A Chance at Love (A Ferry Creek Novel): (a billionaire romance novel) by Karolyn James Read Free Book Online Page B

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. ”
    “