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.
“Damn, I didn’t know you knew how to do manual labor,” Davin teased.
“Very funny. I shouldn’t have to be doing this. I pay people to do this, and I’m still stuck doing it.”
“I guarantee you this wasn’t in my job description either,” he said with a laugh.
The cavalry showed up about an hour into the crisis. The plumbers went to work looking for the source while the remediation team brought in wet vacs and fans. Davin and I went to the bar and sat down. He handed me a clean bar towel. “Thanks,” I said and wiped the sweat from my face. “My feet are soaked.”
“Mine too,” he said. “Think we’re closed for the day?”
I sighed and slowly nodded. “At least. Hopefully, they get it taken care of by the end of the day.”
“How are things going with the other place?” he asked.
“I don’t know.”
“What does that mean?” he asked.
“It means she has not spoken to me since Tuesday. She barely looks at me.”
He sucked in a breath through his teeth before kicking off his shoes and peeling off his soaked socks. He walked around the bar barefoot and poured us each a drink. I took it from him, ignoring the fact he had just touched his feet.
“Do you think she’s pissed at you?” he asked.
“I don’t know why she would be,” I replied.
“Maybe you weren’t very good and she’s disappointed,” he said with a smirk.
“Trust me, I was plenty good, and she was satisfied.”
“Do you think she’s embarrassed?” he suggested.
“I don’t know why. It isn’t like we haven’t done it before.”
“Maybe she expected you to call her,” he said.
I frowned. “Why would I call her?”
He slapped a hand to his head. “You really suck at understanding females.”
“She made it very clear she didn’t want anything from me,” I said. “She said, and I quote, ‘this cannot happen again,’ which tells me she didn’t want me to call her.”
He wrinkled his nose. “I’m not sure that’s what she really meant.”
“Are you suggesting she is speaking in code?” I asked.
“I’m saying she’s pissed about something.”
I shrugged. “I don’t think she’s pissed. She just seemed indifferent. Like she doesn’t hate me but doesn’t like me either.”
“If you are going to work with her, you better fix this,” he said. “Maybe you need to ask her out to dinner. She probably feels a little used.”
“Again, I could say the same thing,” I told him. “She initiated it.”
“She attacked you?”
“No, but she gave me the look, and when I kissed her, she didn’t pull away. She was into it.”
“What would it hurt to take her out?” he asked.
I shook my head. “That’s not what this is.”
“Sex is sex, and if she’s acting differently, it’s for a reason. Take her out, away from the office. Go somewhere that you don’t have to worry about your clothes falling off. Talk to her and let her know what you expect. She’ll tell you what she expects. It’s called adulting.”
“I’ll think about it,” I said and looked around the empty bar. “I’ve got bigger things to deal with right now.”
“Yeah, you do. I need to call the staff and let them know we’re shut down for the day.”
“I’m going to find the plumber and find out what the damage is and just how long we’re going to be down.”
“Hey,” he said before I walked out.
“What?”
“This isn’t the end of the world. A weekend off isn’t a terrible thing. We all know you can afford a few days down.”
“Yes, but I don’t like it.”
“Take a break and go out to the Hamptons. Relax. Think about this girl problem you’ve got and come back Monday ready to make a move.”
“Thanks, but I don’t need to worry about the girl problem. It’s not really a problem.”
“Suit yourself, but you better fix it before it blows up in your face.”
I smirked, and with my shoes squeaking, I walked out in search of the plumber. I hoped it wasn’t as bad as it looked.
Chapter 21
Saige
“Let’s go kid!” I shouted down the hall.
“I can’t find my helmet,” he called back.
“It’s in your closet,” I said. I finished stuffing sandwiches into plastic baggies and added them to our lunch bag. We were spending the afternoon with Joss and Caitlyn again.