Page 75 of Just One Fake Date

Once Ty started to confess, the truth came easily. “She was the stewardess in the first class cabin. Very pretty.”

“She is that.”

“Charming. Interested.”

Lauren rolled her eyes. “Proof only that she’s heterosexual and has a pulse.”

Ty ignore the implied compliment. “Mom called before we pushed back. Mom called again when we landed.” He met Lauren’s gaze steadily. “Mom had an agenda item to resolve.”

His sister grinned. “Grandma Trixie’s eightieth birthday party. And more importantly, the great showdown between the Preston sisters.” Lauren sat back and nodded, then mimicked their mother expertly. “You know, dear, that Aunt Teresa’s children are all married and she has nine grandchildren already...”

Ty made a dismissive gesture. “I knew before we even got to the party that I’d made a mistake.”

“Kudos to you for that.” His sister toasted him. “I was afraid you might have been thinking with your dick.”

“Thank you very much.” Ty sighed and shoved a hand through his hair. “I’ve been listening to Kyle for too long. It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“Pretending you were still seeing her?”

“That. Kyle thought it was brilliant. Me, not so much.”

“Good. The longer I heard about Giselle, the more I worried about you.” Lauren folded her arms across her chest. “Are you still taking advice from Kyle?”

“Why?”

“Small, cute, ferociousandunpredictable? How could you even talk about a woman like that and expect us to believe it’s love?” She shook her head. “Seriously?”

Lauren was right—but also wrong. It was the element of surprise, Ty realized. Being with Shannyn was an adventure, and one he didn’t want to stop.

“Those women were predictable,” Ty explained. “I knew exactly what they’d do when and how the relationship would evolve. I knew when the demands would start, and the arguments, and the shrill bits.”

Lauren seemed to be fighting a smile. “The shrill bits?”

“I hate the shrill bits,” he admitted and she chuckled. “So, I’d break it off before we got to that part. I’d meet someone else, sparks would fly, and the whole thing would progressexactly the same way. I could see the signs with Giselle before we even got to the party.”

“Your future unfolded before your eyes.”

“Sure. The hot sex after the party. The forgotten something or other in my apartment. The phone calls, the endless text messages, the dropping by, the contrivance of coincidence.” He recalled Giselle turning up on Tuesday night all too easily and sighed at her timing.

“And then the shrill bits.”

“Inevitably.” He shook his head. “I don’t have time for a serious relationship but was obviously picking women with different goals. Only truly stupid people keep doing the same thing and expecting different results. Something had to change. I didn’t know what, not until Shannyn turned up again.”

“You remembered her from before.”

“It’s hard to forget someone who calls you a smug entitled asshole.”

Lauren laughed. She laughed so hard that she almost fell off the stool. “I like her already,” she said when she could speak again.

“I never know what she’s going to do or say.”

“And that’s interesting.”

“It is, because it always makes sense when she explains it. I just haven’t solved the riddle yet.”

“Have you considered that you might be married with a couple of kids by the time you figure out the enigma that is Shannyn?” she teased.

The chances of that were so slim that Ty sobered.

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