“If you value hanging on to your limbs, Brett, I’d forget all about those reasons if I were you.”
She expected another dose of his charm and was surprised—and relieved—when Brett raised his hands in an exaggerated fashion, breaking the physical contact he’d established, and took a step back.
“Whatever you say, Lady Doc. I’ve never forced my attentions on a woman yet, and I’m not about to start at this late date,” he assured her. “I wouldn’t have grabbed you now, but if I hadn’t, that bed would have landed right on top of that pretty little head of yours. You’re welcome, by the way.”
“Thank you,” she said stiffly. “I’ll write you that check now.” As she took out her checkbook, another question suddenly occurred to her. This time, she looked around twice before asking, “Where’s the bathroom?”
Brett nodded toward the entrance of the room and the stairs just beyond. “You passed it downstairs.”
He obviously didn’t understand, she thought. “I mean the one that goes with this apartment.”
“You passed it downstairs,” Brett repeated.
Her jaw almost dropped. “There’s no bathroom up here?” she cried.
“Not that I know of.”
“Didn’t your uncle have to relieve himself?”
“I’m sure he did,” Brett replied. “When he did, he went downstairs.”
That still didn’t solve the problem. Just how backward were these people? “What about bathing? Didn’t he bathe?”
“As a matter of fact, he did,” Brett answered, taking no offense at her tone. “That’s why he built a small room onto the back end of the men’s room—so he could take a shower there.”
Part of her couldn’t believe she was actually having this conversation. “Is there one like that in the back of the women’s bathroom?”
Brett shook his head. “Was no reason for it. Uncle Patrick never got married.”
Alisha felt as if she’d somehow fallen through the rabbit hole without realizing it. In an odd sort of way, she wanted to see just how far this would all go. “I can’t go into the men’s room to shower.”
“Don’t see why not as long as there’re no men in it. The place is pretty empty until about two in the afternoon or so, and it doesn’t really get going until about five, six o’clock,” he told her. “Listen, if you like, I can see about having Clarence bring a cast-iron tub upstairs. But you’ve got to remember that it’s going to take up most of the available space in the apartment,” he warned her.
“Clarence?” Who was named Clarence these days? she couldn’t help wondering.
“He took over running the hardware store after his dad retired,” Brett answered. “The man’s an absolute wizard with coming up with ways to get things that you need.”
Alisha laughed shortly to herself and murmured, “How about a brand-new start?”
“You need a new start?” Brett asked her, interested. “Why?”
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