I’M IN THE BATHROOM, already dressed for my movie-dinner date in a pair of medium-dark jeans with stitching on the back pockets and a hot pink tank, my head upside down as I dry my hair. Mom’s legs suddenly appear in my line of vision, and she taps my back repeatedly. “Sophie! Turn that off!”
I’m irritated but can’t exactly say I’m getting all dolled up for my library visit. Knowing Mom, if she thinks there’s a rich male librarian, she’ll want to come with me so she can show me how to pick him up. “Can’t this wait? I’m almost—”
“No, it can’t! Come on!” She’s all agitated about something, but what could be so important that she’s got to interrupt my four-minute blow-drying time?
I turn off the blow dryer, unable to show my annoyance in fear that she’ll change her mind about temporarily letting me off my grounding. If that happened, I’d have to resort to option one on my list of ways to escape—brazenly walking out the door—which could be harmful to my health should she decide to chase after me with a rolling pin. “Yes, Mother? What is it?”
“A boy is here to see you!” She smiles and rubs her hands together, like she just won a son-in-law on the Date My Daughter reality show.
My blood pressure escalates when I see it’s only six ten. What the hell? “Giovanni’s here?” I murmur, hoping I’m able to pull off looking shocked. I search my brain for a possible excuse as to why Giovanni stopped by when I’m supposedly heading to the library. My mom might be gullible, but she’s not completely clueless. Well, not always.
“It’s not Giovanni! It’s a new boy!” She tilts her head, smiling. “And he is Polish! He say to me, ‘Dzien dobry, Pani!’” She leans closer. “And he brought surprise for you! He is so polite. He asked my permission, and I said yes.”
“What are you talking about? Permission for what?” I open the door a crack and see Nick in my kitchen, his back to me. Suckity, suck! How can this be happening? As much as I’m flattered that he stopped by, I have thirty minutes of beauty time to squash into twenty minutes, and I need every second. I yell, “Be right there!” as sweetly as I can before slamming the door. The last thing I need is for him to turn around and witness what a beast I am without makeup.
I whip open my cosmetic drawer and rub, scrub, dab, and squirt things on my face as if someone pressed some hidden, fast-forward button on my back.
“God works in mysteries,” Mom chirps. “You have no boyfriend for a long time, and now you have two!” You’d think she was dating them, the way she’s going on about them.
“Chill out, Mom. I just met them.” In a way, though, she’s right. Mysterious indeed.
“Nicolai is a veerry good-looking boy. And he’s got money, too!” she says.
“How would you know?” I scrunch up my face in confusion, which makes it very hard to put on eyeliner, so I relax. Was she fooled by his expensive silver watch? Or, God forbid, did she find a sneaky way get him to pull out his wallet? God, please not that. Whatever. I can’t sort it out now. It’s safe to assume that he does have some money, given all the hours he works. But whether it’s from his steely determination to do well, or his gritty determination to steal, I’m not so sure.
I slick on lip gloss and whip open the bathroom door around six eighteen, looking presentable but not Date Night special. I’ll have to come back and do a touch up and straighten my hair as soon as I find out what Nick wants and politely get rid of him before Giovanni shows up. I can’t believe I’m in this predicament.
I hurry down the hall toward the kitchen when I hear a soft meow. At least that’s what I thought it sounded like. Three more steps, and I have my answer. Nick whirls around, grinning like a little kid, and there, in his hands, is the white fluffy kitten I fell in love with at Pet World. My mouth drops opens in stupefying delight. “Ohmigod! I love this kitten!”
He smiles and holds the kitten out to me. “Surprise! He’s all yours, Sophie.”
I lunge for the kitten and scoop him up, holding it to my chest. “Really? I don’t believe it! Thank you so much!” I immediately shower the kitten’s teeny face with kisses. I’d kiss Nick, too, but with Busia and Mom standing a foot away, I opt to give him a gracious one-armed hug.
I’m completely smitten, both with my new kitten and with Nick. “He’s so cute! I can’t believe you spent two hundred dollars on him!”
“Two hundred dollars?” my mom coos, her eyes wide. “You must work very hard to save that much money, eh?” She gazes at Nick like he’s sprouted branches with dollar bills hanging all over him before she turns toward Busia.
Busia smiles and nods enthusiastically. “Me like ’em cats.”
I chuckle. Busia doesn’t like much outside of God and helping run the bakery, so Nick is assured of a spot in her heart permanently. Or at least the cat is.
“Yeah, I work a lot of hours. Too bad Sophie didn’t—” Nick glances at me. I discreetly shake my head no, not wanting him to spill the news about being fired today. He smiles, finishing off his sentence with “—work the same hours as me.”
“Sophie never told me a cute boy worked with her!” My mother waves her hand in the air, before launching into what seems like a five-hundred-page novel.
In Polish.
Busia clucks her tongue. “Irena! Not good.”
I start to sweat. Mom must be explaining how the priest told me to stop trying to look under his vestments during Easter Mass when I was three. Or maybe how in fifth grade, I fell off a pogo stick trying to get to my lollipop that was on the glass patio table. I broke my arm and the table. “No more stories, Mom, okay?” I touch her arm and glare at her.
“Jeden minuta. One minute.” I hear my name and the word piekarnia, which is bakery.
“Mom!” I say, furiously stroking the kitten. The fur sticks to my sweaty fingers, which means my armpits are also sweating. So much for looking good for Giovanni. I’ve got on minimal makeup, my hair is frizzed out like a ballerina’s tutu, and I probably have big sweat circles under my arms. Great.
Nick says, “Uh-huh,” every now and then, shifting his weight to his other foot and leaning his elbow on our kitchen counter. The longer my mother talks, the more he glances at me. I beg God to plague her mouth with locusts or frogs to stop her before Nick runs out of here screaming. And why wouldn’t he? This scene has become my own private horror movie.
I glance up at the clock. Six twenty-five! Holy shit! I’ve got exactly five minutes to wrap up this whole kitten-caboodle thing, politely get rid of Nick, and get swept off to the movies with my other hottie.
“Well, Nick, it’s been fun!” I say, interrupting my mom. The kitten meows and scratches my neck. “Ouch!” I hold his paws a bit tighter so he can’t scratch me again. “I have to think of a name for you, you little stinker.” I look at the kitten. “Are you a Cotton? Maybe Snow?” My eyes widen as I come up with a great name. “I got one—Snickers! It has your name hidden inside of his, Nick. Get it Snick…Nick?”
Nick grins at me, his eyes twinkling with satisfaction. “Cool. I like it.” He reaches over and pets the kitten’s back. “Hi, Snickers.”
I smile on the outside, but my insides are desperately trying to transform this slow boat to China into a high-speed bullet train. “Well, anyway, Nick, this was so awesome of you to do this for me, but, unfortunately, you kind of caught me at a bad time, so…” I’m standing halfway between the stairs and the blank stares of my mother, hoping Nick gets the hint.
He does, because his expression darkens for a split-second, registering disappointment. But he quickly recovers and smiles. “Oh, yeah. No problem.” He turns to my mom and Busia. “It was nice meeting you both. Do widzenia!” He holds up a hand to wave good-bye.
My mother’s mouth drops open. “Where are your manners, Sophie? Nicolai brings you an expensive gift, and you make him go home already?” She loops her arm through his as if she’s going to pull him with her into the living room. “Can’t you stay and talk with us for a while? That’s how us Polish people treat our guests, right?”
Oh. My. Fricking. Mother. “Nick has other plans, Mom.” My adrenaline hits the panic button as I glance at the clock. Three minutes until Gio Time.
Nick smiles, his feet planted. “Yep, I have to be home for dinner. Bye now.”
The kitten attempts to scale my body as if he were Spiderman, slashing my neck and shoulder in the process. “Geez!” I gently pry my skin from underneath the kitten’s sharp claws. “I gotta go now, so can you watch Snickers while I’m gone, Mom?” I quickly hand him off to my mother so she’ll let go of Nick’s arm.
Mom nuzzles her cheek with Snickers’ and murmurs, “Such a cute little pussy.”
I slam the counter with my hand. “Never say that again.” Gently tugging on Nick’s sleeve, I pull him out of my mom’s reach. “I’ll be home in a few hours.”
Mom hugs the kitten close to her chest. “Are you sure, Nicolai? Sophie can go to the library another day.” Mom says something to Busia in Polish, and I glean the word kolaczkis out of the sentences. Busia nods and enthusiastically waddles to the counter and picks up the plate of freshly baked peach cookies that are covered in plastic wrap.
“You’re going to the library?” Nick asks, as if he misheard.
“I like to read.” I smile, feeling awkward. “I need to get the latest Cosmo.”
Busia pulls back the plastic and offers the plate to Nick, smiling and nodding. “You like ’em perch?”
“Sure, but I…” Nick shoots me a look of confusion, like he’s not sure what to do, whom to please. I glance at the clock. Six twenty-eight. Tick-tock. Time to go. I’m doing everything I can to pull his arm and run down the stairs with him.
Nick plucks two cookies off the plate, but he doesn’t take a bite. Bet he’s worried about Busia’s flavor faux pas. “Dzienkuje, pani. I’ll eat these on the way home.”
Busia nods and shuffles off toward the stove. “I give rest to Domovoy. Him hungry.”
My mother has a strained look on her face due to Busia divulging a family secret that needs to stay hidden under the stove. Mom recovers quickly, fluffing her hair. “Okay, then! Bye now, Nicolai! I hope you’ll be calling Sophie to go out soon. Anytime is okay with me!”
“Mom, I think your favorite TV show is on. In your room?” One of Busia’s trademark ginormous loaves of banana-zucchini bread sits on the counter just inches from me. I mentally pluck it with three fingers and bowl it at my mom, sending her rolling down the hall to her bedroom.
I glance at the clock. Ring-a-ling! Six thirty on the dot. I turn on my heels, practically sprinting for the stairs, pulling Nick behind me. “Later!”
When we’re in the stairwell, Nick chuckles. “I think your mom and Busia might ask me to marry you.”
I laugh out loud. “You’d better watch out.” I wait to speak again until we both get down to the landing, since it’s nearly impossible to talk over the loud clomping of feet on wooden stairs. “From her perspective, you’re cute, Polish, and you have money. What else do I need?”
We head through the shadowy back room, some late afternoon light coming in through the small window in the back door. I stop suddenly as I walk halfway through the doorway into the bakery, realizing I cannot possibly let Nick out through the front door—not with Giovanni sitting in his car out there waiting for me. I have to let him out through the alley, but what explanation could I possibly give him as to why?
Nick bumps into me from behind. He slides his hands on my waist and spins me around to face him, pushing me against the bakery counter. “I know something else you need,” he says in a sexy voice, pulling me close. As amazing a kisser as he is, I’m much too freaked out to get into it. But he’ll get suspicious if I boot him out too quickly…all so I can get to the library?
I give him one quick kiss and turn my head slightly. “Sorry, but I really need to go. I’m meeting my friend Teegan there.” I strain my neck to see if Gio is in the parking lot, but Nick’s head is blocking my view. I manage to see a few cars but, thankfully, no Purple Hazel.
“Snickers scratched you right here,” he whispers, kissing my neck. Despite my impatience to go out with Giovanni, Nick’s sweet kisses make me quiver a little. Who the hell ruled out clones, anyway? If I had one right now, I’d stay here and make out with Nick and send my clone with Giovanni. Or vice versa. I want to be both places at once.
The pope’s magic scepter second-hand on the wall clock clicks loudly, reminding me to hurry. If Gio is somehow out there in his car waiting for me, he must be getting really ticked. Or ticked-tocked, given my tardiness. Again.
Nick mumbles something, still nuzzling my neck. I allow myself to enjoy his warm breath and soft lip-tickles for a moment longer before pulling his hands away from my waist. “Um…sorry, Nick, as much as I’d love to kiss you, I really have to go. Teegan gets pissed when I’m late.” Shadows dance across the bakery floor as clouds flit past the sun. Another reminder of time passing.
“Jedena minuta,” he jokes. “One last kiss and I’m out of here.” Before I can object, he puts his lips on mine. I allow myself the luxury of one last kiss because, really, how can I not?
“Thanks so much for the kitten,” I whisper, smiling. “But a longer thank-you will have to wait until next time.” I shimmy out of his grasp, about to lead Nick to the alley exit, when I notice the shadow and sunlight shifts noticeably, catching my eye.
I gasp when I discover that the shadow wasn’t a cloud. There is Giovanni, staring at me through the bakery window between his two hands. And he doesn’t look happy.
The cat was out of the bag—I was a two-timing feline.