Harlow: No problem. Send me her name and number, and I’ll call. Go and talk to Steve, and we’ll see you and Annabeth when you get here.
Connor: Thanks, everyone. I appreciate it.
He quickly sent Harlow the information before joining Steve in the soggy bathroom. “Well? What do you think?”
“I’m no plumber, but besides the damage to the ceiling, it’s also the walls, the floor, and the rooms below this,” he stated. “And who knows if there are other leaks.”
Crap.
“Okay, so…what does that mean?”
“It means that until the plumber gets here and inspects everything, we don’t have any answers. If the leak is just contained to right here, then we’ll still have to replace the drywall and make sure there’s no mold, and make sure the floor and ceiling below are fine. If the leak is more extensive, well…” He shrugged. “You might be living in a construction zone for a while.”
“Or not at all,” he corrected. “I’m not paying to live in a house with faulty plumbing. And if the pipes need to be fixed, we’ll be restricted in what we can and can’t do here in the house. I have a child, Steve. It needs to be a safe place for her to live.”
“I know. I know. Let’s not jump to conclusions, okay? If you need to go to work, you don’t have to worry. I’m going to stay here and wait on the plumber, and I’m calling the owner as well and making sure everyone’s on the same page. I promise to call you as soon as I know something.”
As much as he hated to leave before the plumber, he had to get going.
“Alright. You have my number, and I’ll just keep my fingers crossed that this is an easy fix.” Although he seriously doubted it from the looks of things. Shaking hands with Steve, he said goodbye and then went to Annabeth’s room. “Hey, sweetheart. How about coming to the resort with me today?”
He expected her to argue because she truly liked school, but she nodded and looked ready to cry again.
Crouching down in front of her, he started to worry. “What’s going on? Are you sure nothing hit you when the ceiling fell?”
“It was scary, and…and…” Her eyes welled with tears again. “And I wish we could just go to the cabin and curl up on the couch and eat cookies and watch TV.”
Gently, he pulled her into his arms. “That does sound like a lot more fun than what I have planned for myself today. But I asked Harlow to call Ruth to see if she can come and hang out with you today.”
“Oh.” She sighed. “Will Jonah be there? Can he come and play too?”
“Uh…I’m not sure, but we can ask Lexi when we get there. How does that sound?”
“Okay.”
“Come on, kiddo.” He grabbed her suitcase and then walked across the hall to get his. “Be careful walking over all the towels.” They made their way down the stairs, and he found Steve inspecting the downstairs bathroom. “Well?”
“I can see water stains,” he replied miserably. “The plumber will be here in fifteen minutes, so…give me around an hour and I should know something.”
“Thanks.”
Ushering Annabeth out to his car, he loaded their luggage in the trunk while she climbed into the back seat. They drove in silence, choosing to listen to the radio instead of talking. At the resort, he parked close to the path to their cabin but decided to deal with the luggage later. He needed to find Harlow and see if she got in touch with Ruth, and then he needed to find Lexi and see where Jonah was.
And then deal with his interviews.
Hopefully, the crappy start wasn’t a sign of how the rest of the day was going to go.
“Let’s go up to the lodge and find everyone,” he told her, holding out his hand to her. She was quiet, and that was very unlike his daughter. That’s how he knew he’d made the right decision by keeping her home today.
Hand in hand, they slowly made their way across the parking lot and then up the back stairs. The main entrance still wasn’t open and the back door was close to the kitchen.
“Hey, you two,” Harlow said when she spotted them. “How are you doing?”
“I’m okay, but I think my girl needs a little quiet time today,” Connor explained. “Were you able to reach Ruth?”
“I did, but she’s taking her mother to the doctor this morning and won’t be available until after lunch.”
Damn.
