Manhattan Lullaby Read Online Free

good.”
    She turned to face him. She wasn’t smiling. “Oh, so you’re finally home.” There was a distinct and unmistakable edge to her voice.
    â€œWhat’s that supposed to mean?”
    â€œNothing.” She shrugged and turned back to the stove. But he knew that it was the kind of “nothing” that women say when they really mean “something” but aren’t ready to tell you what.
    Bradley decided not to push it. “How was your day?” He said too cheerfully, stifling a yawn.
    â€œObviously not as tiring as yours,” she said over her shoulder. There was no mistaking the sarcasm.
    â€œSorry.” He yawned again. “I must have walked twenty blocks. The cold air makes me sleepy.”
    â€œIn that case, I guess I’ll have to start shutting the bedroom window at night.”
    â€œWhat’s that supposed to mean?” She was getting closer to telling him what was bugging her and he braced himself.
    â€œ Noth-ing ,” she said tersely and turned off the element under the pot.
    Now he knew he was really going to be in for it. Two “nothings” and a scarcely veiled reference to their sex life—or lack of it. Look out!
    From the other end of the kitchen came a squawk followed by a whistle. “Chester’s hungry,” she said to Bradley, pouring the contents of the pan into a small plastic dish. She blew on it for a minute to cool it down a little. “Here, give him this, would you?”
    Realizing that the dinner she had been cooking was not for him, Bradley became a trifle irritable. If he couldn’t have sleep, he at least wanted to be able to count on having food. “He’s your guest, you feed him.”
    â€œPardon me for asking.”
    â€œWell, it’s disgusting. He keeps barfing all the time.”
    â€œHe’s not barfing . He’s regurgitating his food. They do that for their mates, and he thinks that I’m his … well, you get the idea.”
    Bradley grimaced at the thought. “Great. I’m about to marry a woman who’s been two-timing me with a bird,” and he walked out of the kitchen.
    He lay down on the couch. He could hear her talking softly to the parrot. “Stupid bird,” he muttered to himself. Janie and her animals were beginning to get on his nerves. But then, these days, everything was beginning to get on his nerves. He figured it might be a chemical imbalance brought on by an excess of hormones, which had been brought on by an excess of—well, never mind. But he wasn’t sure. In any case, he wasn’t about to go to a doctor to find out. He wasn’t going to start telling the whole world what he had been doing.
    After a few minutes Janie came into the living room. “Are we having a fight?” she asked, sitting on the edge of the couch next to him.
    Bradley shook his head. He didn’t mind having an argument, but he didn’t want to have a fight. Not just before the wedding. “No. I’m sorry I was late. I just went out for … a while to get some air.” In the kitchen Chester squawked again and flapped his wings. “And to get away from him.”
    â€œI’m sorry, he won’t be here much longer. Dolly’s picking him up Thursday afternoon. I know he’s been driving you crazy. But the advertising agency thought that if he was with me—you know, one on one—I might be able to get him to say it right. The client is getting impatient. Chester is their new spokesbird. He’s the center of their whole spring campaign. And I’m the only one he’ll respond to.”
    Bradley felt a pang of guilt. She was working hard for the two of them and all he could do was complain. “And why not?” he said, taking her hand in his. “Parrots are supposed to be very intelligent birds.”
    â€œAre we making up?” She smiled and leaned over and placed a kiss softly on his lips. At