Unfortunately, this isn’t the Amazon, and there’s not a single leaf big enough to preserve my dignity.
I amsoscrewed.
Wait.
My eyes lock onto something draped over a lawn chair: Cassie’s blue yoga pants that she left out here for some odd reason.
Jackpot.
I slip them on.
Well, that’s an exaggeration. I painstakingly, carefully, roll them on. How do women fit into these things? They’re so tight.
I look down and, yeah, this doesn’t leave much to the imagination. Pretty sure my ass looks great, though.
I consider my options and come up with a plan on the fly.
Step one: I drop to the ground and crank out a bunch of pushups—fast, brutal, enough to get my heart pounding and my skin flushed. Sweat beads across my shoulders. Good. Sell the part.
Step two: I jog through the neighbor’s yard like Ferris Bueller, cut around the side of the house, and loop back toward Cassie’s front door like I’ve just finished a nice, normal morning run.
Logan, you absolute genius.
Okay, now, step three: slip inside, head straight upstairs, grab my clothes, and pretend none of this ever happened.
I probably won’t even see Jackson.
And if I do? I’ve got a cover story.
I press the door open, and no one’s there. I breathe out, relief hitting fast and heavy.
I dart the twenty feet to the stairs—almost home free before I hear his voice.
“Yo. Buddy.”
I freeze and turn slowly.
Jackson stands in the kitchen, coffee in one hand, cabinet door hanging open behind him like he’s mid-repair. His gaze drags over me—sweaty, shirtless, barefoot—then back up to my face.
“…Morning,” I say nonchalantly.
“You just get back from a run?”
“Yeah,” I say, clearing my throat.
“You ran…barefoot?”
“Oh yeah,” I say, nodding like this is completely normal. “Barefoot running. I read this book all about it. It helps with the, uh…arches. And ankle joints.”
Jackson takes a slow sip of his coffee. “On concrete. That doesn’t seem healthy, honestly. Seems insane.”
“It builds character, too.”
He hums, unconvinced. His eyes drop again, scanning me—lingering this time.
“What’s with those pants?”
I clear my throat and glance down at the bright blue yoga pants hugging my legs.
