He straightened and remembered the maps.
Ty had never asked if Shannyn was seeing anyone, either. He’d just made assumptions about the change in her cash flow. Those maps could explain so much: particularly that she was lonely enough to be impulsive about sex, but kept pushing him away, trying to keep things from progressing. She’d been adamant about having no emotional bonds, and Ty thought he understood why.
In fact, the mystery that was Shannyn was suddenly crystal clear.
The same cologne. She couldn’t have been pretending she was with some other guy. She couldn’t have chosen him just because of his cologne.
Could she?
Ty didn’t know.
He had to talk to her. He had to know for sure.
He dried up, rolled down his sleeves and put his watch back on. He brushed down his trousers, then headed outside. Derek was in the driveway working on his bid. Shannyn gave Ty a brilliant smile and started to walk toward him just as a cab pulled up at the curb. A lanky guy got out of the cab, slinging a duffle bag over his shoulder as he surveyed the house and then them.
“Taz!” He shouted, then grinned, striding toward Shannyn.
Taz? Was this guy at the wrong house?
Shannyn gave a little squeal. She ran toward the new arrival. “You said not until August!” she cried, proving that he was not at the wrong house.
“I lied,” the new arrival said without remorse. “I wanted to surprise you.”
“Mission accomplished!”
Derek glanced at him but Ty just shrugged. His throat was tight and he knew he had to leave, but he wanted to know more.
Who was this guy? Ty was pretty sure he knew. Whoever he was, the guy definitely knew Shannyn well. He caught her close and swung her around in the air as they laughed together, then tossed her over his shoulder and began to tickle her.
He also knew exactly where she was ticklish, which wasn’t encouraging.
Why did he call her Taz?
“Aidan!” she shouted, fighting against him and losing badly. “I thought you were in Tashkent.”
Aidan. She’d never even mentioned an Aidan.
“Not since last September, Taz, and you know it.”
The maps meant she was tracking Aidan’s progress. Ty’s gut went cold. She’d thought Aidan wasn’t coming home until August, which meant it hadn’t been relevant to tell Ty about him. Their deal would be done long before Aidan’s scheduled return.
Shit.
Ty felt like he’d been kicked in the gut. He had one hard and fast rule and that was he never cheated. He never got involved with anyone who was still involved emotionally with anyone else.
But this was his own fault: he’d never asked about Shannyn’s romantic life. He’d assumed, and Ty knew the old phrase.
How could he have been so stupid? Ty didn’t need to ask questions any more. He just needed to leave.
The problem was he couldn’t leave, not with Derek’s truck parked behind his car.
Aidan had to be more than a foot taller than Shannyn. She kicked and squirmed but he held her in the air and tickled her mercilessly. He was blond and good-looking, one of those wiry guys who are stronger than they look. He was about the same age as Ty and obviously used to carrying Shannyn around. She couldn’t break free of him, and Ty wasn’t sure she wanted to.
“Beijing, then,” she said, breathless.
“Missed it this time.”
“Bangkok,” she insisted.
“Not since February.”
“Seattle.”
“Flew right over it because I wanted to get back home so badly.”
That was not a reassuring confession.
“Liar,” she charged and Aidan laughed.
Ty felt Derek studying him and deliberately didn’t look up.
“Miss me, Taz?” Aidan demanded of her.
“Of course not. I even forget who you are,” Shannyn countered.
“Liar!” Aidan tickled her until she squealed.
“What’s your name again? Who are you?” she said, laughing all the while. “Put me down, stranger!”
“Not until you admit that you missed me. Are you getting fat? Jeez, Taz, you weigh a ton.”
“I do not. Now, you’re the liar. I’ve lost fifteen pounds since you left and you probably know it.”
She’d lost weight when he left? There was a nail in the coffin. Ty knew all about women losing weight when love went wrong. She’d missed Aidan, whoever the hell he was. And whatever had happened, he was back.
“Maybe you’ve just been wasting away, missing me so badly. Poor little Taz.”
“Awwwwww,” Shannyn said with characteristic bravado. “I don’t think so.”
Ty would have argued that.
Aidan set her on her feet. They grinned at each other, hugged tightly, then seemed to finally remember that Derek and Ty were there.
“What’s going on?” Aidan asked, leading a blushing Shannyn toward them. The way she evaded Ty’s gaze spoke volumes.
She’d been caught out and she knew it.
Even so, Ty could kind of defend her choice. They had a deal. They didn’t have a relationship. He didn’t know anything about her life and he hadn’t asked. She hadn’t made any confessions or any promises, and if he’d made conclusions, that was his own fault. She didn’t know about his hard and fast rule.
Still, this bit the wall.
“Aidan, Tyler, Derek,” she said, echoing his own style of introduction. “They’re helping me with my score.”
Aidan gave a low whistle after she told him about the furniture. “Is this a new personal record?”
“Yes,” Shannyn said happily. Ty wondered whether she was happier about the furniture, the fact that he had helped her out, or Aidan’s return. By the way she was looking at Aidan, he was pretty sure of the answer.
And that was that. She had the furniture, which she believed would give her the resources to pay for the roof. He’d been part of the solution, but wasn’t likely to get the credit now.
Ty told himself it didn’t matter.
“You must be starving,” Shannyn said to Aidan. “You always are.”
The familiarity between them made Ty keenly aware that he was a lot less familiar with Shannyn. Disgruntled and knowing he shouldn’t be, Ty put the rope and blanket back in the trunk.
Dinner was off.
Maybe the wedding date was off, too.
Maybe Aidan’s return meant that Ty was right back at square one.
He told himself it was no big deal. The sum total of his investment was the hundred bucks he owed Derek.
Ty refused to be disappointed.
He’d just start over again.
Next time, he’d ask more questions, though.
Shit.
Against Shannyn’s every expectation, Tyler left as soon as Derek did. Aidan was busy cleaning out her fridge and she’d expected to have dinner with Tyler, but something had changed. He’d become distant after Aidan’s arrival, apparently consumed with putting that rope and blanket away. She’d offered coffee to Tyler and Derek, but they’d declined politely. Tyler had been stone-faced again, and Shannyn couldn’t figure out why.
So, her brother had turned up unexpectedly.
How was that any different from his brother-in-law being around?
But when Derek’s presence had made Tyler more familiar, Aidan made him act like a stranger. It was just weird.
He’d put his suit jacket on again and leaned against his car while Derek finished taking his measurements. Was Tyler’s car so important to him that he had to stand guard over it? Apparently so. Was everything about appearances? If so, he must be really unhappy about getting his suit dirty.
Annoyed, Shannyn answered Derek’s questions, then followed him out to his truck. He promised to get her an estimate in the next couple of days. He shook her hand, thanking her for the chance to bid on the work, then he left. If Shannyn thought that meant Tyler would be more effusive, she was wrong. He wa
ited until Derek had driven out of sight, then pulled out his car keys.
“You’re not leaving,” Shannyn said in surprise. That kiss downtown had been awesome. That kiss had been a promise of a great dinner—maybe more.
But Tyler looked at her as if he’d never met her before.
“Why would I stay?” he asked, apparently mystified by her question.
“I thought we were going for dinner.”
“I’m not going to wait for you to say no.” Ty’s smile was tight. “Let’s just keep it simple and say it’s a good thing I didn’t make a reservation. Have a nice evening.”
And he opened the door of his car.
“But...”
When he glanced back, there was a glimmer in his eyes. “Surprised?”
“Astonished,” she admitted. Was he teasing her?
“Well, now you know what it’s like,” he said softly, which made absolutely no sense to her. “Turnabout is fair play sometimes.”
Then he left, which made even less sense.
If it had been anyone else, Shannyn would have thought she’d hurt his feelings, but Tyler was the most confident man she’d ever met. His heart had to be coated with Kevlar. And besides, they had a deal not a date—emotions had nothing to do with it.
What was going on?
Any hope that he’d turn back and admit that he was teasing her died a quick death, because Ty kept going. She would have bet that he didn’t even look in the rearview mirror. The car disappeared around the corner in a flash of silver and the sound of the engine faded, blending into the traffic. She stood on her porch staring after him, knowing what it meant to be gobsmacked.
Aidan came to stand beside her holding a carton of milk from her fridge. “Trouble in paradise?” he asked, then drank right from the carton, tipping back his head.
“No,” Shannyn said, turning back to the house. “He just has these asshole tendencies sometimes.” Even as she said the words, she knew they weren’t true.
Aidan grinned. “But you like him anyway.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Shannyn went back to the kitchen, letting the door slam behind herself. She was disappointed, annoyed and confused, a combination that wasn’t unusual in Tyler’s presence.
Or apparently his absence.
Fitzwilliam had emerged from his hiding place and was fastidiously sniffing the furniture that had invaded his domain. Shannyn was aware that Aidan had followed her, that her fridge was a lot more empty and that she was hungry.
She’d been fantasizing about tapas.
About dinner with Tyler.
About celebrating their teamwork, maybe in a very earthy way.
But he’d just left.
“He thinks we’re a couple,” Aidan said and Shannyn pivoted to stare at him in shock.
“Why would he think that?”
“Did you tell him you have a brother?”
“No. It didn’t matter. You were in Tajikistan.”
Aidan lifted a brow, which made him look both skeptical and diabolical. “We don’t look alike, remember.”
Shannyn turned and looked after Tyler’s car, which was probably halfway back to the city by now. “But he’s smart.”
“That doesn’t make him psychic.” Aidan peered into the milk carton and shook it a bit, oblivious to her reaction, then handed it to her. “You’re out of milk.”
Shannyn took the carton automatically, too busy thinking about Tyler. Even if he did think she and Aidan were a couple, why would he care? Why would that make him leave so quickly?
No, he must have gotten a call while making that second run for furniture. He must have something better to do.
Which was disappointing, but not crazy. She had pushed him out of his comfort zone and as much as she’d enjoyed it, it was easy to believe that he didn’t.
She’d expected more of him, though.
She put the carton into the recycling, telling herself not to take his departure personally. She knew she wasn’t his type.
Aidan had opened the fridge, then the freezer, and was clearly unhappy with whatever he found or didn’t find. Fitzwilliam trotted into the kitchen at the sound of the fridge door and hopped on the counter, flicking his tail expectantly. Aidan rubbed him under the chin and Fitzwilliam took a swipe at him with one paw before yowling in complaint. “Missed you, too, buddy,” Aidan said, peering into the fridge again as if its contents might have magically changed. “Don’t you have any beer?”
“No. I don’t drink beer. You drink beer and you were in outer Mongolia.”
“The hazards of surprising you,” he said with a sigh.
“Remind me why I missed you.”
Aidan looked up. “He seemed like a nice guy.”
“Don’t be fooled,” Shannyn said, feeling cheated of Tyler’s company.
He shut the fridge. “You really do like him, don’t you?”
“Tell him that and I’ll have to kill you.”
“Not much chance of that happening, is there? I mean, the skid marks will take years to fade.”
Shannyn resisted the urge to throw something at her kid brother.
“Leave the door unlocked for me?” he asked with a smile.
Shannyn was charmed, as usual, but tried to hide it. “I’ll give you a key. How long are you staying anyway?”
“When are you going thrifting?”
“Tuesday or Wednesday.”
“I’ll go with you and get some clothes. Mine are trashed. Then I’ll take the train up to Mom’s.”
Shannyn belatedly realized he’d arrived by taxi. “What happened to your truck?”
“I sold it in Burma.”
“As one does,” she said and Aidan laughed easily.
“As one does.” He winked. “Paid for my ticket home with a little change left over. So, are you going to give me a key or do I need to find alternate accommodations?”
“I’ll make up the couch. Just don’t trip over the cat.”
Aidan nodded and gave her a thumbs-up, striding away with purpose.
“And pick up some milk!” Shannyn called after him.
He waved without looking back, which she knew meant exactly nothing, and kept walking.
“There’s no way he thought we were a couple,” she told Fitzwilliam, as if he was the one who needed convincing. “He wouldn’t just jump to conclusions. If he’d wondered about my relationship with Aidan, he would have asked. Tyler’s direct.”
Fitzwilliam began to groom himself, disinterested in Shannyn since she wasn’t preparing food.
She sighed. “He just has something better to do on a Saturday night. Another Giselle.”
Good thing Shannyn had work to do. There were the pictures from the club to crop and deliver, then a whole lot of furniture to clean.
Funny how her triumph didn’t feel so exciting anymore now that there was no one to celebrate with her.
Ten
Ty wanted to call Shannyn that night more than he’d wanted anything in a long time.
He wanted to hear her voice. He wanted her to confess that she was madly in love with Aidan and had been waiting for his return. He knew that was stupid, because he’d seen how gladly she’d welcomed the other guy and it was obviously true.
But still, he wanted her to say it.
Ty knew that what he really wanted was an explanation that was different from the obvious one.
He paced his apartment, restless.
Four days after Shannyn had unexpectedly walked into his life again, Ty felt that everything had been turned upside down and inside out. Instead of being in control of his universe and all the variables that influenced it, he felt shaken and stirred.
That was new, but definitely not boring. In fact, the change made him feel like he’d just been going through the motions for years.
It made him want more than work in his life.
That made no sense. Ty had a plan and he knew it would work. He was investing in his own future, laying the groundwork, ensuring that the
club and his own financial situation were solid. Funny how the explanation that had seemed perfect four days before now sounded like an excuse.
An inadequate excuse, at that.
When his door buzzer sounded, Ty snapped “What?” into the intercom.
But it was his sister Lauren and even over the intercom, she sounded odd. Upset, maybe. She never came by his place unless there was something really wrong. He couldn’t figure out why she’d stop by on a Saturday night. Ty buzzed her in, then cleared her elevator access.
He opened the door to the corridor to wait for her to step off the elevator, wanting to make a guess at what was bothering her before she put a good face on it. Her head was bowed when she appeared, her long hair obscuring her features, but he was sure that when she glanced his way, Lauren blinked back tears.
Her smile was certainly forced.
“What’s up?” he asked, keeping his tone light.
“I need a reason to visit you now?” she asked, a break in her voice.
“Of course not, but it’s been a while.”
“You just don’t like having family in your cave.”
“There is that,” he admitted, then made a guess. “How’s Mark?”
“Fine.” Lauren seemed to bite off the word. Mark might be fine, but Lauren’s view of him wasn’t. She slipped past Ty into his apartment, avoiding his gaze, and stopped on the threshold to survey it. “Why are there no signs of female habitation?”
“Why should there be?”
She perched on one of the stools at the breakfast bar, crossing her legs and bouncing one foot. “Because Shannyn is going to be my sister-in-law any minute now, by all family reports. I actually thought I might be interrupting something and that’s why you were as cross as a bear.” She surveyed him and he wondered how much she saw of the truth.
“I’m not as cross as a bear.”
Lauren pointed a finger at him. “Guilty as charged.” She spun in the chair then counted options off on her fingers. “So, is the issue that your relationship with Shannyn is a fiction, that she isn’t here, that she is here and hiding from me, or that Mom is pressuring you about matrimony, as usual?”
Just One Fake Date: A Contemporary Romance (Flatiron Five Fitness Book 1) Page 17
