Page 64 of The Rules of Dating My One-Night Stand

I chuckled. “So what brings you to town? I hope you’re not setting up shop here. I don’t think I want you as competition.”

“I think it would be fun to go head-to-head with you.” Tarryn’s eyes sparkled. “But no, I’m not coming to the New York market. I have my hands full in California. I’m just here for the day. My friend is getting married, and I’m in the wedding party. We had fittings this morning on the Upper East Side. Her fiancé has a private plane, and he has businesses here and in L.A. She hasn’t seen him in a week, so she went to his office wearing only a trench coat to surprise him. I thought I’d keep myself busy doing a little shopping before we head back later tonight.”

“Nice. I’ve never flown private.”

“Are you up for a drink? I was hoping maybe we could go to that little bar we went to last time I was in town.”

My eyes immediately went to my cell phone.Still no call.

My gut reaction was to say no to drinks with Tarryn, make up an excuse. It felt wrong to spend time with a woman I’d slept with, but really, why shouldn’t I? Devyn had made it clear that we were nothing more than friends. Hell, she hadn’t even called me after the hearing this morning. So why not go enjoy myself? Maybe some time with Tarryn was exactly what I needed.

I checked my phone once more—maybe if a message came in, it would be a sign that I should decline. But I was disappointed once again. So I nodded. “You know what? Sure. Just give me five minutes to wrap things up here.”

***

“Do you remember that overpriced pre-war we sold together up in Morningside Heights?” Tarryn lifted a toothpick with three olives and used her teeth to slip the first one off. “The woman who owned it, Mrs. Anderson, went into an assisted-living facility.”

“Of course. How could I not? When we did the pre-closing walk through, the entire place was empty. At least we thought it was, until I opened the hall closet and a life-sized cutout of Nick Jonas scared the living shit out of me.”

Tarryn laughed and pointed at me with the toothpick. “That’s the one.”

“Did you ever find out why that thing was there? Was the old lady a JoBro fan or something?”

“I’m glad you asked. Funny story…I keep in touch with the buyers. You know, check in once in a while and see how they like their new place to maintain the relationship and stuff. The new owner told me he found a shoebox in the attic, filled with unsent love letters to Nick from the old lady.”

I laughed. “I was just telling Devyn stories the other day about the crazy shit we see. I need to tell her that one.”

Tarryn sipped her martini and tilted her head. “Devyn? Is there a woman in your life these days, Mr. Dawson?”

My eyes slanted to my cell.Still no call.Sucking back the rest of my beer, I shook my head. “Nah. Devyn’s just a friend.”

Tarryn’s eyes glinted. “Good to know.”

Over the next hour and a half, Tarryn and I had too many drinks. She was always friendly, but the alcohol made her touchy feely. She’d laugh and hold on to my arm, or press her hand against my chest while she told a story. At one point, when there was a lull in the conversation, she scraped a fingernail along the top of my hand.

“I’ve missed spending time with you, Owen. It’s easy between us, isn’t it?”

It felt good to have someone flirt with me, to feel likesomeonewanted to touch me.

I smiled. “Yeah, it is, Tarryn.”

She looked up at me from under thick lashes. “You want to go somewhere else for a drink? Maybe your place?”

Shit. The moment of truth.Tarryn was off-the-charts sexy—that wasn’t even a question. And I knew we’d have a great time; we had history that removed any doubt about that. There also wouldn’t be any expectations after—it would be exactly what she said,easy. A good time. And part of me wanted to go. It had been a while. The physical urge was definitely there. Yet…I had so much emotional turmoil.So, so much. While I inwardly debated what the hell I should do, my cell phone started to vibrate on the bar. Devyn’s name flashed on the screen.Finally.

You shouldn’t answer it.

It’s almost four o’clock in the afternoon. She’s been out of court since ten this morning.

You’re clearly not a priority to her.

Maybe you need to stop making heryourpriority.

But I reallywantedto talk to her.

Tarryn glanced down at my vibrating phone, a curious smile on her face. “Need to answer that?”

I pursed my lips.Fuck.I couldn’t ignore it. “Yeah, I do. I’m sorry. Will you excuse me for a second? It’s a business call.”