A Chance at Love (A Ferry Creek Novel): (a billionaire romance novel) (24 page)

“
And
I
’
m sharing it with my
friend,
”
Jess said.
“
Take your time finding a house.
Preferably in Ferry Creek...
”

Katey laughed.
“
Of course.
”

There was a knock at Jess
’
s door and she jumped up.

“
Calm
down,
”
Katey said.
“
It
’
s
just your date.
”

“
No,
”
Jess said.
“
I
’
m
meeting him at the diner. That was the plan.
”

“
Then
who could be...
”

Katey
’
s
eyes went wide. Jess shook her head, not wanting to think it. It had to be
Tyler.

Jess went to the door and opened it.

It wasn
’
t Tyler.

“
Darryl,
”
she whispered.
“
What are you doing here?
”

“
Jess...,
”
Katey called out.

Jess put a hand behind her, telling
Katey to relax. For now at least.

“
Answer
me,
”
Jess said.

Darryl looked like hell. Sober. But
he looked like hell.

“
I
want to tell you everything,
”
Darryl said.
“
Everything
you should know. So it
’
ll
make sense.
”

“
Make
sense of what?
”

“
I
’
m not saying anything is right,
”
Darryl said.
“
But maybe if it makes sense...
”

“
I
can
’
t right now, Darryl,
”
Jess said.
“
I just can
’
t.
”

“
Please,
Jess. Just a few minu... you
’
re
dressed up. You look beautiful, Jess.
”

Jess felt color rush to her cheeks.
As she looked at Darryl, she thought about the first time she met him. Right in
The Pot Diner.
Much like Sullivan.
How he was so adamant and flirty. How
he came back over and over. How he coaxed Jess out of the diner onto the back
of his motorcycle.

“
Darryl,
you have to go,
”
Jess said.

“
Everything
okay?
”
Katey called.

“
Who
is that?
”
Darryl asked.

“
A
friend,
”
Jess said. She
stepped out of the apartment and shut the door.
“
Darryl,
I really have to go.
”

“
Tyler
took me to the cemetery,
”
Darryl said.
“
He made me
face it all. Again. Like I don
’
t
face it every single day I wake up. Every day I look in the mirror. Please,
Jess, just give me a few minutes.
”

Jess was at her breaking point. She
didn
’
t want to count how
many months it had been on and off with Darryl. She had desperately wanted him
to open up to her but he never would.

“
I
have to go right now,
”
Jess
said.
“
I
’
m going to be late.
”

“
You
’
re meeting someone?
”
Darryl asked.
“
Who?
”

“
It
’
s nobody
’
s business.
”

“
A
guy. You
’
re meeting a guy.
Christ, Jess...
”

“
I
’
m helping someone out with
something,
”
Jess said.
“
That
’
s all.
”

“
It
’
s the new guy,
”
Darryl said.
“
Bobby
’
s brother, right? Shit. That
’
s what it is. New blood in town and you want it.
”

Jess felt her chest tighten.
“
Don
’
t say that to me.
”

“
It
’
s true,
”
Darryl said.
“
You
’
re looking for a way out of this
place and you can
’
t do it
yourself. So you wait for someone to come through town to take you.
”

“
Get
out of here,
”
Jess said.
“
You don
’
t know anything about me, Darryl.
”

“
I
know more than you know about me. You like to run, Jess. You hurt yourself and
run.
”

Jess opened the door.
“
Hey, Katey... get my phone...
”

“
That
’
s right,
”
Darryl said. He put his hands up.
“
Call your other boyfriend for
help.
”

“
Darryl,
just get out of here, okay? You don
’
t
know what you
’
ve done to
me.
”

Darryl turned and jumped from the
steps. He had his hands in fists and he looked over his shoulder, his lip
curled. He looked dangerous and Jess tried her hardest not to believe Darryl
would ever do anything to hurt her.

But what about Sullivan?

“
Just
so you know,
”
Darryl said,
“
I was at the cemetery visiting
my mother. It
’
s been
fifteen years since my father killed her. Have a good night, Jess.
”

Katey touched Jess
’
s shoulder and she jumped. They
both watched as Darryl walked down the sidewalk and disappeared. Jess turned
and took a deep breath.

“
What
was that about?
”
Katey
asked.

“
Nothing,
”
Jess said.
“
Just old feelings I guess. He
’
ll have to learn to figure it
out for himself.
”

“
What
was up with his mother?
”

“
I
’
m not worried about it.
”

“
That
’
s right,
”
Katey said.
“
My
girl is banging a billionaire now.
”

Jess laughed, which was needed
because she was ready to break down. She then hugged Katey and took another
breath. She couldn
’
t let go
of what Darryl had said. Maybe there would be a time to talk to Darryl. To
actually hear him out. But that wouldn
’
t
be tonight. This was the first night in a long time that Jess felt like she had
actual plans. She had an actual purpose.

She was going to help Sullivan find
some properties.

Nothing more.

That
’
s
what he wanted and that
’
s
what he
’
d get. Jess
reminded herself that Sullivan had already said he planned on luring her to
dinner with the false promise of talking about the properties. But that was
okay. There was no harm in talking with someone. Sullivan was an interesting
man.

“
I
better get going,
”
Jess
said.
“
Need to shake this
off and get ready to help Sullivan.
”

“
To
help him,
”
Katey said with
that wild look in her eyes.

“
I
’
ll be home,
”
Jess said.

“
If
not, just text me. Or if you need the house, I
’
ll
go away.
”

“
Stop
it.
”

“
Go
have fun,
”
Katey said.
“
I
’
ve
got work to do. I suddenly feel like writing something erotic...
”

Jess rolled her eyes and went into
the house to get her keys. She couldn
’
t
take anymore from Katey, or her own mind, which wouldn
’
t stop racing.

Bobby still hadn
’
t returned from the hospital.
Sullivan thought about checking in with his brother but he didn
’
t want to get involved with anything
going on. It was going to be a long, emotional day for everyone in that
hospital room. The only thing Sullivan could do was offer his ears if and when
Bobby needed.

For all the the things he had
experienced so far since coming to Ferry Creek, the only real complaint he
could have was the size of Bobby
’
s
bathroom. It certainly matched the entire feel of the apartment, small and
cramped, but Sullivan wouldn
’
t
have minded just a little bit more space to get ready. Thinking that, however,
made him really consider how he was feeling right then. He was having Jess come
with him to look at properties. Then dinner.

Sullivan looked in the mirror and
smiled. Of all the women he had dated in his life - before and after becoming
rich - not a single one of them came close to getting to him like Jess did. And
yet, Sullivan couldn
’
t put
his finger on it. Maybe it was the small town girl image. Maybe it was because
he thought Jess still had some innocence. Or maybe it was because of the way
Jess looked, like she needed someone to save her, protect her. Whatever it was,
Sullivan enjoyed it quite a bit.

There were a few small items
Sullivan had to take care of before finally closing his laptop. He slid it into
his bag and grabbed the bag to take with him. All flirting aside, he really did
need to look at the properties Parker had called about.

Once outside, Sullivan put the bag
in the backseat of the car and then leaned against the trunk. He looked up and
down the road, eyeing Ferry Creek. It was kind of serene. Small businesses,
buildings, and houses were all weaved together to create the town. A car passed
by every now and then. People encourage each other with smiles as they ran or
walked by.

The sound of a motorcycle grew
closer. Sullivan caught sight of the   motorcycle as it came by the diner. The
rider slowed and slowly turned his head and looked right at Sullivan. He wore all
black, including a bucket helmet and sunglasses. From what Sullivan could see
of the man
’
s face, he had a
rough and tough look. The motorcycle never stopped and once the man coasted to
the end of the diner, the rider hit the throttle and took off. Sullivan
followed the motorcycle with his eyes, feeling more than a little uneasy about
it.

The uneasy feeling went away a
minute later when Jess pulled into the parking lot. She parked with two spots
separating her car and Sullivan
’
s.
She got out of the car and she took Sullivan
’
s
breath away. He
’
d never
seen a woman wear jeans like Jess did. She looked hesitant to walk to him so
Sullivan decided he would do all the work.

“
Jess,
”
he said.
“
Wow. You look amazing.
”

Right on cue, color flooded Jess
’
s face. She touched her shirt
and shook her head.
“
No.
This is just, whatever.
”

“
Well,
whatever
looks amazing on you.
”

“
Thanks,
”
Jess said.
“
Where are we starting this
adventure?
”

Sullivan laughed.
Adventure.
That was a good word to use. That
’
s
what everything had become for Sullivan. Life was an adventure.

Sullivan opened the passenger door
for Jess. When he got into the car and started it, he took his cell phone and
opened to an email from Parker.

“
We
start in order, I guess,
”
Sullivan said.
“
I don
’
t think we
’
ll need to look at all of these.
How about Franklin Road. Does that mean anything?
”

Jess nodded and just like that they
were off. Sullivan drove through Ferry Creek, looking at everything possible.
He absorbed the town with his eyes. The grocery store. The bakery. A Laundromat.
A pizza place.

“
This
town has a little of everything,
”
Sullivan said.
“
I like it.
”

“
It
really does,
”
Jess said.
She pointed ahead and there was a hardware store.
“
That
’
s
why so many people never leave. They don
’
t
have to.
”

There was a small medical clinic
near the edge of Ferry Creek and then they were out of the town. It felt
strange leaving Ferry Creek.

“
The
hospital is just a few miles up this road,
”
Jess said.
“
For when you go
there. I mean, if you go. Not that it
’
s
my business.
”