He yawned and stretched as he walked naked to the bathroom to crank on the shower. After that and a pot of coffee, he’d be good to go.
Two full days off stretched ahead of him. A gorgeous summer Sunday, judging from the bright sunlight streaming in the bathroom window. He’d see what Jamie and Mila were up to; maybe they’d hit the beach or something.
After a shower and a rub of a towel to his hair, he started coffee then returned to the bedroom to pull on a pair of loose athletic shorts and a faded navy Chicago Fire Department T-shirt. He looked at the mail that had arrived yesterday while he’d been at work. Nothing interesting.
He poured coffee into a travel mug and headed downstairs to find Jamie, but paused outside his apartment door. He needed to get bathroom measurements from Apartment Four so he could go to Home Depot and pick up some stuff. Maybe he should do that now.
He ducked back inside his apartment to grab a tape measure and a notepad. He shoved a pencil behind his ear. Juggling his coffee and the other things, he crossed the hall. But when he tried the knob, it was locked. Huh.
They hardly ever locked their doors in the building, since it was just the three friends, and the exterior doors were always locked. But he had a key, so he retrieved it then let himself into the apartment.
He’d helped Mila and Jamie unpack Arden’s things a couple of days ago. They hadn’t touched the really personal stuff, but unpacking her sheets and pillows had felt weird. Even weirder because it was Arden’s sheets and pillows. The girl who’d starred in every single one of his teenage fantasies.
The apartment even smelled different now…must be because of her things being there…an exotic fruity floral scent. He strode purposefully to the bathroom and yanked open the door.
The female scream that split the silence nearly ripped his eardrums open.
“Jesus Christ!” The items he was carrying flew out of his startled hands, the tape measure and the mug clattering to the floor, the note pad skidding down the hall. As he staggered back, he caught a glimpse of naked woman.
Smooth, tanned skin. Long dark hair. The sweep of a hip and—sweet mother of God— the curve of a breast tipped with a dark nipple. And wide, horrified eyes as she grabbed a towel and held it in front of herself.
“Get out!” she shrieked then let out another piercing scream. “Aaaaah! Help! Jamie! Help!”
Jesus, fuck, it was Arden. Tyler held up his hands. “Hey! Hey! Calm down.”
She made some frightened noises.
“It’s me, Tyler! Remember…Tyler Ramirez? Jamie’s friend?”
She gaped at him, the little blue towel she clutched not covering much. Now he wanted to whimper. She was fucking gorgeous.
Still.
“I am so sorry.” He kept his eyes firmly on her face, smiling tentatively. “When did you get here?”
“Um.” She looked like she was having a heart attack. Good thing he was a trained EMT. “Yesterday.”
“Shit.” He grimaced. “I could’ve sworn Jamie said you were arriving Monday.”
“No.” She swallowed. “Are you really Tyler?”
He frowned. She didn’t even recognize him? “Yeah.”
“Oh. Okay. Um…could we continue this conversation when I’m dressed?”
He smacked his forehead and turned around. “Yeah. Of course. Dumbass,” he muttered under his breath. “I’ll, uh, wait in the living room.”
He picked up his things, rubbing at the hardwood floor he’d just refinished weeks ago, hoping like hell the travel mug hadn’t scratched the new finish. Looked okay. Then he strode back to the living room where they’d arranged her furniture. He was going to fucking kill Jamie.
He set his things down on the granite counter and pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes. Christ, that vision was seared into his retinas for the rest of eternity. Naked Arden Lennox. Holy shit.
Okay, okay, calm down, dude.
He was over that high school crush. Way the fuck over it.
She was here and he was an idiot.
He’d been trying to imagine what it would be like to see Arden again. It had been, what—eleven years since he’d seen her? Nah, he’d seen her one year at Christmas when she’d been home…so maybe nine years ago? Whatever. So he’d had a crush on her. That was a long time ago. He’d been a kid then, and she’d married someone else. She was a widow now, mind you, but still. They were different people.
And he’d just embarrassed them both.
A few minutes later, Arden appeared, now dressed in a pair of cropped black leggings and a loose tank top. And yeah, she was still just as beautiful with those big brown eyes, creamy smooth skin, and sweetly curved lips.
“Well, that was a great reintroduction, wasn’t it?” Tyler said with a grin. “I really am sorry. I had no idea you were already here. I came to get some measurements so I can get started on your bathroom next week.”
She still seemed shaken and annoyed. “I guess there was a miscommunication about when I was arriving.”
“Yeah. I’m going to murder your brother.” He frowned. “I’m surprised he didn’t come running to your rescue. That scream was loud enough that everyone in Lincoln Park probably heard it.”
“He’s not home,” she admitted. “He and Mila went out to get breakfast a little while ago. They’re going to bring back something for me, so I jumped in the shower.”
“What? They’re not bringing me anything?”
“Actually, I think they are, but they didn’t want to wake you up.”
“Oh. Okay.” He paused. “So you screamed for him even though you knew he wasn’t here.”
She made a face and her lips twitched. “I figured a burglar wouldn’t know that.”
“Quick thinking. Luckily I’m not a burglar.”
“How did you get in?”
“Through the door.”
Her eyebrows rose. “You have a key?”
“Yeah. Uh…is that a problem?”
“I’d kind of like to know when someone’s coming into my apartment.”
“Interesting concept.”
She frowned, and he couldn’t stop his grin. Jamie and Mila wandered at will in and out of every other apartment, and he’d learned to lock the door if he really needed privacy.
“We hardly ever lock our doors inside, since the outside doors are always locked. But we all have keys to one another’s apartments just in case. I’m in this unit all the time working on it. But I’ll try not to get in your way.”
She nibbled her bottom lip. “Jamie told me you’re still working on this place. I knew that was part of the deal.”
Right, right. Apparently she’d had to sell her house. Jamie’d told him that she’d discovered after her husband had died that he hadn’t exactly been in good financial shape.
She moved past him to the kitchen and reached into a cupboard for a bright yellow mug. “Would you like some coffee?”
“Got some, thanks.” He picked up the travel mug that had bounced off the floor minutes ago. Luckily the lid had stayed tight.
He watched her pour coffee into the mug. “You haven’t changed at all,” he blurted. Maybe she had a bit—that smile she’d beamed around seemed to have dimmed a little.