Chapter 5 - Shadows of the EventThe raw honesty of her words sent a shockwave through the room. But before I could close the distance between us, her phone buzzed violently on the kitchen counter.
It was an emergency alarm tone—the one reserved for her high-stakes event firm.
Sophie blinked back her tears, her professional instinct taking over as she snatched up the screen. Her eyes scanned the frantic text messages.
“What is it?” I asked, my tone instantly shifting to grounded focus.
“The venue for tomorrow’s charity gala—the historic downtown warehouse,” she stammered, her voice shaking for an entirely different reason now. “A main water pipe burst on the upper floor. The whole stage setup is flooding. If the power shorts or the rigging collapses, the entire launch is canceled. My boss will fire me on the spot.”
She dropped her phone onto the marble top, burying her face in her hands. The sudden shift from deep romantic tension to professional catastrophe was dizzying, but it was exactly the kind of chaos she usually hid behind.
Only this time, she didn’t have to face it alone.
I grabbed my heavy canvas jacket and took my truck keys off the wall hook.
“Get your coat,” I said.
May you like
She looked up, stunned. “What?”
“I have three commercial water pumps, two shop-vacs, and a full set of heavy-duty pipe clamps in the back of my truck,” I said, stepping up to her and grabbing her jacket off the chair. “We have six hours before sunrise. Let’s go fix your event.”
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