Free Consequence by Madeline Sloane Page A

left his pant leg
alone. He found his keys and wallet, picked up his jacket and let
himself out the kitchen door.
    Upstairs, tucked under her quilt, Bridget
hugged herself. Boone called her “his woman.”
    A vision of the future flashed through her
imagination: She and Boone getting married in his father’s small
chapel, the two of them making love by firelight, babies with curly
black hair, school plays in the fall and baseball games in the
summer.
    Don’t be naïve, she reproved herself.
    She heard Boone’s engine start and jumped to
the window to wave goodbye. He was cleaning snow from the roof of
the car, brushing off the police lights. He saw her standing, half
hidden by the sheer curtain and gave her his long-lost killer
smile. She raised a timid hand and waved. Boone lifted his fingers
to his lips, blew her an extravagant kiss, then started the cruiser
and drove off.
    Maybe I’m not naïve after all, she
thought.
     
     
     

CHAPTER EIGHT
    All eyes turned to the front door of the
bookstore when the bell rang. Before Bridget could enter, a car
honked and pulled along the curb. Boone opened the passenger door.
“Caught ya,” he said. “Ready for lunch?”
    Bridget let the shop door close then slid
into the car and into Boone’s arms. Her hands slid up his broad
chest and they kissed feverishly, ignoring the curious looks of
passersby.
    Inside the store, Marcel whooped and flung a
dishtowel from the upstairs cafe to the front counter aiming for
June and Tim. They turned towards the jubilant chef and
frowned.
    “Hah! Pay up, June Bug!” he taunted, pointing
through the bay window at the police chief and Bridget.
    June crossed her arms and pinched her lips.
She gave a theatrical gesture, lifting a shoulder and rolling her
eyes. Then she punched keys on the cash register and the drawer
slid open. She lifted the money tray and removed a pink envelope.
She tossed it on the counter.
    “Bring you smart butt down here and get it,”
she growled.
    Daisy dashed to the mezzanine railing. “Did
they do it?”
    June cleared her throat loudly.
    Daisy grinned. “I mean, did they ‘fall in
love?’“
    Marcel floated down the staircase and pranced
to the counter, Daisy following behind him. He picked up the
envelope and opened it, counting the twenties aloud. “... One
hundred eighty, two hundred, two hundred twenty, two hundred forty.
I see Clay joined the pool.”
    He tucked the money back into the envelope,
then handed it to Daisy. “Bon Voyage, sweetie. Use this for some
new clothes when you get to Virginia and see what the locals are
wearing.”
    Daisy squealed and hugged Marcel. “Thank
you!” She leaned back and pouted. “I think I’m going to miss you
most of all.”
    He pinched her cheek at the reference to “The
Wizard of Oz.” Daisy knew it was his favorite musical since he
always played “Somewhere over the Rainbow” at closing time.
     
    Boone adjusted his rearview mirror before
pulling into traffic. “Where would you like to have lunch,
sweetheart?”
    Bridget couldn’t stop smiling. First the
kiss, then the endearment. Boone slipped into the role of boyfriend
easily. For him, the transition was effortless. She still battled
with shyness, unease and anxiety.
    “Frankie’s?”
    “Nah, we ate at the diner a couple days ago,”
Boone said.
    She thought for a minute. “Well, there’s The
Brewery or the City Deli. Beano’s is around the corner, or we could
go to Encounter’s, the French bistro.”
    Boone looked out the window, scanning the
people on the sidewalk. “How about Dante’s?”
    Bridget’s eyes widened. “You are kidding,
right? Your Mama will kill you if she finds out you’re eating
someone else’s Italian food.”
    He wrenched the steering wheel to the left,
making a rapid turn into the city parking deck. Driving to the back
of the lot, he jumped the curb and slid between two large delivery
vans. “I’m not worried about Mama,” he said, turning off the
ignition.
    “Then