“So how’d your date with Julie go, anyway?” Connor asked. “Haven’t had a chance to ask you since you two went out.”
Nathan blinked. They didn’t normally talk about their damn personal lives. But he saw the gleam in Connor’s eyes and scowled.
“It went fine.”
“Yeah? She stick around long enough for you to call it an actual date?”
“You’re asking for it, Malone.”
“Leave the boy alone,” Pop said with a wave of his hand. “We’ve got enough to do without you two bickering like a bunch of children.”
Connor sent him a sideways look and grinned slyly. “I was thinking, if you two aren’t going out regularly, I might ask her out. I’ve only met her a couple of times but she’s seriously hot.”
Nathan rocketed to his feet. “Over my dead body!”
Pop gave him a disgusted look. “Sit down, son. You’re way too damn easy.”
Connor chuckled. “Who says I wasn’t serious?”
“That girl would eat you alive,” Pop said, not looking up from his search. “Look at what she’s done to Nathan. You like your conquests to be easy, and I’d say Julie’s anything but easy.”
Nathan snickered. “You like ‘em easy, eh, Connor? There’s a word for that, you know.”
“Fuck you. I just like girls who don’t rank up there with crazy ex-girlfriend status.”
“You’ve had your share of crazy exes,” Pop muttered.
“Oh?” Nathan hooted. “Do share, Pop.”
“Don’t we have work to do?” Connor asked.
Pop grinned and looked over the paper he was holding. “I’ll never forget the one girl who waited for him naked in bed. He was coming home on leave, and he’d broken things off with her before he shipped out last. Only problem was, it was my bed she took position in. I liked to have never got her out of there. Connor hid in his bedroom like a damn coward.”
Nathan laughed until his sides hurt while Connor glared holes in his dad.
“There was also the one who painted herself in camo colors and decided that was all the clothing she needed.”
“Pop, enough already.”
Connor sounded a little desperate, which made Nathan all the more determined to hear Pop out.
Ignoring Connor’s frantic attempts to hush him, Pop laid the stack of papers to the side and leaned back in his chair, his teeth flashing in a smile.
“The girl had brass, I have to hand it to her. Connor and I were at the local pizza place having dinner—with Connor’s new girlfriend, I might add—when Miss Camo-in-All-the-Right-Places waltzes up to Connor and plops herself onto his lap.”
“Yeah, and my new girlfriend dumped me over that,” Connor grumbled. “I’ve sworn off psycho women.”
“Julie’s not psycho,” Nathan growled.
Connor grinned. “I never said she was. I want to ask her out, remember?”
“Quit yanking his chain,” Pop said. “Wouldn’t hurt you to ask someone out, though. I’m not getting any younger. I’d like grandchildren before I’m too old to see them.”
“We could always set him up,” Nathan snickered. “I’m sure Micah knows someone.”
“I don’t need your goddamn help finding a woman. The day I do is the day they put my ass in a pine box.”
Nathan held up his hands. “Touchy today.”
“It’s called not getting any,” Pop said with a perfectly straight face.
The laughter Nathan had been trying to hold back poured out. Connor rolled his eyes and sighed in resignation.
“When you two are through dissecting my love life, I’ll be out in the truck waiting. Someone has to do the goddamn work around here.”
Connor stalked off while Nathan was still laughing. Connor could give with the best, but he damn sure couldn’t take it.
Still chuckling, Pop hauled himself up and grabbed his keys. “Well, come on. Let’s go join my grumpy-ass son so we can get this job done. He’s right about one thing. Someone has to work around here since it seems everyone’s taking off at the same time.”
Nathan walked out ahead of Pop and slid into the SUV with Connor. A few minutes later, Pop ambled over to Connor’s side and motioned for him to roll down the window.
“You two go on ahead. I’ll take my truck. I want to check on a system I just got a call about. Owner says the alarm keeps going off.”
“Sure you don’t want us to come along and help diagnose the problem?” Connor asked.
Pop grunted. “I may not be the computer guru in the family, but I’m laying odds it’s a damn stray cat or a squirrel that’s the culprit. If I have any trouble, I’ll holler at you boys.”