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Sarah had a Greek salad in the fridge and a prime rib roast in the oven. A bottle of Bordeaux was waiting to be poured. Carl had called her a couple of days after the Angelina Stakes and asked if he could take her to dinner. She had refused and asked him to join her at her place instead.
“I enjoy cooking, and it isn’t nearly as much fun to cook just for me,” she’d told him. “Besides, it’s a long drive to get here, and if we stay in, you can kick off your boots and relax.”
Carl lived just west of Desert Center, California. Halfway between Sarah’s home in Quartzsite and Angelina Racetrack, it was about a ninety-minute drive.
She had asked him what kinds of food he liked, since most jockeys had to be careful about their diets. Carl had, however, assured her that there wasn’t much he didn’t eat, and that he even drank a little wine. Blessed with a high metabolism, he also loved exercise. When he wasn’t racing or working at the barn, he enjoyed jogging, shadow boxing, and Tai Chi. He had no trouble meeting the weight limits.
Both friends of Jeff and Natalie, Sarah and Carl had met two years prior. Recently, however, because of her involvement with Fury, Sarah had spent more time at the barn and saw Carl more frequently. She’d been impressed by his work ethic and his interaction with the horses, which prompted her to give him the little falcon, carved from amber.
Sarah believed in the power of positive thinking, especially when coupled with lucky charms, fetishes, or magic spells, even though a lot of people considered anything mystical or magical ridiculous. Her interest in Carl peaked when he said he would carry the fetish with him each time he rode Fury. What a coincidence that Carl was a student of the ancient belief in the power of stones and crystals. She wondered how much more they had in common.
It was not a coincidence that the carving Sarah had given Carl had been made from amber. Those who believed in the power of stones understood that amber encouraged clear thinking along with the removal of negativity. Most importantly, amber could summon protective energy, and if anyone could use protective energy, it was a racehorse and his jockey.
At five-foot-three-inches tall, Carl was slightly shorter than Sarah, although thick dark hair added a bit extra to his height. Wavy bangs hovered above eyebrows that arched over deep brown eyes and the muscles of his California tanned arms bulged above hands that were as strong as vice grips. An all-around nice guy, with a sense of humor that could make her laugh every day, Carl had captured Sarah’s interest, and she hoped to get to know more about Fury’s jockey.
Expecting Carl any minute, Sarah was surprised at her jitters, when the crunch of gravel told her Carl had arrived. She ran down the stairs, nearly tripping in her rush to meet him at the door.
She took a few seconds to compose herself before she opened the front door. “Hi!” she called to him, “How was the trip?”
“Not a bad drive at all,” he said. He smiled broadly as he approached the door. “It took just over an hour to get here.”
Once inside, Carl glanced quickly around the shop. “You’ve got quite a collection. Can I look around?”
“Of course. I’ll give you the grand tour.”
Sarah lived on the second floor of the two-story building she had purchased several years before. She had turned the first floor of the building into a retail shop, where she sold artwork and artifacts, as well as jewelry, featuring crystals from around the world, along with a book section and a small coffee bar. A licensed and occasionally practicing attorney, Sarah spent most of her time managing her shop. The hours were irregular, which was not uncommon for many establishments in Quartzsite, known as a town that catered to travelers.
“About five years ago, after I sold my partnership in a Boston law firm, I bought this place. Although I enjoyed practicing law, I love working with crystals and the freedom of not having a schedule. I came to Quartzsite because I’d read so much about it. After a crisis in my personal life, I needed to escape for a while. When I got here, I stayed. Now I do some travelling to find unique stones, crystals, fetishes and some jewelry, but most often I’m here, either hanging out with the locals, or meeting the never-ending parade of people who find their way to the desert.”
“This is a great shop,” Carl said. “I might need to spend some time wandering around. You have some beautiful displays.”
He nodded toward a spotless, stainless steel coffee machine. “Do you make the coffee, too?”
“Oh, yes. I’m my only employee. There’s always boiling water, and I make the coffee to order. I considered hiring some help, but this place is such a part of me that I’d rather keep shorter hours and handle it myself.”
“I don’t blame you. When the time comes for me to retire from racing, I wouldn’t mind having a business like this. If that day comes, it’s likely I’ll handle it the same way you do. When I’m here, it’s open and when I’m not it’s closed.”
Sarah pointed to her picture of Fury in the winner’s circle after his first race. Carl sat in the saddle with Sarah, Jeff, Natalie, Santos and Sonny gathered around him.
“You’ll notice your picture is on the wall,” she said.
“I noticed.” Carl chuckled. “That makes me feel special.”
“Come on upstairs. There’s a roast in the oven, and a bottle of wine waiting. Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes. Are you hungry?”
“I’m a jockey,” Carl said. “Jockeys are always hungry.”
Dinner was such a success that before Sarah realized it, almost five hours had passed since Carl’s arrival.
“It’s about time for me to head back down the road,” Carl told her.
“I didn’t realize that it had gotten so late,” Sarah said. “Can I fix you a cup of coffee for the road?”
“No. Thanks for the offer, but I’m a night owl. Won’t have any trouble staying awake.” He stood. “Thank you for dinner and a wonderful evening.”
Sarah smiled. “You are more than welcome for dinner, and yes, it was a nice evening.”
Carl reached for her hand and their fingers entwined. They walked across the room to the stairs, and down to the shop together.
“Have you ever been to Laredo?” Carl asked.
“No, I haven’t. I talked to Natalie yesterday, and she said it would make sense for me to stay with her and Jeff the night before the race. That way I can ride to the track with them in the morning.”
“Yes, that would be better than driving yourself,” Carl agreed. “It’s a pretty lonely stretch of highway from here to Laredo.”
He leaned close and brushed her lips with his. “I’ll call you in a day or two.”
“I’ll look forward to it,” she told him.
