Page 58 of Designs on You

“Great. I’ll be right there.”

With a disgusted sigh, she hung up and texted him the address.

She’d use him to help her finish up this house on time, and then she’d tell him he was no more important to her than she’d obviously been to him.

And that would be the end of their relationship.

The thought of it made her stomach twinge, but it was for the best. The last thing she wanted was to allow him to hurt her, and what he’d done was a clear sign that falling for Eugene would hurt her.

No way was she going to allow that to happen.

• • •

Eugene had stopped along the way to pick up a cup of Natalie’s favorite iced coffee, hoping the small token would at least entice her to open the door. Beyond that, he was going to have to do an enormous amount of groveling.

He’d been kicking his own ass ever since he’d been so in his own head about work that he hadn’t bothered to check his phone. He just had to hope she’d forgive him.

He pulled into the driveway of the house.

Big damn house. Fancy, too. He got out of the car, grabbed the coffee, and walked up the steps to the porch to ring the bell.

After a minute, the door opened and Natalie stood there.

“Hey,” he said, keeping it friendly and casual. “I brought you an iced latte.”

She looked at the coffee, then back at him, taking the coffee from his outstretched hand. “Thanks. Come on, we have work to do.”

At least she let him in, which he considered a small victory.

The floors were hardwood, at least wherever there wasn’t marble, like the entryway. As he went in farther, he saw tall ceilings and so much light from all the huge windows.

“This place is outstanding,” he said.

“Yes, it is.”

He also saw boxes strewn everywhere and various people wandering around.

“Your crew?”

She took a sip of the coffee, then nodded. “A few installers for drapes and shutters. Otherwise, I’ll be doing the rest of the décor.”

“Okay, then. Put me to work.”

• • •

Natalie figured that Eugene would spend all of his time just hanging out and doing nothing while she did all the work.

She was wrong. He’d hung pictures, put up shelving, arranged objects on said shelving over and over again until she was satisfied, and never once complained. He’d fluffed sofa pillows, bed pillows, and even dog bed pillows without making fun of the process or the outcome.

“The client has specific likes—and dislikes,” she explained. “And two very cute but discerning Pomeranians.”

“Which would explain the dog bed setup, right?”

“Yes. The client always gets what they want. Unless I can talk them out of it.”

“Hey, you get paid if they’re happy. And if they’re really happy, you get referrals for even more business.”

“You understand.”

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