He hopped up when Noah walked back in the room wearing a dark-gray T-shirt, black sweats, and a pair of socks that had pineapples on them. His hair was wet, and I almost fell out of my chair.

This was not any better.

“I’m going to make some wild rice–crusted halibut,” he said. “I was up for a role as a chef a few years ago and had zero kitchen skills, so I hired a professional to teach me. I didn’t get the role, but I did learn my way around a kitchen. Do you want some?”

Wild rice–crusted halibut? Professional chef? Classes? Was he serious with this? “Sure.”

For a second I thought he might confess to joking around, but he got out a skillet and started gathering up ingredients.

Gah, now he was going to cook, too? I wasn’t going to survive the night.

I was the one who said just friends. That was definitely how it needed to be. Why was this so hard? Why was he so hot? It wasn’t fair.

I needed to talk. Something to distract me from this visual. “So where have you been?”

“The children’s hospital. I went to visit them as Malec.”

I blinked slowly in surprise. I’d never once heard of him doing something like that. “Do you do it a lot?”

“Every chance I get. What, you think it’s normal for me to run around in my Malec costume?”

“I don’t know your life,” I said, eating some more cereal and trying to ignore the way my heart was softening at the idea of him dressing up to entertain sick kids. Serious swoonage. That giddy feeling was being balanced out by the guilt I was feeling about being angry with him for not being home on time when he was busy lifting children’s spirits. I was the worst.

He started cooking dry rice on the stove. “The kids love it, and normally it’s a fun time for everyone.”

“You don’t sound like you had fun.”

“One of the kids, Joey, he’s always the most excited to see me. But the doctors told me the next time I come, he won’t be there. I asked if it was a matter of money, because I’d take care of it, and they said it wasn’t. There’s nothing anyone can do. Cancer pisses me off.”

“I’m sorry. That’s awful.”

“Thanks. So I was already in a bad mood when I left the hospital, and on the way out one of the board members chased me down and offered me ten thousand dollars for my charity if I’d take a picture with his wife in my costume. I said no.”

I spilled a couple of chocolate cereal balls on the table and grabbed them before Magnus could go after them. “You have a charity?”