He laughed. “I do like to meet with the kids. They’re the ones who usually give us ideas for what’s best for the playhouses.”
I tilted my head and regarded him for a moment. “I like that you make them feel like they’re a part of this process.”
“They are, as far as I’m concerned. The parents may be the ones paying me to build it, but the playhouse is for the kids. They’re the ones I want to make happy with it.”
I nodded. “The drawing had a swing, can you also add monkey bars?”
He lifted one of his brows. “Are you on board for this playhouse now?”
With a roll of my eyes, I nodded. “I guess I have no choice. But, like I said earlier, can we maybe scale it back just a tad?”
And there it was again. His smile. Big, bright, full of excitement, with a dimple that made my knees weak.
“Two turrets instead of three, then. I have ideas for both.”
“Okay, what are they?”
“One tower could be her dress-up room. Where she can change into whatever she’s feeling like that day. A princess, a superhero, a ballerina. The second tower I think should hold an art area, or maybe a little bedroom.”
That made me take even more notice. “An art area?”
He winked. “Well, if she’s anything like her mother, she probably likes to draw and paint.”
I sat there, stunned. “How did you know I like to paint?”
Truitt shrugged. “I remembered from high school. Ryan mentioned it a time or two, and it must have stuck in my memory.”
Staring at him, I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Finally, I got my wits about me. “Ryan was always supportive of my painting.”
Truitt nodded, then rubbed the back of his neck and looked around his office. He suddenly seemed nervous.
“We’ve probably taken up too much of your time,” I said. “I’m glad we’re able to…um…get this all…you know.”
He shook his head. Damn him.
“Well, since I can’t fire you.”
The way his mouth twitched with a hidden smile made my insides heat. Good Lord, I really needed a night out.
“No, you can’t,” he said.
“Yes, and because of that, I’m glad we were able to put our differences aside and make this work. For Liliana’s sake. Purely.”
“Of course,” he said, a hint of something like seduction lacing his voice.
Nonsense, Saryn. You need to leave this office and now.
“Liliana, come on, sweetheart, we need to let Mr. Carter get back to work.”
My daughter jumped up from playing on the floor and rushed over to Truitt. He instinctively bent down and she threw her arms around his neck. I nearly gasped at her show of affection.
“Tank you for letting me pway! See you later!” Liliana said, giving Truitt a hug and then coming back over to me. I wasn’t sure who was more shocked.
Me…or Truitt.
Two weeks had passed since I’d walked out of Truitt’s office. As much as I didn’t want to think about the man, I seemed to always be thinking about him. Damn my mother.
With a sigh, I wrote my notes in a file and closed it. I was exhausted and ready to go home.
“Saryn, a few of us are going out tonight…want to join us?” Lucy asked.
God, a night out sounded like the perfect thing. What I really needed was a mindless hook up. Not full-on sex, but it would be so nice to feel my body against a man’s. A little innocent flirting and a bit of male attention were very much needed. Maybe it would even break the spell Truitt seemed to have placed on me all over again.
“Who all is going?” I asked.
Lucy smiled. “Just a bunch of nurses. Linda, who works up in L & D will be there. You might want to get on her good side. She has some pretty big pull with who they hire up there.”
That caught my attention. Not that I hated working in the ER, I had just done it enough in the beginning of my career, and my heart was with the babies.
“Where are y’all going?” I asked.
“Bricks Dance Hall. A local band is playing tonight and they’re really good. Mostly do cover songs, but it makes for a fun night.”
I chewed on my lip, thinking it over. Lucy had been so nice to me since I’d started. My best friend from high school, Linnzi, didn’t live in Boerne anymore. I missed her terribly and made a note to myself to go visit her parents and see how they were doing.
“Saryn, give yourself a night out. Let loose and have some fun. Besides, there are always some good-looking cowboys who are more than willing to spin you around the dance floor.”
With a smile, I said, “Okay. I need to make sure I can find someone to watch Liliana, and I’ll meet y’all there?”