Page 2 of Heat Advisory

Okay, be cool. He’s looking at you. Do not look nervous. Maybe he won’t recognize you.

That prayer went right out the window as he smiled and began walking my way.

“Oh, no,” I mumbled.

“What’s wrong?” Iris asked as she looked up to follow where my gaze was aimed. “Do you know that guy walking toward us?”

She mumbled that last part under her breath so only the three of us at our table could hear it.

“Who are we looking at?” Christine said, causing me to close my eyes and hope that this was just a dream I would wake up from.

“Hey, Cora,” the smooth, masculine voice said.

I opened my eyes to see him smiling at me, but no words came out of my mouth.

Cora, you’re an adult. Act like it.

At my lack of response, his attention turned to my sister. “Hey, Iris. Jay Rainer. We went to high school together.”

“Oh yes, Jay!” Iris exclaimed, nodding as she realized that she remembered him. “You were voted ‘most likely to become famous’.”

“Yeah, well, I have some disappointing news regarding that,” he replied with a somber tone but a smirk on his face.

“Oh, it’s okay,” Iris replied and pointed to me. “People voted Cora ‘most likely to own and operate the Scholastic book fair,’ and that never came true either.”

It was true. I was a book nerd in school. When I wasn’t studying, tutoring someone, or helping out on the family farm, I was at the library. It was my sanctuary. My escape.

“I think Morgan might have mentioned that,” Jay said, a small grin tugging at his mouth—a mouth that was just as sexy as the rest of his body. “It’s good to see you both.”

He’d always had an athletic build, but he looked even more handsome now. He had short brown hair that was practically buzzed on the sides, sun-kissed skin, and muscles upon muscles built into his tall frame. He also had stunning whiskey-colored eyes—eyes that were darkly romantic and boring into me.

Was it getting hot in here? It felt like it.

It was hotter than hell outside, so maybe the air conditioner had stopped working. That must be why I was sweating in places I had no right to be sweating.

“So, you both live in Vegas now?” he asked, but before I could respond, Iris chimed in first.

“I do, but Cora lives up near Reno. She travels all over the state for her job, so she’s here for this event. You live here too?”

His eyes flared with something so fast I couldn't decipher what it was, but then just as quickly, they went back to normal. If I hadn’t been staring at him, I likely would have missed it.

“I’m actually up in the Reno area as well,” he responded, a growing smile taking over his face. “Just took a job there. This event helps me complete my fire investigator certification.”

There was a lot to break down there, but I focused on one thing.

He lives in Reno now? Why hadn’t Morgan told me?

“Oh, my gosh. That’s so cool,” Iris said, excitedly clapping her hands. “You and Cora should get lunch sometime.”

Oh. My. God. She did not just say that.

He stared at me for a second, his gaze burning a hole through me with its intensity. I knew there was no way my face was not turning fifty shades of pink.

“I’d actually like that,” he said to me as mischief lit his eyes. “I just moved there earlier this year, so I haven’t quite learned my way around. I’d love a tour guide.”

“Um…I’m not sure I would…umm…have the time,” I told him, stuttering my way through this bullshit made-up excuse.

“You just said you have next week off, so you should show him around,” Iris said, smiling slyly at me.