Page 52 of Designs on You

Eugene balanced two boxes of pizza on one hand and a bouquet of flowers in the other. He used his elbow to push the bell at Natalie’s front door, smiling at the sound of a dog’s bark.

Natalie opened the door, and her bright smile was everything. Grizelda wound around his legs as he stepped in, her tail doing happy flips.

He bent down to give her lots of love as he looked up at Natalie. “She seems to be settled in and happy, huh?”

Natalie looked down at the pup. “It’s like she’s been here her whole life.”

“Perfect.”

“Eugene!” Christopher ran down the hall and launched himself at Eugene’s legs.

“Hey, buddy,” Eugene said. “What’s up?”

“We found a turtle in the backyard yesterday. Mom didn’t let us keep him.”

“Oh, too bad. But that’s because the turtle was probably traveling to his home in a pond somewhere, right, Mom?”

Natalie nodded. “That’s right. Plus, Grizelda kept barking at him and wouldn’t let him move.”

“Ah.”

They walked into the kitchen so Eugene could set the pizzas down on the island. “For you,” he said to Natalie, handing her the bouquet.

She sniffed them and smiled. “Very sweet of you. Thank you.”

Christopher flopped onto the floor. Grizelda immediately climbed onto Christopher’s lap.

“This is Grizelda,” Christopher said, absently running his hand over the dog’s back. “She’s our dog. We have to feed her and love her and take care of her. She likes balls and squishy toys.”

Eugene kneeled down. “Having a dog is a big responsibility. I’ll bet you and Cammie do a great job taking care of her.”

“Yeah, we do. But mostly me.”

“So not true.” Cammie came in and sat next to Christopher. Grizelda hopped over to her lap and lapped kisses all over Cammie’s face, making her laugh.

Christopher lay on the floor and the dog jumped on him, giving him kisses, too.

“I can tell that Grizelda has enough love for both of you.”

“She’s extremely affectionate,” Natalie said. “And very gentle with the kids.”

She went over to the cabinet and pulled out plates. “Kids, it’s time to eat. Go wash your hands.”

It was funny how two little kids could make sounds like an entire herd of buffalo as they ran down the hall.

Natalie pulled salad out of the fridge along with a bowl of fruit while Eugene laid the pizza boxes on the table.

“I think you did way more work than I did,” he said.

She laughed. “This was easy and I don’t have to cook tonight. You saved my life. Plus, the kids love pizza.”

“I feel a little less guilty, then.”

The kids came back, and he helped Natalie set up the kids’ plates. He’d gotten one cheese and one pepperoni pizza, figuring those would probably work, which they did. Christopher liked pepperoni, and Cammie liked cheese, and Eugene could eat anything. Natalie opted for a slice of each. He piled salad and fruit onto his plate, and they all dug in.

The kids regaled him with talk of school and activities.

“We’re both doing swimming lessons this summer, like we always do,” Cammie said.

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