CHAPTER 14
“Jesus Sadie, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” Frankie yelled, quickly pulling the gun away from my face.
I breathed again. I came so close to jumping up and giving Frankie the biggest hug any girl had ever given, until I remembered just in time that we were still fighting. Instead, I stood there like an idiot, my whole body shaking from the ordeal, unable to stop staring at the gun in Frankie’s hand.
I couldn’t help wonder if he’d ever actually fired it. Or worse… if what he was eluding to yesterday might be true. Could he really be that bad a person?
“I was walking home,” I said, picking up my dress and dusting off the protective cover, wondering why I even cared what he thought.
“What are you doing by yourself, are you trying to get killed?”
Killed?
“Frankie, people don’t get killed in this town. Maybe wherever it is that you came from people get killed, but it just doesn’t happen here. Besides, what are you doing out if it’s so dangerous?” I raised my eyebrow defiantly.
“Well,” he said, the light from the streetlamp glinting off the weapon as he holstered it back under his suit jacket. “For starters, I know how to defend myself. And since I’m a man, I’m not all that afraid of the sexual advances of other men the way a young lady ought to be,” he finished as if he were scolding me.
My face burned and for the first time since I’d left Annie’s house, I was thankful it was dark and shadowy, too dark for him to see the heat of my face. I couldn’t remember ever having been so angry at anyone in my life. I squeezed my dress, not caring if I was getting it even more wrinkled than it must already be.
I could barely see his smirk in the dim light, but it was decidedly there as he was apparently pleased with my reaction. “Well, I best be getting along then.”
“You didn’t really answer my question,” I said, finally calm enough to find my voice.
“Sure I did.”
“No, you told me why you weren’t scared of being out here alone. You didn’t tell me why you just happened to be out here exactly where I am.” I tried to stand tall, give confidence to my words.
Frankie took a tiny step backward. “I… I… it was just a coincidence,” he said quickly. Too quickly.
“Is that a fact?” I said, a smirk of my own now taking shape. “Well, I guess I’m lucky you just happened to be here.” I made sure to accentuate the word ‘happened’ too, so he would know I wasn’t exactly buying his explanation.
I turned my back and began walking away quickly, my heart beating faster from catching the oh-so-cool Frankie in an awkward moment. As I walked home, I weighed just how likely it would be that he was there exactly when I needed him. The thing was, it didn’t seem too likely at all, and I couldn’t help but smile the rest of the way home.
The next morning I baked Annie’s favorite Chocolate Mint cookies. I usually only made them at Christmastime, but this was a matter of the utmost urgency. Annie and I had never had a fight like the one last night and I was sick to my stomach thinking about her being mad at me. Of course, a batch of cookies probably couldn’t mend the feelings I’d hurt, but I decided they couldn’t make the situation any worse either. For an added touch I drizzled a chocolate glaze on top. Hopefully, Annie wouldn’t be able to resist.
After lunch, I ventured out into the beautiful day. About halfway to Annie’s house I stopped and turned around as fast as I could. I so badly wanted to catch a certain someone who just might ‘happen’ to be behind me again, but no such luck. Honestly, it was a bit maddening how quickly my heart sank just because he wasn’t there. I didn’t want to be the girl who was ruled by love and nothing else, especially love for a person who had already rejected her, but I couldn’t help it. Something about Frankie was still so… enticing.
The day was hotter than I’d anticipated, and by the time I reached Annie’s front porch I was practically pouring with sweat. My mother would positively faint if she were to see me like this. The rules were ‘always be a lady’ and ‘never put oneself under any sort of stress that might disrupt one’s image.’ Certainly going out for a walk in the blazing sun was against all that she stood for. And I’d forgotten my hat on top of it all.
But despite my mother’s words running through my head, I actually felt quite liberated being able to stand there on the front porch soaking in my own perspiration, although I was hoping I’d be able to stay at Annie’s at least long enough to cool down and not have to walk back until most of the heat of the afternoon had passed. I’d be sure to walk more leisurely on the way back so that when I arrived I’d still be looking slightly like a lady, or maybe I’d try to sneak in so I could quickly change before mother caught sight of me.
I had to ring the doorbell twice before someone finally came to the door.
“Oh, hello Sadie,” Annie’s mother said. “I wasn’t expecting company this afternoon.”
I nodded and smiled. “Yes, I know Mrs. Cambridge, but I was hoping I’d be able to speak with Annie. She and I had a bit of a falling out yesterday and I’d like to apologize if she would allow me.”
I lifted the cookies I’d carried all the way over. They were melty from the heat, but still looked quite good if I did say so myself.
“Oh, how nice of you. I’ll see if she’s available,” she said, opening the door a bit more. “Do come in out of the heat dear,” she said, looking me up and down. “You can sit in the front room while I go check.”
Sit in the front room? Since when does this family treat me like some sort of formal guest?
I was a bit offended, but after the fight last night I suppose I deserved it. I bowed my head as graciously as I could and said, “Thank you Mrs. Cambridge,” pasting on an even bigger smile as she walked down the hall.
Blessedly it was a bit cooler inside than outside. There was a nice breeze coming from somewhere. I wandered around the extravagant room, hunting for the best spot to take advantage of the miraculous coolness.
The ceiling in the front room was as high as any I’d seen, the Cambridge’s not being ones to skimp on grandeur. Heavy drapes hung from the tallest windows all the way down to the floor where they pooled like golden puddles, trying their best to dim the room against the searing rays of the afternoon sun.
My footsteps echoed in the spacious drawing room and for a moment, I was the only person in the world. Oh, to have all this and not care about the strained rules of society—not to mention an overbearing husband—though I supposed all husbands weren’t overbearing. It was silly, but I couldn’t help but picture Frankie. Even though he hadn’t been treating me with the utmost consideration lately, he really was just trying to do the right thing.
“Sadie.” Annie’s voice echoed from behind me on the grand staircase.
I spun around with the very best and most humble smile I could muster. “Annie, I’m so sorry for yesterday. I really didn’t mean to upset you.”
She closed her eyes and waved her hand in front of her face as if she’d suddenly smelled something unpleasant. “Please,” she said breathing in heavily, as if she didn’t have a care in the world. “Water under the bridge.”
When Annie really wanted to, she could carry a grudge that would likely last at least two generations. She had her mother to thank for that, since I knew full-well Annie was carrying a couple of her mother’s grudges even as we spoke, so I practically fell in relief as she said those words.
Suddenly Annie started rushing toward me. “Are those Chocolate Mint?” she said staring at the plate, smiling her signature grin, reaching out to grab the cookies from my hands.
“I made them especially for you,” I said, beaming.
“Oh my gosh Sadie, you have no idea how much I need these today! Don’t you find that chocolate can cure just about anything?” she said, as if it were some biblical revelation she’d just discovered.
I couldn’t stop myself from letting out just the slightest giggle. “Yes, I suppose so.”
; Annie pulled one of the cookies from the plate and stuffed it into her mouth. The whole thing too, no bites needed. Well, they were needed, but I guess she decided that would take too long.
Eventually she even offered one of her precious cookies to me and it was quite delicious, possibly my best ever. The mint was even somewhat refreshing on this scorching day.
We sat lazily sprawled on the deck chairs out back—in the shade of course—for the rest of the afternoon. It was so decadent being able to stretch out like that, knowing there was no way my parents would ever approve no matter how private the situation was.
We talked about boys, the incident with Frankie of course, and about some of the men Annie currently held on an invisible leash. There was a lot of giggling (and sometimes blushing) at Annie’s stories, but mostly we talked about the future. Her dreams of escaping to New York the very moment her mother would let her, mine of going on to college, though I let her in on my secret fantasy. Now that I had suspicions of Frankie still caring, at lease a little, I dared indulge in thoughts of running away with Frankie and living a life on the wrong side of the law. She giggled until she could hardly breathe at the idea of that.
“Hey,” I said, not liking what her laughing implied. “It could happen.”
“Yeah,” she said sarcastically. “Sweet Sadie McKay, mob moll.” She rolled her eyes so hard I thought she might hurt herself.
I folded my arms over my chest, trying to think of a way to convince her. It’s not like it was that far out of the question. “If only I weren’t the stupid Mayor’s daughter, Frankie and I would probably be seeing each other tonight.”
“Maybe, for tonight, but you wouldn’t last three day without running back home to your Mother and Daddy.”
“I would so!”
“Oh right, I can just see it now. Miss Proper twenty-four hours a day, hanging out with the mob,” she said, giggling.
“Well, at least I’m not worried about being improper twenty-four hours a day,” I said, standing defensively.
“And just what is that supposed to mean?” she said, standing too, putting her hands dramatically on her hips.
“Why would you care what it means? It’s not like you’ve ever cared what anyone else thought of you.”
“You know, I feel sorry for you,” she said, her eyes narrowing. “You’ve never lived a day in your life!”
I couldn’t believe she had the nerve to say that after all we’d been through in the past few days. “Well,” I said, putting my chin up. “I feel sorry for you. You’re going to end up ashamed for all the things that you do…”
She opened her mouth to yell, but I was too quick. “…and probably with some disease so you won’t even be able to find false comfort in any more men.”
The second the words came out of my mouth, I knew I’d gone way over the line, knowing only a prostitute would have such an affliction. Annie’s mouth kept opening and closing like she was trying to think of something to say.
It would have been funny that she couldn’t think of a single bad thing to say about me, if I hadn’t felt so horrible, that is.
Finally, she reached for the plate I’d brought over, the remaining few cookies melted beyond all recognition. “Get out!” she screamed, shoving the plate, chocolate first, directly into me.
The plate bounced off my dress and landed on the ground, smashing to bits. And boy was my dress a sight. Chocolate fell off me in chunks, the gooey melted icing staining me from my chest practically to my ankles.
And I thought I’d looked a sight when I’d arrived! I could only pray my mother would not be home when I got back.