Page 103 of Some Like It Hot

This isn’t it.

Maybe it will never be it.

It’s not like organization and time management are skills I possess. I can design and sew, but I need more than that if I want to run the business I want.

Then I look up at Aidan and Simon again.

Aidan. And Simon. Are here. In my apartment. Because I was supposed to meet them at Blake’s game.

I completely forgot. I had a date with my three boyfriends and I forgot.

I let them all down at once.

I stand quickly. “I’m so sorry. I can just…”

But I can’t get ready for the game now. It’s way past the start and they’re here. And I’m a mess. I would need to shower and get dressed and do my hair.

I look down.

Oh, God. I’m wearing shorts—something I almost never do—and a baggy shirt that I pulled from a pile on the chair in my room. I’m not wearing a bra and I haven’t showered since before the pinup show.

My hand flies to my hair.

I have no idea how it looks, but I’m pretty sure it’s not good.

I know Simon told me that he is a mess too, but he has people who keep him on schedule and organized. And Aidan… he so effortlessly takes care of things.

I hate them seeing me like this. A messy apartment is one thing. Seeing me as the disaster I am is frustrating.

“You have to leave,” I tell them.

My heart is hammering and I have literally no idea what my next step should be.

I feel like I should shower. But I should finish these dresses. I should find my phone and check my messages. I should maybe eat. When did I last eat? I should maybe go to bed. My head feels a little fuzzy and I don’t know if it’s low blood sugar, or lack of sleep, or just a mental breakdown. Or all three.

“Elise,” Simon says softly, stepping forward. He steps on my scissors, but he doesn’t even look down. “It’s okay. We were just concerned.”

I shake my head. “It’s not okay. I blew you off. All of you. I wasn’t there for Blake.”

“Blake is fine,” Simon tells me. “He’s also at work. He knows how to do that no matter who is in the stands. Or who isn’t. He understands that you have a job too, and that you had a great show the other day and he’ll be happy to know that you’ve got a ton of orders to fill.”

I shake my head harder. “But I forgot. If I needed to work I should have told you all that. But I didn’t. I just forgot.”

Simon steps forward, taking my upper arms in his hands and squeezing. “It’s okay.”

I stiffen in his hold. “Please don’t hug me. I don’t remember the last time I showered. Or brushed my teeth. Or my hair.”

His gaze softens. “You look beautiful.”

I frown and shake my head. “Don’t say that. That is not true. That just makes this all worse.”

Finally, Aidan speaks. “Elise.”

I look around Simon to him.

“We are not angry. We were worried. We were afraid you had a car accident. Or you were sick. I’ll admit my memory flashed back to the fire for a minute, too.”

I wince. I can understand why they might have thought about all of those things. Shit. It’s sweet that they were worried and one more reason I suck at having a boyfriend.

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