Page 41 of Designs on You

“Sure.” He laid the book aside and pulled Christopher into his arms, got up, and laid him in his bed. Natalie turned off the light and they left the room.

“He still naps?” Eugene asked as they made their way into the kitchen.

“Not really, but sometimes he just needs quiet time or he gets overwhelmed and overtired. He’s pretty much go, go, go from the time he gets up until he goes to bed, so a little downtime lets him recharge. If he falls asleep, great. If he doesn’t, that’s fine, too.”

She handed him a glass of iced tea, poured one for herself, too.

Eugene took a long swallow. “He’s a pretty awesome kid, Natalie.”

“Thanks. I think so, too. I was thinking of making a very elegant dinner of hot dogs, applesauce, and chips. Maybe some fruit. Are you interested?”

He arched a brow. “Interested? It’s my favorite food.”

She laughed. “Sure it is.”

“Seems kind of complicated, though. Anything I can do to help?”

“If you can handle the grill, I’ll open the applesauce and bag of chips. When everything’s ready I’ll wake up Christopher, because if he sleeps too long I’ll never get him to bed at a reasonable hour tonight.”

He nodded. “I’m on the grill.”

Eugene had expected a short visit, just to say hi and drop off the gift for Christopher. What he hadn’t expected was lively chatter, the kid’s exuberant laughter, and to have so much fun.

They ate food, then Christopher played with his new toy around the pool. He decided he wanted to go swimming, which Natalie said wasn’t allowed until after his stitches came out, so Eugene suggested they dip their legs in the pool instead. He found a couple of sticks, and they pretended to be fishing. Of course Christopher knew nothing about fishing, so Eugene explained how it would be when they went fishing for real, but for tonight, they’d have to pretend to catch the toys floating at the top of the pool. Christopher giggled and listened to Eugene talk about all the types of fish they were going to catch. Even Natalie seemed enthralled listening to Eugene tell stories of deep-sea fishing, though when he suggested a fishing trip, she shook her head violently and made it clear she had no intention of getting on a boat and going fishing. Ever.

That had seemed rather definite.

Eventually Christopher began to yawn, so Natalie dried himoff and got his pajamas on. They all sat in the living room to watch a movie. Christopher fell asleep after thirty minutes.

“Should I put him in bed for you?” Eugene stood.

“No, I’ve got him. I’ll leave him on the sofa for a bit to make sure he’s fully asleep.”

“Okay. I’m going to head out.”

They both headed for the door. Natalie turned to face him, and that familiar tension that always seemed to surround them curled through his body.

“Thanks for staying,” she said, taking a step forward.

He knew if he kissed her, if he pulled her into his arms, he’d want more. And that wasn’t going to happen tonight.

So instead, he brushed her cheek with a kiss. “I had fun. Thanks for letting me hang out. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

She smiled. “Sure.”

She closed the door, and he headed out to his truck. A car was pulling up as soon as he got to the driveway, giving him pause. He recognized Sean, Natalie’s ex, so after he got out Eugene waited, wanting to make sure Natalie was going to be okay. Then he saw a little girl climb out of the back seat and he grinned.

“Hi, Eugene,” Cammie said.

“Hey, Cammie. How’s it going?”

“Good. Did you know my brother got stitches?”

“I did. Pretty cool, huh?”

“Yeah. I haven’t gotten stitches yet.”

“Good for you. You’re too pretty for stitches.”

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