13
When Nick got to the house, the kitchen was a bustle of activity. Natali was back, and Nick skirted around her carefully until he realized that she either didn’t know he’d spent the previous night in her bed or didn’t care. He relaxed.
“Nick! Good, you’re here. Okay, I need you to peel these potatoes.”
Oh crap. Zoyka was right—he was a lost cause at peeling—but he’d promised to help, so he took the bag of potatoes and the peeler from Izzy without a word. He found a spot by the sink and set to work. His mom could peel a potato all in one go, with a knife, without looking at what she was doing once. She could also cut them in her hand without slicing her own fingers off in less than ten seconds. When Zoyka made a comment about it once, his mom had just shrugged. She’d learned early and
