“Richard!” A coy feminine voice made him turn and flash that famous Come hither smile.

“Hi, darling.” He walked away.

No, no, no! Don’t leave me alone with -!

Lex attempted a feeble smile at Aiden. He looked so calm and bland. Nice-looking, but not striking enough to make her heart pound – he already had a point against him from her Ephesians List. Although he did meet her eyes directly, which was something Richard and her father never did. “So, Aiden, what do you do?”

“I’m a physical therapist. I work at Golden Creek Physical Therapy in south San Jose.”

“Oh.” Lex suppressed a shudder. Why did anything having to do with injuries give her the willies? Another thing to add to the List: Must have an occupation I can say without wigging out.

Silence.

Lex glanced at Robyn and tried to will her to finish with Jill so she could talk to her. From their serious expressions, it looked like something important.

Her gaze bounced back to Aiden. “I’m a manufacturing engineer at Pear Technologies.”

Aiden nodded. “Richard told me.”

“How do you know Richard?” Always a good question. Richard collected friends like he used to collect baseball cards.

“He’s friends with one of my patients. I met him last week.”

“Oh.” He wasn’t even one of Richard’s close friends, but Richard threw them together. Well, may as well go down the List. “Do you play sports?”

“I run. I’m training for a marathon right now.” Even when talking about something he obviously enjoyed, Aiden didn’t change his calm expression except to give a half-smile.

Man, he was boring.

She sighed. Robyn still talked to Jill, and Lex didn’t feel like being polite anymore. “I hate running. I only do it because I need to, for training.”

Aiden blinked. “Oh.”

Lex plunged ahead. “Do you play volleyball?”

“No, but I’m thinking of picking it up.”

Scratch Aiden as date material. No way she could respect – much less date – someone who didn’t play volleyball at a higher level. “Take classes. That way you’ll learn proper form and technique.”

“Uh… okay.” He looked at her as if she were a crazy cousin he had to humor.

Lex didn’t care. This topic was her pet peeve. “I hate playing with people who have sloppy form.”

“Oh… Okay.”

“It’s dangerous on the court. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve seen near-miss accidents…” She should shut up, she was ranting. “Um… It was nice meeting you.” Lex would go and stand next to Robyn’s elbow to let her know she needed to talk to her.

“You look so much like Trish – ” He ended his sentence oddly, as if he hadn’t intended to say that.

Lex paused in the act of escaping. “She’s my cousin.”

“Yeah, Richard told me.”

“How do you know her?”

“From… the gym.” His eyes drifted left.

“You really think we look alike?” Lex almost didn’t want to hear his answer. Trish had a bubbly personality. Trish had a decent cup size and curvy hips. Trish attracted men like Fight Night in Vegas.

“You look exactly like her.”

She realized he was studying her face. How weird. “Naw, she’s prettier.”

He shook his head – smart man. “Do you… go to the same church?”

The way he said the word made Lex uncomfortable. “Yeah. Santa Clara Valley Asian Church.” Although come to think of it, she hadn’t seen Trish on Sunday last week.

Aiden blinked, and a glass shutter dropped over his eyes. He still had that bland, polite smile, but suddenly he seemed farther away from her, even though he hadn’t moved an inch. “Oh, that’s nice.”

“Do you go to chur – ” From the corner of her eye, Lex saw Robyn finally break with Jill and move toward the registration table. “I’m sorry, Aiden, but I need to grab Robyn about something. It was nice meeting you.” She dashed off after Robyn’s figure weaving between the crowd of volleyball players.

“Lex!” Richard stepped in front of her.

Lex tried to sidestep, but he moved with her. She stabbed an accusing finger between his eyes. “What’s the big deal, bucko?”

He jumped back before she poked his eye out. “Uh… You didn’t like Aiden?”

“We had nothing in common. What’s with you playing Love Connection?”

Richard winced. “Consider it an attempt to make up for George. I feel bad about that.”

Lex searched for Robyn. She thought she saw her bright yellow T-shirt in the crowd. She whipped back to Richard with her best menacing glare. “You stay out of my love life.”

“Did Aiden tell you he knows Trish?”

“Yeah, so?”

“Remember when she had to have physical therapy for her shoulder?”

“You mean that injury from work? Aiden was her therapist?”

“At first. Then she got transferred to another therapist at his facility.”

“And this is important to me, why?”

Richard’s expression baited Lex. “Trish made a move on Aiden, but he wasn’t interested, and he got her transferred to another therapist. She was so peeved that when she found out Aiden’s agnostic, she made a big deal about not dating him because he isn’t Christian.”

Oh good one, Trish. Way to make Christian girls look stupid. Lex rounded on her atheist brother. “So you introduced him to me to see if I’d diss him too? You dork.” She had dissed him, but it was because she had to talk to Robyn, not because he wasn’t Christian. “We didn’t even talk about religion, so it doesn’t matter.” She stuck her finger at his face again. “In case you missed it the first time – Stay out of my love life. I don’t want to date any of your friends, because they’re all just like you.”

Richard spread out his arms. “What’s wrong with me? I’m chaaah-ming.” He laughed.

Lex growled and bopped him on the shoulder with her fist. “I’ll deal with you later.” She dashed after Robyn.

“Let’s go.” Aiden hustled past Spenser, who was flirting with a cute volleyball player in a sports bra.

With a hasty goody-bye to the underdressed girl, Spenser followed him to the parking lot. “Already? I thought we were going to stay to watch the whole tournament.”

“I didn’t think athletic girls were your type.” Aiden hit the button to deactivate his SUV’s car alarm.

“They’re not.” Spenser grinned. “She came up to me, buddy.”

His gregarious friend attracted girls like stray dogs to a sausage truck. “Well, I’ve seen enough volleyball today.”

Spenser opened the passenger side door. “So are you going to listen to me and learn to play volleyball?”

Aiden hesitated.

“What’s the problem?” Spenser climbed in and buckled his seat belt. “You get so many clients with volleyball injuries, it’ll only add to your reputation to play it and understand the sport, the kinds of injuries.”

Aiden glanced out his window back toward the park, picked her out as she talked to a shorter Asian woman with a yellow shirt. Lex stood slimmer than Trish, more graceful. Deeper voice, more outspoken.

“I saw you talking to her.” Spenser’s voice had that ribbing tone.

“I’m a masochist.”

“What do you mean?”

He didn’t answer. He should have left it alone. Shouldn’t have reacted when Richard carelessly pointed out his sister on the grass volleyball court.

“Who is she?”

“You remember that girl, Trish?”

“The one who came on to you?”

“That’s her cousin.”

Spenser peered at Lex again, brows knit. “Is she anything like Trish?”

“She’s Christian.” That sealed it for him. Yup, his interest in her had officially ended.

Spenser sighed but didn’t bring up the religion argument again.

Belatedly, Aiden realized the indirect insult. “No offense.”

Spenser cocked an eyebrow at him. “None taken.”

He started the engine. Maybe it was a good thing he’d met Lex. She looked just like Trish, except way more attractive. He should run in the other direction.

But she’d been beautiful playing on that volleyball court…