Unexpected dinner date

When Ellie’s handsome neighbor Noah shows up at her door, the last thing she expects to find is simmering chemistry

- Mina Beckett

Ellie frowned at the knock on her door. She wasn’t expecting company—unless her packages had suddenly started delivering themselves or a neighbor had come to file a noise complaint about her spring-cleaning playlist. She'd spent her first Saturday off in weeks scrubbing, organizing and doing her best to pretend she had her life under control.

She yanked open the door to find Noah, her upstairs neighbor, leaning against the frame. His damp T-shirt clung to his chest and his hair was slightly mussed in that annoyingly attractive way. In his arms, stacked neatly like some kind of peace offering, was a pile of white towels.

“Evening, Ellie,” he said, flashing her a grin. “Before you say anything—yes, I fixed the leak. No, I did not call maintenance. And before you yell at me, I have towels.”

She folded her arms. “What leak?”

“My leak. That is, I may have slightly flooded my kitchen,” he admitted, adjusting the towels. “And there’s a small chance that gravity is currently working against me right now.”

Ellie’s stomach dropped. “What?” He pointed downward.

She looked. A thin stream of water crept across her floor. With a squeal, she sidestepped—but it was too late.

Cold seeped through her socks. She froze, inhaled through her nose, then lifted her gaze back to him.

“Noah,” she said sweetly, “why are my socks wet?”