“Save me,” Motts whispered to River, who sat on her left side. She knew ignoring the man on her right was rude but couldn’t help herself. “I can’t sit through dinner. I’ll have a meltdown.”
“Already finding a solution,” her cousin murmured mysteriously. “Can you make it through appetisers?”
“Maybe.”
Her auntie Lily was a lovely woman who enjoyed entertaining family and friends. She also had a nasty habit of trying to play matchmaker. Her efforts usually tended to be restricted to her son.
Unfortunately for Motts, her cousin River had begun dating Nish. Auntie Lily adored Nish, which was great. The downside, however, came in her love of matchmaking transferring to Motts.
Motts sunk deeper into her chair. She didn’t know if dumplings, biangbiang noodles with garlic beef, and custard tart for dessert were worth the nightmare of making small talk with a stranger. Make an effort. You can’t sit here saying nothing. “So, what do you do for a living, Edwin?”
“Dermot,” her blind date corrected. “As I said earlier, I’m a journalist.”
Bugger.
River, the traitorous berk, snickered under his breath. “Well done, Motts.”
“I need air.” Motts got to her feet and fled the room. She went out the back door to sit on the steps leading down to the garden. “Catastrophic colliding candid cabbages.”
“Who’s a cabbage?” Her uncle squeezed on the step next to her. He draped a jacket around her shoulders. “Your auntie wants you to be happy.”
“I am,” Motts grumbled. “Mostly. I’d be happier without someone chucking rocks through my window. And awkward and unexpected blind dates don’t exactly fill me with joy either.”
He wrapped an arm around her. “I did try to talk her out of the blind date.”
“And?”
“Have you ever tried to convince Cactus not to roll around in catnip?”
“No.” Motts peered up at him in confusion.
“Try it. And maybe you’ll understand. Matchmaking is your auntie’s catnip. She adores connecting couples.” He squeezed her shoulders gently. “I’ll talk to her. We want you to feel comfortable and welcome in our home. And you having to flee from the table during supper isn’t alright.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, love, we’re sorry,” her uncle argued immediately. “Want me to bring you dinner out here? It is delicious—I snuck a taste while we were making it together.”
“Motts?”
She tilted her head around to see River standing in the doorway. “Yes?”
“You have a guest.” He smiled mischievously at her. “Mum’s adding a chair to the table. You don’t want to miss this.”
Her curiosity got the better of her. Motts followed her cousin and uncle into the house. She almost stumbled over her own feet when she spotted a familiar, intimidating figure seated next to Dermot with an empty spot on his other side.
Her aunt seemed incredibly happy. Dermot, on the other hand, looked as if he’d rather be eating his dinner directly off a public restroom floor. And her cousin, of course, observed the chaos he’d created with a pleased grin.
Motts slid into her chair. What is he even doing here? “Detective Inspector. Do you often join random families for dinner? Or is this your first one?”
“Motts.” Teo glanced down when she plucked a strand of knitting yarn off his jacket. “I was at my weekly knitting club meeting in Looe when someone texted about free dumplings. I never turn those down.”
“Dumplings.” Motts shook her head. “Wait. Why is your knitting club in Looe?”
“That’s the part you find strange?” River grunted when she kicked his leg under the table. “Abuse.”
Teo chose to ignore the bickering cousins and answer Motts’s question. “My parents live here. The club was started by one of the nuns at their church. I take my mother every week.”
Motts watched as her auntie practically melted. If she’d been one of the characters in a graphic novel, her eyes would’ve been literal hearts. “Not sure this was a good idea.”
“I can leave.” He leaned in to whisper to her.
“No.” She kept her voice low. “Not sure Dermot agrees.”
“Dermot is reassessing every life decision up until this point.” Teo nodded.
The rest of the meal went smoothly, though a bit uncomfortably. Motts felt sorry for Dermot. She wondered what her auntie had told the poor man, who made his escape the second dessert had finished.
“I am sorry, darling.” Auntie Lily looped her arm around Motts, leading her into the den. “The boys can clear the table off. We’ll sit and chat about them.”
“Motts has a date.” River once again saved her from torture. He ushered her and Teo out the front door before his mum could argue. “Chat later. I’m sure the detective inspector can give you a ride home, since I picked you up.”
“Your aunt is watching us from the front window.” Teo followed her down the drive towards his vehicle. “Should I be concerned?”
Motts narrowed her eyes, trying to decide if he was joking or being serious. “I think you’ll be safe. Don’t give her your number. She has no idea how annoying group texts can be.”
“Incredibly annoying.”
Motts waited until they’d gotten on the road to Polperro to pose a question to Teo. “How exactly did my cousin get your number?”
“He was a witness to a crime.”
“And you give all witnesses your personal number to text you invites to family dinners?” Motts didn’t buy the excuse for a second. It made no sense. “Why do I have a feeling Nish and Vina have your number as well?”
“Witnesses to a crime.”
“Did you give Doc your number? He witnessed my hit-and-run.” Motts took his silence to mean he hadn’t. “Precisely. So why my family?”
“I can’t discuss police matters.” Teo winked at her.
What does that mean?
The conversation moved to other topics. Motts thought she’d missed something. She had no idea what.
She wanted to ask Vina, who often played translator for her. Teo would probably wonder why she was texting. It could wait.
They sank into a comfortable quiet for the last few minutes of the drive. Motts found Teo was thankfully one of those people who didn’t need to fill the silence. He dropped her off, waiting for her to close the door before driving off.
Motts leaned against the closed door and breathed in deeply. “What a strange evening. Cactus?”
Meow.
Her beloved cat prowled down the hall toward her. He rubbed against her legs and followed her into the kitchen. She lifted him up into her arms.
“Would you like some tuna?” She opened the fridge to grab the package she’d picked up at the market. “There are a few bits left.”
While Cactus finished his treat, Motts checked on Moss. Her turtle didn’t seem overly excited to see her. She did move slowly to nosh on a raspberry.
How do you know if a turtle is excited?
Leaving philosophical questions for another day, Motts retreated to the guest room. She’d been slowly turning it into an office and workspace. All of her origami and quilling papers now lined the walls in baskets set on shelves.
A large desk sat in the middle of the room with a futon against the corner. Motts had gotten the pull-out sofa to replace the bed. She grabbed a stack of patterned papers and sat in the armchair she used instead of a proper office chair.
She had several orders for clients but also ones purely for the joy of creating. Her current quilling side project was a recreation of a red and gold sari. It had been Leena’s wedding dress.
It was one of her most complicated and advanced quilling designs to date. Vina had gotten her photos of the original sari over a year ago. Motts intended to finish the project by December, if possible.
In an hour of working with quilling papers, she soothed away most of her tension. Her mind enjoyed the rhythm of placing the scrolls into the design. It was a grand, complicated game of art by number.
Meow.
Motts glanced down at Cactus, who circled around her legs, trying to get her attention. He knew not to jump onto her work table. “Okay, smart kitty. Is it past time for me to take a break?”
Meow.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Motts carefully stored away her project and the quilling supplies. She never left anything out for curious kitties to peruse. “Why don’t we watch the TRY channel? We can giggle together.”
Cactus didn’t laugh. He usually meowed and purred. Motts did like to think he enjoyed her company.
She grabbed a bar of Kernow’s lemon meringue, craving sweets and white chocolate specifically. “Come on, Cactus. Let’s get comfortable.”
Grabbing a pair of cosy pyjamas, Motts changed quickly. Cactus had already curled up on his favourite pillow on her bed. She set up her laptop on the mattress and slipped under the covers.
Meow.
“I know. They’re hilarious.” Motts shifted around to stretch out on the bed on her side. She watched one video after the other until her eyes started to close. “Night, Cactus.”
Meow.
“You’re right. I should make sure all the doors are locked first.”