Page 92 of Designs on You

Her heart squeezed. “Thank you. That was my thought, too. That your partner and your kids should always be put first. Sure, sometimes work has to take priority, and I get that.”

“I get that, too. But it shouldn’t be all the time. If it is, then there’s something wrong.”

“Yes.” She loved that Eugene understood, that he didn’t think she was being unreasonable, which was what Sean had told her when she tried to explain she and the kids needed more of his time. They’d argued constantly about it, and she’d finally realized that they were never going to see eye to eye on something she considered so important. She could never make him see that being with his children was vital to his relationship with them. She wasn’t sure he’d figured that out even now. But she had no control over that. So instead, she was determined to be enough for them. Plus they had her mom and Paul, and Hazel and Linc. And the kids seemed happy, which was all that mattered.

After they got warm, they took a quick swim in the pool to cool down, then dried off. They put on shirts and cover-ups and headed into the restaurant for a bite to eat.

Natalie got a lovely shrimp salad, and Eugene had a turkey sandwich. They sipped lemonade and iced tea while they ate. She was so relaxed but also had trouble pushing aside the guilt about not being at work or with her kids and her dog.

“I feel like I should be working, or at home with my kids,” she said. “This is very decadent.”

“Sometimes a break is good for you. Refreshes you for both work and parenting. Though I’m just guessing on the parenting thing.”

He had a point. “I don’t disagree.”

“What would you do if you were suddenly rich?” he asked.

She swallowed a delectable bite of shrimp, then paused. “Oh.Interesting question. I don’t know. Pay off the house, put money away for the kids, donate some to several of my favorite charities, and then…well, I don’t know. Probably put the rest away.”

“You wouldn’t upgrade your lifestyle in any way?” he asked. “You know. Trendy car, huge house, fancy clothes, and the like?”

She shrugged. “I’m pretty happy with my life the way it is. I can’t think of anything else I want or need.”

“That’s boring. Reach for the stars and dream big here, Natalie. Tell me what you’d do if money were no object.”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe an SUV so I’d have more room for all my design stuff, plus all the kids’ things.”

He waited, and when she didn’t say anything else he asked, “And?”

“And what? I don’t lack for anything, Eugene. I have a nice house that has plenty of space for me and the kids. We’re not hurting financially. Sean has set up a college fund for both the children. I have a job I love. We’re good.”

“Huh. Okay, then. You just want a bigger car.”

She laughed. “Pretty much. Maybe a designer purse. Always wanted one of those.”

“There you go. Something big just for yourself.”

“And what about you? What would you do?”

“Oh, well. Huge house. Like seven or eight bedrooms, five or six bathrooms. But also a state-of-the-art game room that’s on its own level with lots of room for various play.”

“Of course.”

“Hey, I not only design, I also play. It gets my creative juices flowing, ya know?”

“Sure. But an entire level?”

“Yeah. It allows me to stretch out, especially with VR.”

She frowned. “VR?”

“Virtual reality.” He stared at her. “You and I need to play.”

She slid her hand over his. “Indeed we do.”

He took in a breath. “Yeah, we definitely need to do that, but also, I need to broaden your gaming horizons.”

“Oh wow, I’m not much of a gamer, Eugene. Unless it’sMs.Pac-Man. And I’m not into playing war games or racing cars.”

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