Page 14 of Shadow Scorching

“Well, you look good, so that’s something.” Dante stirred his cocoa. “So, what were you going to say about Tilly?”

I sighed. “I don’t think she’s losing her acumen at all.”

“You don’t mean you believe this guy is for real?”

“I didn’t say that. What I mean, is—after listening to her—I understand why this Jet guy has been able to blindside her.She’s in love, Dante. Your uncle never loved her, and even though they were friends, she’s experiencing what she thinks is true love for the first time. That will do a number on you, especially after so many years alone She’s blinded by love, and I think she’s desperate to make certain that nothing interferes.”

Dante took a sip of his cocoa. “I guess you’re right. To be honest, I hadno ideathat Gino and Tilly had an arranged marriage. When I was young and we went over to visit for the holidays, they always seemed formal with each other, but happy enough. But I guess you’re right. If you’ve lived a long life, been relatively happy but never knew what it was like to be loved—by an actual lover—I guess you’d be overwhelmed if you thought you found someone after all those years.”

“I think that’s going to be the sticking point. She doesn’t want to believe it isn’t real. And with her sense of station, she’d be embarrassed to feel she’d been duped. So, she can’t let that be true. I think we’re going to have to work around your aunt on this, so that she doesn’t find out and tip him off.” I finished my cookie. “All right, I’m heading home. I’m tired.”

“Drive safe. Whether or not it sticks, the snow’s going to make it slick.” Dante gave me a quick hug and then walked me to my car. As I drove home, I thought about love, and how the search for it could lead us to tragedy. I filed away the subject in case I ever grew desperate.

I arrivedhome around ten PM. Penn was there, curled on the sofa, studying her e-reader. She had a notebook on her lap, and was chewing on a pen as she stared at the screen. As I opened the door, she glanced up and swung her feet off the sofa.

“How was dinner?”

“How was class?”

She laughed. “Class was fine. I’m just getting some studying in. I’m amazed that I managed to run my store as long as I did without it folding. I’ve decided that I’m financially illiterate. Now, your turn. How was dinner?”

I sighed, dropping my coat on the sofa. “You know, sometimes I wish I could wave my fingers, twitch my nose, and make people see the truth of their situations. It would save so much time and energy. And hurt.”

“Do you think so?” Penn asked, setting aside her notebook. She turned, crossing her legs to face me, as I sat in the rocking chair across from her. “Or do you think a lot of them would ignore the warnings? You can talk yourself blue in the face with some people, and they’d still believe propaganda over facts.”

“True enough,” I said. “Oh, it’s snowing outside.”

Penn let out a squeak and turned around, resting on her knees as she leaned on the back of the sofa to stare out the living room window. “I can see it coming down under the streetlights. I did not have snow tonight on my bingo card.” She watched for a moment, then turned back around. “You hungry?”

I shook my head. “After dinner, Dante and I stopped at Barista Heaven and had cocoa and cookies.”

“So, I take it that Tilly didn’t want to talk about her beau?” Penn picked up the bag of gingerbread snaps she’d been munching on and pulled out a couple.

“Not even close. She clammed up fast. All we found out was his name, and that he told her that he escaped from Singapore but they froze his accounts. He’s led her to believe the ‘mob’ is after him. At least we can investigate the name he gave her, though if that’s fake, I’m not sure what we can do. She’s been paying his way. But, given she’s the matriarch of the family, I doubt they can do anything. And since they don’t speak to Dante, well…”

“Well, that sucks,” Penn said.

“Yeah, it does.” I leaned back, rocking carefully. “How was the day? Where are the cats?”

“Oh, it was pretty good. I worked on my website. I’m surprised how well my sales picked up once I switched over to online commerce. Luckily, I have a knack for coding, so I don’t have to pay anybody to create the site for me.”

I nodded. “A talent I definitely don’t have.”

“As for the cats, Murdoch decided he was going to try and leap into the fridge when I was deciding what to make for lunch. He missed the shelf he was going for, and managed to knock the container of leftover soup all over the floor, then he and Jangles proceeded to stand in the puddle, licking it up as I cleaned. I had to catch them and wash their paws. They didn’t care for that.”

I snorted. “They’re a pair, all right. I still can’t believe how quickly they bonded.”

“There’s something interesting about Murdoch. You said he was Letty’s familiar?”

“Yeah, that’s what Angela said.”

“I believe it. His nature…he’s magical. I could have sworn I heard him say something to me while I was mopping up thesoup.” She quirked her lips at the corner. “I thought I heard him sayStop that—we’ll eat it.”

I stared at her for a moment. “Cat’s don’t talk,” I said, though at this point of my life, I wasn’t entirely sure that was true.

“Well, I’m not saying he did, but…” She shrugged. “Maybe I heard his thoughts—translated from cat, of course.” She closed the cookie bag. “You want to watch a show before bed? A new episode of Dream House just dropped.”

Dream House was a house renovation show we both enjoyed. It had enough drama to keep it interesting, and yet it always had a satisfying ending.

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