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Tilly
“Wait, what?” I stare at Maya’s lips. “Say it slower this time, Maya. I think I heard you wrong. “
“I hope I heard you wrong. “Maya’s fiancé, Julian Bishop, turns from where he’s standing in the kitchen of their apartment. His hand runs through his black hair. “Maya, tell me that you didn’t just say that you agreed to let Sebastian move into Tilly’s place.”
She shrugs. “I did, Julian.”
“Why?” He stalks toward where we’re standing near the doorway. “Maya, we talked about this repeatedly. I love you more than anything, but you can’t change fate.”
She kisses his cheek. “I have told you for months now that Tilly is perfect for Sebastian. This is my way of testing that theory. It benefits Tilly and Sebastian. She can cover rent and he has a place to live. For now, they’re just roommates.”
Her words float over me in a haze of confusion.
I’m still stuck back where she told me that the man I found in my apartment last night is Sebastian Wolf. I didn’t get a chance to explain that I saw every inch of him before she blurted out that she agreed to let him move in with me.
She’s been trying to set me up with the naked sex god for almost a year.
I’ve never been interested in him because he’s a police officer. Technically, he’s a homicide detective.
I’ve already dated three members of the NYPD and not one of those connections progressed past the second date. I had nothing in common with any of them.
Besides, he’s Julian’s best friend. I’m still getting to know Maya’s future husband. I don’t want to risk putting him in an awkward position. If I get involved with Sebastian and it ends badly, it could impact my relationship with Julian and my sister. I can’t let that happen.
I always assumed I’d meet Sebastian in a suit at their wedding, not nude in my living room.
Maya owns my apartment. When she moved in with Julian, she gave me the go-ahead to do whatever I wanted to with the place. That included renting out the second bedroom.
Since I’ve lived there, I’ve always been the one to seek out roommates, I’ve vetted them and I’ve handled the signing of the rental agreements.
It was different with Lisa.
Maya is a real estate broker and Lisa happened to be one of her clients. She was going through a messy divorce when she and her soon-to-be ex-husband contracted Maya to sell their apartment.
Since I was looking for a roommate at the time, Maya called and asked if I’d be willing to live with Lisa.
I asked one question in response. “Can she pay half of the rent?”
When Maya assured me she could, I sent the rental agreement to Lisa’s office. She signed and by the end of that week, she was moved in.
She committed to renting the extra bedroom for a year. She still has five months to go.
“What about Lisa?” I scratch the back of my head. “Is she sharing a room with him? It’s a two bedroom, Maya. The master bedroom is mine and Lisa’s bedroom is the other one, so where is he supposed to sleep?”
I suddenly wonder if he was camped out on the sofa all night in the nude.
“Lisa is in Tokyo.” Maya lowers herself into the armchair next to us, adjusting the front of the soft gray dress she’s wearing.
Both Julian and I turn at those words, but I ask the obvious question before he can even open his mouth. “Why is Lisa in Tokyo?”
“Family stuff.” She slides a tube of lipstick out of her purse. “She said she had to take off and wouldn’t be back for months. She wanted out of her lease agreement.”
I watch as my older sister applies a pale shade of pink to her lips. Maya is beautiful. Her hair is black, her eyes the same shade of blue as mine. She’s shorter than I am, but she carries herself with an elegant grace that has always turned heads, including her devoted fiancé who can’t take his eyes off of her.
“Why didn’t she call me about this?” I look down at the red sneakers I slipped my feet into when I left my apartment. I put on a chunky red sweater and a pair of black yoga pants before I hopped on the subway and raced over here. “I’m her roommate.”
“You were on vacation. I didn’t see the point in bothering you.” She looks at the watch on her wrist. It doesn’t work. My sister has never owned a watch that keeps time. She only wears them because she loves vintage timepieces. “Speaking of which, why are you back here? I thought you were hanging out in San Francisco for another few days. You got the gifts I sent to Frannie’s place for your birthday, right?”
“I came back early because I missed you and I love the gifts,” I lie, twice. “Don’t change the subject, Maya. Why would you agree to let Sebastian move into my place without discussing it with me first?”
“He isn’t officially your roommate until the end of the month.” She scans the screen of her phone when it chimes. “I have a listing appointment in thirty minutes.”
I nod. I’ve never gotten in the way of Maya’s work. I’ve always understood when she’s had to cancel dinner plans or movie dates with me to show a client a property or meet with another broker. This is the first time I’ve even been remotely tempted to ask her to postpone an appointment because of me, but I won’t.
“Did you sell his apartment already, Maya?” Julian walks to where she’s seated. He holds out a hand to help her stand.
Swoon. My future brother-in-law is the definition of a gentleman.
“Sebastian accepted an offer yesterday morning.” She takes his hand and glides to her feet. “I meant to tell you last night, but we got...” she looks over at me. “Busy.”
I roll my eyes, not wanting to hear about my sister’s sex life, again.
“It’s a fast close and the rental market is tight right now, so I told him he could stay with Tilly until he works something else out.” She looks up at Julian. “I gave him the set of keys that Lisa dropped off at my office on her way to the airport. I mentioned that Tilly would be in California for a few more days, but he was more than welcome to go check out the apartment.”
“I understand,” he says because he’s not the one who has to live with Sebastian Wolf.
“I don’t.” I put my hands on my hips. “Maya, you didn’t even call me to ask if it would be all right with me.”
“I was going to talk to you about it once you were back. I didn’t realize he was planning on moving in as soon as I handed him the keys. I thought he’d hold off for at least a couple of weeks.” She brushes past Julian. “Tilly, he’s a good guy. He works long hours so you’ll hardly see him.”
“You’re trying to run my life again,” I whisper.
“No.” She reaches to push my hair back behind my shoulders. “I’m trying to help one of Julian’s friends. Give him a chance, sis. Can you do that?”
I look back at Julian. His blue eyes brighten as he smiles.
“I’ll give it a chance,” I agree softly. “I hope I don’t regret it.”
“You won’t.” She tugs me into a hug. “You’re going to love Sebastian as much as Julian and I do.”
