Duchess by Ellen Miles Page A

was walking toward the door with a bunch of friends.
    “Hey, Logan!” she called. Logan looked over his shoulder. “What about the cat?” she asked.
    Logan shrugged. “I’ll talk to my mom and call you later,” he said as he headed out the door.
    Mia frowned. So much for getting some answers.
    She headed for the stairs, where she usually met Michael. Her brother was in fifth grade. He was tall and skinny for his age, and he had big feet, so she could always hear him bounding down the steps before she could see him. “Ready?” he asked when he appeared.
    “Ready,” Mia said. Michael had promised to walk around the neighborhood with her so she could get more ideas for her map.
    “Guess what?” she asked Michael as they left school. “We might have another cat to foster.” She told Michael what Logan had said about the Persian cat. “I want to talk to Mom about it, but I don’t even know the cat’s name yet.”
    “I wouldn’t tell Mom or Dad until you know the details,” Michael said. “Don’t get your hopes up.”
    Mia sighed. Michael was right. How could she convince Mom to foster a cat she didn’t know anything about? It was better to wait until Logan called with more information.
    They hiked up and down every street in the neighborhood. Mia took notes and drew little pictures to help her remember landmarks. After a while, Mia’s stomach began to growl. She remembered that Mom had given them money for a snack at Mrs. Lopez’s bakery. Mia sniffed the air as they walked. She knew they were getting closer to the bakery when a sweet smell drifted through the air. “What are you going to get?” she asked.
    “A black-and-white cookie,” Michael answered, just as she’d known he would.
    Mia ducked under his arm while he held the door open. “You always get that,” she said. Mia could never decide. She looked at the shelves of pies and colorfully decorated cakes and at the glass cookie jars on the counter. “Maybe I’ll get a lemon bar today, since we’ll probably order cupcakes for my party next week.” The Battellis had been on vacation for Mia’s last birthday, so now, six months later, her parents had said she could have a half-birthday party.
    “Maybe Mrs. Lopez could decorate them with cat faces,” Michael suggested.
    “Oh, that would be so cool,” Mia said. Her brother knew how much she loved cats of every kind. Siamese cats, tabby cats, calico cats. Fat old cats and tiny kittens. Wild cats, like tigers and lions. She loved them all. Mia was definitely going to ask Mom if she could have kitty cupcakes.
    When they had gotten their treats, they walked out of the bakery and down the street. Mia took little bites to make her lemon bar last longer.
    The Battellis lived in a brownstone building around the corner from the bakery. When Mia and Michael turned onto their street, Mia spotted Mom outside with her watering can and pruning shears. Mrs. Battelli worked at a nearby garden shop, and their house was full of plants—inside and out.
    Mom straightened up from a prickly rosemary bush. “Hey, guys,” she called as she shielded her eyes from the sun.
    “Hi, Mom.” When Mia hugged her around the waist, she could smell the spicy scent of rosemary. It reminded her of spaghetti and meatballs.
    “Anything exciting happen today?” Mom asked.
    “Nope,” Michael said as he loped up the stairs and went inside.
    “How about you, Mia?” Mom said.
    Mia thought again about the Persian cat but remembered what Michael had said. She was dying to tell Mom, but it was probably better to wait until she knew more. “Not really,” she replied.
    “Hmm,” said Mom with a funny little smile. “Well, I’d say that promising to foster a new cat sounds pretty exciting to me.”

CHAPTER TWO
    “What?” Mia stared at her mother. She gulped. How had Mom found out? “I didn’t promise anything. This boy in my class, Logan, told me about a cat. He was supposed to find out more and call me. I don’t even