I sighed. "I suppose you're right."
"See you tonight, Eve." He closed the door and moved away.
I backed my SUV out of the driveway. The idea that I'd see both of them later lifted my spirits. I just had to deal with this first.
On the way, I called Natasha.
"Hello," Natasha said, sounding sleepy as if she'd just woken up.
Were they still in bed? I was slightly jealous about that. "We have a situation."
"What is it?" she asked, sounding more awake.
"There's a leak at the lingerie shop. I'm heading there now."
"You need me to come too?" Natasha asked, and I heard her explaining what was going on to someone, probably Ford.
I couldn't ruin her Saturday morning. She deserved that time with Ford. "I can handle it."
"If you need me there, just let me know."
I parked in the lot behind the inn, my mind already on what I'd find in Angela's shop. "I will."
I clicked off the call and walked the short distance to Tempting Dreams Shop. The doors were propped open, whichwasn't a good sign given the temperature, and I heard the sound of industrial fans running inside.
Angela was folding silky negligees and placing them in boxes on the counter. "Oh, good, you're here."
The floor was damp.
"Hudson's in the back."
"I'll talk to him first." I walked past the dressing rooms. One of the doors was ajar, and there were items hanging on a hook, and others strewn on the white upholstered ottoman. I wondered if this was where Angela was when she discovered the water.
I found Hudson using a brush broom to push standing water into the drain in the employee's bathroom.
I sighed, noticing that the place already smelled musty and waterlogged. "What happened?"
Hudson sighed. "One of the pipes burst, and it flooded. Angela was in one of the dressing rooms and didn't see it right away. When she finally noticed the water, she called me. When I arrived, she was"—he hesitated, his gaze flitting to the front of the store—"trying to remove some of the water."
If she was trying on product when it happened, I wondered if she was still dressed in lingerie when Hudson arrived. That would be a possible explanation for his hesitation to share. "Thanks for coming so quickly."
He nodded. "I'm removing as much water as I can. Then we'll need to air everything out. After it's dry, we can decide if the floor is salvageable."
I leaned against the wall, my head starting to ache. "We should have inspected the shops sooner."
"It can happen at any time. How could you have known?" He continued pushing the water into the drain. "Angela said she didn't see any water intrusion that would have tipped her off. But at the same time, I'm not sure she knew what to look for."
"Well, I appreciate you being here on a Saturday." I didn't even want to know what the bill would be.
"We're always happy to help," Hudson said, referring to the Sterling Brothers contracting business.
We'd hired them because they were local, and they covered almost all our needs: construction, plumbing, electrical, and landscaping.
I grimaced. "How long will Angela's shop be closed?"
He paused, holding the handle in his hand. "That I don't know. She's moving her stock now so that it doesn't smell."
I held up my phone. "I should help her, but first, I need to tell Natasha what's going on."
