A Crazy Kind of Love Read Online Free PDF

shoulder. “The ones you have are all wrong. I brought these from home. Bought them about a year ago when I saw them at this little place in the city. And as soon as I remembered ’em, I knew they’d look perfect in here. Figured you’d be out today and I’d surprise you.”
    “The latches I have are not wrong,” Lucas said, pushing away from the fridge to walk across the room. He slapped one hand on the cabinet to stop her. “I picked them out myself.”
    “I know,” Mike said and patted the hand he’d dropped onto the cabinet before pulling it off. “But really. Could they be more boring?”
    “Cabinet handles
are
boring. That’s their function,” he argued.
    “Don’t have to be,” she said, and held up the brassobject she’d brought with her, and grinned at it proudly. “Now see,
these
are fun.”
    Lucas just stared at her. “A
parrot
? You want me to have
parrots
on my cabinets?”
    Mike looked from him to the small, perfectly detailed brass parrot in her hand. She’d found them more than a year ago at an outlet place in San Francisco. She’d bought every one they had and tucked them away, for the house she was planning to build.
    For
this
house.
    They were whimsical, charming, and just quirky enough to brighten up a kitchen. And she’d been waiting a solid year to see them as they’d been meant to be seen. They were
perfect
. “They’re cute.”
    “They’re
stupid
.”
    Mike swallowed hard and folded her fingers around the little parrot protectively. “You haven’t seen them up.”
    “Don’t want to.”
    “You could give them a try.”
    “Why would I want parrots in my kitchen?”
    A surprising sting of tears rushed to her eyes and Mike thought for one horrifying moment that she might actually
cry
. She
never
cried. Much less here. In front of
him
.
    She swallowed back the knot of emotion that was suddenly, completely, filling her throat and reached down deep inside to find her inner indignation. Looking around the sun-washed room, she took note of the cozy nook nestled in front of a bay window, the strategically placed cooking island in the center of the kitchen, the miles of gleaming black granite and therich blue tiles beneath their feet. She glanced at the small pass-through fireplace she’d insisted Lucas add on the wall separating the kitchen from the dining room and knew she’d done her part to make this house special.
    Which was why, really, she’d brought the parrots here. There was no point in holding on to them for the dream house that was now not going to be built. Besides, she’d bought them for
this
house.
    “You know,” she said, sliding her gaze back to the ungrateful geek in front of her. “If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have a fireplace in here, or a cooking island or the extra counters or cabinets.”
    He glared down at her. “None of those things were on the blueprints, remember? They weren’t
supposed
to be here.”
    “Yeah, but they look great, don’t they?”
    His jaw worked as if he was biting back words trying to spill from his mouth. At last, though, he grudgingly admitted, “Yes. The kitchen is great. Just the way it
is
.”
    She looked down at the brass parrot in her hand and thought for one brief shining moment about throwing it at him. But she might nick the brass. Lifting her gaze, she said, “Fine, then. You don’t want the parrots, you can keep your boring, plain cabinet pulls.”
    “You’re surrendering?” He sounded amazed.
    “Hah!” It cost her, but she put enough emphasis into that laugh that she was pretty sure he believed her. “Marconis never give up. I’m just not going to waste my parrots on a man who can’t appreciate them.”
    She tightened up the old cabinet pull, slammed thedoor shut, then, still clutching the cold brass parrot, turned around and stomped across the gleaming blue tiles. Grabbing the paper bag she’d left on the counter, she swung around to face him again and winced as she heard the soft
clink
of