Page 60 of Finally Moore

There’s some more muffled conversation beforeJuniorsays, “Sure, Pops.”

“Okay. Junior will be there in about twenty. He’ll assess the damage and see if any other pipes are at risk of doing a repeat.”

“Oh my god, thank you so much.” I’m not sure what I would do if they couldn’t come out today.

“No worries, dear. Your grandpa helped me more times than I can count. It’s the least I can do for his granddaughter.”

“Still, thank you, and Merry Christmas.”

“What in the holy hell happened here?” Hannah asks as she splashes through the puddles that accumulated in the now-flooded unit.

“Pipe burst,” I say as I continue to wet-vac the standing water. “Wait. What are you doing here?”

“Figured I’d stop by on my way to the obligatory family dinner, hoping there was some sort of emergency that required my immediate assistance and sudden inability to attend, much to my dismay of course. And, look, it’s a Christmas miracle! Despite what I tell the boys, I must’ve been a very good girl this year.”

“Sorry to disappoint, but I’ve got things under control here.”

“Babe, did you forget that you have your family in town at yourfiancé’shouse, a bunch a people they hardly know?”Shit, I totally did. “That’s what I thought.” Hannah removes her jacket and sets it on the chair. “What do you need me to do?”

“Nothing. I’ve already called the plumber and started the insurance claim online. I took a bunch of photos of the damage, and now I’m just waiting for the professionals to show up and verify that no more pipes are going to explode and put my inn underwater.”

“Scarlett, let me handle this—”

“No, this is my business. Everyone will understand why I’m late. I already texted my mom and warned her.”

Hannah waves me off as she throws her voluptuous curls up into a quick messy bun. “What do you need me to do?”

I sigh, knowing there’s no talking her out of this. “Keep wet-vacing. I’ll grab another bucket and mop.”

“Knock, knock,” a man calls out, then sighs from the doorway of the room as he takes in the scene in front of him. By the tone, I can tell this is the last thing he wants to deal with right now. Not that I blame him. “My grandfather said something about…” His frown quickly morphs into a smile as his eyes land on Hannah. “…some pipes needing to be looked at,” he says with the hint of innuendo as he continues to eye-fuck my friend.

Based on the way she’s biting her lip, it seems Hannah’s holiday just got a thousand times better.

“Yeah, one burst in this unit. But I have eight other vacant rooms that I want to make sure aren’t at risk of doing the same.”

The guy finally notices that I exist and clears his throat. “Okay, if you can show me which rooms—”

“I can,” Hannah volunteers like an overeager student on the first day of class.

“Are you sure?” I ask teasingly, aware she’s more than willing to follow the handsome plumber around for the evening.

Hannah looks him up and down before replying with a grin, “More than sure. Besides, there are a few drains around here that could use a good unclogging… if you have time, that is?”

“Suddenly, my calendar is wide open,” he says, obviously playing along with her flirting.

“See?” Hannah shoves my jacket in my arms. “Don’t forget you have that fiancé of yours waiting for you. Go, be merry, get laid.” She leans in so that only I can hear. “And I’m going to do the same.”

I shake my head and chuckle. “Are you sure?”

“Yup, me and…” she prompts.

“Malcom,” the guy says. “But everyone calls me Junior.”

“Junior and I got things covered. So, go have fun, and I’ll keep you posted.”

“Okay,” I hesitate. While I trust Hannah to do what’s necessary, I still hate the idea of leaving all this on her shoulders. “If there’s an emergency…”

“I’ll call. Now, go.” She practically pushes me out of the room.

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