Chapter Thirty-Three
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Eugene had hustled to get caught up, making sure he could take some time off when Warren and Joe came to visit. And of course that meant they’d discovered some bugs in the ride’s design matrix, which meant he’d put in some overnight hours debugging the program, which also meant he hadn’t seen Natalie at all.
But they’d fixed the program, had done several run-throughs with no issues, and Eugene had even managed one excellent full night’s sleep so he wouldn’t be a cranky asshole when he showed up at his brother’s house tonight to hang out with Warren and Joe.
He’d spent half a day at work to continue to check on the ride’s progress. It was coming along, and the programming and design were now ahead of schedule, just like he’d wanted. After he left work, he stopped at the gym to work out the body stiffness from too many days bent over his computer, then went for a run, working out some of the frustration from spending all that time at the office. Nothing like fresh air and long strides to give him a brand new outlook. Now he felt energized.
A hot shower followed. He put on jeans and a T-shirt, laced up his tennis shoes, and stopped at the store to pick up flowers for Hazel since she was hosting, and, of course, flowers for Natalie because he’d missed her. He also grabbed wine, beer, and whiskey.
He was excited to see Warren and Joe. He was really looking forwarding to seeing Natalie. They’d texted and FaceTimed here and there whenever he could carve out a few minutes, but their talks had been brief and damned unsatisfying. She’d been totally understanding about his work situation, which he’d appreciated. It had given him the time to focus on what he’d needed to do without worrying he was hurting her feelings by not being there for her.
He arrived at Hazel and Linc’s place, gathered up the booze and flowers, and went through the garage and into the house, per Linc’s instructions.
Natalie was in the kitchen by herself. She turned when he entered and greeted him with her characteristic smile that never failed to brighten his day.
He laid everything on the counter and swept her into his arms and kissed her—deeply, passionately, as if that kiss was the satisfaction of a long, long craving that couldn’t be denied any longer.
Knowing they could be seen, including by the kids, he took a step back, swiping his fingertip across her bottom lip. “Damn, I missed you.”
Her eyes sparked with heat and something he couldn’t decipher. “I missed you, too. Hi.”
“Hi, yourself.” He reached over to the counter. “I brought you flowers. And I brought your sister flowers, too, for different reasons.”
She laughed. “Noted. And thank you.”
The back door opened and Hazel walked in. “Oh, hey, Eugene.”
Eugene gave Hazel a smile. “Hi, Hazel. Thanks for hosting my family tonight.”
“I’m happy to do it.”
He picked up the bouquet of wildflowers. “Brought these for you. Along with beer and booze.”
“All are appreciated. Thanks for thinking of me. Your brother Warren texted about five minutes ago to tell us they’re on the way.”
“Okay, thanks.”
“Linc’s outside if you want to join him.”
“I will.” He turned to Natalie. “Are the kids outside, too?”
“No, they’re with Sean tonight. Sean and his girlfriend, Madison, who I met today, wanted to take the kids to the new kids’ movie. He asked if it was okay if he could have them tonight.”
“Wow. How very outstandingly parental of him.”
“I know, right?” Hazel said. “I’ll be outside.”
After Hazel left the room, he asked, “So, Sean has a girlfriend. How do you feel about that?”
“I feel fine. Madison is actually very nice. She teaches fifth grade at Cammie’s school and she’s apparently great with the kids. Cammie can’t say enough good things about her, and Christopher said she’s fun.”
“I guess that’s pretty good accolades, coming from the kids.”
“Agreed. And I think she’s opened Sean’s eyes to the concept of spending more time with his children. And if she can do that, how can I possibly have any objections?”
“If you’re sure that’s all it is.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
He should probably shut up, but when did he ever do that? “I mean, I hope Sean wants to spend more time with Cammie and Christopher because he wants to. Because they’re his kids and he loves them. And not to impress some woman he’s dating.”
She opened her mouth, and he knew she wanted to object. She had every right to, and this really wasn’t any of his business. But she closed her mouth and cocked her head to the side.
“You know what? That thought had never occurred to me.”
“Of course not, because you think your kids are awesome and who wouldn’t want to hang out with them all the time?”
She reached for his hand. “You mean, like you do?”
“Hey, I like kids. I especially like your kids, which has nothing to do with how I feel about you.”
“Oh yeah? And how do you feel about me?”
He leaned into her. “Oh, we don’t have the time to get into that right now.”
“Really. How come?”
“Because you’re wearing too many clothes. But I’m happy to get into it in depth with you later, when we’re alone.”
“Sounds ideal. Now, what kind of wine did you bring? Hazel has reds and some sweet stuff.”
“I got your favorite, a pinot grigio.”
“Excellent. Pour me a glass and let’s go outside. It’s a beautiful night and we might as well enjoy it before the heat and bug season starts.”
“Before we do that, and since we’re alone…” He drew her into his arms and they lost each other in another deeply passionate kiss, making him wish they were actually alone so he could explore every inch of her. But they weren’t, so their kiss was woefully short.
He’d fix that later, though. For now, they headed outside to join Hazel and Linc and all the dogs.
“You’ve been busy,” Linc said once Eugene took a seat next to him. “I’ve hardly seen you.”
“No one has seen me.” He explained about all the fuckups at work, and what he and his team had to do to fix them.
“Ugh,” Linc said. “I hate when something goes awry and it takes forever to fix it. It’s like the faulty wiring in this house I’m working on right now. Had to rip it all out and start over from scratch.”
Eugene gaped at him. “Dude. You’re working on my house.”
“Huh. I am, aren’t I?”
It took him a few seconds to recognize that look on Linc’s face. Eugene rolled his eyes. “Asshole.”
Linc laughed. “Yeah, but I had you going for a while didn’t I? Anyway, you should come by and see the house. It’s nearly done.”
“Yeah? I’ve tried to stay out of the way so you and your crew can do your jobs.”
“And we have. Come by.”
“I’ll do that.”
“Bring Natalie, too.”
“Will do.”
“How’s that going, by the way? With Natalie?”
Eugene looked over where Natalie was engaged with Hazel and the dogs. He smiled. “It’s good. Really good.”
The back door opened, and Warren and Joe walked through. “We were told to let ourselves in.”
Eugene was surprised when their mother strolled in with them. Before he could say anything it was instant chaos with a barrage of barking dogs and everyone going over to greet them. Once the dogs had been properly greeted and petted and Hazel had taken them to their section of the property with a treat, Eugene went over and took Natalie’s hand.
“Come meet the rest of my family.”
She looked up at him with a nervous smile.
“Natalie Parker, this is my mother, Lisa Kennedy. And this is my brother Warren and his husband, Joe.”
Natalie shook hands with them one by one. “It’s so nice to meet all of you. Hazel has told me wonderful things.”
“That’s because we’re all awesome,” Warren said with a wink. “Great to meet you.”
They all went inside for drinks and snacks. Natalie pulled up a spot at the kitchen island next to Lisa. Eugene poured them both glasses of wine.
“Nice to see you, Mom,” he said, squeezing her shoulder. “It’s a good surprise.”
She patted his hand. “I’m happy to see you, too.”
After Eugene wandered off, Natalie asked, “Wow. Three boys, huh?”
“Yes. And, yes, they were a handful, especially being so close in age. But they were each others’ playmates and best friends.”
Warren coughed. Eugene choked back a laugh. Linc outright snorted.
“Okay, you three.” Lisa shook her head. “So, Natalie, tell me all about yourself.”
Natalie realized that Eugene hadn’t told his mother anything about her. About them. Which was fair. If her mother didn’t live so close, she likely wouldn’t know anything about her dating life, either. “I’m an interior designer, I’m divorced, and I have two kids. Camryn is seven and Christopher is five.”
Lisa’s eyes sparkled with delight. “Oh, you have children. That’s wonderful. They must keep you very busy.”
“They do.”
“She also just got a dog,” Hazel hollered from the dining room. “Grizelda is outside wrestling with Freddie.”
Lisa craned her neck to see the little fluffball tangled in a fun free-for-all with Hazel’s dachshund. “She’s cute.”
Natalie smiled. “Yeah, she is. The kids love her, and they really like taking care of her.”
“That’s good.” Lisa looked around. “Okay, they’ve all moved into the living room. Tell me about you and Eugene.”
“Oh. Well, we’re dating.” She had no idea what to tell Eugene’s mother about their relationship. And she sure couldn’t define it for Lisa when she had trouble doing that for herself.
Except you can define it because you love him and you know it.
Dammit. This was not the time for those thoughts to pop into her head.
“Well, of course you are. I already knew that.” Lisa laid her hand over Natalie’s. “And I’m pressuring you for information about your relationship. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s fine, really.”
“No, it’s not.” She leaned in closer, keeping a close watch on the crowd in the living room. “It’s just that Eugene very rarely introduces me…no, correction. He has never once introduced me to any woman he’s dated. That makes you special. Unique. Like a unicorn.”
Natalie sputtered out a laugh. “Well. I do feel special now.”
“You should, Natalie. He told me you two were together.”
“Wait. He did? So this isn’t the first time you’re hearing about me?”
Lisa laughed. “Of course not. Eugene tells me everything. Well, I mean, not everything, of course. But he talks to me about what’s important to him. Which means you are important to him, Natalie. That’s one of the main reasons why I’m here. And, of course, to see Linc and Hazel’s place.”
It took a few moments and regulating her breathing for Natalie to be able to respond. She didn’t want to make a big deal about this. Moms often read into things that weren’t there when it came to their children and their love lives. This was probably no different. Still, she owed Lisa a graceful and grateful reply.
“I appreciate that, Lisa. It means a lot to me that he talks to you about me. I think very highly of him.”
Lisa gave her a knowing smile. “Keeping your cards close to the vest. I can appreciate that, and your relationship with Eugene isn’t my business, anyway.”
She tilted her head toward the living room and saw Eugene’s apologetic smile. She gave him a reassuring one in return before answering Lisa. “I didn’t mean to insult you.”
“You didn’t insult me at all. You don’t know me, and I could be one of those overbearing moms for all you know. Which I’m not, by the way, and you’ll eventually figure that out. But I’m super happy to meet you and I can appreciate what Eugene sees in you. You don’t spill secrets, and I can tell by the way you skirt glances at him and the way he smiles at you that there’s something special between the two of you. What that is I have no idea, which is just fine.”
Okay, now she felt better. “Thanks, Lisa. I hope I’m just as protective but still open with my own children when they’re grown.”
“I have a feeling you will be. Are they here?”
“No, they’re with their dad tonight. He wanted to take them to the movies.”
“Oh. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to meet them.”
“I hope so, too.”
Hazel came over and put her hand on Lisa’s shoulder. “Okay, enough monopolizing Lisa’s time. And I need the kitchen for dinner.”
Lisa grinned at Hazel. “What can I do to help?”
“Me, too,” Natalie said.
“Nothing. You can both go into the living room while I finish up dinner. I already preprepped everything and salmon takes no time at all to cook. So get out. Lisa, go visit with your sons.”
“Is she always this bossy?” Lisa asked.
“It used to be me being the bossy one,” Natalie said as they stood. She gave Hazel a look over her shoulder. “But lately, she’s grown into her bossiness. I’m very proud of her.”
Hazel tossed her a dazzling smile. “Why, thanks, sis.”
They made their way into the living room, where a fierce argument amongst the brothers was currently taking place. Lisa seemed nonplussed about the raised voices, so Natalie took her seat and sipped her wine, while the guys voiced very strong opinions about…paint color?
“Everybody knows flat is the way to go,” Warren said. “It blends easily into the walls and gives an old world look.”
“You’re totally off base, Warren,” Linc said. “Semigloss is easier to clean. It’s the only thing I put on my walls.”
“You’re both wrong,” Eugene said. “Eggshell finish is more durable and looks great on the walls.”
Linc shook his head. “No, you and Warren are wrong, and I’m the expert, so my vote is the only one that counts.”
Natalie looked over at Lisa. “Was it always like this?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“What about you, Joe?” Natalie asked. “Are you weighing in on this?”
Joe looked up from his phone. “Me? I try never to get involved in their skirmishes. Besides, I’m watching baseball.” He lifted his phone to show her the game.
She laughed. “Probably a wise choice.”
“You’re the designer, Natalie,” Eugene said. “You agree with me about eggshell, right?”
“Actually, I think it depends on the area of the house. High traffic areas that get a lot of moisture can get messy, and can benefit from semigloss or satin. Your lesser used rooms would be fine for eggshell. And the only place I’d paint with flat is ceilings.”
They all stared at her, and she was sure she’d angered all of them.
Then Warren laughed. “She’s smarter than all of us, including you, Linc. You should hire her.”
“Hey, she’s doing the design on Eugene’s house,” Linc said. “She’s just not painting it.”
“Thankfully,” Natalie said.
“Speaking of,” Linc said. “I told Eugene to come by and look at the house. It’s almost finished, so you two should walk through together. I figured you might want to finalize your design ideas.”
“Sure. We’ll put our calendars together and figure out a date.”
“I’d love to see some of your work, Natalie,” Lisa said.
“Well, some of it’s right here,” Hazel said as she entered the living room. “Natalie did the design for our house, and we just love it. In the meantime, dinner is ready, so let’s gather in the dining room.”
“With Hazel’s permission, I guess you can give me a tour after dinner,” Lisa said.
Natalie looped her arm in Lisa’s. “I’d love to.”