Darque Wants (4 page)

Bethany got out of her seat and came to Amber’s side. “Amber, you need to get some rest. It’s a lot for you to have to handle the visions that you get, so just try and let it go.” She rubbed her hand on Amber’s arm and then got up just as Tommy and Mateo came through the back door. Amber quickly wiped her face off with the cloth napkin that sat on the table.

Tommy reached into the fridge and pulled out two bottles of beer. He popped the top off one and handed it to Mateo. Then he opened his and held it up in a toast.

“Here’s to success,” he said with a smile.

“To success.” Mateo clinked his bottle against Tommy’s and then they both took sips of the ice cold drinks. Amber looked at Bethany and Bethany winked. Then the two women stood up from the table and wandered out to the living room. Tommy and Mateo followed.

“So, Bethany. You’re husband invited me to stay for dinner. I hope that’s okay with you.” He had a glimmer in his eye that Amber could see all the way across the room.

“Great minds think alike.” Bethany smiled at her husband and then looked back at Mateo. “That’s perfectly fine with me. In fact, Amber and I just said that we thought it would be great if you stayed.” She smiled and Amber looked slightly embarrassed. Before anyone could read into it further, Bethany had another suggestion. “Why don’t we’ll head out to the beach for a stroll and I’ll make us some dinner when we get back.” 

Mateo was the first to approve. “I haven’t been down to the beach in weeks. Let’s do it.” He gave Amber a wink and she felt her heart flutter. He took another sip of his beer and Tommy grabbed a few more out of the fridge. Bethany flicked off all the lights and Amber clipped on Brodi’s leash. Then they all proceeded to walk outside and down the driveway.

Amber and Mateo fell into an immediate rhythm, walking next to each other and gazing at all of the lush greenery. He looked at Amber and smiled. “So, Tommy tells me that you’re a dance teacher.” With Mateo’s attention on her, Amber felt like she couldn’t speak again.

“I am. I co-own a studio in Berkeley called Springboard, and I teach about five classes a week.” She looked up and noticed that he had a thoughtful expression on his face. He appeared to be genuinely interested in what she had to say.

“That’s great. What kind of dance?” Mateo put a hand in his pocket and sniffed in the salty air as he spoke.

“I teach jazz and ballet. But right now, most of my students are enrolled for jazz.” Amber nodded her head, relaxing a little bit as she realized that Mateo was rather friendly and down-to-earth.

“Sounds cool. Hey, you know I think that my partner’s wife takes jazz. I’ll have to ask him where she goes.” Mateo had a quizzical expression on his face, as if he were trying to figure out a tricky algebraic equation.

“Well there are only two jazz studios in this area, so it’s a pretty high probability that I know her,” said Amber, letting some slack out on Brodi’s leash. Mateo ran a hand under his chin in thought.

“Yeah, you know, now that I think about it, she probably does come to the one up here. Her name is Rita Burton.” Mateo looked at Amber and took the last sip of his beer. Then he dropped it in a recycling canister that was situated next to the street light where they prepared to cross. Amber froze when he said Rita’s name.

“Wait. You know Rita?” Amber looked befuddled.

“Yes. Rita is married to my business partner, Christopher Burton.” Mateo spoke matter-of-factly and then they all crossed the street as the light turned green. Amber’s mind was racing. Pieces were beginning to come together. Or at least some of the circle was getting smaller. What a strange coincidence, she thought to herself. She wondered if Bethany had overheard what Mateo said, but when she glanced over at her, she was deep in conversation with Tommy. Amber continued to walk next to Mateo, but felt compelled to change the subject.

“So, what do you do for work, Mateo? Amber cocked her head and looked at his cheekbones. They were angular and strong. She liked the way that his face seemed to complement his physique. It was strong and commanding. He reached up and pulled an orange from one of the trees that had low-hanging branches.

“I own an art studio, with Christopher. We solicit work from mostly local artists, and we hold exhibits and competitions all year. I actually work as a sculptor, and Christopher is a photographer. But most of our business comes from the local installations.” Mateo spoke with a casual air. Amber couldn’t tell yet for certain, but he seemed to be a genuinely carefree guy. “I love to visit art studios. I get a lot of inspiration from both paintings and photography. Sometimes I implement pieces into my jazz choreography.” Amber liked the way that their conversation was flowing. Mateo was clearly interesting, and he had a sort of worldly aura to him that she found captivating.

“Well you ought to come down and visit our studio sometime. It’s called Burton and Quinn Studio, and it’s right off of the One. You just have to take the road with the rustic fence all the way down to where it forks, then go left and head toward the honey colored building that sits on the right.” Mateo wove his hand around to mimic the road, and Amber laughed.

“Those are actually pretty good directions you just gave. I’ll have to see what my schedule looks like over the next month, but it would be a fun day trip.” Amber’s eyes lit up and she smiled. Her dark hair blew gently in the wind and Mateo looked at her with admiration.

He hadn’t been interested in any women since he broke off his engagement two years ago, but something about Amber had him curious.

“It would be my pleasure if you came by one day.” Mateo stopped walking and set the orange down on the sidewalk. Two boys walking their bikes came by on the sidewalk, and Mateo asked one if he’d like the orange. The boy took it gladly and stuffed it in his pocket. Bethany and Tommy were a few paces ahead, and the beach stood waiting a few feet away.

“Let’s go!” Bethany suddenly took off in a sprint across the sand. Her red hair flew back and she picked up speed. Tommy kicked off his shoes and took off in an attempt to catch her. She ran all the way down to the water’s edge and then stopped as the frothy line of ocean spilled up to her toes. She put her hands on her hips and gazed out at the horizon as Tommy grabbed her by the waist and kissed her on the head. Amber and Mateo both watched and then looked at each other with smiles.

“I love the beach.” Amber had taken off her shoes and was burrowing her toes in the soft, wet sand. Mateo kept his on, and sat down on a large piece of driftwood. She noticed that he wore thick brown leather work boots, and that they looked to be well broken in.

She knelt down and picked up a pebble, then held it up to the light. It reminded her of the rock collection that she’d had as a child, and she handed it to Mateo.

“Here. This rock is special.” Amber smiled and then walked away as Mateo stood holding the shiny stone.

He followed behind her and they both looked out as the waves rose and fell in the ocean. A few boats sailed off in the distance and seagulls flocked overhead. They wandered in a zigzag formation for a few minutes, and then circled back around to meet Bethany and Tommy by the dunes. Bethany gave Amber a knowing smile and Amber tried not to giggle.

“Let’s walk down to the fudge stand.”  Bethany slapped her hands on her thighs and then shook out her shoes, which were filled with sand. Before anyone could protest, they were off. It was a good half hour walk to the stand, and they took their time enjoying the views as they went. After they had bought some fudge, they all turned around to head back to Bethany and Tommy’s home.

Bethany said, “We’d better be getting back if we want to eat while there’s still daylight. I need to pull in some vegetables from the garden and then do all the prep.”   “Baby, we haven’t eaten since we left San Fran.” Tommy nudged Bethany on the neck and she playfully smacked him away. “I’m hungry as a horse and I’ll bet that Mateo is, too.” Tommy rubbed his stomach and Mateo nodded his head in agreement.

The four made their way back, munching on fudge to stave off starvation and the sun was just starting to set when they got inside. Amber used the bathroom and then stood on the front porch. Children zipped by on scooters and bikes, and she smiled watching them ride by.

“Do you have any children?” Mateo appeared behind her and leaned on the railing. Amber shook her head.

“Nope. Do you?” She turned her head and their eyes met. Mateo shook his head.

“Nope. But I’d like to, some day.” He looked in front of him as a hummingbird landed on one of Bethany’s bright red feeders. It dipped its pointed beak into the nectar and then flitted away. Amber sat down on the wicker rocking chair and watched Mateo. He wanted to ask her more questions, wanted to find out more about her life, but he didn’t want to come across as too forward.

“So, how did you meet Christopher?” Amber couldn’t help circling back to the lingering issue at hand. Nothing had been said of Jeffrey since she and Bethany had spoken earlier. Nobody had turned on the television or the radio all day. To Amber, it had been kind of a relief to step back from the disturbing puzzle, but now she needed some answers.

“Christopher and I went to art school together in New York. I’ve known him a long time.” Mateo nodded his head and then sat down next to Amber. “We both knew that we wanted to have our own business, but we didn’t necessarily think that we’d end up owning one together. So far, it’s worked out pretty good, though Christopher can be kind of hot-headed. Don’t get me wrong – I enjoy it, but sometimes it can be a real challenge. ” Mateo shook his head and then got quiet.

“I can relate.” Amber looked at Mateo and rocked in her chair. “I mean, not to the hot-headed part, but to the own business part.” She grinned and then Mateo laughed.

Amber was enamored by his face. His teeth were white and straight, and his one little dimple on the side of his cheek got bigger when he smiled. His hair fell down across his forehead slightly, and his eyes were like that of a tiger. She didn’t want to stare, but it was hard not to.

Just as Amber was going to ask him another question, Bethany called them in to eat. “Come on. You don’t want to miss my one of a kind vegetable enchiladas with spicy corn salsa. The peppers came right out of the garden.” Bethany pointed her finger at the large raised bed in her yard.

Amber and Mateo both got up and started inside. Just as Amber was about to open the door, Mateo placed his hand softly on her arm.

“It was really nice meeting you today.” His hand felt warm and strong, and Amber blushed.

They both walked inside and sat down at the dining room table where Bethany had placed the steaming dish of enchiladas and a large ceramic bowl filled with spicy corn salsa. Tommy rubbed his hands together in anticipation of their meal.

Once everyone was seated, Bethany handed out glasses and uncorked a bottle of wine. As Bethany filled the glasses, Amber sat quietly and watched Mateo. He spooned out a generous helping of food onto his plate and then held up his glass of wine.

“I’d like to make a toast.” He smiled and looked directly at Amber.

“Go ahead.” Bethany grinned and held up her glass, then sent an encouraging smile at Tommy for him to do likewise.

“To new friends and good times.” Mateo held up his glass and everyone else did the same. They toasted and drank and then ate Bethany’s meal. When she came out of the kitchen with a chocolate cheesecake, Mateo thought he was in heaven.

“That is one of my absolute favorite desserts.” He dug in as soon as Bethany placed the forks on the table. Amber had a piece, as well. Then she got up to let Brodi out.

“I’ll be right back.” Amber clipped on his leash and they stepped away from the house, onto the sidewalk. As she walked by a few of the homes, she was distracted by the sound of voices coming from one of the porches. She stopped and Brodi sniffed around. Then she inched a little closer to see if she could hear what was being said.

“Ginger Holiday of Berkeley has stepped forward for the first time since her husband’s death. She has told investigators that she suspects someone from the photography workshop that her husband was slated to lead at Valance College in Ukiah is likely responsible for the murder. Police are now in conversation with Mrs. Holiday and further updates will be posted as they come in.”
The man who spoke finished what he had to say, and Amber stood quietly, waiting hopefully for more. When pop music interrupted her train of thought, she whistled for Brodi to come, and then they headed back to the house.