Experiment in Terror (Koehler Brothers Book 1) (11 page)

“You certainly don’t look anything like you did that day when Amanda and I saw you at the concert on the mall,” Charlie said. “Even your hair color is different.”

Matt laughed. “I have a cousin who works for one of the big studios in Hollywood. When he isn’t working, he’s at his home in Evergreen. Luckily for me, he was able to fix me up. He’s pretty incredible when it comes to disguises.”

“I would have to agree,” Charlie said. “So you were wearing a wig and I’m assuming the beard was fake.”

He nodded.

“But it was so real,” Amanda said. “I never dreamed it wasn’t your own hair.” She paused, remembering when he had held out his hand to help her up after her fall in the park. “And the ground-in dirt on your hands. How did he do that?”

“With a special liquid. Luckily it was a temporary dye. They weren’t really that dirty, but I noticed you didn’t want to touch them,” he teased.

Charlie regarded the two of them as they smiled at each other. “What’s that all about?”

Amanda told Charlie about the fall from her bike in the park, and Matt’s offer to help her up. “My thought was, ‘No telling where those hands have been,’” she added, and the three of them laughed together.

“You two will have to excuse me,” Charlie said, glancing at her watch. “I have an appointment in about ten minutes so I need to get back to the store.”

“How about you?” Matt asked Amanda. “Do you need to get back?”

“No, I can stay,” she said. She wondered if Charlie really had an appointment or if she’d made it up to give them some time alone together. Whatever, she was grateful to her friend.

“If I stay in Boulder for the rest of the day, can I take you for dinner tonight?”

Startled at the question, Amanda said, “You’re going to get tired of me.”

“Never.” He smiled.

“When we go back to the store, you can come in with me. I’ll have to check my calendar. It does seem like I have something, but I can’t remember what it is.”

When they left the restaurant a few minutes later and started back to her store, Matt took her hand in his. She loved the feel of his warm hand with its long fingers wrapped around her own and she gave it a squeeze. He smiled down at her, and she felt a warm glow throughout her body. He dropped her hand as they reached Creations For You and opening the door, he stood back as two women customers came out, their arms full of packages.

Amanda went directly to her office and Matt followed her. Running her finger down the calendar on her desk, she saw she had promised her mother to come to dinner. She didn’t dare cancel for a second night in a row.

“I do have something scheduled,” she said, and smiled to herself at the look of disappointment on his face. “However, if you give me your cell phone number, I’ll see if I can change it to another night.”

Grabbing a sticky pad and a pen, Matt wrote down the number and handed it to Amanda.

Amanda glanced at her watch and saw her mother would be in class. “I’ll have to call you in about thirty minutes. Will you still be in town?”

“Yes, I have to stop by and see the Chief of Police for a few minutes. If you can’t make it tonight, I’ll head back to Denver.”

The intercom buzzed and when Amanda picked up the telephone, Jenessa told her one of the artists was on the line for her.

“I should take this call,” Amanda said.

“Do you have to?” Matt asked, an unreadable look in his eyes.

Chapter 11

After Matt left, Amanda took the call.

“Denise,” she said. “What can I do for you today?”

“I wanted to give you notice. I will be pulling my jewelry out of Creations For You.”

“Really? Is it something we’ve done?”

“No, my husband is being transferred to Des Moines, so we both feel it won’t be convenient for me to remain as one of the artists in your store.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. You know how well your jewelry sells. You do know we have some out-of-state artists in the store, don’t you? You could ship your jewelry in and I could have someone keep your space stocked.”

“It’s not that. It’s the new job my husband’s taking. He’s going to be doing a certain amount of traveling. I’m going to be going with him, especially when those trips take him out of the country. So I’m won’t have time for my jewelry.”

“The travel sounds wonderful. Lots of luck to you both,” Amanda said.

After hanging up the phone, she searched through her card index. She was going to offer the space Denise was vacating to the young women she had interviewed the first day she had seen Matt on the Boulder Creek Path disguised as a homeless man.
What was her name?
She flipped through the index cards until she found it. Kathy Chambers.

She would call her, but first she must decide what to do about this evening.
Could she cancel with her mother
?

She called her mother at the University.

“Absolutely not,” her mother told her, when she asked if she could cancel. “I’m giving the dinner for my cousin, Irene. It’s in celebration of her thirty-fifth wedding anniversary and I told her you would be there, along with some other family members. What is going on with you, anyway? This is the second night in a row.”

“A friend asked me out for dinner. I didn’t know your dinner was for Irene. I’ll tell my friend I can’t go. Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll be there. Should I bring a gift?”

“That would be nice. Something from your store. You know what a big hit that always is.”

She knew she shouldn’t invite Matt since it was a family gathering. Plus, her parents would be asking all kinds of questions. How had they met? How long had they known each other? What was his career? Where did he grow up? Etcetera, etcetera. There was nothing for it. As bad as she hated to, she would have to pass on having dinner with Matt. He would be too much of a distraction from her cousin’s anniversary celebration, which wouldn’t be fair to her cousin.

She dialed the number Matt had given her. He answered immediately. When she told him she did have an appointment for the evening and she couldn’t get out of it, she could hear the disappointment in his voice as he said they would make it another time.

“I have an idea,” Amanda said.

“I hope it has something to do with spending time with me.”

She laughed. “It does.”

“Shoot.”

“Do you have a bike?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.”

“Tomorrow is Sunday. I never work on Sunday. If you’re free, you could come up to Boulder and we’ll go biking. I’ll pack us a lunch and we can have a picnic while we’re out.”

“I like it.”

“Come up about ten in the morning and we’ll leave from my house. I’ll give you my address.”

After Amanda had given Matt her address, they talked for a few minutes and then he said he had to go because a call was coming in, but he assured her he would see her the next day.

“Do you have to take it?” she teased, asking him the almost same question he had asked her earlier in the day.

“Look at all these leftovers,” Mrs. Barton said to Amanda after everyone had left the anniversary celebration.

“Why are you surprised?” Amanda asked as she started rinsing the dishes before putting them into the dishwasher. “This always happens after one of your dinner parties. Then I have to come and help you and Dad eat them the next day, and the day after.”

“You know me so well.” Her mother laughed. “What are you doing tomorrow?”

“A friend and I are going to bike out to Lake of the Pines and have a picnic lunch.”

“What time do you think you’ll be back?”

“I don’t know. Probably around two or three. Why?”

“Maybe you could come up for dinner tomorrow night. Bring your girlfriend along with you.”

“It’s not a girl, Mom. I’m going biking with a man.”

“A man! I didn’t know you were seeing anyone.”

How much should she tell her mother
?

“I met him a few weeks ago and I’ve had lunch and dinner with him.”

“Well, bring him along. You know we always enjoy meeting your friends.”

“I’ll have to ask him and let you know.”

“Do that, darling. I’m so glad you’re seeing someone. After all, it’s been five years since your divorce.”

“As you know, Mom, I’ve been pretty much turned off by the opposite sex, thanks to Eric.”

“Well, I hope your friend can make it. What’s his name?”

“Matt Koehler. Now, no more questions, Mom. Save them for dinner tomorrow.”

Mrs. Barton smiled at her daughter and began setting the plastic containers of leftovers into the refrigerator as Amanda put the dishes into the dishwasher.

Amanda knew if she brought Matt to dinner, he would be in for an interrogation from her parents. Where did they meet? What did he do? Where did he grow up? Did he have any siblings? On and on.

If they continued to see each other, and she was hoping they would, it was inevitable he would meet her parents, so she might as well bring him for dinner.

Sunday was a bright, sunny day. A perfect day for biking, Amanda thought as she spread the mayonnaise and mustard on the bread before laying on slices of ham and cheese. She was glad she had thought of the outing. She loved biking and it wasn’t always easy to find someone to go with her. She was glad it could be a solitary sport when necessary.

A few minutes before ten, the doorbell sounded throughout the house and Amanda hurried to answer it knowing it would be Matt. Opening the door, she saw he was wearing a pair of khaki shorts topped by a white short-sleeved knit shirt, which accented his tan.

His face lit up in a smile as it always did when he saw her and she couldn’t help but smile back. She loved his smile and the way he always lit up when he saw her. She leaned around him to see his black SUV with a bicycle rack on the back.

“Come in,” she said, holding the door open wider. “I’m about ready. Just need to finish packing our lunch.”

“Where are we going?”

“A lot of bikers take the Foothills Highway out of Boulder to Lyons. About five miles out of town, there’s a development called Lake of the Pines, which has a nice little beach there and some picnic tables.”

“I thought Lake of the Pines was a gated community.”

“It is,” she said. “But I have the security code to get in.”

He raised questioning eyebrows.

“I know someone who lives out there.”

“Can I help you finish packing the lunch?”

“No, but you can come in the kitchen and watch me. I want to check and make sure you like everything I’m taking.”

“That won’t be a problem, since I like most things.”

He followed her into the kitchen, and she motioned him to a stool by the kitchen bar where containers were stacked. She gave him the inventory of what was in each one.

“It all sounds good to me,” he said.

He watched her arrange the containers into the red backpack laying nearby. She followed that with a couple of oranges, two cans of Coke, bottles of water and an icepack to keep the liquids cold.

“Turn around,” she ordered after she zipped up the backpack.

He stared at her in mock dismay. “I’m the one carrying this?”

“Of course, that’s the only reason I asked you along,” she teased.

“There’s going to be a charge.”

“And what would that be?”

“I’ll let you know later,” he said with a smile as he turned around, and Amanda slipped the straps over his shoulders.

“You may have to adjust those straps. I have them so they fit me comfortably, but I doubt they will work for you.”

When Matt was satisfied with the way the pack felt on his shoulders, he followed Amanda out of the kitchen. Before she could open the door leading into the garage, he grabbed her by the arm and turned her around.

“Payback time,” he said in a whisper, lowering his face toward her.

Before he could kiss her, she pushed him away.

“Don’t you think you’re being a little premature? Payment comes
after
the service is performed. Not before.”

She laughed at the disappointed look on his face. Turning, she opened the door and stepped into the garage. She ran the garage door up and moved around her car to her bike. Taking the red and black helmet off the handlebars, she strapped it on, then worked a pair of black biking gloves on over her fingers.

“Why don’t you get your bike and we’ll head out,” she said, as she pushed hers out of the garage.

Matt went out to his car and lifted his bike off the carrier at the back of his car. He swung a long leg over the cross bar.

“All set.”

She smiled. “Let’s do it.”

As they rode along 30
th
Street in the bike lane, they didn’t try to talk. In-between the passing cars, she heard his tires singing on the pavement behind her. She couldn’t believe they had found each other after he had disappeared from the group of homeless men. And now they were biking together.

He rode up beside her at a stoplight and smiled down at her. “This is going to be a great day. But it will be even better when I collect payment for being the pack horse.”

She laughed, and as the light changed, she pushed hard on one pedal, sending her bike shooting ahead of him. Now she regretted not letting him kiss her. Oh well, she consoled herself. She would have that to look forward to. She only hoped he wouldn’t forget.

When they reached the Foothills Highway, the bike lane widened and they were able to ride side by side. They rode at a leisurely pace enjoying the day. Other bikers whizzed by them as though trying to set some kind of speed record.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve done anything like this,” Matt said as they topped a small hill and started down the other side. “I’m glad you thought of it. I’ve been looking forward to spending the day with you.”

“I love biking, but it’s not always easy to find someone to go with me.”

“You can call me any time.”

The miles passed quickly and they soon reached the entrance to the lake. Reaching the gate, Amanda punched in the security code and it slid back to let them through. She turned to the right and they rode by some huge homes before reaching the beach. Parking their bikes, Matt slipped the backpack off his shoulders and sat it down on a nearby picnic table.

“How about a snack?” he asked. “I didn’t take time for breakfast.”

“Why didn’t you tell me before we left? I could have fried some bacon and eggs or at least given you a bowl of cereal.”

“One of the oranges in this pack should hold me over,” he said.

“Go ahead and help yourself,” she replied, sitting down at the table.

Matt unzipped the backpack and took out a large orange. Sliding in beside Amanda, he began to peel the fruit. When he finished, he sectioned it off and put a piece in his mouth. When he held one out to her, she shook her head.

Amanda watched the sunlight dancing on the waters of the lake. She couldn’t remember when she had felt more comfortable with a man than she did with Matt. She loved being with him. She loved his sense of humor, his consideration, and the way he smiled when he saw her. They didn’t seem to feel the need for words as he continued to pop section after section into his mouth.

“Mom wants us to come for dinner tonight if you don’t have anything planned,” she said, watching him wiping his hands with a wipe from the package she had stuck in with their lunch.

“I would like that.”

“It will be leftovers.”

“Not a problem.”

“You’ll be in for a grilling. They’ll ask you numerous questions. Where did we meet? Where did you grow up? Do you have any siblings?”

“Where
did
we meet?”

“In my store, of course.”

He gave her a droll look, but she was sure he had gotten the message.

“Do you like to dance?” he asked.

“I love to.”

“I have to go to Colorado Springs on a job next week and I thought maybe I could take you out Monday night if you’re not busy.”

“As usual, I’ll have to check my calendar.”

“I have to leave on Tuesday morning early. I’m scheduled to have a meeting with the Chief of Police and some of his men.”

“I’ll let you know Monday morning as soon as I get to work and check my calendar.”

A sailboat came toward them across the lake and Amanda jumped up and started waving her arms back and forth.

“There’s my friends, Dave and Michelle,” she said, looking down at Matt. “They said they might stop by. Come on, I want you to meet them.”

Matt followed Amanda to the shore and a few minutes later, Dave had tossed him a rope to pull the boat onto the sand.