“So,” asked Joey, his shoulders hunching over his food, “how much money can a temple like yours pull in?”

“Very little,” Nathan answered between small, delightful bites of pistachio heaven. “My temple survives at subsistence level.”

Joey raised his head, his brows arching. “But you’ve got a good job, right? To pay for school.”

“No,” Nathan answered smoothly. “My fellowship fell through and I’m looking for something—anything—that will pay my bills.”

Joey twisted enough to give his sister a heavy stare though he kept talking to Nathan. “So no money. What about relatives?”

“They’re none of your business, Joey,” Mandy interrupted. “Jeez, let your sister date whomever she wants.”

“What?” Joey returned, bristling. “They were just questions. I was just asking about his family and stuff.”

Nathan smiled without comment, his gaze traveling back to Tracy. She had also bristled when her brother began his not-so-subtle interrogation, but hadn’t interfered. And though her shoulders stayed tight, her gaze had dropped to her food as she took tiny, tiny bites with excruciating care.

“What’s it like in Hong Kong?” Mandy asked. “I’d give anything to go there. I hear the shopping’s fantastic.”

Nathan nodded. “If you have the money, there is no better place to buy anything.”

“That’s the whole problem, though, isn’t it?” Joey snapped. “No money, no joy.”

“That’s not true!” returned Mandy with a hefty punch to his shoulder. Joey didn’t even wince. “There’s lots of things that don’t cost a thing. The really happy people are just happy no matter what they’re doing.”

Nathan turned to Mandy, his esteem of the young woman rising by several notches. “That was a very enlightened statement,” he said. But in his mind, he calculated the evening’s tab: $13 for volleyball tickets, $20 for specialty ice cream, $14 for movie tickets. Total: $47 U.S. A fortune by his estimation, and they spent it easily as part of a regular Friday night out.

“It’s all about money,” Joey groused as he demolished the last of his waffle cone. “Who’s got it—” He looked at his sister. “And who doesn’t.” He looked pointedly at Nathan.

Then Tracy spoke. She looked at her brother, her eyes warm with love, but still reflecting disappointment. “You are getting really boring, brother dear.”

“And I thought you had better sense than to date—”

“Stop it!” interrupted Mandy with another punch, this one hard enough to make Joey blink. “She’s right. You’re being awful.”

Joey subsided into a mulish silence while Mandy and Tracy applied themselves to their desserts. Nathan spoke softly, but no less clearly. “It is a brother’s honored right to protect his sister. He was doing no more than I would expect from a beautiful woman’s family.” He sighed. “But I’m not Tracy’s boyfriend. We’re just friends.”

All three companions stared at him in various stages of shock. Joey’s expression was easiest to read. He was suspicious, but less hostile. Mandy’s eyes grew misty. “That’s so awesome,” she said to Tracy. “He thinks you’re beautiful.”

“He also said he doesn’t want her,” Joey grumbled. “Which is total bull.”

“Don’t be such a hater,” Mandy returned. The two began to argue in low tones. Nathan ignored them, his attention fully trained on Tracy, who had relaxed back in her seat with a calm expression.

“So now you’ve met my family,” she drawled. “Such as it is. Tell me, does your family squabble like this? Do you take honor in protecting your sister?”

“Yes and yes,” he said slowly, wondering where she intended to go with this.

“So the temple’s like one big happy family? You all sit around the dinner table annoying each other? Drink out of the milk carton or chew with your mouth open or something?”

He started to nod his head, but his words came out very different. “We are a loose collection of souls—some come, some go. All have responsibilities—some gather the food, some cook it, some clean up afterward. Our meals are usually passed in silence as each contemplates her soul’s state. A few have even taken vows of silence.” He looked closely at her. “You will like it there. It is a beautiful place.”

Joey abruptly spun around to stare hard at him. “What? What about the temple?” He turned to his sister. “You’re not going to Hong Kong, are you?”

“Relax, Joey,” Tracy answered smoothly. “I’m just asking about his home.” She said the words, but Nathan heard the hesitation in her voice even if her brother did not. Then she tossed her plastic spoon in her empty ice-cream cup and turned back to Nathan. “What about your natural siblings? You said you have a sister and brother.”

“My mother had three children, I am the eldest. Plus a few cousins who come and go.”

“Very fluid, huh?” That came from Joey, the suspicion back in his voice. “No real family ties.”

Nathan shrugged, not knowing how to answer. “We are what we are. I miss my brother and sister a great deal.” He looked at Tracy and Joey, and thought about a life with just one sibling. It seemed so peaceful and intimate. “You are very fortunate to have a brother who loves you enough to protect you.”

Tracy flashed her brother a quick smile. “He’s annoying, but he’s mine.” She leaned forward. “But who was yours, Nathan? Who protects you?”

He stiffened. “I am the eldest. It is my job to watch out for the others.”

Mandy finished off the last of her shake with a slurp, then she smiled at him. “You really take that traditional stuff seriously. That’s so old-fashioned, but sweet. Kinda heroic.”

He looked at her, unable to form an answer. Joey just rolled his eyes and huffed, “Girls!”

Nathan focused on Tracy only to discover she was watching him with an intensity that made him uncomfortable. Had he revealed something significant? He didn’t think so. But the way she stared at him made him acutely nervous.

“So, no dad, huh?” asked Joey from the side.

Nathan shook his head. “My mother is a tigress and the leader of the temple.”

“Her focus is on attaining immortality, right?” asked Tracy. “She leads the temple, takes partners, and studies for ascension. Right?”

“Yes, that is the role of a tigress.”

“And her children?”

“Our role is to support the temple and its students.”

She nodded. “So your role is to support your mother and her goals.”

He frowned, not liking Tracy’s tone. “It is an honor—”

“And a responsibility,” interrupted Joey. “Yeah, we got that. But where is there room for what you want to do?”

Nathan shifted his gaze between the three of them, wondering how the conversation had turned so drastically. “This is what I want to do,” he said clearly. “Business school, then a good job. Why would I do all this, come to the United States to study if not for that?”

“I don’t know,” Tracy answered slowly. “It’s just obviously so very hard. You’re broke, studying night and day, saving money any way you can to survive.” She shook her head. “There has to be an easier way.”

Nathan shook his head. “I left the temple because I couldn’t stay any longer. And it was time to further my education.”

Tracy straightened, her eyes very clear. “Why couldn’t you stay?”

He swallowed. It was best he told her everything. She needed to understand. “I was kicked out of the temple,” he said bluntly.

“Really,” gasped Mandy. “But why?”

“I fell in love with one of the tigresses. I pursued her with single-minded devotion. I had started out as her teacher but then fell in love.” He shrugged. “But she is a tigress with no interest in such things. She said I interfered with her studies, I made it difficult for her to pursue her religion. It was an easy choice for the Tigress Mother. Nothing can interfere with the pursuit of heaven, so I was asked to leave.”

“I thought you said your mother led the temple.” Mandy’s voice was soft with compassion.