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make sure she’s okay. And I knew once you met her you’d like her—I was right. Right?”
    Jason collapsed back and dropped his head to rest on the cushion again. He shook his head. “I cannot believe you set me up.”
    “Hey! You know it wasn’t for any malignant purposes.”
    Jason heaved a deep sigh. “Yeah. I guess.”
    “Now, she’s the kind of gal I’d like to see you settle down with.”
    “No way. But, yeah, it figures. The boring housewife type.”
    “I got news for you, buddy. It’s the housewives that keep the ol’ furnace lit—know what I mean?”
    “Well, staying home and mowing the grass is not my idea of fun. Sorry.”
    “Yeah, your idea of fun is all flash, no substance. Like that ”— Jason could just see his dad snapping his fingers—“that—what was her name? That last one you brought home for me to meet.”
    Jason swallowed a grumble and gritted his teeth. “Jessica, Dad. Her name was Jessica. And she was a tax attorney. I thought you’d approve of someone with those credentials.”
    “Well, she looked like a two-bit bleached-blond stripper.”
    “She was way more than two-bit. She got through law school on the tips she made at the premier men’s club. Hardly two-bit, I’d say.”
    “Yeah, but who’d hire her as their attorney—oh, wait, don’t tell me: Strip clubs.”
    “Yeah, well…” Okay, so maybe she should have toned down the 38 Triple-D’s, the porno nails and makeup, and the leather, once she graduated and quit the club. But Jason sure as hell wasn’t going to be the one to nix that bit of eye candy.
    And why should he? He liked leather. And as far as the other—hell, what red-blooded American male didn’t like that kind of rack?
    Seriously.
    “She’d only been out of school for six months when you met her. And I’m still kinda pissed at you for being so rude to her. You could have cut her a lot more slack.”
    His dad snorted.
    “Dad.”
    “Oh, all right. I’m sorry for not welcoming your hooker chick with open arms.”
    “She was not a hooker. Christ! ” Jason took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Look. I’m trying, okay? You’ve seen it: There’ve been four women now that you’ve met—and not liked.”
    His dad snorted again, but didn’t comment.
    Jason pressed the base of his palm against his twitching right eyelid. “I’m not saying I’m ready to get married—not by a long shot—but I’m thirty now. It’s time for me to try to date someone longer than a few weeks. I get it. Okay?”
    His dad must of realized he’d pushed Jason as far as he could because the next thing he said was, “So—how’s Julie doing? How’d she look?”
    Jason gave a mental sigh of relief. He lifted a shoulder and dropped it in a half-shrug. “She seemed okay to me.” He sat forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “In fact…. Dad, you and I are her new partners. How do you feel about that?”
    The answering ‘ whoop!’ nearly broke his eardrum. He switched the phone to his other ear and pressed his palm against the abused one.
    “Now, why didn’t I think of that? Great idea. Perfect.”
    Jason and his dad talked for another half-hour. After hanging up with him, he called Paul and gave him the news. Jason told him that he would be able to get back on track with their newest client in about a month, and Paul agreed to continue dealing directly with them as much as feasible until that time.
    Afterward, Jason did something he hadn’t done since he was a kid: He stayed home and watched television. After the day he’d just had, he was beat. Plus, he had no intention of going to Jimmy’s, the only bar around, for fear he’d have to deal with Nora Lee for a third time that day. Nope, even though he’d be bored out of his everlovin’ gourd, he was not stepping foot outside his door until he went to meet Julie the next morning.
    * * *
    The pink cotton shirtdress slid off of Julie’s slip-covered hips and dropped in a puddle at her feet