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I nod. “Yep.”
“What happened?” Luke asks, looking around.
“Pipe burst,” I say.
“Holy shit,” Piper says. “Was anyone hurt?”
I shake my head. “Thankfully no. I’d just finished rinsing the conditioner from Miss Dottie’s hair when it happened. She got drenched, but no injuries.”
Piper and Luke both stare at me, wide-eyed. I know what they’re thinking. Of all the people to have in my chair when disaster strikes, it would have to be her.
“I know,” I say with a sigh. “Believe me.”
“This is bad,” Piper whispers.
Luke nods. “At least no one was hurt. That’s the important thing. We can fix everything else.”
I don’t know why, but his reassuring words and calm tone make my eyes prick and my throat feel tight. Clearing my throat, I turn away from them and pretend to look at the mess while I blink a few times to clear my eyes.
“Right,” I say, once I’m sure my voice won’t break. “How do we clean it up?”
I turn to look back at Piper and Luke, but Luke stepped back outside while I was turned away. I can see him outside on the sidewalk, pacing in front of the salon with his phone to his ear as he talks. Piper gestures toward him.
“He’s calling in reinforcements,” she says.
I have no idea what that means, but I can’t afford to be picky right now. I need help. Luke returns and gives me a quick nod.
“I’ve got a shop vac on the way,” he says. “In the meantime, let’s try to move what we can out of the flood zone.”
I don’t ask where the vacuum is coming from. I’m just happy to have someone taking charge. I’ve always been self-reliant, and I’ve never liked needing anyone’s help. But having Piper and Luke show up for me and immediately spring into action is more of a comfort than I expected. The three of us get to work clearing out anything that can be moved out of the water. As I’m rolling up the small rug that now weighs a ton, I hear the bell above the front door ring. I look up from my place on the wet floor and freeze when I see the last person I expect standing in the doorway.
Before I can ask him what he’s doing here, Linc sloshes through the water and takes the rug from me, making it look practically weightless as he carries it outside. Stunned by his sudden presence—and the way his ass looks in those jeans—it takes me a second to find my voice. By the time I do, he’s walking back inside, dragging a giant vacuum behind him. Luke follows him back out and returns with a couple of squeegees on long poles.
“Thought those could help,” Linc says, nodding toward the squeegees.
“These are great, man,” Luke says. “We’ll have this place cleaned up in no time.”
The two men finish moving furniture and soaked rugs out of the space while Piper and I use the squeegees to push the water out the front door and into the street. It doesn’t take long before most of the water is cleared away. I’m starting to feel more optimistic about the situation as the afternoon wears on.
“Thanks for coming,” I say to Linc as he’s unrolling the cord to the vacuum. “I hope I didn’t ruin your Saturday afternoon.”
For some reason, even saying those few words to him has me flustered. But I couldn’t let him keep working to save my business without telling him how grateful I am. He smiles down at me and,holy shit. All my thoughts scatter and all I can think is how hot he is. My stomach does a flip and I feel myself leaning toward him without meaning to.
“I’m happy I could help,” he says. “And you didn’t ruin my day. I just finished up a job nearby.”
I nod. “Regardless. Thank you.”
“Anytime,” he says, somehow short-circuiting my brain with one simple word.
Before I can do something foolish, like kiss this unsuspecting man, I turn and busy myself with the vacuum. I stretch the cord over to the outlet and plug it in. As I do, there’s a loud pop and a jolt of pain shoots up my arm. Then all the lights in the shop die.
“Shit! Fuck! Ow!” I shout, shaking my hand.
The pain from the shock is gone, but the memory of it makes me keep shaking my hand for a few seconds. I look down at it, expecting to see burn marks, but there’s nothing.
“Are you okay?” Piper asks, hurrying toward me.
“I’m fine,” I say through gritted teeth.
