Donning a pair of black yoga pants, I rummage through my drawer for a bra until I come across a white lace one I haven’t worn in ages.
“What the hell.” The delicate fabric against my skin makes me feel sexy and confident, and even though I know no one else is going to see it, it’s exactly what I need today.
I throw on a plain white T-shirt and lace up my tennis shoes before heading to the hall closet to grab my toolbox. Grabbing a wrench, some plumber’s tape, and a few other essentials, I shove them into my tote.
The morning air is cool and fresh, with birds chirping in the trees. I glance over at the house next door. An unexpected pang of disappointment hits when I see Jax’s truck is gone.
Ignoring the twinge it makes in my stomach, I get in the car. The engine rumbles to life, and Yungblud’s, Zombie starts playing through the speakers.
It takes less than ten minutes to drive to the studio.
Downtown Lakeside is still quiet, with most of the shops not yet open for business. I park in front of my building, grab my bag and unlock the front door, more than prepared this time when I have to use my shoulder to force it open.
The damp smell hits me as soon as I step inside. “Shit.”
After setting my tools down in the bathroom with the leaky sink, I go to investigate, carefully walking the space until I see it—a sodden section of drywall beneath one of the windows and a pool of water mocking me from its resting place on the floor.
I grab my phone and call the contractor who’s scheduled to start work tomorrow.
“Hey, Rick. It’s Sasha Garrett.”
“Let me guess. You’ve got water damage from last night’s storm?” His voice sounds tired. Odds are, I’m not the only call he’s had this morning.
“Yeah. Some water leaked in from one of the windows. There’s a section of drywall that’s completely soaked through, and there’s a big puddle on the floor.”
“I’ve got six other emergency calls ahead of you,” hegrumbles softly. “Best I can do is get someone out there in two, maybe three days.”
My heart sinks. “That’s going to push back our timeline even further.”
“Sorry, Ms. Garrett. It’s the best I can do. Storms like the one we had last night tend to cause these types of issues.”
After hanging up, I stare at the damage with my hands on my hips. “Perfect. Just perfect.”
Resigned with my new predicament, I head back to the women’s restroom. The puddle under the sink has grown since yesterday, and I can see water slowly dripping from where the pipe connects to the fixture.
“This should be a piece of cake,” I sigh, kneeling down on the tile floor.
I lay out my tools and reach under the sink to examine the connection. It looks like the coupling has worked itself loose. Should be a simple tightening job.
Grabbing the wrench, I position it on the pipe and give it a firm twist.
But, instead of turning, the pipe breaks off in my hand, and a geyser of ice-cold water explodes with enough force to knock me on my ass. I shriek as the freezing water hits me square in the chest, the shock of it stealing my breath away as it soaks my T-shirt.
“FUCK!” Frantically, I try to stop the flow with my hands, which only sends the water spraying in every direction.
“Shit, shit, SHIT!”
I scramble, fumbling blindly as water continues to spray everywhere until my hand finally connects with the metal shut-off valve, and I twist it with all my strength. The water pressure gradually stabilizes, slowing down to a trickle, before it finally stops.
Swiping the excess water from my face, I sit backon my heels to survey the damage. I’m completely drenched. My white T-shirt is clinging not only to me, but to my lace bra like a second skin.
The bathroom is flooded, but I thank goodness for the drain in the middle of the floor; otherwise, there could’ve been a lot more damage.
“Hello? Anyone in here?”
I jolt at the sudden shout. The sound of heavy footsteps coming from the main room is getting closer by the second. I struggle to stand up, but all I manage to do is slip on the wet tile and end up on my ass again.
“Mother fu?—!”
