To See You

Chapter 27

Zelda and Boone were slowly walking behind Eden, who was zig-zagging across the street as she trick-or-treated. It was a busy neighborhood, one where many New Orleans citizens would take their kids every Halloween.

She and Boone were keeping a close eye on Eden, who was dressed as the Mad Hatter, as she wracked up the candy. Her overly large hat made her easy to spot in the crowd.

Zelda let her mind wander as she walked hand in hand with Boone. Word had gotten out around campus about her and Boone, and other than a few curious looks, no one seemed to mind about their relationship. In fact, it had been a quiet week in comparison to the past few months.

She and Boone had settled into a very domesticated relationship. They still slept in separate rooms, but there was plenty of hand-holding and kissing going on as they tried to figure out what their new normal might be. One thing Zelda was sure of was that he had changed her life completely, and she didn't know what she would do if he suddenly left. It was something that she did her best to avoid thinking about, but she had to be realistic. Boone said he loved her, and she knew she loved him, but he still hadn't promised her anything other than to help her with Charles. He could decide to leave them if it got to be too much to handle, and she wouldn't blame him if he did. There had been plenty of times she had wished she could run away from it all. 

Granted, she didn't think there was anything that Boone couldn't handle, but one never really knew until they were tested.

"Mommy, Mommy, look!" Eden held up a full-size Hershey's bar, the holy grail of trick-or-treating.

"Nice!" Zelda called, watching as Eden darted to the next house.

"You're quiet," Zelda said to Boone, squeezing his hand.

"I was thinking about a few things that aren't making much sense." They stopped to watch Eden, patiently waiting for her turn to pick out candy.

"Do you want to run it by me? Maybe I can help you talk through it," Zelda offered.

"I don't want to ruin your night." Boone shook his head.

"It's fine, Boone. The problem of Charles is never very far from my thoughts. That is what you are worrying over, isn't it?" They moved a little bit further up the street as Eden zoomed past them.

"When you spoke to Simone, she said she didn't take the photos, but did she say if she had talked to Charles or not?" He looked at Zelda.

"No," Zelda shook her head, "I didn't think to ask about that, but I can't think of who else Charles could have talked too. He saw the two of us talking in the coffee shop, and after I left Simone, he could have approached her. Maybe he got her to talk without her realizing that she was giving up useful information," Zelda suggested

"Maybe," Boone said in a distracted voice, as something behind them caught his attention.

"Mommy, Mommy, look who I found!" Eden came running over with Poppy Franks, the little girl Eden had had an unsuccessful sleepover with a few months earlier.

"Hello, Poppy!" Zelda greeted as Poppy's father, Martin, followed slowly behind the girls.

Zelda saw that Boone had fallen behind, stopping to help a mother with a stroller that had lost a wheel.

"We meet again," Martin greeted her with an overly cheerful smile as the girls ran off to the next house.

"How are you, Martin," Zelda greeted. "How is your wife?"

"She's fine; she had to work tonight, otherwise she would be here." It was a statement that came off a bit defensive. 

"I know the feeling, there have been a few times I've had to skip one or two of Eden's events at school. It's hard to balance jobs and kids." Zelda did her best to let him know she understood.