Page 16 of Heat Advisory

I know. Iris already told me.

What the hell?

Iris had the biggest mouth.

Hazel:

I didn’t say anything to you because I wasn’t sure if you were going to say yes since you usually chicken out on these things.

Sometimes it wasn’t a good thing to have your sister know you so well.

Hazel:

Plus, we got a new octopus a few days ago, and he is becoming the biggest pain in my ass.

Hazel worked at an aquarium and marine rescue center and was always bringing in new animals. Normally, I would love to talk with her about it, but right now my nerves were at an all-time high.

Me:

Well, I said yes.

Hazel:

And now you’re panicking.

Yep, she definitely knew me too well.

My phone vibrated in my hand as it showed Hazel was calling.

“Hey,” I answered, trying to sound like my usual self, but I was happy she couldn’t see my face right now, or she would notice the anxiety written all over it.

She sighed and exhaled a big breath. “Okay, yes, you’re panicking, but this isn’t a bad thing.”

Well, there went my attempt to hide my anxiousness.

“Hey. Breathe.” Her voice was soothing and patient. “It’s just breakfast, not a marriage proposal. You said yes—and that’s already a huge step for you. I’m proud of you, Cora.”

“Thanks, Hazel.”

“So, talk to me. What are you nervous about?”

“I’m worried I’ll freeze up. Or say something stupid. Or that he’ll realize I’m not the girl he remembers and wonder why he even asked me out.”

She took a deep breath as though she was about to lay it all out for me. “Okay, there’s a lot to unpack there, but let’s start with the first thing. If you freeze up, bring up Morgan.”

“Morgan? Why?” I asked.

“Because you know her really well, and so does he, but it’s a neutral topic that you both can discuss.”

Okay, that made a lot of sense, and yes, Morgan was certainly a safe topic.

“Second, you aren’t the same girl from high school. Neither am I,” she explained. “None of us are, Cora, but that’s okay. People change, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing. You’ve changed, and so has Morgan, but you are both still friends. Change isn’t bad, so stop worrying about it. Maybe he’ll love the changes and will love you even more now than he did back in school, and you’ll get married and live in a cute house and have eight babies and live happily ever after.”

“Eight kids?” My voice squeaked as I repeated her comment.

She chuckled, letting me know she was just messing with me.

I exhaled, starting to feel calmer, but I still had one more intrusive thought to get through.