His mouth tenses. “That’s great. Really great.” The enthusiasm in his voice doesn’t reach his eyes.
“It is great,” I murmur, shifting files on my desk. “I’m also really looking forward to having my own place again.”
“I’ll bet.” He’s quiet for a few moments, then he clears his throat. “How about I come with you to look at the rental?”
I glance up, frowning. “You want to come with me?”
He shrugs. “Sure. I mean, Kara will be there.”
Remember Kara? His girlfriend?
My stomach churns. “Of course you can come.”
“Great,” he says brightly, standing. “We should head to roll call.”
“Yep.” I rise and follow him.
Our morning shift is relatively quiet. Late morning we grab breakfast sandwiches and coffee since we won’t have time to eat on our lunch break. When noon rolls around, we head over to meet Kara at the rental on Elk Street.
It’s a small clapboard cottage set back from the road behind a big spruce tree, with a covered front porch. The paint is dark green, faded in places but not peeling, and the white shutters look recently replaced. Snow sits thick on the porch railing and along the roof peaks. It’s the kind of place that would look good on a Christmas card, quiet and unassuming. I like it immediately.
Kara’s car is already in the driveway when we pull up. Liam parks behind her, and we walk up the front steps together. There’s a rusted mailbox by the door and hooks where a porch swing probably hung in warmer months. I find the place charming. Quaint. Serene.
Inside is a different story.
Kara is standing in the kitchen with her phone pressed to her ear and a strained expression on her face. The reason for her distress is obvious. There are a few inches of water covering the kitchen floor. The wood flooring is warped in places, buckling up where moisture has gotten underneath. Industrial fans are set up in the hallway and living room, humming loudly, and a plumber is on his knees under the kitchen sink, tools spread around him, muttering to himself.
“What the hell?” Liam mutters, scowling at the flooded room.
“This is not good.” I run a hand over my head, anxiety eating at me.
Kara tucks her phone away and approaches, face flushed. “I was just about to call you, Jude.” She sighs, looking down at the inches of water surrounding us. “As you can see, there’s a problem.”
“Yeah.” I look at the buckled flooring. “What happened?”
“A water line froze and burst. Probably happened a couple of days ago, but nobody caught it until the cleaning company came by this morning to get the place ready for you.”
“Damn.” I let out a harsh breath. “Does that mean I won’t be able to move in after all?”
“Well, not right away. Obviously.” She grimaces. “The good news is insurance will cover the repairs. The bad news is it’s going to take at least two weeks before the place is livable.”
My stomach sinks. Two more weeks at Liam’s place will be both torture and ecstasy. While a part of me is relieved not to leave his side, I’m worried things will get worse between us if we don’t have some distance from each other. Liam might start overthinking everything.
“Why would it take so long?” I scowl. “Back in Atlanta companies can install a wood floor in a day.”
She sighs. “If only.” She waves to the room. “A burst pipe in winter can do more damage than just the visible floor warping. The water has to fully dry out before any repairs can start. That alone can take a week or more, especially in a cold climate where you can’t just open windows. They’ll run industrial dehumidifiers and fans around the clock, but if the subflooring is saturated, which it probably is if the pipe leaked slowly before fully bursting, they can’t just lay new hardwood over wet subfloor or it’ll warp again within months.”
Liam winces. “The landlord isn’t going to risk that.”
“No,” Kara agrees. “Also, if water got into the walls, there’s a mold risk. An inspector will need to check for mold before anyone signs off on occupancy, and if mold is found, that’s remediation before repairs can even begin.”
“God.” I groan, feeling dejected. I thought I had the housing situation settled, but apparently not.
Kara sighs, looking as unhappy as me. “Not to mention this is a small mountain town and it’s peak ski season. Contractors and plumbers are already booked solid with higher paying jobs.”
The plumber pulls his head out from under the sink, nodding. “To be honest, I’m only here today because it was Kara who called me. I owe her big for finding me and my wife an amazing house.”
Kara smiles at him. “And I’m so grateful you showed up, James. I can’t thank you enough.”
