“I know people have failed you in your life. I’m not that guy.”

His tone was so vehement she knew there was a story there. It wasn’t the time or place to dig any deeper, but it underlined how much she wanted to know him, even if he was overwhelming and bossy.

“What are your plans tonight?” He finished his coffee.

“I’m having dinner with my mom and sister. I should be done by nine or so.”

“Come to my house after? Spend the night.”

She stood, balling up her napkin and washing out her cup and putting it in the small dishwasher. “If you’re sure. Text me if you want me to bring anything special with me.”

They parted at the bottom of the steps, she heading out to the paint bay and he back to work on the front end of the Dodge they were supposed to deliver in three weeks.

Chapter Sixteen

Bis on Main in Bellevue was a place her mom and sister went to a lot. PJ enjoyed it and certainly loved the food, so she was all too happy to accept the invite, which was more like a pointed order.

PJ hugged her mother and gave her a kiss on the cheek after sliding her bag under the table.

Lenore Colman had been raised to be someone’s wife. And she did a great job. She’d aged gracefully. She’d had little things done here and there, PJ knew that much, but it was deft and her mother pretended it never happened. As PJ and Julie felt it was their mother’s business, they said nothing.

Her home was beautiful. Tasteful. If you stayed in her guest room you’d find a basket with pretty soaps, maybe a sleep mask and some snacks she remembered you liked from the last time she saw you.

Her parties were perfection. She knew how to have you over to eat, no matter the reason or situation. Sometimes she made PJ feel like an utter failure because no matter how hard she tried, she’d never measure up.

“Champagne cocktail?” Julie asked.

“Yes, please.” The server left to go handle that as PJ looked back from her menu to her mom and sister. “You both look great. How are things?”

Her mother smiled. “Tell me about you. Or should I say, tell me about Asa. Honestly, why you think I wouldn’t have heard about this boy, I don’t know. But I saw a picture of the two of you. He’s quite fierce looking, but Julie says he’s very sweet.”

“How did you see a picture of us?” When had that happened? How had that happened?

“You put it on your whatsits? On the Internet. You post pictures of your work too. I like to look at what you do. It’s very impressive. You had on a lovely red dress and he had on a black shirt that buttoned up. Does he really have a ring in his nose like a bull?”

PJ burst out laughing. “He does have a piercing there, yes. Not a ring, a horseshoe of sorts.” She brought her phone out of her bag, showing her mother some pictures of them.

“It’s actually a little handsome on him.” Their mother’s nervous laugh and blush made Julie grin across the table at PJ.

Julie looked to their mother. “It’s all a front. He’s scary on the outside, but quite sweet and charming. A dry sense of humor. A sign of intelligence.”

PJ nodded. “He’s quiet and very intense. He listens more than he talks. Definitely smart.”

Her mom nodded, clearly approving. “Your father says your young man owns a custom-build shop.”

“He and his friend Duke co-own it, yes. Twisted Steel. He does the bodywork and some machining. He’s thirty-seven. I just wanted to tell you that myself. It seems to scandalize some people. It hasn’t really mattered between him and me, though it took me months to get him to ask me out because he thought I was too young for him.”

“I think in some circumstances you might be too young for someone. But you’re a Colman and you went after what you wanted until you got it. Well done, darling.”

Her mom gave really good compliments sometimes.

Happy and feeling very loved, PJ raised her glass to her mother. “Thank you, Mom.”

“You should invite him to dinner.”

Even Lenore Colman might not be able to pull off that dinner.

“How about we all meet somewhere instead? That way you can visit with him and someone else can do the cooking. You and Dad like Salty’s, so let’s go there.” PJ had no plans to bring Asa into that house. Not the first time he met her parents. A restaurant was a public place. Her father would behave, and if it was awful it would be easier to escape.

“All right. I’ll set it up and give you a call about it.” Lenore sat back, satisfied, and it occurred to PJ all too late that her mother had set that trap rather expertly.

Well played.

That handled, her mother moved to the next issue on her list. “Are you going to speak to your father any time soon, Penelope?”

“I’ve seen him once since I left. Which was two months ago at this point. I’ve left him messages. I’ve sent him e-mails. I don’t know what else I’m supposed to do except to hear him telling me he doesn’t want to talk.”

“You’re saying you’ve left more than one message for him?”

“Yes. I’ve left messages for him at work and on his cell phone. I’ve e-mailed him three times.” She shrugged and tried to ignore the hurt that he’d simply pretended like that part of the situation did not exist.

They’d all had brunch together when Jay’s birthday had rolled around. Her father had been mildly disapproving and had avoided everything but brief interactions. Certainly nothing about why she’d left Colman or how she was doing out on her own.

Her mother’s mouth hardened briefly. PJ and Julie shared a look. Their mother hadn’t been told that detail, though why her father thought he could hide it from her was beyond PJ’s understanding.

“I left because what I wanted to do wasn’t going to be possible at Colman. I tried to make it happen there, but Dad and Fee won’t listen and Jay is going to do whatever Fee says because he has Dad’s ear. I know you don’t want to hear it, but it’s true.”

“You’ll understand better when you’re older. Your father needs you to take over. You and your siblings. You have to make sacrifices for family.”

“Sacrifices? Mom, what have you been told?” They’d carefully stepped around the situation because PJ hadn’t wanted to put her mom in the middle. But the more they spoke, the clearer it became that their mother hadn’t been told everything.

“Why don’t you tell me? Start from the beginning.”

So PJ did. She started with the first jobs painting the Colman logos on the cars they sponsored, and went right up through the meeting where she’d presented her plan and had it shot down.

“I’m looking at three different places right now to open my shop. I’m paying my bills. I have new clients lining up. All this attention and a lot of this money could be going to Colman. But it isn’t, because I’m supposed to just sell tires as my place in the company because that’s what Fee says.”

“Your uncle is a damned fool. Your dad and I are going to speak about this. I must have missed it when he explained it all to me. But it’s not all right with me to have my children estranged from their family and from the business they’ll carry into the next generation.” Her mother’s expression was enough to make PJ almost feel bad for her father.

Her mom patted her hand. “Leave this to me. Your uncle is a pain, but he can be gotten around.”

“Just ask all his ex-wives,” Julie muttered.

Their mom gasped and then she laughed, blushing. “You two.”

PJ left an hour later feeling a lot better than she had when she’d shown up.

She knocked on Asa’s door just before nine and he opened up.

“Come in.” He took her overnight bag as she passed. “Would you like a beer? I was just out on my deck drinking one.”