Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 102361 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102361 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
I smirk at that and turn away.
“I’m safe, Brooks.”
“You’re so fucking infuriating!”
I spin around and gape at him. “I am?”
“Yes. You.”
Not wanting to have a screaming match in this public park, I get close to him, glaring up at him.
“You don’t want me, remember? You told me to stay away, to avoid you at all costs. I’m doing that. You don’t get to have it both ways, Brooks. I wasn’t bothering you by taking a little nap here in this park. I was just trying to take a day off and relax. But obviously, that offends you.”
“Stop it.” He lowers his head so his lips are next to my ear, and a shiver rolls through me. “I was fucking worried about you, and I won’t apologize for that. I don’t know how to handle you, Wildfire.”
“You don’t handle me.” I shake my head and pull away. “We’re strangers. Is my car ready?”
“A couple more days.”
“Jesus, I’m going to be so fucking broke.” I swallow hard and then shrug. “Oh well. Thanks for waking me up.”
I turn to leave, but he calls my name.
I don’t stop.
I wake up to the sound of running water.
Not like it’s coming out of a faucet.
Like it’s rushing down a ravine in the middle of the woods.
Sitting straight up in bed, I cock my head, trying to decide where it’s coming from. Is it raining?
No. It’s inside.
“Shit.” I turn on the lamp beside me and stare in horror as a river of water flows down from where a pipe has burst in the middle of my attic and is rushing all over the floor, through the floorboards, and likely into my restaurant below.
I don’t know what to do.
I have no idea where the water valve is located to shut off the water to the building.
I step out of bed and fall on my ass because of the wet floor, and all I can do is sit here, in the middle of this mess, and cry.
Then the power goes out, and I’m in the dark.
“Fuck my life,” I mutter as I pull myself back onto the bed and reach for my phone.
I guess I’ll call the fire department.
Twenty minutes later, there’s a knock on my door, and I slosh through the room, in my wet clothes, to open it, letting about a foot of water out to fall down the staircase, and find Bridger staring down at me.
“Hi, Bridge.”
“I hear you have a water problem.”
“I’ve heard the same rumor.” I’m on the verge of having a nervous breakdown. I’m shaking, and my heart is pounding.
“Do you have shoes on?”
“I can’t find them.” A tear slips out of my eye. “I think they floated out when I opened the door. I have my purse and my phone.”
“Then that’s all you need. Let’s get you out of here.”
“Oh, I can show you—”
“No, Jules. I’m evacuating you now. I don’t need you getting electrocuted.”
I blanch at that and let him guide me downstairs to where two big fire trucks sit, along with five other firefighters.
“Sorry to bring you out in the middle of the night,” I say to them.
“This is our whole job,” one of them reminds me with a wink.
“Let’s get power and water shut off to the whole building,” Bridger calls out, clearly in fire chief mode.
It’s kind of hot.
Let’s be honest, all the Blackwells are hot.
I don’t have anywhere to go, so I step out of the way and wait, clutching my purse to my chest as I watch the men scatter, calling things out to each other, working together to get the water stopped and the electricity shut off.
Thirty minutes later, Bridger crosses to me, his handsome face grim, and my stomach explodes with nerves.
“I have good news and bad news, Jules.”
Swallowing hard, I nod. “Okay.”
“Which do you want first?”
“The bad news?” It’s said like a question, because honestly, I don’t think I want any bad news at all.
“You have a lot of water here. Both the upstairs and downstairs have sustained significant water damage.”
“It couldn’t have even been running for a full hour.”
“A lot of water can run in that amount of time, especially at the rate it was flowing out of that pipe. I’m sorry, Jules. I really am. You will need to call a water restoration company tomorrow. They’ll come in and remove the rest of the water, then set up fans to dry it as much as possible. Then you can assess what’s salvageable.”
“Are you telling me that I can’t open for business in the morning?”
Bridger scowls and takes my shoulders in his hands. “Yeah, that’s what I’m telling you. It’s a mess in there. I’m so sorry.”
I want to lean my forehead on him for support, but of course I don’t.
You have got to be kidding me.
“What’s the good news?” I ask him.