“Thanks.” It was such a nice thing for him to do, and it didn’t seem like he was doing it because he was hitting on me. He was just a good guy. I’d never seen a man so undeniably hot be so kind. Did guys like that even exist?
The phone rang on the desk, so Cleo grabbed it. “This is Cleo.” Her face started to fall as she listened to the person on the other line.
I’d barely taken a bite of my sandwich when the shit hit the fan.
“What?” Dex asked.
Cleo ignored him. “We’ll be right there.” She hung up. “Get the plumber over here ASAP. One of the tenants said there’s flooding all the way into the hallway on the fifth floor.”
I lowered my sandwich. “But I was just up there an hour ago. I didn’t see anything.”
Dex was already on the phone.
Cleo sighed. “The housekeeper must have cleaned the bathrooms and left, and then there was a clog, so the water started to overflow. The piping in this building is super old even though it’s been remodeled. Not the first time it’s happened. Scarf that down. All hands on deck for this.”
It was a huge cleanup, and we weren’t finished fixing the damage until seven at night. Carpet cleaners had to come and clean the rugs and carpeting, along with the bottom of any furniture that was touched by the toilet water.
It was a nightmare.
After giving my hands a good scrub, I was finally off for the day.
A twelve-hour shift.
With one meal.
But I got a lot of overtime, and everyone was so great to work with that I didn’t mind.
Besides, I had nothing to do when I got home besides wallow in grief.
When we were finished, we all sat there for a minute, catching our breath.
Dex turned to me. “Good first day, huh?”
“I’ll say.” I grabbed my coffee and took a drink even though it was cold.
The guy I’d seen in the lobby earlier walked into the office and stopped in front of Cleo’s desk. He was still in a dark blue hoodie and jeans, his satchel over his shoulder. He looked down at her and just stared.
She must have felt his presence because she lifted her gaze and looked up. “It’s been a long day.”
“I can tell. I’ll get dinner started.”
“Can we order a pizza tonight?”
He smiled at her request. “Sure, baby.” He leaned over her desk and gave her a kiss before he straightened and turned to Dex. He gave him a slight nod before he walked to the elevators and disappeared.
“I’m just going to finish up scanning this paperwork,” Cleo said. “You guys can take off.”
“Anything I can do before I go?” I asked.
“Nope.” Cleo turned to me. “You did great today.”
“Thanks. It was an exciting day.”
“I promise the days aren’t always hectic like that.”
Dex rose from his chair and pulled his hoodie over his head, giving a distinctly sarcastic chuckle. “Yeah, okay.”
Cleo rolled her eyes, but there was a playful smile on her lips.
I grabbed my coat and bundled up before I said goodnight and walked out. Dex walked with me as we left the building and made it to the sidewalk.
“So, will I see you tomorrow?” he asked. “Or are you going to run for the hills?”
“Like I said, I don’t scare easily.”
He gave me a thumbs-up. “Great. I’m glad you’re going to stick it out.”
“Do people quit often?”
“The turnover rate is pretty low, but sometimes a new person will start, and once they realize how extensive the hours really are, they’ll leave. It’s usually working mothers who think they can juggle both, but then realize they can’t with this job. And we don’t hire part-time employees because that’s just too unrealistic for the profession. I don’t have much of a personal life, so it’s perfect for me.”
“Yeah, me neither.” Not anymore, at least.
“Have a good night.” He gave me a final smile before he turned around and headed up the sidewalk, his hands slipping into his pockets as he walked off. He carried himself with perfect posture, like he lifted weights and worked out often. He was smart, chivalrous, easy to talk to…really unique.
One of a kind.
5
Dex
I sat beside Derek on the couch in the living room of his penthouse. The game was on, and we drank our beers as we screamed at the TV every time a ridiculous call was made. There was a bowl of chips and salsa, and since we were brothers, we just dunked our chips in the same salsa and abandoned our manners.
“So, the entire floor flooded?” he asked.
“Not the entire floor, but it was pretty bad. The client has a $100,000 rug that got soaked in E. coli. We got the carpet cleaners out to try to save it, but the guy insisted we toss it. He’ll just buy a new one, apparently.”