Chapter 29 second quarter

Decker escorted Beth to the exit of the building, stood in front of the open door, and watched her walk down the sidewalk shaded by the porch.Her posture was so graceful that it reminded him of the usual gait of female gymnasts.Before she turned the corner, he took a step back into the building in case she turned the corner and looked in his direction.After all, he didn't want her to see him staring at her back.When he answered her question just now, he told her that Diet House is a good place to have lunch. It was a two-story Spanish-style building built in 1860. under the green tree.He told her that she could enjoy the flowers, birds and fountains while eating.Now he wished he could dine there with her instead of handing over the buyer's offer he had been preparing when Beth came.

Normally, the chance to sell one more property keeps Decker preoccupied and refreshed, but today business seems less important.He sent in the offer and, as he had expected, the seller told him it would take some time to consider the offer.Then he rushed off to another appointment—lunch with a member of the Santa Fe Historic Planning Review Committee.He barely ate the Mexican-style chicken nuggets, but tried to focus on the conversation.But in fact, he was thinking of Beth, and their two o'clock appointment, and felt that the time was passing slowly. He thought in surprise, why, I miss her.

Finally, he finished his lunch, paid the bill, and rushed back to the company, only to find that Beth was not waiting for him here, and his mood suddenly fell. "The lady who came to see me this morning," he said to the receptionist, "is tall and attractive with thick blond hair. Has she been back?" "No, Steve." He walked down the corridor in disappointment.Maybe the receptionist wasn't paying attention when she came in, he thought, maybe she was waiting for me in the office. But she is not in the office.He slumped in the chair behind the desk, feeling even more depressed.He asked himself, what's wrong with me?How could I make myself feel this way?

Something caught his attention.Beth was standing by the entrance to his office. "Hi." Her smile made him feel that she had missed him too. Decker's heart skipped a beat.It was like fear, he thought again, but the exact opposite of fear. "I hope I'm not late," she said. "You're on time." Decker hoped his voice would sound natural. "Did you have a good lunch?" "Better than you made me expect. The yard makes me feel like I'm in another country." "That's what Santa Fe feels like." "It's like being in northern Spain or somewhere green in Mexico," said Beth, "but it's not like either."

Decker nodded. “When I first got here, I met a guy who worked in the reservations department of a hotel. He said that he used to have people calling from the East Coast asking him about the customs restrictions here and what they could buy duty-free to bring back. He said he'd have a hard time convincing them that, as long as they were Americans, there would be no tariffs on them here, and that New Mexico was part of the United States." This time, Beth's laugh reminded him of champagne. "Are you serious? They really think this is a foreign country?" "I could swear to it. That's a pretty good reason why we need geography in the high schools. So, have you had a chance to peruse those checklists I gave you?"

"Yeah, when I wasn't gobbling up the enchiladas. First time I've ever had anything this good. I can't tell which I'd prefer, the green sauce, or the red sauce, and finally I mixed them all together and ate them all." "The locals call the mixed red and green sauce 'Christmas meal.'" Decker put on his leather jacket and walked up to her.He liked the delicate scent of the sandalwood soap she used. "Shall we go? My car is in the backyard." His car is a Jeep Cherokee, the four-wheel drive of which is indispensable in winter or when exploring the mountains.Decker had always favored white, but when he bought the car a year ago, years of intelligence work got the better of him, reminding him that only dark colors were unobtrusive, forcing him to opt for olive green.A part of him would love to do the opposite and go for white, but old habits die hard.

He and Beth drove north on Bishop's Inn Road.On the way, he crossed the low shrubs on the right side of the road and the adobe houses under the sun, pointed to the towering mountains of Christ's Blood in the distance and said: "The first thing you have to know is that the price of real estate here depends largely on It depends on the quality of the surrounding mountain scenery. The most expensive houses are mostly concentrated near the Blood of Christ Mountain, that is, this area to the east. From there, you can see the Jamies Mountains to the west. At night, you You can see the lights of Los Alamos."

Beth stared intently at the hills. "I dare say it must be a splendid sight." "I'm afraid I'm going to sound like a misfit, but I'm going to say that I don't think these houses should be there," Decker said. "They ruin the beauty of the mountains. The people who live there Seeing the beautiful scenery comes at the cost of not being able to see it for everyone else." Beth turned her eyes to Decker curiously. "You mean you don't actually encourage customers to buy houses on the hills?" Decker shrugged. "Even if it keeps you from selling the house?"

Decker shrugged again. "...I started to like you more and more." She found a few houses that interested her on the list he had given her, and he drove her around: one near the Bishop's Lodge, two along the road leading to the ski basin, Madame. There are also two buildings beside Ruiqu. "The name means mother canal," he explained, "which refers to the creek that runs parallel to the road as part of an irrigation system that was built hundreds of years ago." "No wonder the trees are so tall." Beth looked around excitedly. "This place is beautiful, but what's the problem here? Nothing is perfect. What's the downside of living here?"

"The field of view is narrow, there are many regulations left over from history, and the traffic is heavy." "Really?" Her enthusiasm faded instantly. "If so, I reckon we'd better look elsewhere." "It's almost five o'clock. Are you sure you're not tired? Don't you want to see this today?" "If you're not tired, I'm not tired either." Great, Decker thought, I'll drive you around midnight if you want. He takes her to another area. "This house is very close to where I live, on the east side of the city, not far from the hills. The nearest mountain is called Sun Moon Mountain, and you can hear the coyote howling on the mountain at night."

"I like this kind of place." "This is my street." Beth pointed to a signpost around the corner. "Kamino Lindo, what does it mean when translated?" "'Beautiful Road'." "It's a beautiful road. The houses and nature are integrated and the views are great." "Go up here and turn right and that's where I live." As the car passed, Beth leaned forward and looked away. "It made a good impression on me." "thanks." "I'm jealous too, it's too bad your house isn't selling." "Well, I put a lot of labor into it. Note, the one next to my house is currently for sale."