Read Online No Place Like Home by Leigh Michaels - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Leigh Michaels
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How dared Brendan sneer at it! She glanced down at her hand and sighed wistfully.
“ I think that sigh must mean that he designed it without even asking what you wanted,” Brendan hazarded.
“ And I think that it’s a beautiful ring and—and none of your business.”
He let her fingers slip out of his, and the weight of the ring dragged her hand down. “That’s true,” he said. “It certainly is none of my affair. Shall we catch up with your multi-talented fiancé?”
Graham was upstairs by then, inspecting the master bedroom.
Brendan waved a hand at the bedroom across the hall and said, “I think you’ll find this to be quite a comfortable house for a family, Mr. Forrest. The nursery is just across the hall and the entertainment center downstairs, right in the center of the house, would make a wonderful playroom. It would be very easy to keep track of the children.”
Graham looked at him with disbelief and said, “That’s only another way of saying that they’d always be underfoot!”
It didn’t disturb Brendan. “Nothing of the sort,” he said. “As soon as they’re old enough, they can be moved down to the bedrooms on the lower level. The entertainment center could be soundproofed so if you wanted to have a party, it wouldn’t disturb the children.” He was smiling calmly.
Graham didn’t bother to answer that one. “Kaye,” he said, “now that you’ve had your little joke, shall we get down to some serious house-hunting?”
“ I don’t understand,” she said. “I am serious, Graham.”
Graham waved a hand. “This is absolutely impossible, Kaye. There isn’t even space for a maid’s room.”
“ The maid’s going to live with us?” she asked weakly.
“ The dining room will only seat six, at best. The entire house is far too small to entertain properly.”
“ But you haven’t even looked at the lower level. There is an enormous room down there.”
“ Are you really suggesting that I entertain my clients and my friends in a basement, Kaye? How do you plan to give dinner parties? By setting up a buffet on a ping pong table? I think you must have gone completely mad.” He glanced at Brendan. “Or else you have fallen into the clutches of an unscrupulous salesman.”
“ That’s ridiculous, Graham! Brendan is not unscrupulous.” She was almost in tears.
“ Certainly not unscrupulous,” Brendan said calmly. “But perhaps I’m confused. If we could sit down and talk about what you’d like to have, Mr. Forrest—?” He indicated a window seat.
“ I thought I had made things clear to Kaye,” Graham said, but he settled himself on the seat.
“ Yes, I believe Kaye thought you had, too. It happens sometimes; a client falls in love with a house and is completely blind to its faults. Now, if we can just talk it over—”
Kaye was furious. Isn’t that just like two men? she thought. When something goes wrong, they blame the woman!—and then they go off and discuss it without even including her. Dammit, this is going to be my house! Shouldn’t I at least have a say in it?
But they had their heads together, and they obviously weren’t going to listen to anything she said.
She retreated to the entrance hall, her resentment building into a storm. If there had been a china vase handy, she would have smashed it.
So she had fallen in love with the house, had she? And she had become completely blind to its faults! At least now she knew where she stood with Brendan McKenna, she thought resentfully—precisely nowhere!
He hadn’t even backed her up; as soon as he saw which way the wind was blowing, he had promptly deserted her cause and agreed with Graham. Well, that shouldn’t have surprised her, she decided. She certainly didn’t have the money to buy a house; it was Graham’s funds that would, in the long run, pay Brendan’s commission.
And that, she thought spitefully, was what he was counting on to pay for that spanking new car. She
“ I think that sigh must mean that he designed it without even asking what you wanted,” Brendan hazarded.
“ And I think that it’s a beautiful ring and—and none of your business.”
He let her fingers slip out of his, and the weight of the ring dragged her hand down. “That’s true,” he said. “It certainly is none of my affair. Shall we catch up with your multi-talented fiancé?”
Graham was upstairs by then, inspecting the master bedroom.
Brendan waved a hand at the bedroom across the hall and said, “I think you’ll find this to be quite a comfortable house for a family, Mr. Forrest. The nursery is just across the hall and the entertainment center downstairs, right in the center of the house, would make a wonderful playroom. It would be very easy to keep track of the children.”
Graham looked at him with disbelief and said, “That’s only another way of saying that they’d always be underfoot!”
It didn’t disturb Brendan. “Nothing of the sort,” he said. “As soon as they’re old enough, they can be moved down to the bedrooms on the lower level. The entertainment center could be soundproofed so if you wanted to have a party, it wouldn’t disturb the children.” He was smiling calmly.
Graham didn’t bother to answer that one. “Kaye,” he said, “now that you’ve had your little joke, shall we get down to some serious house-hunting?”
“ I don’t understand,” she said. “I am serious, Graham.”
Graham waved a hand. “This is absolutely impossible, Kaye. There isn’t even space for a maid’s room.”
“ The maid’s going to live with us?” she asked weakly.
“ The dining room will only seat six, at best. The entire house is far too small to entertain properly.”
“ But you haven’t even looked at the lower level. There is an enormous room down there.”
“ Are you really suggesting that I entertain my clients and my friends in a basement, Kaye? How do you plan to give dinner parties? By setting up a buffet on a ping pong table? I think you must have gone completely mad.” He glanced at Brendan. “Or else you have fallen into the clutches of an unscrupulous salesman.”
“ That’s ridiculous, Graham! Brendan is not unscrupulous.” She was almost in tears.
“ Certainly not unscrupulous,” Brendan said calmly. “But perhaps I’m confused. If we could sit down and talk about what you’d like to have, Mr. Forrest—?” He indicated a window seat.
“ I thought I had made things clear to Kaye,” Graham said, but he settled himself on the seat.
“ Yes, I believe Kaye thought you had, too. It happens sometimes; a client falls in love with a house and is completely blind to its faults. Now, if we can just talk it over—”
Kaye was furious. Isn’t that just like two men? she thought. When something goes wrong, they blame the woman!—and then they go off and discuss it without even including her. Dammit, this is going to be my house! Shouldn’t I at least have a say in it?
But they had their heads together, and they obviously weren’t going to listen to anything she said.
She retreated to the entrance hall, her resentment building into a storm. If there had been a china vase handy, she would have smashed it.
So she had fallen in love with the house, had she? And she had become completely blind to its faults! At least now she knew where she stood with Brendan McKenna, she thought resentfully—precisely nowhere!
He hadn’t even backed her up; as soon as he saw which way the wind was blowing, he had promptly deserted her cause and agreed with Graham. Well, that shouldn’t have surprised her, she decided. She certainly didn’t have the money to buy a house; it was Graham’s funds that would, in the long run, pay Brendan’s commission.
And that, she thought spitefully, was what he was counting on to pay for that spanking new car. She
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