A Chance at Love (A Ferry Creek Novel): (a billionaire romance novel) by Karolyn James Page A

His father would go when his body and soul were ready. But there was one
thing he could control...
    Bobby plopped back down in his
chair and grabbed his cell phone.
    He found Annie ’ s number. The number used to be
listed as House in his phone, but was now listed as Annie House .
    The answering machine picked up
with the sound of the kids voices, giggling and innocent. Annie was in the
background explaining what to say. It wasn ’ t
all that long ago it was the four of them on the answering machine. Now it was
down to the three. The three who lived there. It wasn ’ t Bobby ’ s
home any longer. Maybe it had never been his home.
    Bobby called Annie ’ s cell and she picked up.
    “ Annie,
are you busy? I need to talk. ”
    “ I ’ m on my way to gym. ”
    “ The
gym? ”
    “ What?
Have something to say? ”
    “ No,
not at all. You... you always mentioned it... ”
    “ Well,
now I have the time and energy, ” Annie said.
    Her voice was vindictive and
snotty.
    Time and energy ... implying
she had wasted all of her time and energy on Bobby and their marriage.
    Yeah, Bobby thought, welcome
to my life, sweetheart.
    “ I
have to talk to you about my father, ” Bobby said.
    “ Oh,
no. Did he... pass? ”
    Annie ’ s
voice was so calm. Uncaring. Bobby felt his nerves pinching already.
    “ He ’ s alive, ” Bobby said. “ Having
a hard week. But every week is hard. Every day. ”
    “ I ’ m really sorry, Bobby. I wish I
could do something. ”
    “ You
can, ” Bobby said.
    “ Oh? ”
    Annie sounded caught off guard. Her
empty statement was needed now. She could help Bobby. She could really help
him. And he would fight for it.
    “ Bring
the kids here, ” Bobby said. “ Please. To see him one
last time. ”
    Annie sighed. “ You now how I feel about... ”
    “ I
know how you feel, Annie. You ’ ve
explained it to me many times. I know death is scary. I know it ’ s going to be hard to tell the
kids. I get that. But he ’ s
their grandfather, Annie. He ’ s
going to be gone soon. I ’ m
sorry they would see him in the hospital and sick, but just one more time. ”
    “ Why?
What ’ s it going to do for
them? For Bob? ”
    For Bob... Had Annie really
checked out that far from their marriage? Sure, they were divorced, but now it
was just Bob . It sounded wrong, considering all that Bob had done
for Bobby and Annie in the early part of their marriage.
    “ What ’ s it going to do for them? How
could you ask something like that, Annie? ”
    “ Ask
what? Am I not being honest here? ”
    “ Sure,
you ’ re always honest. As
long as it benefits you. ”
    “ That ’ s great, Bobby. Turn into a
jerk. ”
    “ Jerk.
I ’ m a jerk. My father is
dying and I want him to see his grandkids one last time and I ’ m a jerk. Don ’ t the kids ask about him? ”
    Annie didn ’ t respond. Her silence was a loud Yes .
    “ That ’ s what I thought, ” Bobby said.
    “ Fine, ” Annie said. “ Fine, Bobby. They ask, okay?
They ask about grandpa. They ask to come to Ferry Creek and go to the diner.
Billy wants to stand on the stool and drink chocolate milk. Claire wanted
waffles. Waffles and chocomilk . That ’ s
what she asks for. ”
    Bobby smiled. He could hear little
Claire ’ s voice asking that.
    “ Then
bring them, ” Bobby said. “ Please, Annie. ”
    “ Come
get them then, ” Annie said.
    “ Don ’ t do this to me, ” Bobby said. “ Just do me this favor, Annie.
Bring the kids here. They can come to the diner, have a good time, and then go
see my father. Then you and I can talk to them. Explain that he ’ s sick and... ”
    “ What?
That he ’ s going to die? And
then I have to deal with Billy and Claire asking questions the entire ride home
about death. And then I have to deal with them asking about it before bed. It ’ s all on me then, Bobby. ”
    “ It
wouldn ’ t be if I was there, ” Bobby blurted out.
    He regretted it.
    “ So
it ’ s my fault everything
ended? ” Annie