“I promise to be discreet. I’ll keep my distance. I’ll sit at the bar and eavesdrop on my neighbors. Maybe it will help me remember some of my English. I could use a refresher. Who knows who I’ll run into when I get there?”
“What is it like there?”
“Let’s get going. You should never make a woman wait.”
As they walked back to the car, Raymond stopped short and gave Thomas a funny little smile. “Pick up some of this dried seaweed, put it in your pocket, and give it to the driver. Then promise him that he’ll have an unforgettable evening.”
The sun had set over the city, and Manon still hadn’t filled up a single page of her inventory log. Her thoughts were elsewhere, far from the bookstore and from San Francisco.
The wooden horses had turned into ponies, walking in circles through the sand of an arena, held by their reins.
Camille would wave distractedly whenever Manon passed by, and the man who sat on the bench talking to her was holding her hand, paying no attention at all to his little boy, who trotted proudly by.
There was a knock on the window, and Manon jumped when she saw Thomas waving at her.
“I hope I’m not too late,” he said as he opened the door.
“I completely lost track of time.”
“We’re still on for dinner, right?”
As she went to get her raincoat, Thomas called after her that the sky was clear. She looked out the window and saw he was right, but still grabbed an umbrella before locking up.
“That’s it?” Thomas asked.
“What do you mean?”
“No alarm? No security gate? Is the city really that safe?”
“No, of course not. I have both,” she said, heading back to the store.
When the gate was halfway down, Thomas suggested she pause a minute.
“What now?” Manon asked worriedly.
“I just have one last question. Do you happen to sell purses?”
“What a strange question. It’s a bookstore.”
“That’s what I thought. So, maybe the one I see in the window is yours?”
Manon opened the door, grabbed her bag, and set the alarm.
“Are you okay?” Thomas asked as they made their way toward the square.
“Since you arrived? Yes, just great. I made us a reservation ... at which restaurant again? Oh yes, a table for two at Greens. It’s behind the Fort Mason Center for Arts and Culture, on the wharf. The food is vegetarian; I hope you don’t mind. I eat dairy, eggs, and fish, but I stopped eating meat. Animals are already obsessed with eating each other. If we do it, too, soon there won’t be any left.”
“I don’t think cows and sheep are carnivores,” Thomas replied, watching her carefully.
“True, but you get what I mean.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Wait a second. I have a car. Normally, I park it in front of the store and ...”
They had already walked at least a hundred yards when she turned around.
“It’s still there. I haven’t said a word, so he has no reason to do anything.”
