“A little wet?” Davis chuckled, running a hand through his wet hair.
“I thought you came back here to help. Because cracking jokes isn’t helpful.”
He rolled his eyes at her, snatching the wrench from her hand and crouching underneath the large triple sink, getting sprayed once again with the cold water. “You become a journeyman plumber since the last time we talked, or what?” he teased.
“Okay, now who’s being the smart ass?”
The best thing about Kelsey was that she razzed him right back. And thankfully, re-aligned their friendship with one comment.
With the cold and wet wrench in his hand, Davis tightened the valve. As he did, the water went from a spray to a trickle within a few seconds.
“Finally! Thank you,” Kelsey said.
Davis straightened, pushing his damp hair back and catching sight of Kelsey as she wrestled out of the unbuttoned drenched flannel hanging off her shoulders. Water droplets slid down the sleek column of her neck, gliding to her already soaked t-shirt. He tore his eyes away.
Nope. He wasn’t going there again.
“It was nothing,” he said.
“No, seriously. Look at this mess.” She gestured at the water covering the tiled floor. “And look at me,” she said.
Oh, he was looking. And he needed to stop.
“And look at you,” she added. “Your sweater is soaked. I’m so sorry.”
Davis shrugged. “It’s fine. It’ll dry.”
He gathered his damp sweater at the hem and yanked it over his head, tossing it onto the floor. He dared a look at her and caught her peeking at him, her vision grazing over his chest where his fitted white tank top remained, luckily still dry. He sucked in a breath. It made no sense—her checking him out. Not when they’d never been attracted to one another in the past. Not really.
Right?
He shook his head, willing himself to think with his brain and nothing else. “I wish I could say your problem here is solved. But unfortunately, tightening the stop isn’t enough. The shut-off is old and it needs to be replaced.”
“Of course it does.” Kelsey threw her hands up.
“I might have a replacement in my truck. Should take me less than an hour to replace both the hot and cold shut off. But that will mean closing O’Henry’s early because I’ll need to turn off the water until I’m done.”
Kelsey’s lower lip trembled and tears at the corners of her eyes threatened. An ache pulsed in his throat and a heaviness throbbed in his chest. He’d rarely witnessed Kelsey cry. She was the toughest woman he knew. Something like a plumbing issue normally wouldn’t faze her this much.
“I can’t afford to close early,” she finally said, crossing her arms.
The action only accentuated her see-through t-shirt, and he flicked his attention away, running a hand down his face. “Well, you can’t really afford to have the restaurant flood either.”
“You’ve got a point.”
“Tightening the shut-off was only a Band-Aid. It won’t last long before the water starts leaking again. And next time, it could be gushing.”
Kelsey chewed on her lip while she slid her phone from the back pocket of her jeans, checking the screen. “Mrs. O’Henry will be here soon to pick up the kids. I’ll ask Julian to help me close the bar early.”
Davis nodded. “I’ll check my truck to make sure I have the part.”
“Ahh, you’re the best, thank you.”
She stepped around him, but before she made it far, he stopped her.
“Wait. You shouldn’t go out there dressed like that.” He hurried and pulled his tank top off, handing it to her. Her eyes danced over his bare chest, and an immediate fire ignited below his belt, arousing him. And he wished with all his strength that it hadn’t.
That invisible line of their friendship had blurred, and now, he had a feeling there’d be no turning back.
