PJ laughed. “He has, and that remains my reaction too. I’d rather get a new pair of shoes or a book. But he’s handsome and charming and he runs over to his mom’s house to fix her leaky faucets. I can’t complain.”

Asa’s baby sister smiled like PJ had just won a blue ribbon.

“Asa and our mom have a really deep connection. She fought for him. Years of her life she fought for him and never gave up until he was back home. He adores her.”

PJ swallowed. He hadn’t told her that story yet. And while she was hungry for details about him, she wanted Asa to tell her. To share himself by choice.

So she shifted the topic to something else, really liking Courtney Barrons.

Chapter Eighteen

There were already about ten people at the restaurant when PJ and Asa arrived. They liked this place and their group often came in on a weeknight to hang out.

Duke stood at the bar with Duane, one of Twisted Steel’s mechanics, and when he saw them both he raised a hand in greeting.

“Asa.” Duke tipped his chin before turning to PJ with a big teasing smile. “Delightful, de-lovely Penelope. Nice to see you both. Though one of you is nicer to see than the other. Just sayin’.” He winked and Asa groaned.

Then Duane made a comment about Mustangs that had Asa sputtering.

PJ joined in for a while, as she had her own very strong feelings on the subject, until the argument finally got down to some ridiculously esoteric level and she kissed Asa’s cheek, patted Duke’s forearm, and wandered off.

Mick arrived and joined them at the bar for a while as people came and went.

By the time Asa looked up, PJ was off with Duke and some of the others at a table halfway across the restaurant, already eating, smiling and apparently having a good time.

He wanted to be having a good time with her too. Asa began to extricate himself from the discussion so he could head over to her.

“Where’d your hot blond girlfriend get to anyway?” Mick looked around, and then once he caught sight of PJ he headed over like Asa wasn’t even there.

Asa followed. “For a guy who started out pretty much hating her, you sure have changed your tune.”

“I’ve had the time to get to know her and realize how wrong I was. I probably began to fall for her when she flipped me off. You don’t deserve all that youth and beauty¸ so I’m just hanging around waiting for her to figure it out. Then I’ll sweep her off her feet and you can eat shit.”

Asa flipped Mick off. “It’s nice for you to have dreams you’ll never achieve. You need to set the bar way lower, though.”

Mick flipped him off in return, but his attention had already shifted back to PJ. He bumped her fist as he slid into the booth across from her.

“You’re eating already?” Asa noted the little plates from the conveyor belt on the table in front of her.

She laughed like he was crazy. “Yes, of course! You were all high on Mustang talk so I came over here to have a drink and eat and let Duke charm me. Plus I was able to watch you from my seat. You’re very sexy when you get worked up about cars.”

Duke snorted. “Gross.”

Asa shot Duke a look. “Then get up so I can sit there.”

Duke moved a space over and Asa slid into the empty spot at her side. He grabbed some tuna and eel. She gave him the eye and he grinned. “Don’t tell me these are all California rolls.”

PJ sniffed, such a perfect haughty sound that he got hard.

“You can always have my share of eel. Just saying. I’ll also have you know California rolls are delicious.”

He laughed, leaning over to kiss her quickly.

“Don’t mind him. Asa is a sushi purist. Like an evangelist,” a female voice said.

Duke’s expression shuttered as Asa turned to catch sight of his ex-wife, Ellen, watching PJ like a bird watches a mouse.

PJ still smiled as she took in the newcomer, but Ellen was going to be surprised her supposed mouse wasn’t so mousy after all.

“I’m Ellen. You’re Duke’s baby sister?”

PJ laughed, grabbing a plate of California rolls and winking at Asa. “No. He just teases me like I am. I’m PJ.”

Ellen slid in across from them and Asa put an arm around the back of PJ’s seat.

“Ah. So you’re PJ. My family runs a rebuild shop in Olympia. I saw your work the other day. Metallic blue Impala. Blew me and my dad away.”

That surprised Asa. He’d expected a dig, but there was real warmth in Ellen’s praise.

PJ beamed. “Thanks. I have to tell you, I was a little nervous about the final blue. It was the first time I’d tried for that exact shade. The client, you know him, right?”

Ellen laughed. “Yes. So it’s okay to tell me he was a picky asshole and you were worried no matter how perfect you got that blue he’d complain.”

He hadn’t expected this at all. But PJ and Ellen seemed to get along famously from the first word. Duke still watched her carefully, as did Asa. It was only wise.

Their group settled in, taking up multiple tables at the conveyor belt. People moved from table to table to visit with one another, pausing to eat and have a drink and then move on to a new group. It pleased Asa to see PJ at ease with his friends as well.

Most of them were protective of her, which he liked. The women seemed to like her, which was another plus. She loved cars. They loved cars. It was a great foundation.

She was good on her own. She didn’t need him to constantly be at her side, though he liked to be. He hadn’t been entirely sure what to expect, as he’d never seriously seen women in their circle to avoid any problems. Even during the short period he and Ellen were married, they hadn’t really hung out with a group.