Page 19 of Love Like Ours

Chapter Six

Palmer had hoped that, after strapping the dancing fridge to the brick wall and adjusting the motor belt, he would have time to visit with Sophia again. However, his brother called and told him that they had an emergency over at the Golden Oar restaurant.

When he arrived, all of the customers were standing out in the parking lot. Some were soaking wet.

“Sprinkler system’s on the fritz,” someone said as he walked by.

Shit. This was going to be a very long night. When he stepped through the front doors, his boots were immediately soaked as a rush of water hit him.

This was more than just the sprinklers.

“Son of a…” He heard his brother’s voice coming from near the back dining area.

“Parker?” he called out.

“Back here.”

Sure enough, one of the walls near the fireplace was gushing water.

“Help them get the paintings to safety.” Parker motioned to the employees rushing around and hauling the massive paintings off the walls.

Most of the colorful canvases had been painted by the grandmother of the owner, Iian Jordan. Some had been painted by his famous wife, Allison Jordan. Their art was highly sought after and probably cost more than the restaurant itself.

After he helped secure all of the paintings in a back room, he and Parker spent the next several hours fixing the broken water main while the employees worked quickly to clean up the water mess.

Fixing the water pipe had required them to open a giant hole in the restaurant’s wall, which meant, the place had to be shut down until they could fully clean up the water damage and patch and paint the spot. They would do that later that evening, when they were positive that the new pipe was holding secure.

When they were done, he was tired and completely soaked. Since it took a while for the drywall mud to dry, he arranged to arrive first thing in the morning to finish up with texture and paint.

By the time he stepped into the shower that evening, he was starved and too tired to think of anything but letting his head hit the pillow. However, when he stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist, Loki barked. It was the happy bark he got when there was a visitor he knew outside.

Thinking it was Parker, he went and opened the door, only to see Sophia standing there, her hand raised as if she was about to knock on the door again.

When she saw him, her eyebrows shot up and she slowly smiled.

“I didn’t know that I’d get a show if I dropped by.” She leaned against the doorframe.

He glanced down at his bare, wet chest. “I just showered,” he said and instantly realized he sounded stupid.

“Obviously,” she purred.

He took a deep breath to steady himself and give his brain time to engage. “Is there a reason you’re knocking on my door at”—he glanced back at the clock on the stove—“nine o’clock at night?”

“I wanted to thank you again for helping me out earlier.” She shifted slightly, as if uncomfortable. “I also heard about the mess over at the Golden Oar and knew that you probably didn’t have dinner.” She held up a bag. “I figured I’d drop off some quesadillas.” She took the bag back when he reached for it. “But if you’re busy…”

“Come in. I’ll put some pants on.” He snagged the bag from her and went inside while she gave Loki the attention he was begging for. “I’ll be just a minute.” He set the bag down on the counter and disappeared into his room. He slipped on some sweat shorts and a T-shirt and stepped back out, running his hands through his wet hair.

She was looking in his fridge and took out two sodas.

“Make yourself at home,” he joked as he took the offered drink. When they were both sitting down, he said, “Not that I’m complaining, but I’ll bet my brother didn’t get delivery tonight, and he worked just as hard as I did.”

She chuckled and turned slightly towards him. “I felt as if I owed you a little more of a thank-you and an explanation.”

He nodded. “No thanks needed. I am just thankful I was there. An explanation about…?” He took a bite of the still-warm food.

“Max,” she said after a long sigh.

His eyebrows shot up. “That man has it bad for you.”