“Anger issues.” Jack shook his head.
“Impatient bastard.” Dex laughed. “But he’s family. Now tell me about Maya.”
“Impatient bastard,” Jack repeated with a grin. “She’s still snarky, unattached and sexy as hell. You sure you know what you’re in for trying to land her?”
“Do I question your attraction to a woman I’d fear squashing in bed? I mean, dude, she’s so little.”
Jack’s smile widened. “Just perfect for me. But I take your point. Maya… Hmm. You know she’s only got her dad.”
“Right. Her mom died when she was a kid.” But he didn’t know much more than that. Her mother had to have been Native American, because her dad was Caucasian. Not a bad-looking guy, but Maya had clearly inherited most of her features from her mother.
“Yeah. You know her dad, of course. Great guy. He’s friends with my parents and Riley’s mom. Probably a support group to get through the Terrible Trio’s growing years.” They both laughed. “Those girls are still thick as thieves. You take one, you kind of inherit the others. But I love that about Ann. She’s loyal and has terrific friends.”
“Just like you,” Dex pointed out.
“Oh yeah. My friends are great.”
They both looked up as a growling Anson sat back down. Anson flagged down a server and barked an order for another beer, which arrived in seconds from a nervous waiter.
Dex turned back to Jack. “So Maya. No steady guys?”
Anson kept his mouth shut, thankfully, and nursed a second beer while Jack filled him in.
“They don’t last long. Woman is rough on men. She’s nice enough, but I get the feeling she gets bored easily. Try not to be so nice, Dex. That might help.”
Dex frowned. “I’m not nice.”
Anson choked on his beer. “You’re kidding, right? Did you or did you not help an old lady across the street yesterday?”
He flushed. “She’d lost her cane. Gimme a break.”
Jack coughed but didn’t quite hide his laughter. “Polite is good. Boring is bad. Maya likes ’em a bit rough.”
“I was in the Corps.” He knew how to handle himself just fine.
“And you can be a bit of an asshole. You’re in,” Anson said drily. “In fact, now that I think about it, you and Maya are perfect for each other.”
“You know, you’d be a lot more convincing as a dickhead if you weren’t being so helpful with my studio.”
“Whatever.”
Jack poked him. “Tell me more about the new place. How’s it going?”
“You know I’m getting into portraits.”
“Mundane photography,” Anson murmured. “The man’s lost his edge.”
“Not mundane. Local stuff. Weddings, portraits, stuff like that. My downtown location is perfect for walk-ins or appointments. At first it’ll just be me, but I plan to hire on some help.”
“Nice.” Jack gave him a thumbs-up. “I know you won a bunch of awards from those overseas shots in Afghanistan.”
Dex shrugged. “Feels like a lifetime ago. Don’t get me wrong. I still plan to do the heavier stuff. Some wildlife and nature photos when I make trips to Asia and Africa. But mostly I want to settle down here.”
“NearMa-ya,” Anson added in a singsong voice.
Dex just looked at him. “I know you don’t want to go there.”
Anson shook his head but shut up and watched the hockey game on the TV overhead.
