A Chance at Love (A Ferry Creek Novel): (a billionaire romance novel) (6 page)

“
Dad?
Can you hear me?
”

His father
’
s fingers lifted and lowered. That had become the
sign for
yes
.

“
I
need to run outside to my truck,
”
Bobby said.
“
I forgot my
phone. Annie would be pissed at that, right?
”
Bobby forced a laugh.

Bob turned his head and looked at
Bobby. His eyes were weak, bloodshot, and wide.
“
Your
brother?
”

“
I
made the calls, okay?
”
Bobby said.
“
It
’
s a little hard to just tell
someone you
’
re their
brother.
”

“
The
picture,
”
Bob said.
“
I showed you the picture, Bobby.
”

“
And
I described it,
”
Bobby
said.
“
I promise, Dad. I
did all I could. I
’
ll call
again today, okay?
”

“
Okay,
Bobby. Okay.
”

His father smiled and closed his
eyes. Bobby left the hospital room, letting out a long breath. He took his time
walking to his truck and when he got there he sat in the driver
’
s seat and hung his head. It was
the safest place to cry for a minute and it was the place he sat anytime he
needed a moment alone. It was in this seat that Annie called to tell him she
was pregnant with Claire. It was in this seat that Annie called and said she was
no longer in love with him, just days after she announced she wanted a divorce.
It was in this seat that Annie called again and said she wanted Bobby to give
her the house. It was in this seat that Bobby got the call about his father.

And it was in this seat that Bobby
looked at his cell phone and saw two messages waiting for him.

Bobby waited a few minutes before
attempting to listen to the messages. He just needed the time to prepare
himself. No matter what they said, he needed to get back into the hospital to
visit for a little bit longer before heading to the diner. Bobby trusted Jess
with the diner and sometimes felt like giving her the keys, the books, and a
pat on the back. But that would leave Bobby with nothing to do except watch his
father die and then... well, nothing.

Looking at his phone, Bobby saw
that both calls were from the same number. The number appeared familiar. He took
a deep breath and listened to the first message and by the time he was done
listening to it, he had a firm grip on the steering wheel.

What an asshole...

“
Shit,
”
Bobby called out.
“
Shit. Shit. Shit.
”

That
’
s
what Bobby feared. Pissing someone off with that kind of phone call. The guy on
the voicemail sounded like a pompous ass. Some suit and tie rich man looking
for nothing but the next million to make. He
’
d
have no interest in Ferry Creek and perhaps even if Bobby could get him on the
phone he
’
d have no interest
in meeting his father. After all, his father hadn
’
t
been in his life, right? That thought had been bugging Bobby for a while now.
How could his father have another son and not care? Not take care of the other
son? Not do more than wait for his death bed to make contact?

Bobby didn
’
t want to be angry with his father for fear it
would be the last feeling he
’
d
have with his father alive. That
’
s
why he took the news on the chin and that
’
s
why he made the phone calls to try to get to his brother.

Sullivan Chasen.

The name didn
’
t sound anything like someone
with the Strate last name would have. Then again, Sullivan wasn
’
t born as a Strate. He was born
into another family and had no idea his biological father was out there in the
world, now dying.

Bobby went to the second voicemail.
He feared it. If this Sullivan Chasen guy was that upset in the first message,
what would this one say?

Before Bobby could press the play
button, his phone switched to a phone call.

It was Leslie, his father
’
s nurse.

This can
’
t be good news.  Don
’
t be mad at him, Bobby. Don
’
t be mad...

“
Hey
Leslie, I
’
m right down...
”

“
Bobby?
”
Leslie yelled into the phone.
“
Bobby, get up here. Hurry.
”

Bobby had the door open and climbed
from the truck.
“
What
’
s wrong?
”

“
He
’
s coding,
”
Leslie said.
“
Get
up here!
”

Bobby couldn
’
t move fast enough. This could be it. Bobby ran
through the halls to the elevators. He cut people off, apologized, and when the
elevator doors weren
’
t
closing fast enough he went to the emergency steps. He took them two by two and
when he came crashing through the door on his father
’
s floor he saw Leslie standing with a hand over her
mouth, her eyes shut. She had been crying.

“
Goddammit,
no,
”
Bobby said.

Leslie looked at him. She turned away
and hurried to clean herself up. There was no need for Leslie to clean herself
up and Bobby told her that a dozen times. Leslie had been around it all long
enough that she had every right to show emotion.

Bobby rushed up behind Leslie and
wrapped his arms around her. He squeezed her, felt his heart jump, and then
quickly let go. He turned Leslie around and looked at her.

“
Is
he...?
”

Leslie shook her head.
“
No. No, Bobby. He
’
s not. They may need to operate.
”

Bobby let out a breath and hung his
head. Leslie now wrapped her arms around him and pulled him tight. They hugged
and each silently cried. Bobby touched his pocket and remembered he had a
second voicemail message to listen to.

Right then in that moment he wished
Sullivan Chasen was there... so he could punch him in the face.

Leslie Fread
’
s first job was working at The Pot Diner. She
washed dishes and helped on the line on the weekends. She remembered Bob
commanding the entire place as though he were the only one there. He somehow
did everything. He cooked. He cleaned. He poured refills. He talked to every
customer and always made everyone feel like they were at home. Bob was
marvelous. Maybe it was because Leslie had no father figure or men in her life.
It was just her and her mother, struggling to survive. Even then, no matter how
bad things got, there were plenty of times when Leslie found a couple extra
bucks in her paycheck envelope to help pay the bills at home and there was
always a hot meal waiting for Leslie when her shift ended. That
’
s just how Bob was.

When Leslie was accepted into
nursing school, Bob made sure Leslie had keys to The Pot Diner. He told her it
was her personal office and studying place. She could go there anytime she
wanted and could make anything she wanted. Halfway through school, Leslie
’
s mother met a man and moved to
Florida, leaving her hanging to survive. If it wasn
’
t for Bob and The Pot Diner, Leslie wouldn
’
t have made it through nursing
school. When she graduated nursing school she wanted to stay local. She had
offers to go to Raleigh or any bigger city or hospital, but she couldn
’
t do it. She couldn
’
t leave Ferry Creek.

And this was why.

She couldn
’
t imagine not being there for him. Staring at Bob
in the bed, watching his stomach raise and lower. Machines beeping, fluids
seeping into him, all this medicine and technology helping to keep him alive.
With nobody else in the room, Leslie slid her slender hand under Bob
’
s right hand and she squeezed.
There was no response from Bob and there wouldn
’
t
be for a while. Doctors stabilized him and then, for a lack of a better phrase,
knocked him out. Sleep was best for the moment to let his body rest a little.
There wasn
’
t much time for
Bob and it shocked Leslie that the man had made it this long. It seemed every
couple days there was something else happening to him. A long time ago Leslie
learned not to bring faith into her job because it was soul crushing. She
’
d seen everything from car
accidents to a heart attack at a little league baseball game to know that when
it came to life, death, and illness, none of it made sense. And none of it ever
would. All she could do was be there when needed.

Leslie thought about her last day
working at The Pot Diner. She stayed there even after receiving her first
nursing job. She just couldn
’
t
get away from it. She loved the people. She loved Peggie. She loved Bob.

It was a Saturday afternoon right
after closing. Bob had the place clear out and he took Leslie into the back to
his office. He sat her down and looked at her.

Leslie remembered it because she
laughed and asked if she was being fired.

“
That
’
s exactly what I
’
m doing,
”
Bob had said.

He reached into the drawer and took
out what would be Leslie
’
s
last paycheck and handed it to her. It shocked Leslie and she started to cry
right on the spot. Bob hugged her and held her. Leslie knew it was time to move
on and focus on her career.

“
Thank
you, for everything,
”
she
had whispered to Bob that day.

Bob wiped the tears off Leslie
’
s cheeks and smiled.
“
You make sure to take care of
everyone when they need you, Leslie. That
’
s
what this town was built on. Everyone working together, helping.
”

The advice stuck with Leslie and
those words kept her in Ferry Creek. A lot of her classmates from nursing school
were in bigger hospitals with more responsibility and a much bigger paycheck,
but they didn
’
t have Ferry
Creek. Leslie wouldn
’
t
trade it for anything in the world.

The hospital room door opened and
Bobby came walking in. He had his cell phone in his hand and his eyes were
intense. He stared right at his father.

“
He
’
s okay,
”
Leslie said.
“
Just
sleeping. I
’
m waiting to
hear from the doctor on surgery.
”

“
Hope
he makes it,
”
Bobby said.

“
For
what?
”

Bobby swallowed and then showed his
cell phone to Leslie.
“
I
’
m taking a DNA test, or something
like that.
”

“
DNA
test?
”
Leslie asked.
“
Why?
”

Bobby looked at Leslie.
“
According to Dad, I have a
brother. I finally got the guy on the phone and told him what just happened...
so he agreed to find out if Dad is his father.
”

“
A
brother?
”
Leslie whispered.

“
Yeah,
”
Bobby said.
“
I guess even the strongest men
have their secrets, right?
”

___FOUR___

Katey Lorenzie finished off her
third glass of wine and looked to the storage closet wondering if Jess had the
spare pillow and blankets ready for a guest to spend the night. There was no
way Katey would be driving home tonight. She caught Jess staring and moved from
the couch and casually put her hand over Katey
’
s
keys that were on the dining room table and took them. Katey didn
’
t say a word but she watched as
Jess tried to be sneaky and casual at the same time.

Katey wasn
’
t twenty years old anymore. There had been a time
in Katey
’
s life when men
and dumb decisions seemed to go hand in hand all the time. That meant Jess
wouldn
’
t put it past Katey
to try to sober up to get home in the hopes of finishing off a fight with her
husband that had apparently started two weeks ago.

“
How
you feeling?
”
Jess asked.

“
Like
there
’
s not enough wine in
the world to fix this,
”
Katey said.

Her words were clear and coherent,
but her eyes spoke different.

“
Well,
you
’
re spending the night
here. Maybe the distance will help.
”

“
Distance?
”
Katey asked.
“
That
’
s all this is. Distance. He
’
s been distant for a year. No. Maybe more. How the
fuck is it my fault I can
’
t
get pregnant?
”

“
Okay,
calm down for a second,
”
Jess said. She sat next to Katey and gently approached the situation again.
“
I
’
m
sorry all this is going on.
”

Katey nodded and reached for the
bottle of wine. She lifted it, shook her head, and put it back down. She closed
her eyes.

“
It
’
s over,
”
Katey said.

“
What
’
s over?
”

“
My
marriage, Jess. It
’
s over.
”

“
Katey...
come on...
”

“
No,
I
’
m telling you something,
”
Katey said.
“
It
’
s
over.
”

Katey Lorrenzie and Jess had become
acquaintances thanks to The Pot Diner. Katey had worked there for a year before
marrying Nick and moving just outside of Ferry Creek. They were settled, married,
happy, and had a plan. They were going to wait a few years, work, and save
before trying to have kids. Katey was a writer, and after a little success from
her debut book, she had struggled to get another book to take off. Luckily for
her, between the advance on the book and Nick
’
s
custom car business
’
s
value, there was enough to have a decent life without the need to worry about
money, which was good because for the past year they
’
d been trying to start a family and it just wasn
’
t happening. To Katey though,
that was the least of their problems. That was maybe the cherry on the cake,
but it wasn
’
t the start of
it. The start had come long before they were married. The small flaws that she
told herself were just part of Nick
’
s
personality. She believed she was supposed to accept his flaws and learn to
love them. She couldn
’
t
remember where she had picked up that notion but she wished she never had.

It seemed just a short time ago she
was in a New York City bookshop with a line of people all wanting to meet her
and get her autograph. Now she sat, drunk, on the couch of a friend, confessing
a life change that not even Nick knew was going to happen.

“
I
’
m leaving,
”
Katey said.

“
No,
you
’
re not,
”
Jess said as she reached for
Katey.

“
No,
not leaving here,
”
Katey
said.
“
I
’
m leaving Nick. I
’
m done. I can
’
t do it.
”

“
Have
you two talked? I mean, just because you can
’
t
get pregnant doesn
’
t mean
it should end.
”

Katey nodded.
“
Of course I know that. He
probably knows that, too. But... he cheated on me. I know he did and he won
’
t admit it.
”

The news appeared to floor Jess. It
was no real secret though that Katey and Nick had their disagreements. To be
honest, from the moment Katey and Nick got together, she knew they seemed like
such an odd couple. Nick was thick, with tattoos. He loved cars and women and
that addiction went back into high school. Katey was a bookworm. She managed to
sell a romance novel and make some money. Together, they looked opposite and
apparently opposites didn
’
t
always attract.

“
How
do you know?
”
Jess asked.
She didn
’
t want to stay on
the subject but maybe Katey needed to get it out.

“
I
just know,
”
Katey said.
“
And not some kind of
paranoid-crazy-woman kind of know. I know. In his office. With this woman...
”

“
Katey,
you don
’
t have to do this.
”

“
I
do,
”
Katey said.
“
I have to get this off my chest
before I go crazy.
”

Jess moved back and was all ears.

“
This
woman came up from Georgia after talking to Nick online about a car. She had a
sports car and wanted Nick to customize it. From the second I met her I knew
she was trouble. Everything about her was fake. Jess, I mean...
everything
.
Okay? She was beautiful and the way Nick
’
s
eyes lit up when he saw her, I worried right then. I mean, sure, Nick always
looks at women. But this was different. I felt self conscious after that and
Nick started working late to please this woman. He told me it was because she
came from Georgia. He needed to get her car done. Fine. I went along with it.
He spent days and hours, sometimes not coming home at all. He told me she was
in a hotel... and I had to check. Okay? I just had to check. I did and she wasn
’
t staying at a hotel. She was
staying with Nick in his flat above the shop. I confronted him and he denied it
and refused to talk about it. When she was around, Nick and I didn
’
t have sex once. When she left,
he couldn
’
t get enough of
me.

“
But
that wasn
’
t it, Jess. A few
weeks later this woman needed more work done. She came back two more times
before she told Nick she was moving to California for a job. Ever since then,
Nick has been lost. Like he regrets me. He hates being married. Everything is
different now. Everything has been different. We started arguing two weeks ago
and each time I try to bring it up and fix it, he leaves and stays at the shop
overnight.
”

“
Oh,
Katey,
”
Jess whispered.
“
I
’
m
sorry.
”

“
Me
too. I can
’
t do it. How can
I?
”

“
What
are you going to do then?
”

“
Maybe
I
’
ll move back here. I
’
ll start over.
”

“
Well,
it
’
s a good place to do
just that,
”
Jess said.
“
But I think you should talk to
Nick first. Find a way to force him to talk.
”

“
Maybe
if I get a fake pair of boobs and some tattoos...
”

Katey
’
s
chin quivered and Jess lunged forward to hug her friend.

“
I
’
m not going to cry,
”
Katey said.
“
I
’
m
not. I refuse to.
”

“
Okay.
Don
’
t cry then.
”

“
I
won
’
t.
”
Katey moved away from Jess and
stood up. She took deep breaths.
“
Tell
me something. Tell me something that
’
s
happening around here.
”

“
Okay,
”
Jess said.
“
I
’
ve
got a story for you. Bobby might have a brother.
”

“
Bobby...
wait, Bob
’
s Bobby?
”

“
Yeah,
”
Jess said.
“
It all started a few weeks ago.
You know Bob is dying, right?
”

“
I
heard,
”
Katey said.
“
It
’
s
sad.
”

Katey started to walk toward the
kitchen and Jess hurried after her. Katey knew Jess was tracking her down to
make sure she didn
’
t find
her keys and try to leave. That
’
s
not why Katey went to the kitchen. Katey the cupboard and grabbed a glass. She
filled it with water and drank it in one big gulp. When Katey turned, Jess
looked somewhat relieved. Katey smiled, knowing how much Jess cared. There may
have been more than once in Katey
’
s
life when Jess had to deal with her drunk and wallowing while drinking way too
much before getting sick. That would not happen tonight though.

“
So
what
’
s happening with a
brother?
”
Katey asked.

“
Apparently
Bob had another son,
”
Jess
said.
“
They
’
re waiting for the DNA results
to find out if everything matches. I don
’
t
know how it works.
”

“
Kind
of like those talk shows when they test the fathers and stuff?
”

“
Yeah,
I guess.
”

Katey drank more water and took a
deep breath.
“
Thank you for
talking to me tonight. I can
’
t
believe my life is coming down to this.
”

“
It
’
s just life,
”
Jess said.
“
I left home when I was eighteen
and pregnant. I was never so scared in my life. I had no money, no place to go,
and ended up here in Ferry Creek.
”

“
I
had a book deadline a month ago and missed it,
”
Katey confessed.
“
My agent
is pissed and I
’
m pretty
sure my publisher has pulled.
”

“
You
’
ll get through it,
”
Jess said.
“
You can get through anything.
”

Katey looked at Jess.
“
Divorce?
”

“
Better
than death,
”
Jess
whispered.

She thought of Bob. She thought of
Bobby. She thought about this man who may be Bob
’
s
older son.

Better than death...

Bobby was on edge. He had been on
edge for the past two weeks. He never thought in a million years he
’
d talk to Sullivan Chasen on the
phone let alone have the man suggest and pay for whatever was needed to prove
that Bobby was his brother and that Bob was his father. The conversation had
been short and stern. It seemed that Sullivan Chasen had his own personal
thoughts on the situation, not that it was any of Bobby
’
s business. Bobby made sure to reiterate to
Sullivan Chasen that he wasn
’
t
looking for money or anything. That he just wanted his father to die in peace.

That
’
s
where the conversation ended and after visiting Timmy, his lawyer, he submitted
a DNA sample and there was nothing left to do but wait.

After a restless night of sleep,
Bobby sat up in bed and felt like someone had run over his back with a truck.
He tried cracking it but that did nothing but bring muscle pain to his sides.
He reached for his cell phone and saw nothing happened overnight. He dialed for
Leslie. The urge to check on his father had become greater than ever. When his
father had woken up after his last scare, Bobby explained that he
’
d found Sullivan Chasen and that
he agreed to find out if he was Bob
’
s
son. It made his father smile, but it seemed to put a lot of stress on his
heart because he wanted to know why they needed proof. His father took offense
that his word alone wasn
’
t
good enough. Part of Bobby wanted to stick up for his father yet he had to be
honest with himself... he wanted to know the truth, too. It still felt raw that
his father had another son - an older son - and never said a word about it. For
all Bobby knew, his father could have been going senile, right?