Along Came Love Read Online Free PDF Page B

chubby
girls get ignored for the most part, don't
    they? I didn't go to my prom either, but for
an entirely different reason. Why you wanted my attention I'll
never know, probably just to make fun." She picked up the pen again
and began to make more notes. "Now, shall we get back to Sammie Jo?
This is quite a serious issue, Mr. Travers."
    "Jake, it's Jake, for goodness sake, lady. I
took you to dinner and we talked for ages, and you still want to
call me Mr. Travers? And wait a minute…" he raised his finger and
pointed at her as he glued her to her chair. "I thought you and I
had more in common than anyone else on the campus. Both of us had
more brains than sense. And because of that, I wanted to get
closer. You just wouldn't allow it."
    Now Samantha cleared her throat, "Yes, well,
we were talking about Sammie Jo."
    "You'll pardon me, but I didn't ignore you,
back then. But every time I tried to talk to you, you'd move away
as though I were bothering you."
    "Oh please, Mr. Travers I don't think this is
neither the time, nor the place to discuss our past, or lack of, do
you?" She knitted her brows and frowned.
    "I don't believe this. the other day…you
were….nice…sweet even. Now, it's almost like I was in high school
again." He boomed.
    She turned away obviously to ignore his
outburst.
    "That's exactly what you used to do, every
time I tried to get close to you, you'd frown just like you're
doing now and then move away. No, I'd say if there was any
ignoring, it was on your part, not mine." Jake sat down satisfied
that he had solved the puzzle for them both.
    "Mr. Travers," she emphasized his name, to
bring attention. "That's not how it was, but regardless, that's not
why you are here today. So let's get back to the business at hand."
She corrected firmly, her face coloring just a bit.
    He liked that, she was flustered and
obviously the counselor didn't want to be flustered.
    "The conversation will keep, Ms. Courtland,
but I'm sure we will finish it, one day." He winked. "This clears a
lot up. I knew I'd recognized you from somewhere. Why didn't you
say something? You let me go on and on like some idiot. Well, I
guess it clears things up though."
    She looked at him as though she didn't have
the faintest idea what he was talking about. "Clears what up?"
    "I thought you were the biggest snob in the
world back then."
    He was softly laughing and it hurt from the
look on her face.
    "Oh now, Samantha, forgive me, that was years
ago, and surely you won't hold it against me. Don't worry, you were
the snob and I was the nerd."
    "Nerd? You had the highest marks in class,
you were valedictorian, no
    less. How could you ever say you were a
nerd?" she spat out, covering her own lips with her hand as though
to silence herself.
    Jake smiled with new understanding, "Look, in
a cow town a boy is sized up by his ability to ride, rope and chase
girls. I was good at none of those things. I became better as time
went on, but not during my school days here."
    Samantha stared at him strangely, as though
considering his words for the first time. "I never imagined."
    "Imagined what?"
    "That a man like you could lack self
confidence," she murmured with amazement.
    He smiled engagingly at her, "I wasn't a man
then. Thank God we outgrow things. Now that we let down our
defenses, maybe we can talk about Sammie Jo."
    "Yes….yes of course," she seemed rattled.
    "Exactly what do you mean by inattentive?"
His tone seesawed with irritation.
    Samantha seemed to relax now that the
conversation was no longer personal. "I'm sure you are aware that
Sammie Jo is growing up."
    "Of course I'm aware, I don't like it, but
I'm aware." Jake shifted in the chair as though it suddenly was too
small for him and he was uncomfortable.
    "That's understandable. But, unfortunately,
Sammie Jo's cousin, Clay Travers is in some of her classes with
her. And the two of them consistently write notes to each
other."
    Jake didn't see how this was such a problem.
He remembered