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Joan blinked. “Really?”

“One of our windows got blown out by Lunk tonight.”

“You don’t say.”

Nodding, Sadie said, “Third time this year we’ve had an incident.”

“By the Supers?”

“Twice it was the Supers, though I guess technically the other time was, too. One of the Villains got tossed out of the air and crashed through our front door.”

“Out of the air, huh?” Joan said, squinting curiously.

“Yeah. I watched it happen. Flight was doing his thing up high, and then got sprayed with frozen pellets by Ice, so he threw Ice down, and…”

“Ice crashed through your door.”

“Yeah.” Sadie made a circle with her arms. “He left a huge puddle. We had to squeegee it out with mops and brooms.”

Joan’s lips twitched. “I’ve heard it can be messy when all his ice melts.”

“Can confirm, it is.”

Her new neighbor glanced down the hall. “I think sometimes…” Joan scratched at an ear. “I mean, I’ve heard people talk about it. They don’t mean to. I don’t think they’re trying to damage anything. It just happens.”

“The Supers? No, of course they don’t. They have to do what’s necessary to protect the city.”

“Right.” Her rather lovely mouth flattened into a thin line. “The cost of doing business in Vector City.”

“Well, the cost keeps going up.”

“Is that why you’re clutching that coupon like it might blow away?”

Glancing at the mailer for the Mexican restaurant, Sadie joked, “You never know when there’ll be a taco emergency.”

Joan tilted her head. “Nothing worse than a taco emergency.”

Sadie opened her mouth to agree, only…Taco emergency?“Uhh…”

Her cheeks burned with a deepening blush.

Joan’s eyes lit up with humor. Maybe a little interest, too. They were utterly captivating. It was hard not to stare at them. To stare at all of Joan. She was hot. Like, really hot in a chiseled Greek statue way. She was only a few inches taller but commanded twice as much space with her energy.

Hot New Neighbor Joan saved Sadie from further humiliation by walking toward their apartments. Sadie fell in step with her. Self-conscious warmth settled into her skin, or maybe it was excess exercise endorphins radiating from Joan.

“Sorry your workplace got hit again,” Joan said. “Vector City Coffee, right? On Bromley Street?”

“Yep.” Sadie gave her a smile. “Feel free to stop by.”

“Sure,” Joan said. “My schedule can be unpredictable, so I might miss you.”

“Then you’ll just have to try and try again.”

“If at first I don’t succeed.”

Her grin widened at Joan getting the joke. Sadie slowed to a stop in front of her door. The multicolored crepe paper flower wreath added a pop of happiness to it. “It was nice meeting you,” she said.

“Nice to meet you, too,” Joan said.