I believe the commentary supports the posters views here.....
(D) Bathrooms. In dwelling units, at least one wall receptacle outlet shall be installed in bathrooms within 900 mm (3 ft) of the outside edge of each basin. The receptacle outlet shall be located on a wall or partition that is adjacent to the basin or basin countertop.
Handbook Commentary..
Section 210.52(D) requires one wall receptacle in each bathroom of a dwelling unit to be installed adjacent (within 36 in.) to the washbasin. This receptacle is required in addition to any receptacle that may be part of any luminaire or medicine cabinet. If there is more than one washbasin, a receptacle outlet is required adjacent to each basin location. If the basins are in close proximity, one receptacle outlet installed between the two basins might satisfy this requirement. See 410.57(D), which prohibits installation of a receptacle inside bathtub and shower spaces. See Exhibit 210.9 for a sample electrical layout of a bathroom.
Section 210.11(C)(3) requires the receptacle outlets to be supplied from a 20-ampere branch circuit with no other outlets. However, this circuit is permitted to supply the required receptacles in more than one bathroom. If the circuit supplies the required receptacle outlet in only one bathroom, it is allowed to also supply lighting and an exhaust fan within that bathroom. This receptacle is also required to be GFCI protected according to 210.8(A)(1).
