“That’s not the kind of owner I am. I like to be a part of everything. Make sure things are functioning properly.”
He arched a brow. “And you can tell all of that by fixing a faucet?”
His tone let her know he didn’t believe her. But that was his problem. She didn’t have time to alleviate his curiosity. She had work to do. And this was her best unit on the island.
When she reached the master bedroom, she immediately stepped in water. It seeped up over her sandals. The breath hitched in her throat, smothering a scream.
A little leak? A drippy faucet?
Lea muttered under her breath as she rushed toward the bathroom. Her foot slipped on the wet floor. The next thing she knew, she was falling back. Strong hands reached out and caught her. She didn’t have time to thank him, she had to shut off the water.
Inside the bathroom, oblivious to the water, she knelt down and leaned under the countertop. She tried the shutoff valve under the sink but it wouldn’t budge. Using her whole-body strength, she groaned, but the valve didn’t move at all.
“Here. Let me try,” Xander said from behind her.
She turned to him and was about to tell him that this wasn’t his problem, when she noticed he’d divested himself of his suit coat. It now hung over the towel rack and his shirtsleeves were rolled up.
He held a hand out to her. “Hurry up. The water is still pouring in.”
He was right. This was not the time to stand on pride. If she lost this unit, the island would go out of business and her heritage would be lost. She couldn’t let that happen. It was her job to protect her family’s legacy—something her mother refused to do.
Lea watched as he clenched the wrench. The corded muscles of his forearms strained. His neck grew taut as his lips pressed together in a firm line. A deep groan filled the room as he gave it everything to move the valve.
After a few failed attempts, he turned to her. “Where’s the main water shutoff for the whole unit?”
“Outside. In the back, I think.” Up until this point, she hadn’t had any need to turn off the water main, but she knew the bulk of the units had the utility hookup in the back, out of view from the guests.
Xander stood. The water dripped off him—his suit was going to be ruined. And then she noticed his black leather dress shoes. They were partially submerged in water. Lea inwardly groaned as she thought of how many hundreds or more likely thousands of dollars his attire cost—something she didn’t have the extra cash to replace. She would have to deal with that later.
She took off for the door with Xander hot on her heels. The water shutoff thankfully was easy to find. And unlike the valve inside, it turned pretty easily.
Turning the water off was only the first step in fixing this huge mess. They rushed back inside, using everything available to mop up the water from the floor. Xander opened all of the windows. They continued to work together in peaceful harmony.
When the last of the water had been mopped up, Lea stood and inspected the damage. Thankfully the wood floor wasn’t discolored. It didn’t look like the water had been there long. Lea thanked her lucky stars.
As she placed the last wet towel in a laundry bag, she turned to Xander, who had just gotten to his feet after checking the plumbing joint under the sink. “Thank you.”
“No problem.”
Her gaze took in his wet, wrinkled suit. “I think your clothes are ruined.”
He glanced down as though he’d forgotten he was wearing dress clothes. “I’ve got more.”
“I didn’t see any luggage.”
“True. Everything is back in Athens. I was in a bit of a hurry.”
“Obviously.” She gave it a little thought. “Let’s drop off these wet linens and then we’ll get you something dry to wear.”
He gave her a strange look. “I don’t think you’ll have anything that will fit me.”
His words inspired an image of him in women’s clothes and a smile pulled at her lips. As they climbed in the golf cart, the image of Xander wearing her clothes wouldn’t leave her. She pressed on the accelerator.
“You’re picturing me in your clothes, aren’t you?”
“I...uh...no, I’m not.” But she couldn’t subdue her amusement.