The Pursuit of Jesse Read Online Free Page B

late. Don’t bother waiting up for me.”
    He tugged on the coat Garrett had lent him, walked through the kitchen, keeping his gaze averted from Erica and the kids, and slipped out the front door. He was halfway down the hill before he felt as if his chest wasn’t going to cave in on him. Breathe, Jesse. Breathe.
    The rush of cold air recharged his senses and he went on his way. Having absolutely no idea where he was going, Jesse let his feet take him wherever they wanted to go. Before he knew it, he’d passed the pier,hit Main and headed down the middle of the deserted, snow-smattered cobblestone street.
    He walked a few blocks, passing stately black lampposts and the picturesque storefronts of Main Street Mirabelle businesses, a few even trimmed with understated but colorful winter lights. Everything was neat and tidy.
    Hell, even the snow seemed to understand it had better behave on Mirabelle. Every sidewalk had been shoveled clean, and just enough of the picturesque white stuff had accumulated on windowsills, signs and bare tree branches to give all of Main Street the appearance of a holiday greeting card. This place really had to be something in the summer. Too bad he wouldn’t be around to see it.
    He glanced up and saw Duffy’s Pub scrolled in large brass letters across the front of a brick building. That was Erica and Garrett’s place now that they’d bought it from the previous owners. Not what Jesse wanted tonight. What he needed was the peace of at least one night of anonymity.
    Pushing himself onward, he passed a bright red candy store, a gift shop that looked as fanciful as its name Whimsy implied and a flower shop. Weddings and Flowers by Sarah. Garrett had explained that Sarah needed to get into her house before her wedding season started. This had to be her store.
    With a display of the trappings of a wedding—photo albums, a towering cake, sample invitations, floral bouquets, even a pair of lacy bridal gloves and glittering sandals—it was clear Sarah had an eye for pretty innocent things. She’d taken one look at him and had known he didn’t fit in her world. She’d been right.
    He was about to call it a night and head back toGarrett’s when he glanced down a side street and noticed light emanating through frost-covered windows a couple blocks down. There just might be a bar or restaurant off the beaten path that better suited him and his mood.
    Making his way down the sidewalk, he read the sign out front swinging in the bitter wind. The Rusty Nail Tavern. Either the place had fallen on hard times, or the owner preferred a low-key, somewhat tacky appearance. In any case, Jesse had something in common after all with at least one establishment on this island fantasyland.
    He opened the door and hesitated. Immediately, his senses were assaulted by the sounds of rock music, laughter and conversation, the slight scent of stale beer and even more stale cigarette smoke. He hadn’t been in a bar, let alone around people drinking, since…
    Go back to Garrett’s, idiot. You don’t need to do this. Things can be different. Better.
    Yeah? How? This is what you do. This is what you always do. I’m not going to drink, anyway. Even if I did there are no cars on this island, so what could possibly be the harm?
    He plastered a smile on his face, stepped inside and headed right for the bar. The first thing he noticed was a cute blonde sitting a few stools away and nursing a tall pink concoction. She honed in on him like a hunter with a twelve-point buck in his sights.
    “What can I get for you?” the bartender asked.
    Even on a cold evening like this a beer sounded damned good. Then again, screwing things up the first night in Dodge probably wasn’t a good idea. There’d be plenty of time for that later. “Cola, please.”
    “You visiting Mirabelle?” he asked, filling a glass with ice.
    “Here for a couple months. Some construction work.”
    “Tom Bent,” he said, setting the soda in front of