Consequence by Madeline Sloane Page B

won’t get hauled out anytime soon,” he bargained.
    Bridget reached for the card. “I
promise.”
     
    Billy Peachy closed his salon the day
Bridget’s furniture arrived. Standing in the middle of the house,
he directed movers like a traffic cop. By mid-afternoon, the
furniture was in place, new prints hung on freshly painted walls,
and a busy Bridget placed books on her new office wall unit.
    Billy recommended large area rugs to
complement the new decor, and placed them beneath the new
benchwright dining table and chairs. A new buffet flanked the
wall.
    The long sectional sofa and side tables
rested upon a new sage-green carpet. In the foyer by the
seldom-used front door, Billy arranged the wrought iron hall tree.
The matching coat hook hung in the kitchen by the back door.
    A handcrafted Hudson bed dominated the master
suite, leaving little floor space for the extra wide dresser, the
chifforobe and side tables. As agreed, no florals, shams or extra
throw pillows were in the mix, and Bridget had foregone wicker for
her office for an impressive wood desk and cabinets.
    When Boone arrived, his smile and tender kiss
thrilled her. “So you like it?”
    Boone shook Billy’s hand and didn’t resist
when the slight man pulled him closer for the traditional “guy
hug,” which consisted of a light grip of the hand and a quick pat
on the back.
    “I never imagined the old place could look
this good,” he said, turning in a slow circle. He grinned when he
noticed the new, matching beds for Morty and Squirt. “You even
color-coordinated the dogs. I’m impressed.”
    “Tell the truth,” Billy demanded. “You’re
more than impressed. You’re grateful you didn’t have to do
anything.”
    “Except pay for it all,” Bridget
interjected.
    “Well, think I’ll be heading back to Peachy’s
now,” Billy said, rubbing his neck. “Maybe Cousin Jimmy has an
opening. I could use a massage.”
    “Sure you don’t want to stay for dinner?”
Bridget asked. “I’m getting ready to call for pizza.”
    “No thanks, doll. This was fun, but I’ve got
to go. You two enjoy your new place tonight,” he said with a
wink.
    Bridget walked her friend to the backdoor and
returned a moment later. She slid into Boone’s embrace. “It is
beautiful, isn’t it? I’m so happy we did this. I didn’t realize I
was holding on to the past until I finally let it go.”
    He gave her a tight squeeze, lifting her off
her feet. “Yes, it’s more comfortable than I thought it would be.
Let’s go check out the new bedroom. Been thinking about it all day.
Finally, a bed where my feet won’t hang over the edge.”
    “What about dinner?”
    “Later,” he promised, drugging her with a
kiss.
     
     
     

CHAPTER ELEVEN
    “What?” Fiona’s voice screeched through the
telephone line. “You’re getting married and this is the first I’ve
heard about it?”
    Bridget took a deep breath. “Relax Mom; it’s
not going to happen anytime soon. We’re talking about it. We
haven’t set a date.”
    “But I didn’t even know you and Boone were
seeing each other. I mean, romantically. I thought you were just
friends. When did this happen?” Fiona demanded.
    When, indeed?
    “We’ve always had feelings for each other,
Mom. You know we dated in high school. It’s evolved into something
deeper during the past year. He’s moving in this weekend.”
    “What does Carlina have to say about this?”
Fiona asked. “Never mind, I’ll give her a call and we’ll talk about
it ourselves.”
    “Don’t you do that, Mom! Boone has told her
yet.”
    Shoot. She hadn’t even thought about the
Boone family and their reactions. She had to tell Fiona, who called
at least once a week to catch up on the latest news of Eaton. Fiona
missed the small town of her youth and kept up with all community
happenings, calling her daughter and her old friends on a regular
basis.
    “What? He hasn’t told his own mother?” Fiona
asked, aghast. “For once, I know