A Touch of Moonlight by Yaffa S. Santos

Author:Yaffa S. Santos [Santos, Yaffa S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers
Published: 2022-08-11T00:00:00+00:00

17

Angely had suggested La Posada, a Mexican restaurant in the suburban hamlet of Maplewood. It was not a place where Larimar often hung out but she knew it well enough. It was ten minutes from Union, and it felt like they got there in a flash. They parked out front, and Larimar couldn’t help but notice the twinkle of the stars against the dark night above the trees.

They found Angely already seated at a rectangular table all the way in the back. She waved at them as they approached.

“Hey, Angely,” Larimar said.

Angely had braided her hair around her head in a halo and wore a sapphire-blue sweater with tiny gold threads. Blue crystal door-knocker earrings swung from her ears as she waved, and an armful of bangles clattered with the movement.

“Qué lo qué, manita,” Ray said. He pulled out a black wrought-iron chair for Larimar, then for himself. A tiny votive inside a glass holder flickered in the center of the table.

Angely looked from Ray to Larimar and then back again. “Thank you both for coming out on such short notice,” she said with a shy smile in Larimar’s direction. Her attitude was definitely more subdued than the night of the spider.

“All good,” Ray said, leaning back in his chair and plucking a tortilla chip from the basket next to the tealight.

The three of them pored over the drink menu in silence. There were margaritas, tequila shots, and daiquiris. Larimar had never been much of a tequila drinker, but she could work with a passionfruit daiquiri.

The waiter came to a stop in front of their table. “What can I get you folks tonight?” he asked.

“I’ll have the passionfruit daiquiri,” Larimar said.

Ray smiled as if appraising her choice. “I’ll have a Moscow mule with extra ginger,” he said.

“Cool,” Angely said.

The waiter turned to Angely.

“I’ll have the cactus-water margarita, half-sweet, no cayenne pepper,” she said.

Larimar thought to ask Angely if she came to La Posada often, but she held her tongue.

“How’s the bakery, Ray?” Angely asked.

Ray took another tortilla chip. “Going well. Larimar has been giving me some great ideas I’m looking forward to working with,” he said, glancing in Larimar’s direction.

Larimar smiled back and focused her gaze on Angely, hoping she would not ask for more details.

“Cool,” Angely said. Her eyes alit on Larimar’s ring. “Ooh, malachite! It’s one of my favorite stones. Did you know it has healing properties?”

Larimar nodded slowly. “Yes, I did.”

“Good, cause—” Angely launched into an explanation of where to find malachite and what it could do for the wearer. “Of course, you know, Larimar is a stone as well. Endemic to the Dominican Republic. You’re Dominican, right?”

Larimar nodded. “Yeah. Dominican American. I was born here in Jersey. My dad has been here for a bazillion years, and my mom too, actually.”

“Don’t say ‘cool,’ Ange,” Ray said, and Angely kicked him under the table.

“That’s not very nonviolent of you,” he said, and she rolled her eyes.

“Hey. Yo soy de paz. I am of peace,” Angely shot back.

At this, Angely and Ray broke out into a rolling laugh at the same moment.

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