Across the Creek (10 page)

“What the hell happened to you, man?”

“It’s nothing.”

But it wasn’t; Jesse was taking deep, labored breaths. “Here, let me.” Robbie felt Jesse’s side, feeling the position of the ribs.

“Ouch!” Jesse flinched.

“Come on, sissy. I’m just tryin’ to see if any are broken.” Robbie withdrew his hand. “You’re lucky; they’re only bruised. Put some ice on ’em and tie ’em up and you’ll be just fine.”

Silence for a few moments. Then Jesse asked, “What?”

“Are you going to tell me what happened?”

Jesse glanced at Robbie before averting his eyes. “I got into a fight at the party.”

“With who? Tyson?”

“Sarah’s fiancé, Kevin.”

“Damn, Ponyboy, did he kick your ass out or what?”

“Thanks for giving me the benefit of the doubt.”

“You’re lucky.”

Jesse looked down at his side. “And how does this make me lucky?”

“It could have been someone like me, and I sure as hell would have broken those ribs. You’re lucky the guy hits like a girl. Besides, you stayed covered up. Like I showed you.” Robbie brought his fist up, covering his sides with his elbows.

“I didn’t get much of a chance. His buddies were holding my arms while he worked on me.”

“Are you serious?” Robbie threw on his leather jacket. “I’ll tell you what. Tell me where that party’s at. I’ll go tune that son-of-a-bitch up for you.”

Jesse shook his head. “It wouldn’t do any good. Besides, I was able to give him a few things to think about myself.”

“That’s my little brother.” Robbie slapped him on the back.

“Ouch!”

“Sorry.” He swished Jesse’s hair back and forth. “But you can’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Jesse held out his arms and said, “What are you talking about?”

“I tried warnin’ you. We got no business hangin’ with people like that. It’s like oil and water.”

“You are so full of shit, man.” Jesse tried to stand up but fell back into the chair.

“Whatever. Look at you.” Robbie pointed at Jesse’s ribs. “You’re all busted up.”

“I’m fine. I’ve got this covered.” Changing the subject, Jesse said, “So how’d things go with you and Felicia?”

Robbie smiled. He had it covered? Next week he’d come in with a broken leg. “I’m serious, man. You need to stay away from those people.”

“I’ve—got—it—covered,” Jesse said, emphasizing each word. “Now tell me about Felicia. What did she think about Aunt Sherry?”

“It was good,” Robbie said, trying to force the thought about being a father from his mind. “She and Aunt Sherry really hit it off.”

“Good,” Jesse said. A smile formed on his face. “I’m happy for you.”

“I should be goin’ now. You gonna lock up then?”

Jesse nodded. “Robbie?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you in some sort of trouble?”

“No. Why would you ask me that?”

“You know why.”

Robbie shook his head. “Listen, man. Everything’s cool.” Choosing his words carefully, not sure just how much of the phone call Jesse had heard, he said, “Ernie called me up because he wanted to meet up for some beers. That’s it.”

Jesse scrutinized him. “But is everything okay?”

Robbie opened the backdoor, held up his hands, and threw Jesse’s words back at him. “I’ve got it covered.”

Jesse

Jesse had finished taking inventory and filling out a requisition for additional supplies. Time to feed the beasts. He dropped fish flakes into the aquariums and watched as they swam to the surface and pecked at the tiny pieces of soggy food. He had fed most of the snakes already, so he skipped them and dropped a few crickets into the lizard tank. They stared at him as if he were the one who looked weird. “No need to thank me,” he said, fastening the lid back onto their aquarium. He fed the kittens and then walked over to the birds, teasing them that he should feed them to the kittens.

The puppies were saved for last. They were his favorite. It didn’t matter what was going on in their lives; they were always the happiest to see him. After dealing with humans all day, he enjoyed spending time with the puppies. They were always in a good mood, always happy to see him, and they never expected anything more than food and attention.

He dropped a dish filled with puppy pellets into the cage and watched as they scrambled over to it. All except for Sarah’s favorite. His golden fur looked more like a baby chick’s than a dog’s. He stood up on his hind legs, propping his feet onto the cage’s wall, and poked his nose through the tiny hole. “Aren’t you hungry, little buddy?” The white patch of fur on his right eye reminded Jesse of the dog from Little Rascals. “You are cute.” He reached inside the cage and rubbed his head. “I can see why she likes you so much. But I’m afraid she won’t be back. I messed up, little dude.”

Robbie walked over to the cage and took off his apron. “I just finished putting today’s shipment away. It looks like we’re a little low on some things. Do you want me to do inventory?”

“I took care of it already.”

Nearly a week had passed since Jesse’s fight with Kevin and walking in on Robbie’s phone conversation with Ernie. Jesse knew something was up. Robbie was quiet, not as cocky, and a few days ago, he had given a free goldfish to a customer for her little boy. Something was definitely going on.

“Okay. Well, it’s kind of slow today. I’m gonna head to the gym for a few hours.”

The puppy licked Jesse’s finger, letting him know that he was still there. “All right, man. I’ll see you later.”

Jesse picked up the white spot-eyed puppy and turned him toward the food dish that was now surrounded by pups. “Time to eat, little buddy.” The pup turned back toward Jesse. “Go ahead.” Jesse motioned toward the food.

The doorbell rang. Jesse heard Robbie greet the customer, so he stayed in the back to finish up some of the paperwork. Then he heard Robbie say, “So you’re the piece of shit that cracked my little brother’s ribs.” Oh boy, Jesse could read the story in the paper now.
Local boxer beats up Wall Street guy inside pet shop
. Great advertising for the business.

Jesse shot up and ran to the front of the store. Robbie’s chest was puffed all the way out, while Kevin stood in his pressed suit, hands up and a terrified look in his eyes.

“I didn’t come here for any trouble. I just came to apologize to Jesse. Is he here?”

“I’m right here,” Jesse said, placing a hand on Robbie’s shoulder. “You can go now. I’ve got this.”

Robbie’s eyes remained fixed on Kevin, like a target locked and ready to fire. It probably didn’t help that Kevin looked like he had just walked out of a four-star restaurant after flying around all day in a jet.

“I’m serious. I’ve got this.”

He turned to Jesse and nodded before heading to the back of the store.

Kevin, relaxing slightly, said, “He seems to have quite the temper. Must be genetic.” Jesse’s eyes narrowed and he took a few steps closer. “Hold on a minute. I didn’t come to fight.”

“Then why did you?”

“To apologize.” He paused, as if waiting to see if Jesse would take a swing, a thought that had crossed Jesse’s mind. “I don’t know what got into me that night. Sarah had told me that she’d run into you here at the pet shop and that you two were meeting for lunch. So I ran a background check on you.”

“You ran a background check on me?” Jesse’s hands turned to fists.

“In my line of work, you learn that you can’t be too careful. Anyway, what I found out sent up a few red flags. Then when I saw you at the party…I don’t know. I guess I didn’t handle it well.”

“You think?” Jesse could only imagine the information he had found on Jesse and his family. And he had to admit that he wouldn’t be too thrilled about his girlfriend hanging out with a guy with a past like his. Shaking his head, he said, “I get it.” Kevin’s shoulders seemed to relax a bit. “What changed your mind about me? My past hasn’t changed.”

“Sarah,” he said, letting out a sigh. “She told me your story. Then persuaded me to come here and apologize. Listen, Jesse, I admit that I can be a bit overprotective at times, but you can’t be too careful. Know what I mean?”

Jesse nodded. Although he agreed with Kevin and appreciated him coming down here to apologize, he still didn’t trust the man. “Well, thanks for stopping by.” He turned around to head back to the puppies.

“I have something else to tell you.”

When Jesse turned back around, he saw Kevin’s million dollar smile shining as bright as ever. What else could he possibly want? An apology? That was never going to happen. “I’m listening.”

Kevin rubbed his hands together.
This must be how he looks just before closing a major deal,
Jesse thought. “You said that you were finishing your degree in architecture, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Well, I’d like to offer you a job.”

Jesse didn’t respond. He switched his weight from one foot to the next. The wheels turned in his head, but he couldn’t figure out what kind of an angle Kevin was working here.

“Sarah’s putting together a plant nursery just outside of Chicago. It isn’t much. A few acres, some tractors, but the main attraction is a large greenhouse scheduled to break ground next week. Normally I’d oversee a project like this, but work is going to get very busy for me. So I was wondering if you’d be able to look after it.”

Jesse pulled a rag from his back pocket. “Sarah put you up to this?”

Kevin shook his head. Jesse’s suspicious look turned to a disbelieving one and Kevin said, “I swear.”

“What exactly would you need me to do?”

“Take a look at the prints. See if we’ve missed anything. Keep an eye on the construction crew. You know how contractors can get. Make sure they don’t try to inflate the cost.”

This guy was a piece of work. First he insulted him, then he offered him a job. But Jesse also had to admit that he had a point. Contractors were like everybody else, looking for ways to increase their bottom line. And this would be good for a resumé. Something he might be able to get credit for, too. Jesse put the rag back into his pocket and said, “I’ll do it. Are you sure Sarah’s okay with it?”

“Don’t worry about Sarah. I’m sure she’d be thrilled to have you on board.”

“So when do you want me to start?”

“Tomorrow too soon?”

“That’s fine.” Jesse held out his hand, they shook, and Jesse said, “Thanks for the opportunity.”

“Thank you. You’re the one doing me the favor.”

“You mentioned your work is getting busier. What is it that you do?”

“I’m an attorney. I work for the District Attorney’s office.”

Jesse let go of his hand. District Attorney’s office? Here he had him pegged as one of those finance guys, like Kate’s pompous father. This was worse. Instead, he was one of Chicago’s most powerful men. “That’s just great,” Jesse muttered.

“What was that?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Jesse

Jesse woke early the next morning. He’d stayed up late researching greenhouses, trying to get familiar with the construction process. Kate had called a few times and then left a few less than pleasant text messages. Yet another reason why he didn’t want a girlfriend or to have anything to do with love.

He threw on a pair of jeans and loaded up his truck with a few supplies. Then he headed out for the address that Kevin had jotted down just before leaving the pet shop.

Life was funny sometimes. A guy wants to punch you for hanging out with his girl one day, and then he’s hiring you to spend time with her the next. But the more Jesse thought about it, the more he grew to accept it. A second chance at a friendship with Sarah and an opportunity to oversee a building project: win-win.

When he arrived, the sun was just making its quiet ascent, painting everything in sight with hues of purple and orange. He scanned the landscape to get his bearings. The large truck’s tire tracks looked fresh along with the freshly tossed soil. He knelt down and grabbed a handful of loose soil, crumbling it to sand and watching it fall to the ground. This must be where they were going to break ground on the greenhouse.
Probably used to be covered in trees and hillier than it is now. They did a good job of preparing the area.

He stood up and looked around at the rest of the lot. Rows of plowed earth filled about three acres. Forest surrounded the entire lot, except for the long dirt drive leading into the place. A partial wooded fence had been put up, leaving about half the lot yet to do. “You picked a good place, Sarah.”

“Thank you.”

Startled, Jesse turned around to find Sarah standing behind him. “I didn’t know you were here.” He wiped his hands off on his jeans.

She smiled. “I just got here.”

Jesse saw the Taurus parked next to his truck. “Is that yours?”

She shook her head. “It’s my father’s. But he lets me use it when I come out here. It’s a bit far for a bicycle ride.”

“I agree.”

She put her hands into her pockets and looked down. “There’s something that I wanted to say.” She paused and kicked a stone across the drive. “About the night of the party.”

“Oh, you don’t have to say anything. I was completely out of line that night. I don’t know what got into me.”

“Beating up my fiancé was a bit crazy.”

Although Jesse didn’t feel bad for hitting Kevin, he did feel bad about hurting Sarah. She pushed a few strands of hair behind her ear. The sunrise kissed her golden curls, giving her a majestic quality. Her skin turned to silk and her eyes glowed bright blue. Jesse had never seen a woman who held that much beauty before.

“But I was out of line too,” she said. “I shouldn’t have said those things to you. I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry too,” he said, holding his hand out. They shook and then Sarah headed back to her car. “Leaving so soon?”

“I’m just getting something out of my car to show you.” She came back with a rolled up blueprint that Jesse assumed was the greenhouse.

She rolled it out over a nearby stack of wood used to build the fence. Jesse had no idea what to expect. Based on his research, he had anticipated something typical. A wood structure, steel reinforced, with tempered glass walls and a ceiling positioned in such a way to capture as much of the light as possible. But the print revealed something more, something much more. A two-story greenhouse mansion, complete with a kitchen sink, counter space, and bathroom facilities. “Wow,” he said, “I’m impressed.”