Read Online Mina's Heart by Michele Zurlo - Free Book Online Page B

didn’t plan on having company tonight, so please excuse the mess.”
    He pushed open the door and reached inside to flip on the switch. True to form, he expected her to enter first.
    The interior wasn’t what she had anticipated, especially after his warning. It opened to a narrow foyer with a dining room on the right. The light from the foyer fell across a tall, square table stained dark. A laptop and several stacks of papers occupied space there, which wasn’t something she would consider messy. It was obvious he did some work from home. Frames of various sizes hung on the walls. There wasn’t enough light for her to make out anything.
    A door opened to the left. Through it, she could make out an unmade bed. Beyond that door, a narrow metal-and-glass table held three small baskets. Ever threw his keys in the first one. The second was full of potpourri, and the third was brimming with odds and ends. She made out some coils of rope, a Swiss army knife, and some clips like the kind she used to hook her water bottle to her backpack when she went hiking.
    Everett closed the door to the bedroom and tossed one of those charming grins in her direction. “I’ve never voluntarily made a bed in my life.”
    She laughed at his unapologetic explanation. “That’s okay. I stopped making my bed the day I left for college.” It was a small act of rebellion, but she derived immense pleasure from it.
    He kissed her cheek and guided her forward with the gentle pressure of his hand on her lower back. That expression she liked was back on his face, the one full of pride and anticipation. “I knew it. You totally cut loose once you got to Harvard. Unless you’re expecting serious company, what’s the point? You’re just going to mess it up again.”
    The apartment opened up just past the foyer, revealing a spacious kitchen behind the bedroom and a living area behind the dining room. A rectangular island divided the long room, and the far wall was full of windows. The living room had sliding glass doors that opened to a balcony. The lack of light meant Mina couldn’t get a true sense of the balcony’s size.
    It wasn’t neat, exactly. Lived-in would be a more apt description. A glass and a mug were on the counter next to the sink. Two cereal boxes shared space on the island with a stack of paperback novels and some folded laundry. In the living area, throw pillows were stacked on one end of the sofa, and a pile of blankets was wadded at the other end. The wood floor looked like it had been swept but not mopped recently.
    “I have a cat,” he said. “I hope you’re not allergic.”
    On cue, a tiny feline climbed from beneath the blankets. It was a bundle of tan fur with black-and-white patches. It yawned and stretched before meandering toward Everett. “A kitten?”
    “Yeah. The vet says she’s about eight months old. I’ve had her for about six weeks. She’s very affectionate.” The kitten brushed up against Everett’s ankles, arching and purring loudly. He scooped her up and set her on his shoulders. She settled down as he stroked her with one hand. “Her name is Jolinar. I call her Jolo.”
    Mina scratched the kitten behind her ears. The little creature rubbed her head against Mina’s hand, adjusting to make sure the scratches happened exactly where she wanted them. She’d always wanted a kitten, but her father frowned on having pets. She’d been allowed a goldfish for a few months when she was in grade school, but it had died rather quickly, and that had been the end of that.
    After a few minutes of bonding, Ever crossed to a post where a bit of wall separated the glass doors in the living area from the windows in the kitchen. Small platforms extended from the sides at random locations. Jolinar hopped to one a little higher than Everett’s head and began furiously licking all the places she’d been petted.
    Ever pursed his lips in a wry frown. “I found her wandering around, starving, her fur a mess, on the