On the wall, in big pink and gold curving letters was the name of her side business.
ShyBelle.
I don't know why but I guess I figured Shy and her sister did their little side hustle at an actual nail salon. Like they rented a station or some shit.
But no.
They did it right out of Shy's apartment.
Turning, I moved toward the small square kitchen. The appliances looked like they were older than Shay herself, but the cabinets had clearly been sanded down and re-painted a crisp white. The cabinet handles and pulls had been replaced with the same sort of brushed gold as the desk legs and other little accents throughout the living space. A stack of clean pots and pans sat on the stove burners, and I couldn't help but wonder what kinds of foods Shay cooked up, if she was any good at it.
I'd always appreciated a woman who could cook, never having had that growing up.
Harm and Sass could throw some stuff together, but neither of them had any sort of love for cooking either.
I was more into the idea of watching Shy move around the kitchen than I should have been.
I wasn't going to snoop any more than that, but there was a thumping noise coming from the back of the apartment, a sound that immediately had me reaching for my gun and pinning myself to the wall in the hallway beside the kitchen, wondering if one of the guys had hidden away in Shy's apartment to ambush her when she got home.
Hell, as fucked as it was, a part of me was almost hopeful that was the case. Because it would give us a much better plan to go with than the farfetched one that my brothers had cooked up.
Taking a deep breath, I came to the closed door to what seemed like the bathroom since the bedroom door was thrown open across from it. I reached out with my bad arm, grabbing the knob, and throwing the door open.
I jumped into the doorway, gun raised.
At a fucking rabbit.
"Christ," I hissed, letting out a choked laugh as I tucked my gun away again as I looked down at the twitchy-nosed bunny.
I'd never seen a rabbit so small in my life. It looked like it could fit in my hands, the tiny black thing with petite upright ears and big, dark eyes.
He'd made a mess of the tiled room, scattering hay all over, and having kicked some bedding out of his litter box.
Shy had mentioned a cat. She hadn't said a thing about the rabbit. That, paired with the fact that its extra hay and pellet food were all tossed carelessly onto the sink counter, made me think it likely wasn't hers at all, but her sister's. Belle. Shy must have gone and picked him up to take care of him until she could get her sister back.
"Sorry, man," I said, backing out of the bathroom, closing the door, leaving him to his own devices.
Remy had brought home a shitton of animals over the years, but he'd yet to bring back a rabbit. I had no idea what to do with or for him, so I decided it was best just to leave him alone as I turned back into the apartment.
I should have steered myself back to the living room. Did I do that, though? No. Of course not. I went ahead and crossed the line as I crossed the hall, peeking into Shy's bedroom.
It was similar to the living room in that everything had clearly been redone. The bed had a brushed cold metal frame and all white bedding. The nightstands and dressers were also white. The wall behind the bed managed to break up the mostly stark white space, painted with a pink that matched the living room in big, broad strokes, letting some of the white still peek through.
Feminine.
The whole space was undeniably feminine.
I don't know if it was because I spent so much time around men, surrounded by darker colors, leather, and a lack of all that soft shit women were known for bringing into a home, but I found the unabashed femininity refreshing and comforting.
I moved over toward her dresser where more dying white roses sat in a clear vase. A glass decanter of perfume sat there along with an assortment of hair clips and bobby pins. Without even meaning to, I lifted the perfume bottle. Taking a deep breath, I smelled something soft and flowery.
I forced myself to put it down and make my way back out of the room, feeling like I'd invaded her privacy enough for one day.
As I moved back into the living area, a cat who'd been missing when I'd arrived was sprawled on the arm of the chair, staring at me with huge green eyes.
"Cat," I greeted him, giving him a nod as he continued to stare at me with an unimpressed expression. "When does your mom come home?" I asked, checking my phone for the fourth time.