Page 42 of Love Like Lightning

“Oh yeah, no problem. How big of an issue? My afternoon is kind of booked up.”

“Ahhh, it’s big, Hammer. I hate to ask, but I need you here ASAP. I’ve already mopped up the bathroom twice, and I’ve got a couple of buckets positioned to catch the water, but I’m just not sure what’s wrong.” The panic in her voice is concerning, to say the least.

“Okay, hey, listen, I’m gonna call over to my next appointment and see if I can reschedule. I don’t think it’s an emergency, so I’ll come right over after, yeah?” I offer, knowing that Mr. Jenkins won’t be too upset if I have to come by another day.

“Yeah? I promise I’ll pay you a rush fee. Thank you so much. Just come ask for me at the front desk. They’ll call me up, and I can bring you to the room.”

“Okay. Sounds good. It’ll be fine, I promise.” I hope this will be a simple fix and I won’t have to tell her to call in an actual plumber.

Once I hang up with Roxy, I dial Mr. Jenkins’ number. Mentally, I’m trying to figure out where I can slot his fence project, so it won’t interfere with anything else I’ve got on the books right now.

I don’t figure it out, but I do make a point to expedite my hiring process and get someone else on my payroll, so I don’t have to.

17

Gianna

Hunched over my computer, I go over the numbers for the marketing effort Cam wants to focus on one last time. We met briefly this morning in his room to go over a few things, then I came back to my room to get some work done.

And shower.

That’s when I saw the little puddle of water in the bathroom. Turns out that little puddle was actually quite big, and I was lucky the whole floor wasn’t flooded. I spoke with the front desk and the owner, and things are being managed, but I keep waiting to hear some great rush of water from the bathroom.

I shut the door and tried to ignore it while I worked at the desk. I was hoping that they would be able to fix it quickly, but I’m still waiting.

Glancing at the time on my computer, I decide to call it quits for the time being and go grab some lunch. Cam texted earlier to let me know that the Books N’ Brew had great lunch options, so I’ll just take a walk and grab something. Hopefully, by the time I get back, everything will be back in order.

I grab my wallet and jacket, double check I have the room key, and head out. I squint against the bright sun, wondering if it would be worth it to turn around and grab my sunglasses.

I decide against it since it’s a pretty quick walk to my destination. Closing the gate behind me, I head down the sidewalk toward the more populated area of Main Street.

There are quite a few people out and about. The diner is almost packed with the lunch rush when I walk past. My stomach grumbles quietly as the scent of fried food fills my nose. I keep moving toward the cute sign that reads Books N’ Brew. The coffee cup is slightly discolored, and the letter “w” is almost nonexistent, but it screams quaint small town cafe.

Inside, it smells of freshly ground coffee. I sigh happily. There’s coffee at the bed and breakfast, sure. Even a small little Keurig in my room. But this is heaven.

A display case to the right of the counter houses all kinds of good stuff. There are dozens of different baked goods, fruit parfaits, sandwiches, salads, and veggie cups. It’s pretty quiet. I’m the only one at the counter, and only a few people are sitting at some of the tables enjoying their coffee or lunch. Once I decide on my order, I step up to the counter.

“What can I get you?” The woman behind the counter is probably in her late twenties, like me, and she looks bored. She’s wearing a fluffy black sweater dress under a black apron. Her hair is dark too, cropped short just under her chin, and it makes her whole look kind of severe. The contrast of her dark lipstick and intense mascara against her light eyes and pale skin enhances the effect.

Her lips are pressed into something that resembles a smile but isn’t remotely cheerful.

“Uh, could I get the turkey avocado wrap, a chocolate croissant, and a small flat white please?”

“Sure. Do you want the sandwich or croissant warmed up?” She punches my order into her POS system and waits for my answer.

“Um, yeah, that would be great. Thank you.” I hand over my card to pay.

“It’ll be just a couple of minutes. To go?”

“Yup.”

She hands the card back, finally giving me a small but real smile, and I nod and walk over to a free table to wait.

It takes less than five minutes for her to get my order. When she hands me my coffee and the bag with my food, she holds on for an extra beat.

“Hey, sorry about the low energy. I’m usually more chipper than this.” She laughs and releases the bag. “Okay, not that much more chipper, but anyway… sorry.”

“I promise, you don’t have to apologize. Customer service jobs are soul sucking. I’ll never forget the summer I worked as a hostess at a busy restaurant. Everyone has their off days.”

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