“I told her.” And then at the party last week she’d asked if he was willing to try being together. He hadn’t answered because he couldn’t find the strength to lie and say he didn’t want that. Taking his silence as answer enough, she’d sashayed away, the sway of her ass burned into his memory.

“It’s a good thing he’s so handsome,” his sister said to their mother.

“And so smart with metal, even if he did ruin his face with that ring in his nose. Tell me what you did to this woman.”

“Why do you assume I did something to her?”

“Well then, what did she do to you?”

“No one did anything. It’s fine. She’s too young for me. That’s it. She and I had some flirting and stuff, and then before it went any further I let her down easy. I want to be her friend still. She’s fun. But too young. Hell, Courtney would love her. PJ’s not too much older.”

“It’s not like I’m your daughter. I’m your sister. If she’s older than I am she’s legal. Does she giggle? Is she dumb? Sometimes the women I see you with, well…” Courtney’s brow rose as their mother chuckled.

If only PJ were dumb. “She’s not dumb. The opposite. She’s articulate. She knows how to run a business. She might giggle sometimes. But not excessively or inappropriately. Why are we talking about this?”

“Because you’re grumpy and Mom called you out and you were explaining to us what this woman had done or hadn’t done to you.”

“See if I bring you those chocolate croissants next time,” he muttered.

“I take it she didn’t respond well to being told she was too young?” Courtney asked.

“No.” But he needed to remind himself that she was moving on and that was what he wanted.

He and his sister ferried things to the table. She poked him. “Don’t think I’d let you out of here alive if you took those chocolate croissants. Just so we’re clear.”

“You’re a Barrons all right.”

His mother looked at him before she slid the chicken from the pan and onto a platter. He grabbed that and took it over to the table, knowing she wasn’t done with the PJ thing. She was simply biding her time, gathering all her information and planning how to hem him in exactly how she wanted.

“All right. So to recap,” his mother said as she came over to the table and sat at the head with her children to either side, “you and this woman had ‘flirting and stuff.’ ” She sent him a look and he tried not to grin. “She wasn’t happy about it, which probably means she wanted to be with you and you backed off. She’s headstrong then, which is good because you’re too bossy for your own good. You’d run right over a woman who didn’t push back at you. But this mood of yours…”

She kept plotting as they filled their plates and began to eat.

“Are you really going to make Mom say it?” Courtney asked. “You know she’s going to be right, no matter what it is she says. I’m guessing you sent this woman packing and she found someone else who liked her luggage just fine.”

Pat thought that was hilarious, but Asa wasn’t such a fan.

When he’d found out he’d given her the let’s-be-friends talk right after she quit her job, he’d felt like a total shithead.

And last week, when he’d seen her at the party and apologized, she’d looked so pretty, like one of those spun-sugar eggs they used to have at Easter. Everyone else had been vampy, glossy red lipstick, and she’d been pink lips and a blue dress. He’d been unable to think about anything else since.

Their mother sent a raised brow to his sister. They were already ganging up on him and he was just trying to do the right thing.

“Of course other men want her. She’s beautiful and ambitious. I’m happy for her to find someone her own age.”

“Asa! You put a five in the vice jar right this instant.” His mother pointed to the jar on the counter she made them put money in if they cursed or lied. Of course she turned around and bought them things with it, so it wasn’t a real punishment by that point, but still.

“Why? What’d I do?”

“You’re a liar liar pants on fire, that’s what you did!” Courtney pointed her fork his way.

“She needs to find someone closer to her own age. It’s best for her. More stable.”

Courtney curled her lip at his excuses before she waved her fork at him again. “You’re decently handsome. You own your business. You’re respected and talented and you have a house. You’re even nice to your mom. You’re a catch, even if you’re still a total liar. Ew. You don’t really want her to find someone else, so why are you being such a quitter right now? You want Duke or someone like him to go out with her instead? Honestly?”

The idea of Duke seeing PJ the way he had? No way. “Offsides, Court!”

“Whatever. Asa, you’re nearing forty. You just going to ‘date’ forever? Like you’re twenty-seven instead of thirty-seven?”

“I resent the air quotes around ‘date.’ I date for real. I’m not a jerk.”

Their mother patted his hand. “Stop poking at your brother,” she said to Courtney before speaking to Asa. “No, you’re not a jerk. So, she’s pretty and she’s smart and educated. Other than her age, which is…?”

“Twenty-five.” He cringed.