Page 31 of Forever, Finally

“Figures.”

He set the box against the wall, then left to get the next one. While a couple of guys from the fire station would help him move the big pieces over the weekend, she and Jake were moving his clothes and a few little things before then.

The floors had been pronounced dry on Monday, with the carpet going in that afternoon. Now it was late Tuesday and she and Jake were officially moving into her new house.

Make that their house.

In the past couple of days life had returned to normal. She and Jake were once again comfortable together. She loved spending time with him and if looking at him made her body go up in flames, well, they would have to work that through. Once the baby was born and she was back to her fighting weight, she would do whatever she could to seduce her husband into her bed. Until then, she would consider this situation a chance to build character and self-control.

She walked into the kitchen to check out the hot water. The new water heater had been delivered and hooked up the previous week.

She turned on the hot tap and waited a few seconds. Sure enough the water quickly went from warm to too hot to touch.

“Perfect,” she murmured and reached for the tap.

It came off in her hand.

Lily stared from the metal piece in her hand to the gushing hot water. This was not happening. It couldn’t be! But it was. Water flowed happily, with no signs of stopping.

She heard the front door open, then a string of swear words.

“What happened?” she asked as she hurried to the front of the house.

Jake set down another box and held out his hand. The door knob rested on his palm. She held out the tap. They looked at each other and started to laugh.

By nine that evening, they’d found three more problems and fixed those most pressing. The downstairs bathroom door wouldn’t stay closed, the laundry-room sink was clogged and the window in the den wouldn’t open.

“Back to buyer’s remorse?” Jake asked her as they stretched out in the family room.

“No. All of this stuff is really small.”

“I agree. The basic structure is sound and that’s what matters.”

“And there’s new carpeting.”

“You also have a new roof,” Jake reminded her.

“We have a new roof,” she said. “And a new water heater and newly refinished hardwood floors.”

He grinned. “Oh, so now it’s our house.”

“Absolutely. Did you think I was dealing with all this alone?”

“I guess not, but Lil? Next time let’s get a new house.”

She chuckled. “Promise.”

Trying not to read too much into the phrase “next time,” trying not to hope this meant Jake thought they had a chance for a future, she excused herself to go take a shower.

At least their friendship had been restored. That was a big first step. The rest of it could take care of itself.

She entered the master bath and sighed with delight as she took in the new tiles. Jake had done a terrific job with the pattern and had even put a border on the floor by the tub and vanity so it looked as if there was a tile rug in place. She crossed to the shower and turned on the water, then quickly undressed and stepped into the spray.

Ten minutes later she felt relaxed and ready for bed. She grabbed the handle to turn off the shower. Nothing happened. Oh the handle turned easily enough, but the water didn’t stop. It didn’t even slow.

Lily started to giggle. This could not be happening. The giggle got louder and turned into a laugh. Soon she was laughing so hard, she couldn’t move. Her breath came in gasps. This was just so typical, she thought, still laughing.

“Lily?” Jake pounded on the bathroom door. “Are you all right?”

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