I couldn't get her out of my head. Kissing Katja had made that Christmas as special as the previous year. If Christmas is that good every year, I'll happily start celebrating it.
I knew Katja would need some time to sort out her feelings. I didn't get the reputation of being a womanizer for nothing; I know I have a good understanding of how women think. I'd bet a fair bit that Cat went to Ingrid first thing. I, on the other hand, needed to think on my own. I was falling for her. I had known that for awhile. I had liked girls before and even had one or two stick around for more than a few days, but never like this. It was becoming problematic; I felt like I needed to see her every day, and it was distracting me from running things with the boys. I hadn't yet let my guard down, either around the boys or in the running of things, but it was bound to happen. I had to be careful.
The next day I resolved to pretend nothing had happened between us. I took Red and Roller with me to the bench as a precaution; Red to keep me honest and Roller to keep me focused. It turned out that Ingrid was there, too, and the way she looked at me left me in no doubt that she knew about the kiss. I worked hard to treat Katja normally; you wouldn't think it would be that hard, but just looking at her face made my eyes want to fall to her lips. But I think I pulled it off admirably, and the day passed uneventfully.
That is, until Red opened his big mouth! What was he doing inviting Katja to Manhattan? I plastered a grin on my face, then remembered Ingrid and quickly included her in the invitation. Another quick glance had me speaking to her father—another reminder that I needed to think of Cat as a friend. Maybe he would say no . . . .
"I think that would be marvelous. Of course, I expect you would see to them?" he answered. Should have seen that coming.
"Don't you worry, sir," Red was answering, and he winked at me. "We know better than to let anything happen to a friend of Spot's." I glared at him. I could tell that he didn't really suspect anything, but even so the implication bothered me.
I spent the rest of the week brooding. Was she going to expect me to kiss her on New Years? Did I want to? Well, yes, of course I did, but did I want to take that risk was the better question. So far the "revert to friends" strategy was working; she treated me as normally as I had been treating her, so either she felt nothing or she was playing it cool because I was. I suspected the latter, given what I know of Katja's introverted nature and tendency to think and feel deeply, but I feared a combination of the two. What if she didn't feel for me what I felt for her? This insecurity was driving me crazy. If I hadn't sold well all week, I might have been a bit of a bear to the boys. I pulled it together though, and a good hand of poker helped. We tend to play a lot of poker in the winter because we can't burn off excess energy at the docks. The cold doesn't stop us from sparring (or playing for the younger ones) on the streets, but it does bring us in earlier.
Headlines around the end of the year tend to be good as people recap the year. More people are buying, too. This was particularly true in 1899, when the recap covered an entire century. The papes ran big specials and series and whatnot. It made selling easy, and that meant more free time for me. I know I could sell a lot more, but I also know that if I do that, some of the little ones don't profit as easily from the good selling. I sold a bit above average, but I left myself a lot of time, which I used wisely.
See, nobody really knows this, but I've been studying law. The local DA, a Mr. Donovan, had, at the sight of a letter of recommendation from the Governor, taken me on. I went over there twice a week to help him with his paperwork. In return he loaned me law books and helped me study. I can read exceptionally quickly—a useful newsie skill-and have more than just half a brain; in fact, according to Mr. Donovan I am far above average in the intelligence department. We have already hashed out a plan for me to have basically completed my study of the law before enrolling in college. I was getting a lot of practical experience, too. That way I can take extra courses each term and finish quickly since I can't afford a full course of study. I still had a fair bit of reading to do over the holidays while Mr. Donovan was in Philadelphia with his family, and I had promised him I would work on some of his more boring tasks as well. I was even watering the plants in his office over the holiday-a small price for what I was learning from him! So I used my extra time to catch up on some of the studying and other work I needed to get done.
New Year's Eve day was perhaps one of the best selling days I can remember. I sold a full 350 that day, skipped lunch with the Fischers, and took a nap between editions and another before heading out for the night; we all knew we would need the sleep.
I had Greasefoot pick up Katja to meet us at the bridge. I sent Legs along for fun. Greasefoot is going to be the next leader, I think; the kid is tough and growing up quickly. Legs was too little to come with us tonight, but it helped him feel like he was growing up, too. Kid needed a confidence boost. We walked in a big group, and I don't think Katja even noticed that she was the only girl. Actually, neither did most of the boys. They treat her like a sister because I make them, but it's working. Nobody thinks of her as anything else yet—except me, the fearless leader, of course.
We met up with the Lower East Side boys easily enough. Cowboy and I spit-shook before his eyes fell on Cat.
"And who is this?" he grinned, and I instantly felt protective.
"This is Cat. She's a friend," I said, shooting a warning at Jack that he didn't miss. The boy is no fool, and he heard the message not to mess with her loud and clear. Katja wasn't like the girls Jack had brought along, and I wanted to make sure he knew it. She was looking at her shoes again. That means she's intimidated. Jack greeted her politely, and I watched her gather herself and come out of her shell. Okay; Jack would make sure his boys treated her properly. I was just saying hello to Bumlets when Katja whispered into my ear.
"Spot," she said, and I looked at her. She had a nervous expression, and I instantly went into protective mode and pulled her from the group.
"You okay, Katja?" I asked.
"Yeah. It's just those girls—they're not—" she stuttered. Realization dawned on me; she had never met a working girl before! Boy, was I glad Gina wasn't here! I smiled.
"Working girls?" I asked. She nodded, blushing. I tried to tell myself that her naïve question and the way she was biting her lip without realizing it were NOT cute. I failed. "Yeah, they are," I went on. "They're also friends." I talked a bit more, trying to put her at ease. I hope she can see past their jobs; I think she could get along well with some of the girls.
"Thanks," she said, and I saw her face clear. "Let's rejoin the party."
We did, and I found myself chatting with Racetrack; he's a great guy, and funny as hell.
"So, that girl ya brought," he broached after awhile.
"Yeah?" I said a bit more belligerently than I had intended.
"Hey, I'se just askin'," Race said, putting up his hands defensively.
"Sorry, Race. She's the daughter of a friend," I said, trying to deflect a bit. It worked.
"Well, she seems sweet," he said. "Innocent. She don't get out much, does she?"
"Not really; Red invited her. This is new to her. She's doing well, though," I said nonchalantly.
"Blink thinks so," Race answered, and he nodded toward the boy, who was talking to Katja. They seemed to be hitting it off. Hm.
Race and I carried on talking, but my mind was turning over what I was seeing. Katja and Blink, huh? Well, the girl did need to get out some. I forced myself to ignore the twisting in my gut and to think of her. She was young. Blink was a good guy, and he wouldn't hurt her. If she really liked him, I would be selfish to stand in the way. I'd keep an eye on her, but it was her life. She could do a lot worse.
"Hey, handsome," a voice whispered in my ear. I turned around. Minnie. Well, why not? It didn't look like anyone else was stepping up for me, and I wasn't in the mood for a lot of games.
"Heya, Min," I said as Jack yelled out that it was almost midnight. I grabbed Minnie into a kiss as the church bells rang out. When we parted I saw Red giving Katja a peck on the cheek. Emma moved close and pulled me in for a kiss, and the wild, moving mass of people forced me to concentrate on the present. Medda's was great as always, and I am pretty sure most of the boys were having fun. Especially Ab, for whom this was the first time out. And Blink, who was glued to Katja's side. In spite of the twisting jealousy I was feeling, I was having a genuinely good time when I looked down at my watch. When had it gotten to be four am? I began rounding up the Brooklyn crew, though I got no help from Red, who was somewhat drunk. I'd have to get him sobered up a bit before he could sell. I herded my group down the road towards the river, doing another quick head count as we rounded the corner. Ace was keeping everyone entertained, which was good; it was also keeping everyone moving. I caught his eye and nodded my approval.
"Spot," said Greasefoot, who had at my elbow. "Brown wants to know if he can stay behind at Ms. Mina's. I told him I didn't think so," he said. I nodded. Yep, Greasefoot was definitely shaping up to be my replacement someday.
"You're right. Everyone needs to sell. He can come back and spend some of his earnings tonight," I said, looking over at Brown. My eyes scanned the group one last time. I was satisfied we had everyone, and motioned to Greasefoot to head to the front of the group. "Lead us home. I'll sweep up stragglers," I said, and the boy nodded.
I walked over to Red, who had his arm slung over Katja's shoulders. "Eat this," I told him, handing him the small hunk of bread and cheese I had held back for precisely this scenario. "You need to sober up before you can sell."
"Thanks, boss," he slurred and stumbled up ahead of us. I turned to Katja as we headed across the river.
"So, did ya have fun, Cat?" I asked, looking sideways at her. The girl was shivering. She really needed a new cloak. I pulled her in closer to me, trying to keep her warm as she answered.
"Yeah. That was fun," she said, huddling up against me. Jeez, I really shouldn't be doing this to myself.
"You and Emma seemed to get along," I said, hoping to find out if she'd been as comfortable with the other girls as I'd hoped.
"You were right. She was really nice. So were the other newsboys," she said.
"Especially Blink?" I asked, and she blushed and chewed her bottom lip. That made me laugh.
"Yeah, he was nice," she answered as I watched her face closely. No, no big reaction about him. "And that Racetrack guy was really funny," she continued. Okay. So no big reaction to Blink, talking in general terms about the boys . . . did that mean she wasn't interested in Blink? My stomach gave a little lurch at the thought, but before I could fully process it, Katja caught me off guard again. "Why do you spit shake?" she asked.
I was taken aback. Had we really changed gears from her potential suitors to spit shaking? I shook it off, realizing that I was the one who had been thinking along the lines of Katja's romantic interests. I gave her a quick explanation.
"It's gross," she said, wrinkling her nose in that adorable way. The evening's success of convincing myself that I could move on from Katja was blown away in an instant.
"Happy New Year, Darlin'" I said, and then I did what I promised myself I would not do; I kissed her.