Page 77 of The Pact

“Yeah, yeah. Your apartment is flooded. We got a call from your next-door neighbor. I had to break in to find out where it was coming from.” His words are slowly becoming a jumbled mess. Flooded is the last thing I hear before I space out. “Miss? Are you listening?”

“Sorry. What happened?”

“You left the faucet in your bathroom running all day and the sink overflowed. You need to come grab whatever you can and find somewhere to stay while I get this mess sorted out.” He’s pissed. But I don’t understand. I didn’t leave the faucet on—I don’t think I did.

When Kenneth hangs up, I try retracing my steps from this morning and I simply can’t recall if I turned it off.

I need to see how bad the damage is and what I can salvage. Maybe Kenneth’s being dramatic, I try to reason. However, I know that if the neighbor called, it had to be bad enough that someone saw what was happening from outside of my apartment.

Locking up the studio, I head home and call Cassie.

“Hey girl, how’s it going?” I can tell she’s nervous that I’ve called, possibly expecting that something happened with one of her clients.

“Hey, today went well. I’m heading home now, but I got a call from my landlord. Apparently, there was a flood in my apartment.”

“Oh shit, I’m sorry. Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m going to see how bad it is. I wanted to see if I could stay at your place until they get things fixed up.”

There’s a pause on the other end. “My home is yours, but Anthony’s with me. I don’t have any spare keys for you to let yourself in. Can you stay with Cole? At least until I get back?”

I already feel like he does too much for me and I hate to impose on the four of them. It’s that or trying to find a motel. Financially, that really isn’t an option. “Yeah, of course. I’m sure he’ll be fine with that.” I smile as I say it so that she doesn’t feel like she needs to worry about me.

“Good. As soon as I get back, we’ll get your stuff and you can stay in the guest room. Okay?”

“Sounds good. How’s the event going?”

Cassie goes on for a good five minutes, telling me about what an amazing time she’s having and all the people she’s been able to network with. I’m happy for her, even if I feel like my life is derailing at the moment. She’s saying goodbye just as I’m walking up to my apartment.

I take a steadying breath and push open the door that’s slightly ajar, hoping for the best.

I’m not sure what I’m expecting, maybe a flood of water to rush out at me when I opened the door. It certainly isn’t as theatrical as that. But it’s a good lesson in how not much water is needed to create exponential damage.

There’s less than an inch of it covering the floor, yet it’s enough to have soaked into the cheap cabinets in the kitchen, the TV stand in my living room, and the fabric sofa that sits flush with the floor.

It takes me a few minutes to figure out where to start. I feel utterly defeated.

Grabbing a trash bag from under the sink, I fill it, mostly with clothes. My sneakers and legs of my pants are soaked by the time I’m finished. I send a message in the group chat.

Me: Anyone have time to call me?

I wait five minutes and hear nothing. I can’t remember if Cole is working today, but it’s my best shot. If I can’t find him there, I’ll head to the bookstore.

I groan at the thought of lugging this trash bag around town. What will people come up with when they see me like this?

Sweat beads on my forehead, the bag in my arms as heavy as the anxiety in my stomach—mostly because of the stares I’ve already gotten as I walk down the sidewalk. I pass a man who scrunches his face at me.

I don’t hide my exaggerated eye roll.

“Hey Miss,” he calls from behind me. Looking over my shoulder as I continue walking, I can see that he’s stopped. “You’re Cole’s girl, right?” This makes me halt.

Facing him, I answer. “Yeah.”

“Is that your truck in my shop?” This must be the mechanic who’s been waiting for the replacement part.

“Yes. Any updates on that part? I didn’t think it’d take this long.”

The corners of his mouth turn down and his brows knit. “It’s ready. I’ve been trying to reach Cole about it for the last couple of days. I should start charging you a storage fee.” It comes out as a joke, although he doesn’t smile. “Can you come get it now?”

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