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“My feet never get cold.” Kat flips her hair over her shoulder and gives me a quick wink before greeting Lindy. “So, I hear you’ve been taking great care of Stoli 2 for your brother.”
At the mention of his name, Stoli 2 comes running from the back of the house, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. He leaps at Kat, barking loudly. He licks her up and down before she can even make it past the foyer. She drops to her feet, wraps her arms around his neck, and he cuddles into her. She grips him so tight, breathing him in like she’s trying to capture the memory of everything he represents. Or represented.
Her shoulders shake a bit as she strokes his soft back, and my stomach twists. Is she…crying?
Lindy smiles so wide and hard, I think her face might crack from the pressure. “He’s such an amazing dog. I’m so happy Rocco adopted him. And,” She continues, her smile getting wider if that’s even possible. “I’m so happy that you’ve come to help babysit him! You know, Stoli 2, not my brother.” Lindy chuckles at her own joke. “Not that Rocco couldn’t use a babysitter. Especially with his job as the bouncer at Nico’s dance club. He’s just asking for trouble every time he goes to work!”
Kat lifts an eyebrow at me, and I give her a little shrug. Little white lies. They serve to protect. Lindy doesn’t need to know what I actually do for a living. I don’t need her worrying about the shit I deal with on a daily basis. Better that she thinks I just judge half-naked chicks and pick and choose which ones I want to let inside the club. It’s better than the bullshit I fed her about why I’d been out in California in the first place. Trying to make it as an actor when the closest I’d come to performing was beating the shit out of the drama teacher when he got a little too handsy with Max’s sister Shaye.
Maybe Lindy believed it, maybe she didn’t.
But she never questioned it.
Sometimes I think we all want to live in our own little bubbles where things are safe and happy and free from bullets and baseball bats.
Lindy looks from me to Kat and back to me before tearing into the kitchen. “Mom! Dad! Rocco is here! With a friend!” The glee is dripping from her lips, and it’s hard for me not to laugh. “Sorry,” I mouth to Kat.
She shrugs and walks into the kitchen with Stoli 2 on her heels, ready to face whatever is waiting.
“Oh, my goodness!” My mother exclaims, and I can just hear the panic in her tone. “I’m so sorry for the mess! We weren’t expecting company, but I’m so glad to meet you…?”
“Kat.” Kat holds out a hand and grasps my mother’s uncertain one.
“Her real name is Katarina,” Lindy hisses, nudging my mother. “Isn’t that so glamorous?”
Mom nods, her eyes lighting up like the fireplace in our living room, where she’s packing five huge suitcases. Clothes and shoes litter the floor and couch, and there’s an assortment of hats and tubes of suntan lotion spread out on the coffee table. “Kat, it is such a pleasure to meet you. I’m Allegra.” Her cheeks turn pink and she motions to the mess in the living room. “I’m so sorry for the disarray. I didn’t expect anyone, and we’re leaving for Florida tomorrow morning, and I—”
“Please don’t apologize,” Kat says in a smooth voice. “It’s absolutely fine. We shouldn’t have intruded like this.”
“No, no!” Mom waves her hands in the air. “Nonsense! You’re here and Rocco never brings home any, um, friends.” Her smile matches Lindy’s, and she takes Kat by the arm and leads her to a chair at the large kitchen table. “Please have a seat. I’ll make dinner. And how about a glass of wine? Do you like red?”
Kat smiles at my mom’s enthusiasm. “I’d love some. Red is my favorite.”
Mom claps her hands and hurries over to the wine cabinet, pulling out a bottle of chianti. “This one is fantastic!” She hands it to me. “Would you mind? Dad is upstairs pulling out the rest of his clothes.” She smiles at me, but I don’t miss the death look in her gaze. I know she’s pissed off at me right now, that the first impression Kat will have of my house and my family is a hot mess. And my next words will aggravate her even more, but she’s gonna deal. “Ma, don’t cook anything. I’ll order pizza. You guys are leaving tomorrow. Just sit down and relax for a little while. I didn’t mean to throw you off, and I promise we’ll be out of your hair soon enough.”
My mother gasps and claps a hand over her mouth. “I can’t believe you just said that,” she whispers. “My only son. Are you trying to kill me?”
“Ma,” I let out an exasperated sigh. “I’m just saying you guys have things to do for tomorrow. I don’t want to get in your way, that’s all.”
“You’re never in my way, pumpkin.” She wraps her arms around me and squeezes, holding me close so she can whisper in my ear. “She’s gorgeous and sweet. Don’t screw this up.”
I hug my mother tight. “I love you, but you’re crazy. And totally off-base,” I whisper back. I pull away. “Okay, what kind of pizza does everyone want?”