Rowan
Great, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, can you please HELP ME?!
*photo of busted water pipe under Daisy’s house*
Claire
Well, shit.
That’s not exactly the kind of gushing I normally respond to in a booty call, but I’ll be over in a few.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
rowan
“Hey, thanks for coming,”I call over in Claire’s direction when she steps out of her Bronco in a pair of chest waders, and I immediately know I’m in trouble.
“Were you able to shut off the water?” she inquires as she approaches, slipping a headlight onto her forehead. I’m impressed by her forethought, since it’s only five in the afternoon and already getting darker by the minute.
“Uh, yeah. Once I finally found the water main, I realized there wasn’t a key. So I struggled to turn that crusty old valve with a wrench from the emergency toolbox in my truck. But at least I got it done in time to avoid emasculating myself in front of you again.”
Her eyes run over me, catching on the muddy spots on my dress slacks and the old hunting jacket I’d found in Landry’s closet. “Hell, I’m honestly impressed you managed to get that far with those soft hands of yours, Doc,” she replies, her voice tinged with amusement.
“Last I checked, you didn’t mind that my hands were so soft,” I say before I can catch myself, maybe because I’m relieved that she doesn’t seem to be harboring a grudge after our last interaction. But it’s hard to regret anything that inspires one of Claire’s big laughs, anyway.
I stifle a grin and shove my fists into my pockets, tryingnot to think about the feeling of her smooth skin beneath my palms. “And I may not have any callouses now, but I did grow up mending fences and fixing pipes, in case you’ve forgotten.”
“I could have suggested a better way to demonstrate your pipe-laying skills, farm boy,” she muses as she saunters over and squats down to peer beneath the house. She flicks on the light over her head, and I lower myself to point out the source of the problem.
“I guess Landry hadn’t expected the temps to drop this low while they were gone.”
She snickers. “Wrapping these pipes wasn’t on the agenda before he left. Trust me.”
I roll my eyes. “Yeah, well, I noticed that busted pipe as soon as I drove up this afternoon.”
“And you needed my help to fix that? It sounds like you know what you’re doing.”
“The thing is, Landry doesn’t seem to have any spare PVC or glue lying around, and Camellia’s only hardware store closed early today.”
She clicks her tongue. “It’s Mardi Gras weekend, so most of the businesses in town have already boarded up until next week. I’m actually surprised you’re here. Isn’t the clinic closed tomorrow?”
“I didn’t know the streets were getting roped off so early, so I had the staff schedule a few patients in the morning,” I say, barely hiding my annoyance.
She hums in understanding. “Well, lucky for you, I stopped by the ag shop on the way over and grabbed some supplies. My principal won’t mind so long as we replace everything, especially since it’s all forMrs. Daisy,” she explains, fluttering her eyelashes over my sister’s name.
“Thank you,” I tell her with a sigh of relief. “And I’ll be happy to make a donation for anything else you might need in your shop.” She bounces her eyebrows, letting me know she was banking on that offer.
“There’s another reason I called, though,” I add, cringing.
She glares at me. “You’re too big to fit under the house, aren’t you?”
I shoot her an apologetic smile. “Afraid so.”
She groans as she rises to her feet. “I’m starting to wonder how you managed to survive the past thirty-something years without me.”
“Funny, I’ve been thinking the same thing,” I reply, my smile growing more genuine.
She rolls her eyes and shoves me before she walks to her Bronco, and I follow closely. After handing me a few pieces of pipe, she grabs a small handsaw and a tin of glue before returning to the job site.
