Across the Creek Read Online Free PDF

Webster Street. “I saw you talking to some cute blonde. It actually made me a little jealous.”
    Cute blonde? It must’ve been Sarah. “Really?” Jesse released her and started toward the stairs. “You, jealous?”
    “Well, that is how we met,” she said. “Who’s to say it couldn’t happen again?”
    Because I learned my lesson the first time , he thought. Jesse turned around. “Kate, listen. We’ve talked about this before. I’m not interested—”
    “In a relationship right now. Yeah, I’ve heard you say that at least a hundred times.”
    So why do you keep acting like this is more than what it really is? Although he wanted to, he didn’t dare ask this question out loud. It didn’t turn out well for him the last time he had. If there was one thing that Jesse knew about love, it was that it always came with consequences. That was why he steered clear of it. And probably the reason why he sought out female companionship with women like Kate. Beautiful, tempting, fun, but a total opposite of who he was and what he stood for.
    Truth be told, Kate was a sweet girl: nice, beautiful, and fun to be around. But long-term relationships weren’t his thing. Even if he was interested, there was school, the pet shop, Aunt Sherry who needed looking after, not to mention his older brother Robbie, who had a history of finding trouble. A girl like Kate required a lot of hand holding. More than he could give. Pushing her away was just as much for her good as it was his.
    “So can I come up?”
    “Well, I do have some TV dinners upstairs. And I’m starving.”
    She crinkled her nose. “Gross!”
    “I’m joking.”
    “Can I still come up? There’s something I have for you.” She tilted her head and flashed a flirtatious smile.
    Jesse looked back toward the stairs. He knew that a good book and a ham sandwich were out of the question if she came up, along with saying goodbye to peace and quiet. Then, from nowhere, the image of Sarah popped into his mind. The only girl he had ever truly loved. An uncomfortable and unfamiliar pain stung at the center of his chest.
    He turned to Kate. She brought out the only weapon he had been defenseless against ever since the first time he had met her. Her smile. The way her lips curved at the corners and the way her eyes seemed to glow two shades brighter made it impossible for him to tell her no. Mischievousness replaced sweetness, making it all the more impossible. Besides, he really did enjoy her company. “Sure,” he said, warming up to the idea. “I’ll have to warn you though. I don’t know how long I’ll be awake.”
    Kate smirked. “I’m sure I’ll be able to persuade you to stay up.” She followed him up the stairs and into his apartment.
    Jesse hit a switch and lights hanging from the twenty foot ceiling flickered on, revealing his small yet sufficient apartment. The foyer opened up to the living room, which connected to the bedroom to the left via a fogged glass sliding door and the kitchen to the right. His apartment had an industrial look with dark, painted beams that crisscrossed along the ceiling and large white pillars which offset the dark ceiling and the hardwood floor that Jesse had spent an entire week sanding and refinishing before moving in. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for Jesse, and it couldn’t have been more convenient for him located just above the pet shop.
    Jesse emptied his pockets into a tray by the front door. Kate made herself at home. She walked into the kitchen and pulled out two glasses and a bottle of red wine. She poured them each a glass and handed one to Jesse. “Thank you,” he said, taking a seat on the leather couch. The dry wine teased his taste buds before sliding down his throat. “I think I needed this.”
    “Aw,” she said, drawing out the word. “Do you want to talk about it?”
    He thought about Sarah walking out of the store, the light from outside washing out the silhouette of her thin frame until she was