“She still has it?”
“She had it modified. Now it says, I love you Ashley.”
They all laughed. Rose said, “Self-love is good. Hopefully this time she won’t get rejected.”
Matt said, “So, anyway, back to you and Marguerite. Are you telling me she’s not showing any of the signs of being smitten with you?”
“I don’t know. We’re like pen-pals. We email about veggies and stuff. And when I’m close to her, she sort of acts distant. Uninterested.”
“Well, that’s a first.”
“You don’t have to sound so happy about it.”
Matt spoke to Rose. “In his whole life he’s never once been rejected. Never even had to work up the nerve to ask a girl out. They did all the asking. You know what my Mom’s nickname for me is?”
Rose shook her head.
“Big Mouth. You know what she calls Alexei?”
She shook her head again.
“Beautiful Boy!”
Rose patted her lips with a napkin. Then she said, “Well, he is.”
“You see?” Matt threw up his hands. “Even my own girlfriend thinks you’re hot.”
“Mattius!” she said in a warning tone that sounded scarily like their mom, without the heavy Greek accent.
“Okay, okay. You want us to find out if she’s got a guy?”
What he wanted was to find out if he had any hope at all with the sexy organic farmer, but he supposed it would help to find out she was actually single. “Yeah. That would be great.”
His cell phone rang and he glanced at it, planning to ignore the call, but when he saw the name Chance he pressedTalkall too eagerly. “Alexei speaking,” he said. How weird that Marguerite would call him now of all times, when he’d just been talking about her. Maybe his luck was starting to change.
Then a very not Marguerite voice said, “Alexei. It’s Daphne Chance. Rose’s mother. Have you got a minute?”
“Uh, yes, sure. What can I do for you Mrs. Chance?”
That got Rose’s attention, and even Matt stopped chewing to stare.
“Oh, please, anyone who cooks like you do can call me Daphne. And it’s about your cooking that I’m calling.”
When he got off the phone, his two eager spectators said in unison, “Well?”
“That was your Mom,” he said to Rose. “She wants me to bring my food truck to the Hidden Falls Harvest Festival in two weeks time.”
Rose narrowed her gaze on his face as though she were trying to diagnose him with some hitherto unknown disease. Then she nodded. “She’s trying to set you up with Marguerite. That’s got to be it.”
Matt stared at her. “You don’t think she wants some souvlaki and spanakopita at the fall fair?”
“Not nearly as much as she wants to get your brother together with my sister. Remember when she dragged us all down here to Alexei’s and had told you to meet us without bothering to let me know?”
Matt nodded, his eyes twinkling. “She knew you lusted after me.”
“She was matchmaking. Then when Alex and Marguerite started bonding over dandelion greens I saw her eyeballs get the swirling whirligig look. You know, like the wheel of death, right before your computer crashes? It means she wants to get you and my sister together. I’m sure of it.”
Alexei let out a slow, breath. “I am crazy about your mother.”
