He was not going to grovel, he told himself as he nailed in the brackets for a shelf. He had nothing to apologize for. Women, he decided, were just one of the many reasons a man was better off going through his life solo.

If he was such a jerk, why’d she bother to spend any time with him in the first place?

He backed out of the closet, turned and nearly ran right into Spencer Kimball.

“What is it with people?” Brody demanded.

“Sorry. I didn’t think you could hear me with all the noise.”

“I’m going to post signs.” Brody stalked over to select one of the shelves he’d precut and sealed. “No suits, no ties, no females.”

Spencer’s eyebrows lifted. In all the months he’d known Brody, this was the first time he’d heard him anything but calm. “I take it I’m not the first interruption of the day.”

“Not by a long shot.” Brody tested the shelf. It slid smoothly into its slot. At least something was going right today, he thought. “If this is about the kitchen design for your place, once you approve it, I’ll order materials. We’ll be able to start in a couple of weeks.”

“Actually, I’m staying out of that one. Tash has gotten very territorial over this kitchen deal. I just came by to see the progress here. The considerable progress.”

“Yeah, moving right the hell along.” Brody snatched up another shelf, then stopped, let out a breath. “Sorry. Bad day.”

“Must be going around.” And explained, Spencer decided, why his daughter was in a prickly mood. “Kate’s downstairs setting up her office.”

“Oh.” Brody carted his shelves into the pantry, began to set them. Very deliberately. “I didn’t realize she was still here.”

“Furniture she ordered just came in. I didn’t get much of a welcome from her, either. So, putting the evidence together, I conclude the two of you had an argument.”

“It’s not an argument when somebody jumps down somebody else’s throat for no good reason. It’s an attack.”

“Mmm-hmm. At the risk of poking my nose in, I can tell you the women in my family always have what they consider a good reason for jumping down a man’s throat. Of course, whether or not it actually is a good reason is debatable.”

“Which is why women are just too much damn trouble.”

“Tough doing without them, though, isn’t it?”

“I was getting along. Jack and I were doing just fine.” Frustration pumped off him as he turned back to Spencer. “What is it with women anyway, that they have to complicate things, then make you feel like an idiot?”

“Son, generations of men have pondered that question. There’s only one answer. Because.”

With a half laugh, Brody stepped back again, automatically eyeballing the shelves for level and fit. “I guess that’s as good as it gets. Doesn’t matter much at this point anyway. She dumped me.”

“You don’t strike me as a man who typically walks away from a problem.”