Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 102754 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102754 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
I pressed my lips together, refusing to acknowledge the fact that he had a point. Instead, I followed his gaze up at the gaping hole where my bathroom floor used to be, considering my options. Calling my dad was out of the question. Not because he wouldn’t help but because it would involve admitting that I had, in fact, skipped the very basic, very important step of getting a home inspection before signing my name on the dotted line. And if there was one thing I wasn’t ready for, it was the absolute earful I would get about how reckless that was. It was also dangerous outside, and he was the type of dad who’d say, ‘fuck it,’ and try and make the drive in this weather anyway.
Roque must have read my mind because he crouched next to the mess, poking at a piece of wood jutting out from under the fallen bathtub. The moment his fingers pressed against it, the thing crumbled apart like wet cardboard. He let out a low whistle. “Yeah, definitely don’t call your dad.”
I groaned, rubbing my temples. “You know, you could at least pretend to be helpful instead of enjoying this a little too much.”
“Hey, I am being helpful,” he shot back, still grinning. “I just saved you from getting an ‘I told you so’ speech that would haunt you for years. That’s gotta be worth something.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You’re insufferable.”
“And yet, I’m your best option right now, as is you staying at my house.”
I hated that he was right. Again. The reality of my situation settled over me like a soggy, freezing blanket—I couldn’t stay here. Not with part of my house in ruins and the temperature dropping fast.
I inhaled sharply, knowing exactly where this conversation was heading but refusing to give him the satisfaction of hearing it first. “Fine.”
His eyes sparkled with something entirely too arrogant. “Fine, what?”
I clenched my jaw. “Fine. I’ll stay at your place until I can get someone out here to fix things.”
Roque beamed like I’d just handed him a trophy. “Now, was that so hard?”
I pointed a finger at him. “Don’t push your luck, Edwards.”
Chuckling, he clapped his hands together. “Alright, first things first—we can’t just leave your house like this. Water’s still everywhere, and if it starts freezing, you’ll have even bigger problems.” Before I could argue, he was already heading toward the door. “I’ll grab my shop vac. Should help clear out some of this mess.”
While he was gone, I stood there, arms crossed, watching the water creep farther into my living room and wondering how, exactly, my life had come to this.
When Roque returned, he wasted no time setting up the shop vac, working with the efficiency that suggested he had too much experience dealing with disasters. Reluctantly, I grabbed my phone and started texting around the neighborhood, swallowing what little pride I had left.
Me: Hey, does anyone have a dehumidifier I can borrow? Minor flood situation.
Within seconds, the responses started rolling in.
Mrs. Hendricks: Oh dear! Are you okay, sweetie? I can send my grandson over to help.
Me: No need, just need to dry things out.
Mr. Calloway: I got one. But you gotta bake me something in return.
Me: Deal.
I looked up to find Roque smirking at his own phone. “What?”
He held up his screen. “Seems like half the neighborhood already knows you broke your house. They’re sending advice on how to fix it, how to get rid of the water that’s apparently already seeping under your front door and freezing, and offering towels, dehumidifiers, and firewood so you can keep the fire going and stop it freezing inside the house. Seems people know you better than you know yourself.”
I groaned. “Of course they do.”
Roque grinned, going back to vacuuming up water. “On the bright side, at least now you don’t have to explain it to everyone individually.”
I grabbed another soggy pillow and lobbed it at him. This time, I didn’t miss.
Roque
After hours of fixing as much as I could and getting rid of as much water as possible, I was exhausted. Our neighbors had come through for her, though, dropping off a total of seven humidifiers that were now powered by an extension cord running from my home that we’d buried under the snow. We’d also set a small fire and some portable heaters that’d also been dropped off to keep her home warm. My electricity bill would be hell, but at least we’d managed to stop more damage to the property lemon she’d bought.
By the time we trudged through the snow to my place, Sayla looked like she was mentally preparing herself for war. Not a physical, weapons-drawn battle, but the kind of war where she had to accept that she owed me for saving her from her sinking ship of a house. I was going to savor every second of this.