did stare at Darryl as he
walked through the diner. He kept his eyes locked to the counter, at Bobby and
Sullivan. They were standing side by side. Brother and brother. The next
chapter of The Pot Diner. Perhaps the two most important people in Ferry Creek.

Darryl walked around the counter and
offered his hand to Bobby.

"I'm sorry, man," he
said.

"Thanks, Darryl."

"Sorry, Sullivan," Darryl
said. "Nice to meet you."

"You too, Darryl. Can I get
you something to eat? Drink? It's all on the house tonight."

"No," Darryl said.
"I'm just passing through."

Darryl turned and saw Jess walking
from the kitchen. She froze and stared wide eyed. "Darryl."

"Jess. I came to pay my
respects. And apologize to you. For... you know..."

"It's fine," Jess said.
"I understand, Darryl."

Darryl was never allowed to show
emotion in his house or his life. There was no such thing as sadness. As
grieving. Those were weaknesses and weaknesses were beaten out of a boy to make
him a man. Or at least that's what his father told him.

"Are you sure we're
okay?" Darryl asked. "I don't want to be that guy, Jess."

"You're not," Jess said.
"I hope you do find whatever you're looking for."

"This is a good place to
start," Sullivan said from behind Darryl.

Darryl nodded. "I don't want
to impose."

"The whole town is
imposing," Bobby said. "Sit your ass down and eat a hot meal sober.
It's what my father would have wanted."

Darryl laughed. He looked and found
Leslie standing near a table. She looked up at him and smiled. Darryl smiled
back. She would never know that she saved Darryl's life that night. His plan
had been to drink, get on his bike, and take the same trip his mother did.

Instead, he sat at the counter of
The Pot Diner.

And survived.

Bobby stood in the office and stared
at the cork board on the wall. The diner would officially be his now. He wanted
Sullivan to have a piece at the diner too, but he knew Sullivan would refuse
it. He had time to figure it out though. It wasn't like Sullivan was going
anywhere. He couldn't keep his eyes and hands off Jess.

He reached out and touched a
picture of his father on the board.

"Dad," he said. "I
don't know, Dad. I'm here but I feel like something is missing. Not sure how it
works where you are, but can you give me a sign?"

Seconds later there was a knock on
the door.

"Come in," Bobby said.

It was Leslie.

She opened the door and stepped
into the office.

"Hey."

"Leslie," Bobby said.

They were both quiet until Bobby
finally spoke.

"I'm sorry I never called you
back."

"Don't be. I shouldn't have
said that on the phone. Especially on a voicemail. That was... stupid."

"You scared me," Bobby
said.

"I did?"

Bobby nodded. "It really
scared me."

"Yeah, I can imagine... some
woman confessing she could fall in love with you on your voicemail. It sounded
kind of romantic in my head but in reality... if you changed your number I
wouldn't take offense."

Leslie laughed.

Bobby didn't.

He took Leslie's hand. "It
scared me because of how it made me feel."

"Well, how did it make you
feel, Bobby?"

"You make me feel the same
way. I never met someone like you, Leslie. You have such a big heart and are so
honest. Watching you care for my father. Everything you did that you didn't
have to do. From the moment I met you it didn't seem possible you could not
have someone caring for you the same way you care for everyone else. But then I
looked at myself... I mean, look at me. I'm divorced. I'm living in the apartment
above the diner. I'm a mess. The last thing I want is to become someone else
you have to care for."

"What if that's what I
wanted?" Leslie asked.

"Then I'd say you're
absolutely crazy."