***
‘So, youdohave maintenance on site,’ Eva was saying to Ralph, who was standing in the large bathroom above the leak as if there could be an easy fix from this side of the problem. But there was nothing to see, not from here.
‘Yes, yes, absolutely. Barry’s been with us for years. Knows the building inside out.’
‘Does Barry know plumbing?’ Eva asked.
‘He’s very handy. What he doesn’t know, he learns quickly,’ Ralph said, walking around, pointlessly pushing his foot gingerly into various parts of the floor, looking for a weak spot with no success.
Eva closed her eyes briefly. ‘That’s not going to cut the mustard here.’
Ralph tapped a fresh spot. ‘Our usual plumber—’
‘—is on holiday,’ Eva finished. ‘Yes. I gathered that.’
Eva exhaled slowly, already reaching for her phone.
‘Right,’ she said. ‘We’re not using Barry.’
‘Well—’ the manager began, clearly about to object on financial grounds.
Eva looked up sharply. ‘Do you want this fixed properly, or do you want a recurring issue that destroys your ceiling the night before a wedding?’
‘Errr…’
Eva scrolled through her contacts, found the number, and hit call. It rang once.
‘What’s busted?’ asked Sue.
Eva turned slightly away, pacing as she spoke. ‘Pipe failure in a ceiling cavity. Bathroom above a function room. Active leak, plaster compromised. I need it isolated, repaired, and signed off today.’
Sue whistled softly. ‘Love a dramatic one. Location?’
Eva gave the details. ‘How fast can you get here?’ she asked.
‘Forty minutes.’
‘Good.’
‘And Eva?’ Sue added. ‘This is not a cheap call-out.’
Eva glanced at Ralph. ‘Why would you be cheap?’ Eva asked. ‘You’re a miracle worker. Send the invoice to the venue,’ she said, hanging up.
Ralph laughed nervously. ‘We’ll discuss that…’ he started.
‘No,’ Eva said. ‘We won’t. You have a structural issue in a booked event space less than twenty-four hours before a wedding. The emergency plumber is not optional. Unless you’d like to explain to your clients why their reception is happening under a tarpaulin.’
Ralph nodded with the air of a man accepting defeat. ‘Fine.’
Eva gave a single, satisfied nod. ‘Good choice.’
Crisis mode. Her natural habitat.
Thirty-Three
Maddy watched Eva walk back into the room like nothing had happened. ‘Plumber’s on her way,’ she said, as if she were announcing the arrival of a taxi and not the salvation of the entire wedding.
Jen actually clutched her chest. ‘Oh, thank god.’
