Diva 03 _ Diva Paints the Town, The Read Online Free PDF Page B

Dinner tonight? I wonder if that old Chinese place downtown is still around—the one that used to be open until three in the morning? I’ll call and find out.”
    Mars and Bernie appeared in the doorway. “No wonder Mordecai wouldn’t let anyone inside.” Mars stared at the mess in dismay. “Holy cow! This is a pigsty.”
    “But look at this woodwork.” Bernie skirted trash and eased a gentle hand over a built-in bookcase that covered an exterior wall of the room. “This is all hand-carved. Do you think Mordecai did it himself ?”
    Carrying a clipboard, Natasha marched in and said, “I suppose Kurt and Bernie will be engaged in demolition tomorrow? Can you do it in one day, or shall I schedule you for two?”
    Kurt held up two fingers. “If you want that brick wall in the kitchen removed, you’d better count on at least two days. It’s going to be a mess.”
    She looked at Bernie. “And how long will you need?”
    He glanced at me, his brows furrowed. “What am I tearing out?”
    “That horrible built-in that covers the wall.” Natasha smiled at him.
    “Horrible? That’s walnut. And the workmanship is exemplary.”
    Natasha’s head jerked as if he’d lobbed a ball at her. “It’s dark and it’s dated. No one will ever buy the house with that monstrosity. Sophie, you simply must tear it out.”
    Leaning against Mordecai’s oversized desk, I studied the wall. The built-in housed books, a TV set, and assorted knickknacks, and heaven knew what awaited us behind the doors. The wood was dark, but I wasn’t altogether sure that it wouldn’t brighten up a bit if we cleaned it. “It’s very practical. And it’s quite ornate. You’d have to pay a fortune at an architectural salvage company to get something a quarter that size.”
    “Quite right. It’s exquisite.” Bernie ran his hand over an intricate scroll that had been chiseled out of the wood. “Someone put a lot of effort into this. Look at this owl, it’s carved from one piece of wood, not pressed like the junk they sell today. In fact, I’m thinking a window seat in that corner would balance it nicely. What do you think, Sophie? You could run up some feather-stuffed cushions and make a cozy reading nook by that window.”
    Natasha huffed. “I knew you two would be trouble. I want that thing gone. Cleaned out. Do you understand?” She tromped off to the kitchen.
    Kurt grimaced. “She’s never like that on her show.”
    “Meet the real Natasha,” said Nina.
    Kurt blew air out of his cheeks. “She talked to me about renovating her kitchen a few years ago, and now it’s all coming back to me. Aw gee. She’s going to be a pain to work with, isn’t she?”
    “We’ll be right here if you need reinforcements.” Nina grinned at him coyly.
    In the meantime, Bernie had whipped out a measuring tape and was calling out numbers to Mars, who jotted them down. They seemed to be on a roll, and headed off to pick up a pizza and buy wood for the window seat. Nina and I walked home together—I was looking forward to my date, and she wanted to change for a drink with her old flame Kurt.
    “This little date wouldn’t have anything to do with your husband and the vixen on his cruise, would it?”
    “Spoilsport. It’s not a date. I’m just catching up with an old friend. Haven’t you ever run into one of your old beaus?”
    “Only Mars.”
    “It’s just an innocent drink and dinner—like when you have lunch with Mars. And if I should happen to need a name to throw at my husband on his return, well, I’ll have a little ammunition of my own.”
    As I crossed the street to my home, I put Nina and Kurt out of mind. Tonight, Wolf and I would finally get together. No more broken dates. No more dinners with my ex.
    I opened the little gate to the service entrance and found a local courier holding a box the size of a large microwave oven. I signed for it and carried the heavy package into the kitchen. Mochie jumped on the table to sniff the box