“Yeah,” said Sofia.
Nico turned around and glared at Rocco, but just then a dog came running. The dog passed them and ran directly to him.
“That’s Cat,” said Sofia.
Rocco avoided looking at her, crouched down, and began petting the dog, who slathered his face with his tongue.
“Dog is in the house,” said Beatrice.
“I’m supposing Dog is a cat?” Nico asked.
Beatrice nodded. “Uncle Rocco found them in a dumpster.”
“So I heard.”
A dog named Catand a cat named Dog, she thought, eyeing him with curiosity.
The girls each took a hand and pulled Nico toward the stone pathway. Rocco and Cat followed. Up ahead, the stone buildings of the hamlet glowed golden in the sun.
“You’re the first girl Uncle Rocco’s brought here,” said Sofia.
Beatrice nudged her. “He must really like you.”
They giggled.
Nico was grateful Rocco was behind them and couldn’t see her face.
“Uncle Rocco said you have a pet rat named Templeton,” Beatrice said.
Nico nodded. “I do.”
“Like inCharlotte’s Web,” Sofia said.
“That’s right.”
“How did you get him? Did you find him in a dumpster too?”
Nico hesitated, her heart beating fast. She knew he was listening.
Should she tell them about this Templeton, who she’d gotten from a pet store? Or should she tell them about the original Templeton, her first rat? If she told them about the Templeton now, she would be telling them the truth. But if she told them about the first Templeton, she would be telling them a deeper truth.
She would be tellinghima deeper truth.
If she were ever going to tell him a deeper truth, now would be the time to do it. Sofia and Beatrice were here, and she wouldn’t have to look him in the eye when she did.
She swallowed. “No, I didn’t find him in a dumpster. I found him in the apartment I was living in. He was a baby. His mother got caught in a trap and died. So, I took care of him.”
“That’s sad about his mother,” Sofia said.
“It is.”
Beatrice smiled up at her. “So, you became his mother.”
“I guess so. I wasn’t supposed to have any pets. So, I kept him a secret. He would have been taken away from me otherwise.”
Beatrice’s smile disappeared. “You mean, your mamma and papà would have taken him from you?”
“No, not them.”
