Page 10 of Designs on You

“You’re very good at your job.”

This time she did look up. “You think so?”

He shoved a fry in his mouth, chewed, and swallowed, then nodded. “Yeah. You know what looks right and what fits, and you aren’t afraid to state your opinion. I like people who have strong opinions.”

“Really.”

“Well, yeah. How are you going to know what someone is thinking or how they feel unless they tell you?”

She couldn’t help but laugh. “You don’t know my ex-husband.”

He took a swallow of his iced tea and studied her. “Obviously he didn’t want you to share your opinion on things.”

“On anything. He just wanted to dictate and have me obey.”

Eugene made a disgusted face. “He does know this is the twenty-first century, right?”

“I guess you could say he’s more of an old-school kind of guy.”

“How so?”

“I stayed home, kept the house clean, cooked meals, raised the kids. I wasn’t supposed to have an opinion on anything because he made all the decisions. Where we went on vacation. What we did on the weekends. How money was spent. I only wish I had known that before I married him.”

Instead of giving her that sad, sympathetic look she’d gotten from so many of her friends and family, he just shrugged. “But you’re not married to him anymore. You’re free. Independent. So now you can do—and say—whatever the hell you want, right?”

He understood. “Yes, I can.”

“Good for you.”

She popped a chip into the salsa and slid it into her mouth. She chewed thoughtfully, watching as Eugene polished off the last of his fries. She slid the chips and salsa to the center of the table, and he grinned, grabbing a chip and loading salsa on top of it.

“We probably need something stronger than iced tea,” he said, motioning for the server. “Margaritas?”

She shouldn’t. She had work to do. Then again, it was Friday, and Sean had the kids for the weekend, which meant she could do her orders and paperwork tomorrow. “It is close to the end of the day.”

Their server came over. “Two margaritas, please. Oh, and more chips and salsa.”

“Tell me about your new job,” she said.

“I design games. Or that’s what I did before. Do you play games?”

“Not really.”

“Too bad. They can be fun. Strategic. Challenging. We should play together sometime.”

We should play together sometime. A sudden rush of heat permeated her body. He’d been discussing games, of course. Her dirty mind had imagined other types of play entirely.

“I’m not much into games.”

Their server brought their drinks along with fresh chips and salsa. Eugene took a sip of his margarita, then asked, “You play games with your kids, don’t you?”

She shrugged and took a swallow of what turned out to be a very delicious margarita. “Christopher’s idea of games is throwing his ball outside or playing some Spider-Man game on his tablet. Cammie is more into paint by numbers and some dollhouse game. I think they’re both a little young to play the kinds of video games you’re talking about.”

He nodded. “Not really. There are tons of interactive games that can be played as a family.”

“I’m not sure.”

“Hey, this is what I do. You have to trust me. If you want some quality time with your kids, and something they’ll enjoy, believe me. I can find video games they’ll enjoy.”

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