Page 26 of Heat Advisory

I was in my robe!

I put her on speakerphone as I raced back to my dresser. I set the phone on top and quickly opened drawers to grab some clothes to put on.

I had no idea where Jay lived, so I wasn’t sure if he was going to be here in four minutes or forty.

“Oh, God,” I said. “I just got out of the shower. When will he be here?”

“I don’t know because it sounds like he’s coming from the station, but put on something cute,” she said, and I could hear the smile in her voice. “You should make him grovel a bit—be sure to take pictures and send them to me if you do—and then agree to go out on another date with him. Then you guys can date and eventually get married so we can become real sisters!”

She was very excited, but I was still slightly panicked that he was coming here.

“This could be so much fun, and—” she said, but I cut her off.

“Morgan, let me go so I can get ready, and I’ll call you back later,” I said quickly and promptly hung up the phone.

As much as I would love to chat with her, now was not the time. Apparently, now was the time for full-blown panic to set in.

Frozen, I stood there, naked as the day I was born in front of my dresser.

Did I go with sexy so I could rub it in his face what he missed? Did I put my pajamas on—cute ones, obviously—to pretend I didn’t care?

A loud meow startled me out of my wardrobe thoughts.

I looked down to find my calico cat, Frizzle, staring at me. She had an endocrine disorder that caused her fur to look matted and have some bald patches. She may have looked a little rough most days, but she was a sweetheart.

Her appearance looked about as good as mine right now.

I decided to put on a pair of white jean shorts and a bright-pink T-shirt that said book nerd on the front. It was cute but not trying too hard—and most importantly, it was clean.

I pulled the towel off my wet hair and debated my options. My long, wavy hair was a lost cause due to how long it would take to dry—even in this summer heat—so up it went into a messy bun on the top of my head.

Makeup, however, could be done quickly. I slapped on some concealer and mascara just as a knock sounded on my door.

This was it.

Breathe. You’re an adult. You’ve got this.

The knock came again—louder this time, like he was afraid I hadn’t heard the first one.

I took a deep breath, smoothed my shirt—which I now noticed had a lot of cat hair on it—and opened the door.

Jay stood there, slightly out of breath, in a rumpled T-shirt, holding a half-squished pale-blue box and a bouquet of…daisies?

In a pickle jar?

“Cora,” he blurted, eyes wide, voice slightly shaky. “I’m so sorry. I know you’re probably mad, and I know you probably think I’m the world’s worst date. And I am. But I promise you I ghosted you by accident. I texted my sister instead of you.”

His arm jerked as he held out the flowers and the box to me. “I’m basically a walking apology.”

I snickered at his comment as I accepted the gifts. “Here. Come on in.”

I watched him as he entered, taking in his wrinkled shirt and tired eyes, letting me know he came straight here instead of taking time to check how he looked.

He had an amazing body. His muscular frame had always been nice, even when we were younger, but now it was a grown man’s muscular frame. My gaze moved to his face, showing his strong nose, sharp jawline, and a ruggedly sexy smile. Sparkling eyes that promised a good time with a mild hint of regret.

“This box is donuts from the market across the street from the station. They’re not fancy, but they’re damn good. And the flowers are from the flower section inside the market. They were the only ones left. I think the card says get well soon or something like that, but I’m hoping they can also say I’m sorry I’m a disaster.”

I turned, moving to put the flowers on my kitchen counter beside me, as I heard my cat hiss and unhappily meow as she approached.