Page 13 of Pretty Please Me
“Shit. Do those stairs lead to your apartment?”
“Yeah.” It’s all I can muster because I’m in such disbelief.
Sam takes my keys, and I follow him up the stairs on shaky legs to what feels like my impending doom.
When he unlocks the door and pushes it open, my eyes widen in horror.
Oh, shit. I stand there in shocked silence as water pours from the ceiling in every direction. How long was I gone?
Sam wades inside through the ankle-deep water shining his light on the ceiling. “Do you have a landlord we can call?”
I walk inside on numb legs as water sprays me, soaking me from head to toe. It’s so much worse than I could’ve imagined. Everything I own is ruined.
“No… I… uh… I own this building. I have a tenant who lives above me, though.”
“Fuck, that’s not good,” Sam says as he stares up at a spot on the ceiling. He pulls out his phone and dials a number.
“Hey, Jeff. Yeah, I know it’s late, but I’ve got an emergency. I need you to send a crew over ASAP. We’ve got a busted pipe on a three-story building. I haven’t been up to check, but I’m worried about structural damage.”
I follow his gaze to the sagging ceiling tiles and swallow a lump in my throat. I acquired my tenant, Ms. Beasly, a seventy-year-old widow, when I bought the building two years ago. She’s never given me any problems and always paid her rent on time. I hate this is happening to her. Where is she supposed to go?
“I don’t care if I have to pay holiday payandtime and a half. Just send someone over. Preferably more than one, got it?” Sam ends the call, and I look at him through my tears.
“I… I… can’t afford to pay for this,” I say in a panicked whimper. “There’s so much damage. It’s everywhere. I don’t even know where to begin. I’ve got to cancel my class tomorrow, and we need to wake up Ms. Beasly upstairs–”
“I’ll handle that. Do you have an emergency contact for her or something?” He takes the phone from my shaking hands and pulls me into the kitchen, so we’re not standing underneath the dripping water.
“Yeah, she has a daughter. There’s a file in my notes with her contact information.” I push my sopping-wet hair back and cross my arms over my chest. I stand there helplessly as Sam dials the number and tells her what’s going on. How did this amazing night turn into this… nightmare?
He hands me back the phone. “She’s on her way to get her now. We’ll find somewhere more permanent for her to stay in the morning. My contractor’s sending over his plumber now. He should be here any minute.”
“Thank you. I don’t … I don’t know what I would’ve done if you weren’t here.”
His deep brown eyes soften as he rubs his thumb along my cheek. “You would’ve figured it out, but I’m happy I was here to help you.” He pats me on the shoulder. “Come on, let’s wake Ms. Beasly and help her pack a bag. Her daughter should be here soon.”
Luckily, Ms. Beasly was still awake when we broke the news—though she was far more interested in the handsome gentlemen by my side than the flooding. Sam assured her that his assistant would be in touch in the morning, and we helped her pack a bag. By the time her daughter arrived, she’d loaded us up with a variety of baked goods from her pantry that “would’ve gone to waste.”
I clench the loaf of still-warm, freshly baked sourdough bread to my chest as I watch her daughter’s tail lights drive away.
“What am I supposed to do now?” I don’t know if the question is for Sam or myself, but he answers anyway.
“You’ll stay with me until we figure this out.” He takes the bread out of my arms and piles it on top of his armful of baked goods.
I spin to face him. “No, Sam, you’ve already done enough. I’ll just see if I can stay with Gwen or Elliot, or I’ll get a hotel room.”
“Gwen’s going to have a baby any day now, and Elliot and Benjamin are hosting their in-laws while they remodel their house.” He looks down at me with soft eyes. “I know you haven’t met Benjamin’s family, but they’re a lot. You wouldn’t have a moment to yourself.”
I shake my head. “I don’t want to impose–”
“Magnolia, I won’t take no for an answer. I wouldn’t have offered if it was an inconvenience.”
Something about how he says my full name commands my attention. It sends shivers down my spine, and my body goes warm all over.
“Okay,” I nod. “I’ll stay with you.”
“Good. Now, let’s get you out of here. Your teeth are chattering so hard I’m afraid you’ll chip a tooth.”
He calls for a ride, and we stand in silence, soaked to the bone and loaded with loaves of bread.
