A Chance at Love (A Ferry Creek Novel): (a billionaire romance novel) (22 page)

He had loved Annie because of the
kids.

And now he felt his heart racing a
little bit as he watched his father
’
s
nurse walk toward him holding two cups of coffee. Bobby
’
s eyes were addicted to her body. The thickness of
her legs from working so hard. The curves of her hips, natural and beautiful, were
probably a feature Leslie was self conscious about.

“
I
guessed,
”
Leslie said.
“
You look a one cream, two sugar
kind of guy.
”

“
It
’
s perfect,
”
Bobby said.

He took the coffee and sipped it.
It was hot and cheap, the kind of coffee he figured nurses pumped into
themselves for those long shifts. Leslie turned and sat next to him. Bobby
caught a whiff of something fruity, maybe her shampoo, maybe body spray.
Whatever it was, it made Bobby want to groan.

“
You
look all out of whack,
”
Leslie said.
“
If you don
’
t mind me saying.
”

“
I
don
’
t mind,
”
Bobby said.
“
I
’
m
so far off the edge, Leslie, I
’
m
shocked I
’
m not falling.
”

Leslie put her hand out. Her
fingers closed and Bobby looked at her hand on his. Such a small hand. No
rings. No bracelets. Nothing. Just a hand.

“
What
are you doing?
”
Bobby
asked.

“
Giving
you a hand,
”
Leslie said.
“
I
’
ll
pull you back from the edge.
”

Bobby smiled.

“
Thanks,
”
Bobby said.

“
So
what
’
s going on?
”

Bobby glanced to the hospital room.
“
Besides the obvious... my
brother is here and he
’
s
actually a hell of a guy, from what I can tell. I feel almost childish because
I assumed he was going to come here as some arrogant rich guy. But he
’
s not. He helped at the diner
today when Richie cut his finger.
”

“
Heard
about that,
”
Leslie said.
“
He
’
ll
be back to work tomorrow.
”

“
I
’
m sure he
’
s there right now,
”
Bobby said.
“
Double
checking everything we touched. Probably cursing us to hell and back.
”

“
Ah,
Richie. What a guy.
”

“
Yeah,
he is,
”
Bobby said. He
sipped his coffee and looked at Leslie
’
s
hand still gripping his.
“
Other
than that, I
’
m pretty sure
Annie is coming soon with Billy and Claire.
”

“
That
’
s... nice,
”
Leslie said and winced, not
sure if it was the right thing to say.

“
It
’
s nice to see the kids,
”
Bobby said.
“
She
’
s not happy with me about it. She doesn
’
t want them to see Dad like
this, but I want them to have a chance to say goodbye. Because of that I sort
of asked Sullivan to wait another day or two to see him. I feel terrible about
it.
”

“
What
did he say?
”

“
He
went along with it,
”
Bobby
said.
“
That
’
s the hard part. I
’
m not sure he actually wants to
see Dad and that kind of makes me mad. But I get it, right? I mean, what the
hell actually happened? Dad had another son and never took care of him? That
doesn
’
t seem like him at
all...
”

“
Bobby,
you can
’
t try to figure out
the past,
”
Leslie said.
“
Trust me on that one. All you
can do is take the present for what it
’
s
worth and prepare for the future. Whatever your father has to say about it I
would listen and try to understand. At least you know the truth now. And he
came, just like your father said he would. You said it yourself, he
’
s a nice guy. That
’
s good. That means you won
’
t have to go through the end of
all this alone.
”

“
You
’
re right,
”
Bobby said.

“
Of
course I am,
”
Leslie said.
“
I
’
m
a woman. We
’
re always
right.
”

Bobby laughed.
“
That kind of language around
Annie will cause hell for me.
”

“
I
’
ll have to watch my tongue I
guess,
”
Leslie said.

Leslie took her hand away from
Bobby. He made a fist and felt like driving it through his own stomach just to
take away the strange feeling in there. Leslie drank the rest of her coffee and
stood up.

“
If
I sit any longer I
’
m going
to fall asleep,
”
she said.

Bobby stood. Leslie faced him and
they stared at each other for a few seconds.

“
I
just wanted to thank you,
”
Bobby said.
“
For everything
you
’
re doing for Dad. I
mean, most of this you don
’
t
have to do.
”

“
I
do,
”
Leslie said.
“
Trust me, Bobby, I do.
”

“
It
just means a lot to me. Especially considering...
”

Leslie reached forward and took
Bobby
’
s hand again. She
squeezed. He swallowed. Here he was, standing outside his dying father
’
s room, staring into the dark
eyes of a beautiful nurse, wondering if this was his cue or chance to make a move.

Make a move?

It was Leslie. She was his father
’
s nurse. There couldn
’
t be anything there. No way.

“
Let
’
s go see him,
”
Leslie said, breaking up his
thoughts.

She let go of Bobby
’
s hand for the second time and
turned. Bobby
’
s hand shot
out and grabbed her arm. Leslie jumped and turned at Bobby
’
s command.

He stared at her. She stared at
him.

He couldn
’
t do it.

This may have been the moment, but
it wasn
’
t the right time.

___NINE___

Bobby wore a button down shirt and
was already uncomfortable. He hated any attempt to try and look nice,
especially when it came to Annie. He hated that she could still get to him like
this and make him feel like he needed to look a certain way to be good enough
for his kids, and for her. He was the one footing the bills for the house in
Fitchers and the one paying plenty of child support and alimony to ensure his
family could maintain the life they had before the divorce. Even the divorce
itself wasn
’
t really
understood by the kids, because Annie didn
’
t
want to tell them. She
’
d
rather spin it that Bobby left the house to run the diner and that he was a
very busy man.

Sullivan helped Bobby open the
diner and right on time, Richie, Peggie, and Jess came to work. Not that Bobby
expected anything less, it was just nice to know that on such a stressful day
he could count on everyone to help him without realizing it.

Richie yelled at everyone for
touching his kitchen and Sullivan handled like the man he was. It amazed Bobby
how well Sullivan eased into the routine of Ferry Creek. It was almost like he
’
d been there for years already.

“
Hey,
you okay?
”
Sullivan asked
as he met Bobby out back.

“
Yeah,
”
Bobby said as he continued to
pace a small line.

His hands were sweating and he was
nervous as hell. He couldn
’
t
stop thinking about Annie. He couldn
’
t
stop worrying about the kids and how they were going to feel. And he couldn
’
t get Leslie out of his mind. He
felt vulnerable as it was and now he
’
d
have to face Leslie with his ex-wife in tow.

“
Bobby,
take a breath and talk to me, man,
”
Sullivan said.
“
Come on.
You
’
re going to dig a path
in the concrete the way you
’
re
walking right now.
”

“
Yeah,
okay,
”
Bobby said.

Sullivan pulled out a chair and sat
down. He kicked a chair out from under the table for Bobby to sit.

He sat and began to play with his
fingers.

“
What
’
s got you rocked right now?
”
Sullivan asked.

“
I
’
m worried Annie
’
s going to be right,
”
Bobby said.
“
What if the kids see him and get
freaked out?
”

“
No,
”
Sullivan said.
“
I mean, I haven
’
t seen him, obviously, but I
’
m sure you
’
ve made this decision with the
best intentions. He
’
s not
hooked up like a science project, right?
”

“
No,
”
Bobby said.
“
But he
’
s so weak. Yesterday the nurse told me he lost
feeling in his legs.
”

“
Damn,
”
Sullivan said.

“
I
know. I feel guilty for holding you back, Sullivan.
”

“
Bobby,
if I really wanted to get to see him, I would. I
’
m
still getting through this myself, okay? Just worry about yourself today.
Yourself and your kids. Don
’
t
think about the diner. Don
’
t
think about me. Don
’
t think
about your ex. It
’
s not
your problem.
”

“
You
know, you really make all this harder,
”
Bobby said.
“
I mean, coming
here and being so... normal.
”

Sullivan laughed.
“
What did you expect?
”

“
I
don
’
t know,
”
Bobby said.
“
I hear I have a brother who
’
s a billionaire... I thought you
’
d send people here. Maybe drop a
helicopter in town. Come, give me money, and leave.
”

“
Do
you want money? Or need it?
”

“
No,
”
Bobby said.
“
Believe it or not I
’
m pretty well off myself. Did
some investing that paid off when I was a little younger. The group of guys I worked
with went to California to get into software and stuff. I stayed local because
Annie got pregnant.
”

“
Do
you miss it?
”
Sullivan
asked.

“
Every
damn day,
”
Bobby said.
“
I know I can do what I want from
anywhere in the world, but this diner and town have me hooked. Plus, I can
’
t use the bathroom without
worrying if my father
’
s
going to die.
”

“
Give
it time then,
”
Sullivan
said.
“
Let time work out
the wrinkles.
”

“
Let
time work out the wrinkles?
”
Bobby asked.
“
What the hell
does that mean?
”

“
I
don
’
t know,
”
Sullivan said.
“
I
’
m
a businessman, not a poet.
”

The brothers laughed and Bobby felt
like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Bobby listened to the sound
of life in the diner. Food cooking. Dishes clanking. Water running. The distant
murmur of people talking, laughing, arguing. Bobby could also hear Murhpy
’
s lying, bellowing voice.

“
I
’
m going to get back in there,
”
Sullivan said.
“
See what I can help with.
”

“
You
just want to flirt with one of my waitresses,
”
Bobby said.

“
Not
just one... the one,
”
Sullivan
smiled.

Bobby joined Sullivan a few minutes
later. He checked the clock every ten seconds. Annie was supposed to get there
at two. It was ten after two. Being married to Annie meant adding a minimum of
thirty minutes to any time she said.

Right on the dot, at two-thirty,
the door opened and Bobby saw his family.

Annie held the door open and in ran
Billy and Claire. Billy in front of Claire and Claire with her tiny legs
pumping as hard as they could, wanting to catch up to her big brother. The
second Bobby saw them he started to cry. The feeling of love was beautiful. Yet
everything else was unfair. Not being with them every day and every second was
unfair.

Bobby walked to the front of the
counter and dropped to his knees and opened his arms. Billy jumped from a
couple feet away and tried to tackle Bobby. His arms were tight around his
neck. Claire came running next with a wild scream of
Daaaddddyyyy!!!!!
Bobby stood with both kids in his arms and life never felt so perfect. He
closed his eyes and smelled them. He inhaled the scent of laundry soap and his
old house. He smelled sugar... apple juice or something of the like. Billy had
crusted food in the corners of his mouth and Claire
’
s blonde hair was a mess. They were beautiful. They
were perfect.

And then there was Annie.

She stood a few feet away, same
height and same skinny form that Bobby always remembered. Her hair was as
blonde as Claire
’
s, done
perfect, resting on her shoulders. She looked good Annie always looked good.
She was a naturally beautiful woman.

“
Annie,
”
Bobby whispered.

“
Hi,
”
she said.

“
Dad,
I
’
m hungry,
”
Billy said.

“
How
could you be hungry?
”
Annie
asked.
“
You just ate before
we left.
”

“
It
was a long ride,
”
Billy
said.

“
I
want to eat,
”
Claire said.

“
You
want to eat?
”
Bobby asked as
he put his nose to his daughter
’
s
nose.

“
Yes,
”
Claire said.
“
I want to eat now.
”

“
I
want you to meet someone,
”
Bobby said.

He turned and saw Sullivan standing
behind the counter. There was a smile on his face a mile wide. The rest of the
diner had their eyes on Bobby and the kids. And Annie. Everyone knew the
situation.

“
This
is Sullivan,
”
Bobby said.
“
He
’
s
my brother.
”

“
He
’
s my uncle then,
”
Billy said.
“
I learned that.
”

“
Yes,
he is your uncle.
”

“
Is
he my uncle?
”
Claire asked.
Her voice was sweet and innocent, a shot of life to Bobby
’
s breaking heart.

“
Yes,
”
Bobby said.

“
Nice
to meet you,
”
Sullivan
said. He put his hand out to shake and Billy slapped it.
“
Whoa... easy... that hurt.
”

Billy smiled.

“
My
turn!
”
Claire squealed.

“
Don
’
t make it hurt,
”
Sullivan said.

“
I
will,
”
Claire warned.

Sullivan laughed and put his hand
out.

Claire swung down and slapped his
hand.

“
OW!
”
Sullivan cried out.

Claire laughed and kicked her legs.

“
Bobby,
can I see them for a second?
”
Annie asked from behind him.
“
I
want to take them to the bathroom quick.
”

“
I
’
ll take them,
”
Bobby said.

He started to walk but Annie was
right there, next to him. Her hands were on Claire and a second later, she was
out of his arm. Bobby slid Billy down and let him walk to the bathroom. Bobby
took a step and he felt a hand clamp on his shoulder. He turned and saw
Sullivan staring at him.

“
Worth
everything,
”
Sullivan
whispered.

“
What?
”

“
Before.
You said about giving up going to California because of Annie being pregnant.
Two seconds with those two kids, Bobby, and I can tell you it
’
s worth anything and everything
you think you could
’
ve had.
”

“
Thanks,
”
Bobby said as he felt his
throat squeeze.

Sullivan was right. The kids were
worth anything and everything.

Sullivan had a rag slung over his
shoulder as he stood at the counter and stared out to the empty diner. He
couldn
’
t help himself as he
smiled, shaking his head in amazement of how much he had settled right into The
Pot Diner and Ferry Creek. His phone had gone off about half an hour ago with
an email from Parker with ten properties within a twenty mile radius. Parker
left a note at the end of the email saying that most of the commercial properties
were tied up in families nearby. Sullivan understood it. He was in the middle
of one of those situations right then.

Sullivan had made food for Bobby
’
s kids so Bobby could spend time
with them in the diner. He did his best to keep Bobby
’
s ex out of the way by trying to keep her in the
kitchen with him, doing his best to keep some kind of conversation going. But
Annie didn
’
t seem like the
conversing type. She looked nervous and out of place, and at one point Sullivan
almost felt like giving her the keys to his car and telling her to disappear
for the afternoon and evening.

The kids wanted mac n
’
cheese and a burger with
applesauce. They ate, Bobby cleaned them up, and then they left, Annie
included, to go to the hospital to see their grandfather one last time. It
pained Sullivan as the kids stormed out the front of the diner. They didn
’
t understand death and they
weren
’
t supposed to. They
were kids. They still had a thick layer of innocence around them and Sullivan
wished they could keep it for a long time. He couldn
’
t possibly imagine what it felt like to be a
parent.

With the diner shut down and
cleaned up, Sullivan went to the kitchen to check on Richie. He stood over the
grill, scrubbing it with fury. Richie was very skinny, but his muscles were
visible.

“
Looks
good back here,
”
Sullivan
said.

Richie stopped and looked at
Sullivan.
“
Always does.
Unless you cook.
”

Sullivan smiled.
“
Sorry about that. First day for
me, you know?
”