I was assuming the sex would clear the air between us, but I didn’t expect it to clear the air to the point there was nothing between us at all. I expected to have a minor friendship with an improved working relationship. There was nothing. It was like she didn’t even see me.
I got up from the desk, ready to go find her. She needed to explain what was happening. I did not like what I was seeing. Before I could get out of the office, my cell rang. I saw it was my assistant. “Hello?”
“Nash, we’ve got a problem,” she said.
“Why do you say we?” I snapped. “What you really mean is me. I have a problem.”
“Yes, you do.”
“Well? What is it? What’s wrong.”
“There is a burst pipe in the building, and it is causing major damage on the bottom floor,” she blurted out.
“Carly, I’m not a plumber. I’ve never been a plumber. Why would you call me?”
“Because it’s your building,” she said with frustration. “I thought this was something you would want to know. It’s bad, Nash. Really bad.”
I sighed. “Fine, I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Call a plumber!”
I ended the call and immediately called my driver. I did not have time to be putting out stupid little fires. This was not something I could personally fix. I had building maintenance and an assistant for a reason. If I got there only to find the burst pipe was nothing more than a minor leak, I was going to fire her. She was an alarmist. I hated that trait in anyone.
I was on my way out when Saige stopped me. “Are you leaving?” she asked.
It was the most she’d said to me in days. “Yes. I have a problem at my other building.”
“I need to talk to you,” she said.
“I can’t right now,” I said. “I really need to go.”
“This is important,” she insisted.
“So is the fact my building is flooding, according to my assistant. It will have to wait until Monday.”
She didn’t look happy, but she picked the worst timing to have the conversation. I was certain it was going to be something along the lines of not mixing business with pleasure and what not. That or she was going to tell me she had feelings for me and wanted a relationship. Neither option appealed to me. I had other problems to deal with.
“Good luck,” she said as I rushed out the door.
I was certain I heard a “thank god” from someone as I left. Nothing new there. I made my way to my waiting car. “To the office,” I told Bobby. “Quickly, please. I’ve apparently become a plumber in the last five minutes. Do you happen to have a wrench?”
His deep baritone laugh made me chuckle. “I am going to have to get a picture of this. Will you be showing some crack?”
“That has yet to be seen,” I muttered.
When I walked into the building, the first thing I saw was Davin with a squeegee in his hand and frantically pushing water away from the bar entrance. I looked down and saw I was standing in at least an inch of water.
“What in the hell?” I exclaimed.
The security guard rushed toward me. “We’ve got a call to the city,” he said.
“You called the cops?” I asked incredulously.
“No, the water department. We can’t find the shutoff.”
I shook my head with disgust. “Did anyone check the basement?”
He looked at me. “No, sir.”
I thrust my briefcase at him, took off my jacket, and shoved it in his arms. I walked through the water and made my way to the stairs. I didn’t dare take the elevator. I quickly made it downstairs, rolling up my sleeves as I walked. I found the water main, used the wrench on a cord next to it, and shut the damn thing off.
With the water off, I turned my attention to the electric panel. I shut off the power to the entire building. I wasn’t taking any chances. Security lights popped on and illuminated my exit.
I made it back upstairs and found the same security guard evacuating the building. “We lost power,” he said.
“Just get everyone out,” I said. I wasn’t going to explain to him the hazards of water and electricity.
Carly came out of the stairwell with a stream of employees behind her. “We lost power,” she said with shock.
“Yes, we did. Did you call a plumber?”
She nodded. “I called three. I told them whoever got here first got the job.”
That was impressive. “Good job. And the city?”
“They said it was our problem,” she said.
“And they were right. I need you to call a water remediation service. I want them out here now.”
“A what?” she asked with confusion.
“Someone to clean up the water and dry the place out before there is major damage,” I explained.
I looked at Davin, who was still fighting the tide of water. He was losing the battle. I didn’t know if he knew it, but he was giving it his best effort.
“Okay, but we don’t have power,” she said.
I looked at her. “Do you have your cell phone?”
“Yes.” I waited a beat. “Oh. I’ll make the calls from outside.”
“Thanks.”
I walked over to Davin and put my hands on my hips and watched him. “What are you doing?” I asked him.
“Swimming,” he said. “What does it look like I’m doing?”
“Fighting a losing battle.”
“Look in the bar,” he countered. “Barely a drop in there. I don’t want the wood to get ruined. The marble out here is fine with a little water, but in there, that would be bad.”
“Where’s the maintenance closet?” I asked him.
He pointed down a corridor. I quickly went to the closet and found another squeegee with a mop and bucket. I pushed it back toward him. My shoes were going to be ruined. Leather and water were not a great combo.
“What happened?” I asked him and started doing what I could to squeegee the water away from the bar.
“I walked in and thought maybe you were finally putting in that waterpark I’ve been asking for.”
“Very funny.”
“I don’t know,” he said. “I just got here a few minutes ago. There was a lot of panicking and water everywhere. I just started doing what I could to keep it from the bar.”
“Let’s push the water out the front,” I suggested.
“You know you’re going to have the city all over your ass,” he warned.
“They can fine me. Their fine will be cheaper than replacing the flooring and walls in the bar.”
He laughed. “The sidewalk could use a good cleaning.”
“Open all the doors,” I said to security, who had called in reinforcements.
“We’ve got the building locked down while the power is out,” he replied.
“Stand guard and don’t let anyone in. We need to get this water out of here.”
He did what I asked, opening the four sets of main doors that opened to the city sidewalk. One of them was smart enough to grab the wet-floor signs from the closet and place them on the sidewalk. Davin and I started pushing water out of the building. We got more than one middle finger and numerous, creative suggestions about what we could do with our squeegees. I couldn’t give a shit.