Page 16 of Just One Fake Date

So, Tyler was neat. Hmm.

No surprise that it was a really large bathroom, tiled in marble, with a nightlight glowing from a plug over the long counter. Absolutely five star. A door in between the marble vanity and the bedroom led to a walk-in closet, which would be behind the wall with the headboard. Shannyn took a peek. Gorgeous suits were hung perfectly, the fabric of such high quality that she wanted to stroke them all. His shoes were lined up and polished, with the trees in them. There was a line of dress shirts and a neatly-hung collection of ties. There were no women’s clothes, so the sharp-dressed Tyler lived alone.

Not that it mattered to Shannyn. Nuh uh. She was just taking the tour of how the other half lived while she had the chance.

She’d lived in apartments smaller than the footprint of that closet and bathroom.

Drops of water shone on the glass walls of the shower and the air was a little humid, hinting that Tyler had used it first. Shannyn closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She didn’t miss her ex, but she did miss some of the pleasures of living with a man. She liked waking up with a man’s solid heat against her back, and being able to run her foot down a muscled leg—well, actually, she liked sex in the morning. She liked the smell of the bathroom after a man had taken his shower, the humidity and the scent of cologne. Cole had never used such a good one, though. Shannyn checked Tyler’s brand, thinking she might buy a bottle and spritz it around on those lonely mornings. She’d bought a razor like Cole’s, after all, because his had been better and he’d taken it with him.

Shannyn’s other clothes were folded on the end of the counter, not perfectly but neatly—better than her brother would have done—and her messenger bag was on the floor beneath. There was another door beside the shower, a closed one, that had to lead from the bathroom to the living room.

Not only was Tyler neat, but he’d anticipated that she’d want her stuff.

Was that because he was thoughtful or because she was being given the bum’s rush?

There was a new toothbrush, still in the package, beside the sink, as well as a towel and facecloth, obviously intended for her. His own razor was wet, indicating that he’d shaved again, a hint that he had more plans for the evening.

Probably not with her.

There was no reason to be disappointed: she knew the arrangement.

There were no women’s toiletries on the counter and Shannyn wondered whether he’d left out the towel to keep her from looking further.

That strategy wasn’t going to work. Shannyn looked in the drawers and under the sink. All neat. No women’s things. No stash of new toothbrushes.

Maybe he’d just come out of a longer relationship. There was space in the closet.

There was also a big fluffy robe with the towels on the rack over the toilet, one that she couldn’t imagine Tyler wearing. The logo of a hotel chain was embroidered on it and it still had a blue satin ribbon around it, like it had been a gift. She knew that if she put that on, it would indicate that she intended to stay. That it was on the shelf and not the counter made her conclude that she wasn’t invited to do so.

Tyler’s romantic life wasn’t Shannyn’s problem or her business. One appearance at a wedding and they were done, for good. In fact, she was probably keeping him from a date somewhere. Just because she didn’t have sport sex often didn’t make her choices his norm.

She took a quick shower and dressed, then carried her bag back into the living room. She was intending to get her coat and leave immediately, but curiosity made her look. The apartment had an open floor plan, with an island separating the kitchen from the living room. Of course, the kitchen had granite counters and gleaming stainless steel appliances. It didn’t appear that anyone used it.

Tyler was wearing a different suit, a charcoal grey one, leaning against the counter as he checked his phone. He flicked a glance her way and smiled, straightening as if he’d been waiting for her.

Of course, he had been. He wasn’t going to leave her alone in his apartment.

“Sorry I fell asleep,” Shannyn said. “I didn’t mean to hold you up.”

“You didn’t,” he said easily, but that couldn’t be true.

Like his bedroom, the decor was spare and functional. There was a black leather couch, a coffee table, a television mounted on the wall above the fireplace. A long low bookshelf was crowded with books, to the point of some being stacked sideways on top. It was the only sign of life, to Shannyn’s thinking. The view was amazing.

Once again, she was struck by its similarity to a hotel.

His place was the exact opposite of the colorful, chaotic, quirky Victorian house that Shannyn called home, and she chose to take the differences as proof that she and Tyler had just about nothing in common either.

She indicated his apartment with one hand. “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a man in possession of a large fortune must be in want of a wife,” she said, quoting Austen.

He raised his brows. “That would be my mom’s logic.”

She liked that he recognized the quote. “So, some things haven’t changed in two hundred years.”

“I’d argue that I’m not in possession of a large fortune.”

“You’re not going hungry either.”

Tyler didn’t quibble with that. “Speaking of which, do you want to get dinner?”

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