Cheyenne didn’t say much again until they reached Debbie’s bedroom. She wandered around the master suite taking in every detail, her head slowly nodding.
With approval or acceptance? Austin wasn’t sure, nor did he care. He was too distracted by the king-sized bed covered in a blue and gray comforter with splashes of yellow. The colors fit Debbie’s personality perfectly. Serious and dependable, yet lively.
Instead of being over the top, the carefully stacked decorative pillows appeared inviting, giving the bed a comfortable and cozy feel. He couldn’t get the image of her laying in that huge bed out of his head.
This was the only room in the house with a personal touch. In the corner sat a leather armchair beside a small table. A reading lamp and an open book gave the spacious room a homey feel. Everywhere he looked, he saw glimpses of the woman he was falling for. A mixture of her expensive perfumes lingered in the air, making his blood pump a little faster.
He resisted the urge to follow Cheyenne and Tucker into the ridiculously large bathroom, even when Cheyenne oohed and awed. He’d taken note of the roomy glass shower with double shower heads and sunken tub when he searched for Noah last week. Both large enough for two people. The last thing he needed was to imagine Debbie in either one.
He heaved a sigh of relief when Cheyenne and Tucker finally decided they were finished ogling every little thing in the master suite. They’d spent so much time in Debbie’s massive walk-in closet, Austin suspected Cheyenne had inspected all the brand names of Debbie’s clothing and accessories. Maybe even tried on her shoes.
He hoped Debbie had her valuables locked away in her safe.
Austin fought the urge to roll his eyes as the unwelcome guests continued to display appreciation over the theater, game, and exercise rooms downstairs. The envy that filled Cheyenne’s nasally voice as they wandered the heated indoor pool area told Austin that despite her bragging about Tucker’s wealth and their worldly travels, they didn’t own a house like this.
Unfortunately the tour made him more acutely aware of Debbie’s wealth and the fact that he didn’t belong in a home like this. A headache formed with the thought, because as much as he liked Debbie, he wasn’t sure he would ever be comfortable living with this kind of wealth and leisure.
Despite losing his appetite over the course of the tour, he was so relieved to finally sit down at the table on the covered patio with Debbie and the kids that he overfilled his plate.
Between eating lunch outside and the promise of playing with their remote control trucks afterward, the boys were especially loud. They giggled over the funny-looking finger sandwiches and complained about having to try both of the salads.
“Do we really have to eat everything?” Dallas asked.
Their noise irritated Cheyenne and Tucker, Austin was sure of it, but he didn’t even try to quiet them. Telling them to use their inside voices wouldn’t do any good while they were outside.
“So, Savannah, what is your favorite subject in school?” Cheyenne asked.
Good. She’s finally making an effort.
“I like art of course, but I really like my math teacher too. He makes learning fun, and I’m good—“
“I was never any good at math,” Cheyenne interrupted. “But Science was the worst.” She looked at Tucker. “Do you remember Mr. Pick His Nose?” She turned back to Savannah and laughed. “That wasn’t his real name of course. It was Pickens but he had allergies and always blew his nose so loud it scared everyone. He often stuck his handkerchief and finger so far up his nose I thought it was going to get stuck.”
Austin leaned back in his chair and stared at his ex-wife. What had he ever seen in Cheyenne? Had she always been such an egotistical narcissist? Did she forget that he was the one who sat beside her in Mr. Pickens’s earth science class? Not Tucker.
He looked at Tucker, who gave him a tight smile. The man didn’t say much, and that was fine by Austin. It’s not like Cheyenne actually gave him much opportunity.
“Savannah, why don’t you tell your—” Debbie cut off her words. “Tell Cheyenne and Tucker what you’d like to study when you go to college.”
Austin was grateful Debbie had pulled the conversation back to his daughter. He was also glad he wasn’t the only one who had a hard time referring to Cheyenne as his children’s mother.
“I’m going to study graphic design.”
“You mean like the kind of art in those graphic novels? Aren’t those just for children? Don’t you want to do something more meaningful with your life?”
Like you have any room to talk.
Tucker ducked his head and rubbed his forehead as though he had a headache coming on. Either that or he was embarrassed by his wife.
Austin bit back a smile. He really ought to thank the other man for putting him out of his misery. The rejection he felt for himself and his children had been unbearable at the time, but looking back, he realized life had been much more pleasant without having to worry about Cheyenne’s self-absorbed, insensitive, ignorant ways.
Tucker turned to Dallas and Cody. “What do you boys like to do when you’re not in school?”
“I like to swim,” Cody said in a much louder voice than necessary.
“I like to play soccer,” Dallas said more quietly.
“I like soccer too.” Cody bounced in his seat as he talked.
