Page 82 of Designs on You

She laughed. “Okay, we’ll start with the kitchen appliances. Fridge, stove, oven, microwave, and dishwasher.” They wandered to that location, a shining heaven of stainless steel. She took a stepback, giving Eugene a chance to look them over. She could tell right away that he gravitated to the dark stainless steel and shied away from anything shiny. She made a note of that.

She figured he’d point and say “That one,” and they’d be out of there in ten minutes. Instead, he was thoughtful, discussed fridge space, and whether or not he’d need a convection microwave in case his mom came for Thanksgiving. Then he finally turned to face her.

“What do you like?” he asked.

“Me? It’s not my house, Eugene. It’s yours. You choose what you like.”

“Yeah, but it’s just me. And maybe it’s not my forever house, but if and when I sell it, some family will likely buy it, so I’d want them to have something nice.”

“Okay, then. Let’s go.”

In short order, and after a few suggestions from Natalie, Eugene had chosen all the appliances, including a fantastic washer and dryer. Of course then Eugene had to drag her to the lawn and garden section, where he choose a mower, trimmer, and more than a few lawn beautifying implements.

When they finished there, they were off to the furniture store.

“This place is enormous,” Eugene said with a grimace. “This will take forever.”

“Well, you got rid of all your furniture,” she said, giving him a look. “All your everything, for that matter. So quit your whining and let’s get moving. We have a big list.”

They started with living room furniture. And while she was grateful appliance shopping hadn’t taken long, she figured thiswould take up the rest of the day. She was surprised to discover that Eugene zeroed in on what he liked almost immediately, choosing a sectional and a couple side chairs along with end tables and a coffee table. The dining table had been equally easy for him to pick out, and then they’d moved to bedroom furniture.

Now he wandered a bit, taking the time to step back and examine each suite.

“Too big,” he said to one as they walked by. “Not sturdy enough,” he said about another. At the third set, he wrinkled his nose in distaste. “That one’s just ugly. None of these are right.”

She laughed. “Okay, Goldilocks. There’ll be one for you that’s just right.”

He finally settled on a frame, dresser, and nightstands in black that suited his tastes. Natalie had to admit it had a sleek, modern look.

“With the right mattress, one nice and thick, it’ll be one hell of a bed.”

He grinned and put his arm around her. “Can’t wait to try it out with you.”

Her body tingled, making her heat all over. But she couldn’t deny the idea of being the first to be in that bed with him made her want to hurry this along.

He had already ordered furniture for his office and had already arranged for the wiring and work product he’d need delivered from his company, so she wouldn’t have to do anything in that room other than the wallpaper, flooring, and paint.

He picked out beds and dressers for the guest rooms, and they checked out.

“I’m done for,” he said, tucking his credit card back in his wallet.

“We still have all the accoutrements to deal with,” she said. “Pots and pans and dishes.”

“Ugh.” He dragged his fingers through his hair. “Do I have to?”

She could tell he was actually at the tipping point of not wanting to shop anymore. “If you trust me, I’ll do the selections.”

“I would love for you to do that for me. Thank you.”

“Consider it done.” She posted a note to herself to deal with it at the office tomorrow. “But for now, how about drinks?”

He looked at his phone. “You don’t have the kids?”

She shook her head. “They’re with Sean tonight. For the next three nights, actually. I told him he’d been lagging on being a good dad and that he was doing what I considered the bare minimum. I said he needed to step up and be responsible for the kids because I had some work things to deal with. And if he couldn’t do that, then I’d ask for more child support and full custody.”

As they walked out, Eugene cast a look of admiration her way. “Told him, didn’t you?”

“I did. I’m tired of him walking all over me, thinking he can do whatever he wants and nothing ever changes. So I’m just not dealing with his bullshit anymore.”

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