“I’m trying to get you laid.”
“I’m not fucking a twenty-two-year-old.”
“Why not, old man? Live a little.”
He turns to face me, excluding the girls from our private conversation. “If I wanted to screw strangers, I’d be on that app you use.”
I bend closer to him. “Screwing strangers can be fun, Asher.”
“Foryou, maybe.”
Taken aback, I tilt my head. Was that a dig? “What’sthatsupposed to mean?”
If he’s commenting on my promiscuity, I’ll—
“Just that you’re not looking for a relationship. Makes sleeping around easier.” He raises a hand. “No judgment.”
Oh. Okay. That’s fair.
Man, my hackles just flew up. This is Asher. Of course he isn’t judging me.
But wait... Did he just imply— “And youarelooking for a relationship?”
He stares at me with a strange expression. “Yeah, sweetheart. I thought that was obvious.”
Oh.
Oh.
It wasn’t obvious, actually. He’s so fun-loving that I didn’t think he was ready for anything serious. If he’s wantingserious, how has some woman not locked him down? He definitely hasn’t been looking long. If he had, he’d have a ring on his finger by now.
The idea of him married to some stranger stalls every other thought in my brain, like I inserted a glitch into its code. It won’t compute. Doesn’t consolidate. I try to picture a woman he might want long-term, but all I can come up with is Daisy Duck, and that’s just—
The second the laugh bursts from me, I know it’s the exact wrong reaction. His eyes shutter and he pastes on a closed-lip smile. “Didn’t know I made a joke.”
Uh-oh. I offended him.
Shit. How do I fix it?
“No,” I start. “It’s not—”
Yayoi leans toward us. “What’s funny?”
I shake my head at her, giving her a panicked look and, wide-eyed, she turns back to Geoff, allowing us a measure of privacy.
I set a hand on Asher’s arm. “I’m not laughing at you. It’s just—”
“Just what?” His eyes cut to mine. “Hard to take me seriously?”
What?What is this?
“I’m surprised is all,” I say. “You never talk about this. If you’re looking for a relationship, how come you don’t ever go out with anyone?”
His head gestures subtly to the girls, who are clearly attempting to eavesdrop. “Like them?”
“Sure. Maybe you’ll find a relationship in—” I wiggle my fingers at the girls under the table “—all that.”
He gives me a flat stare. “Which of them do you think is ready to settle down?”
