Page 27 of Heat Advisory

“You have a cat,” Jay said behind me. “And judging by her demeanor, I don’t think she’s my biggest fan.”

“Miss Frizzle is friendly, but she’s just upset because you interrupted her dinnertime,” I explained.

“Great…I ruined two meals for women today,” he mumbled jokingly. “Wait…Why do I recognize that name?”

“Miss Frizzle?” I asked, and he nodded. “She was the teacher in the Magic School Bus books.”

“Oh! The cartoon TV show!” he said, putting the pieces together.

“Well, it was a book series first, but yes,” I told him.

“Of course,” he replied, smiling at me. “You were reading a book or holding a book almost every time I saw you.”

Truth. I loved books, though. They were my escape, my dream world. The O’Haras had taken us to the library often, and sometimes I even walked there after school on my own since it was only a block away. It was my little sanctuary, and I loved it.

He paused and then added, quieter, “I’ve been wanting to ask you out on a date for years, and when I finally did, I blew it before we even got to breakfast.”

What did he just say? He’d been wanting to ask me out for years?

“So, I know I don’t deserve it, but if you can forgive me, I’d love to take you out to dinner on Wednesday when I have my next day off.” He looked at me like he was waiting on edge for my verdict.

I stared at him, then the box of donuts in my hand, the flowers, and then back at him. His face was earnest, tired, but completely sincere.

I had already planned to give him a second chance after I listened to his voicemail, but it made the decision that much easier when I looked into his eyes.

“Wednesday sounds great,” I said, giving him a small smile.

The relief washed through him visibly, followed by a grin that was goofy, grateful, and a little sexy. “Thank you.”

“Thank you for the donuts and the flowers. It was very sweet.”

We both stood there for a second, quiet but on the same page, as we both smiled at each other.

“I’ll let you go so you can feed Miss Frizzle,” he said, looking down at her as she weaved her way around his leg, rubbing up against it.

Lucky bitch, I thought.

“Oh, and Cora?”

“Yeah?”

“You look…really good. Even covered in cat hair.” He winked as he walked out the door, and I felt warmth coursing through my veins at his compliment.

I walked behind him to close the door and lock it, a beaming smile overtaking my face.

I was back on cloud nine and giddy as a schoolgirl.

I felt like everything was back in play, and the night was finally heading in the right direction.

10

“There’s no such thing as a dysfunctional family. You’re just a specialized ecosystem of weirdos adapted to survive each other.”

—It’s science

Jay

I felt a little off, and the night was already heading in the wrong direction.