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NICK

It’s been a week since I met Joy, and I can honestly say I’ve never smiled this much in my life. She’s been here at the office in the mornings, and every night since our second date, we’ve spent the evening together. She walks in here with her Christmas T-shirts and sweatshirts, plays holiday music while she works, and brings a whole new vibe to the place. And after work, we eat together, go to a movie, or walk in the park. Each night, I drop her off at her door with just a kiss. I don’t trust myself to do anything more. Joy is like no other woman I’ve ever met, and the last thing I want to do is rush her.

I look at the clock on the wall and see it’s eight a.m. I’m surprised that Joy hasn’t dipped her head in to say good morning yet.

I stand up and walk into the lobby. Rachel’s dad is recovered, and she’s back at work now. I ask her, “You heard from Joy? I thought she would be here by now.”

Rachel looks up and frowns. “I was just about to come see you.” She holds up her phone. “She sent me a text that she had a pipe burst at her apartment and she won’t be in today.”

My first thought is, Why didn’t she call me? I go back into my office and grab my keys and then walk back out to the lobby. “Cancel my meetings the rest of the day.”

Rachel is obviously worried about Joy. “Yes, I’ll cancel them. What about the appointment with the city manager? Cancel it too?”

I know that canceling with the city manager could cause problems down the road, but Joy needs my help, even if she’s not ready to admit it yet. I blow out a breath. “Yes, please.”

As I walk out the door, Rachel calls after me, “Have Joy call me if she needs a place to stay.”

I wave over my shoulder, and instantly a thought pops into my head. If Joy needs a place to stay, she’ll be staying with me.

I drive across town, and as soon as I park, I grab my tool box out of the back of the truck and walk up to Joy’s door. I knock and wait a few seconds before knocking again. Soon, I hear Joy calling out, “I’ll be right there.”

A few more seconds pass by, and then the door flings open. The sight in front of me has my mouth falling open. The living room floor is covered with at least three inches of water. Joy is standing in some kind of water boots with her hair up in a ponytail, and she’s holding towels in each of her hands. “Hey, what are you doing here?”

I walk, or I guess I should say slosh into the room. “You should have called me.”

She shrugs. “I know how busy you are.”

I reach for her. She’s unsteady in her boots, and she falls against me. I wrap my arms around her. “I’m never too busy for you.”

She pulls from my arms. “I’m fine. I’m going to rent a vacuum and get this cleaned up and⁠—”

I stop her. “Have you notified your landlord?”

She nods, looking around the room with despair. “Yeah. He said the pipe busting was my fault and I shouldn’t have let it get this bad.” She looks back at me. “He’s going to see if he has another apartment, but I may have to stay here a few days.”

“The hell you are.”

She looks at me, stunned. “But⁠—”

I shake my head. “No, Joy, you can’t stay here like this. Let’s get some of your stuff that is salvageable out of here.”

She gestures around the room. “It’s a furnished apartment, so all I have are some clothes and stuff.”

I watch her walk through the water and get even more pissed. She shouldn’t be dealing with any of this. The water seems to be mostly in the living room, kitchen, and bathroom. The damage to her bedroom is very minimal. She points at the ground. “It’s not that bad in here. I can just⁠—”

I hold my hand up to stop her. “Don’t even think about it. You’re not staying here.”

She pulls out a suitcase. “Fine. My parents live a few hours away. I can stay with them. Or⁠—”

I take the suitcase from her and open it on the bed. “You’re staying with me.” I move to the closet and pull out a bunch of clothes on hangers. “I’m going to take these out to my truck. Fill your bag up with everything you want to take with you.”

I don’t wait for her to respond. I carry the things out to my truck and then go back inside. She’s stuffing panties and bras into her bag, and I go for more clothes from her closet. “Nick, we need to talk.”

I stop with my hands full. “About what?”

She puts her hands on her hips. “I can’t just stay at your house.”

My forehead creases, and I shake my head. “Why not?”