They walked quietly now past the Fremont Theater. In glassed-in windows were posters showing next week’s movie, That Darn Cat. At the ticket booth a man licking an ice cream cone bought himself and his wife tickets to the seven o’clock show of The Cincinnati Kid.

Leo stopped. “You like Steve McQueen?”

“In an immaterial sort of way, yes.”

“Would you like me to take you to this immaterial movie, then? Immaterially speaking?”

Allie held her chin up. “I don’t see why not.”

There were only a dozen people or so in the theater. Leo and Allie sat off on the right side and shared a bucket of popcorn through the show. It was a good movie, Leo thought. And McQueen was real slick with a rifle. A couple times, when the action scenes were going on, Leo turned his head just a little in Allie’s direction and watched her watch the movie. She ate her popcorn one piece at a time, real slow. Her hair looked yellow. When the lights came up she smiled over at him with a sleepy face.

They crossed Paper Boulevard and walked down the short darkened street between the courthouse building and the Hungry Pioneer Inn to the river. There was a single lamp hanging over the center of the covered bridge entrance and there was another light as you came out on the other side, but inside was black as a cave. When they stepped into it, walking over the wide heavy planks that felt as solid as the earth, Allie stopped.

“You like me, huh?”

Leo could tell by her voice that she was looking straight up at his face. The bridge smelled like wet wood and dust, and with Allie standing so close, he could still smell Beatrice’s too. “Sure thing.”

Allie placed her hands on his hips, and Leo held her shoulders to keep her from rubbing right up against the full-blown erection that until this moment no other human being had ever been so close to.

“Do you just like me, or do you really like me?”

“I really like you.” His mouth had gone dry and it was a good thing the river was gurgling beneath them or else she’d hear his heart bucking for sure.

She pulled herself in until Leo felt his erection press high on her flat stomach. She didn’t budge. She kissed his neck and chin. He lowered his face. His first kiss landed half on her nose, half on her cheek. The second touched the corner of her mouth. But the third met soft lips that parted for the sweet-tasting tongue she slid along his.