The Wedding Catch

by Susan Hatler

  “No, I can’t.” I shook my head adamantly, the thought of even risking a chance at homelessness again making my stomach churn. “I have my reasons why I can’t tell her right now. But I will tell her, just not now, please?”

  He paused for a moment and then blew out a breath. “Okay, I won’t say anything to her,” he said, handing my things to me. “But is everything okay with—”

  “Thank you for keeping this between us,” I said, cutting him off. I mean, this was embarrassing enough without going into details. I so did not want to talk about this further. I threw him an appreciative look and then hurried away to put my things in the office. I shut the door, leaned back against it, and buried my hot face in my hands.

  Not only did somebody know I was homeless, but it just had to be Melinda’s rich cousin! He must be so sorry he asked me out now—a bakery manager who had been booted out of her apartment and didn’t have enough in savings to get into a new place. Yet.

  My heart pounded in my chest. I could only hope that Jason would keep my secret. And if he did, I’d definitely owe him big time.

  Chapter Two

  At the end of my workday, the sun glinted off the bakery windows as I fumbled with my keys to lock up for the night. We closed at five on Saturdays, which gave me time to head over to the Founding Friendships building and put in a few volunteer hours.

  Thunder rumbled in the distance, and I glanced up in confusion. Dark clouds bunched against the horizon, and a wicked flash of lightning split the sky. The humid air felt still and heavy. With rain moving in that would rule out any time spent in the garden. I sighed. Working in the garden was something I loved doing. Still, there would be plenty of other projects going on.

  My key jammed in the lock and I jiggled it, silently cursing the person who had cut this set of keys. The box of cupcakes I was holding in my other hand wobbled dangerously. Alarmed, I turned to grab the box but someone beat me to it.

  “Whoa, there,” Jason said, his voice warm. He took the box out of my hands and balanced it effortlessly. His easy smile showed off a dimple in his left cheek. I was distracted by that dimple until the first rain drop hit me on the nose.

  I gave a little yelp of surprise, but at least it broke me out of his spell. That was one powerful dimple. “What are you doing here?”

  “I brought you flowers,” he said, holding out a bouquet of lilacs.

  “Oh, those are my favorite,” I said, stepping under the awning as more rain spattered down on me. The keys jingled in my hand. Somewhere in the back of my mind I remembered that I was supposed to be locking up the bakery because I had someplace to be, but I was still too distracted by that adorable dimple. And the flowers.

  If this was how Jason handled rejection, I wondered what he’d be like if I accepted a dinner invitation. Not that he’d ask me out a second—no, third—time, not after finding out I was living at the bakery. He probably just felt sorry for me.

  “I know these are your favorite,” he said, stepping under the awning with me. “I asked Melinda.”

  “You did?” I looked up at him, surprised at his thoughtfulness. “That’s sweet.”

  “I can be sweet.” He grinned at me again. Why was I so distracted by that dimple?

  I bit my lip as I turned back to the front door. The rain was coming down in big fat drops, but luckily there was enough room under the awning for both of us. I put the key back in the lock and jiggled it around, hoping it would turn. It didn’t. Sigh.

  “Let me try.” He stepped up next to me. I could feel the heat from his body, and his warmth made me shiver. “Cozy under here, isn’t it?”

  “I don’t need your help,” I said, swatting his hand away. I didn’t want him feeling sorry for me. I was an independent woman and could take care of myself. Well, after I found a reasonably priced apartment, anyway.

  I could definitely take care of locking a door. Twisting the key again, I willed it to move. Still nothing. Ugh.

  “Here,” he said, handing me the flowers. He stepped in front of me.

  I stepped back, realizing that I had left the safety of the awning and was now being pelted by raindrops. Even though the day was warm, the rain was cold. I moved closer to Jason as he retreated a step, and then bumped into his back with the flowers.

  He grinned at me over his shoulder, still balancing the box of cupcakes while he twisted and wiggled the key. “This is not working. Are you sure this is the correct key?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Of course that’s the correct key.”

  But after I said the words, I wondered if he might be right. The back door key fit in the front lock, but it wouldn’t turn. I smacked myself in the forehead, and my cheeks burned with embarrassment. “Um, try the other key on that chain.”

  “You have a lot of keys,” he said, raising his brows. “Are you sure it’s that key?”

  “Yes, I’m sure. This time,” I added.

  I stood on my tiptoes so I could see over Jason’s shoulder as he switched keys. Standing that close to him, I could smell his aftershave, something woodsy. My heart sped up, making me a little dizzy as the realization washed over me that I actually did want to go out with him even though there was no way I could change my answer to yes after so many rejections.

  “There,” he said. “All locked up.”

  “Thanks,” I said, biting my lip. “I appreciate your help since I’m already late.”

  “Don’t worry,” he said, his gaze fixed on where my teeth smashed my bottom lip. “I’m not going to ask you out again right now.”

  “Oh,” I said, feeling oddly disappointed. Like I’d lost something that I swore I never wanted in the first place but maybe, secretly, did want.

  “Unless you want me to,” he said, almost like he could read my mind.

  “No, of course not.” I stared out at the rain, which was coming down harder now. I wondered if he knew that I was lying. Either way, we were stuck under the awning for the time being, and I really was running late to Founding Friendships.

  Jason gave a shrug. “We can just hang out. Not like a date, just as friends getting to know each other.”

  The urge to say yes to a date rolled through me again, but I quashed it. I was not going to date him, or anyone else right now. After getting out of my last relationship, like, a minute ago, taking a break from men seemed the best idea. At least until I’d found adequate housing that didn’t involve my place of employment.

  “I hope the rain stops soon,” I said, changing the subject. “I really am late.”

  “You keep saying that,” Jason said, peering out at the rain, which had picked up even more. Gardening was definitely out today. “And yet you aren’t making a move to get going.”

  “That’s because it’s raining, and I don’t want to get soaked,” I protested. “Besides it would ruin the cupcakes.”

  Jason smiled. “It’s either that or you want to spend more time in my company, in which case we could just go out and grab something to eat.”

  “You are persistent,” I said. “But, no, I’m not dating at the moment.”

  A look of concern flickered across his face, and I had a moment of panic that he could read something in my expression, some weakness that I didn’t want him to see. I looked away, not wanting to have to answer any questions.

  “I swear, it doesn’t have to be a date,” he said. “I just want to hang out, and get to know you better. Besides, I saved your cupcakes. That should count for something, right?” He grinned and lifted the box above his head.

  I gasped. “Be careful with those. I need them.”

  “Are you taking them to someone special?” he teased, raising his eyebrow and looking down at the box with renewed interest.

  I cleared my throat. “I’m taking them to the place where I volunteer.”

  His head tilted, surprise registering on his face. “Where’s that?”

  “Founding Friendships,” I said, wondering why I was opening up to him. “It’s a homeless outreach program,
which helps people find housing and rebuild their life. We have a building for now, anyway. I don’t know how much longer that will last.”

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “The manager told me that a developer wants to buy the property. They’ll probably tear it down and turn it into a parking lot or something wasteful like that,” I said, not bothering to keep the frustration out of my voice.

  “That’s too bad,” he said softly. When I glanced over at him, I could see the sympathy in his eyes, and my traitorous stomach did a little flip.

  “It is too bad,” I said, relenting with a sad smile. “But as long as we have the building there is plenty of work to do over there.”

  “That’s generous of you to give your time like that,” he said.

  My own time being homeless flashed through my mind, and I couldn’t help but shudder at the feelings of helplessness and fear that had been my constant companions back then. “I enjoy helping them. It’s the least I can do.”

  We were silent for awhile before Jason gestured toward the street. “It looks like the rain is letting up. Are you sure you don’t want to get dinner?”

  “I really can’t. There’s so much to do over there and they’re counting on me. I had hoped to work in the garden tonight. I’m actually a project manager. But I think we’ll have to paint inside instead.” I paused, an idea crossing my mind. “You can come with me if you want. I mean, we could always use an extra set of hands.”

  The corner of his mouth hitched up. “That sounds great.”

  My eyebrows rose, and I felt surprised that he’d agreed—and as long as I was being honest with myself, I also felt a little excited about him joining me. “Great. Let’s get going then!”

  We darted out into the rain. By the time we got into my car, we were both soaked, but laughing. Looking across at him as he buckled his seat belt, I thought that if I wasn’t careful then this might start to feel perilously close to a date. And that just couldn’t happen.

  Chapter Three

  Jason and I pulled up to the Founding Friendships building fifteen minutes later, and thankfully the rain had let up enough that we weren’t going to get soaked as we ran across the parking lot and into the lobby. As I cut the ignition, I peered up at the five-story building, wondering what Jason saw when he looked at it.

  I knew exactly what I saw, though. I saw hope and help and a safe place to land. I wanted to get a lot of work done this evening, without any distractions. Glancing sideways at Jason, I wondered if he would be more of a hindrance than help. We’d soon find out.

  We jogged toward the building, with Jason carrying the box of cupcakes. The sidewalk that snaked around the side of the building to the interior courtyard needed to be replaced, but once we got into the courtyard itself, I glanced at Jason to see if he was as impressed with the layout as I was every time I walked into it.

  The large vegetable garden at the back of the building had tripled in size since we’d started it. In the center of the courtyard was a fountain. To one side of the fountain there was a small swing set for the kids to play on. We’d been working on planting flowers along the walkways.

  “It’s a work in progress,” I said, gesturing to the courtyard.

  “It’s great,” he said, making me smile.

  As we ducked into the entryway of the building, I turned and glanced at him. From the smile on his face I could tell that he’d meant what he said about the place being great. My belly warmed.

  “I sent a text to Bill to let him know we’re going to paint the common room,” I said. “We’re trying to spruce up some of the common areas, with the ultimate goal of getting the dining room in shape so there can be communal dinners.”

  “Where do people eat now?” he asked.

  “The residents have kitchens in their apartments, but we want to be able to serve additional people along with our permanent residents,” I said.

  “That’s a wonderful goal,” he said.

  I opened my mouth to thank him when Sylvia, the young mother with three kids from apartment 3C, came running up to me.

  “Oh, Avery. I’m so glad you’re here. Something’s wrong with my kitchen sink and I don’t know what to do,” she said, her face pale. “There’s water spraying everywhere!”

  “Did you call Bill?” I asked.

  “I just did, but it went straight to voicemail. I left him a message,” she said, moaning. “I’m afraid there will be a flood if we don’t get the pipe fixed.”

  All hope of getting any painting accomplished fled, but I wasn’t sure what to do to help Sylvia. A burst water pipe? I really needed Bill to be here for this. I was so not qualified for building maintenance repairs.

  “We should take a look at what’s going on with that pipe,” Jason said, startling both of us. He introduced himself to Sylvia, and handed me the box of cupcakes. Then he rolled up his sleeves and followed Sylvia to the stairs.

  I hurried along beside them, feeling slightly bewildered, but also relieved that I didn’t have to run point on this one since I knew next to nothing about plumbing. When we got to the third floor, I could hear Sylvia’s oldest daughter, Mia, yelling for her younger brother to get away from the water. That didn’t fill me with confidence that this would be a quick fix.

  Sylvia led us into her apartment, and Jason and I crowded in behind her. My heart sank to my stomach. I couldn’t tell what was going on in the small kitchen, but the water in the sink was going berserk. When she’d said she worried about a flood, she hadn’t been exaggerating. The way the water was gushing out, I thought we might see a boat float by.

  “Do you have any towels?” I asked. The second that the words left my mouth, I cringed, feeling stupid. A few towels tossed on the floor wouldn’t solve this situation.

  “Look, Mommy,” Nico, Sylvia’s son, said, pointing to his feet on a plastic tray. “I’m surfing.”

  Letting out a sigh, Sylvia scooped the little boy up off the floor. “I already told you not to surf in the kitchen. Go to your room and change into dry clothes. Mia, please get all of our extra towels for Avery and me. Hurry.”

  “What should I do, Mama?” Nora, the youngest, asked.

  “Hmm. . . Just go into the living room and read a book for now,” she said, biting her lip.

  The little girl pouted, but she didn’t leave the room.

  “I think I see what the problem is.” Jason’s voice came from the sink area. I turned to face him. He’d waded into the water and was crouching down on the floor, his pants wet up to his ankles as he peered under the sink. He turned to me, giving me a look that said he had bad news. “There’s a burst pipe. Where is the building manager?”

  “I’ll call him again,” I said, pulling out my phone.

  While I waited for Bill to pick up, Jason asked Sylvia if she had any tools in the apartment. She went to rummage through a closet as Bill’s phone went to voicemail. I cringed and then watched as Nora waded into the kitchen to peer under the sink next to Jason. She squatted down next to him, but he didn’t seem to notice.

  “Whatcha doing, mister?” she asked.

  He glanced over at her, looking startled. He lost his balance and fell into the small pond of water, drenching his pants from the waist down.

  “Towels are on their way,” I said, pressing my lips together as I tried not to laugh. Jason gave me a shrug. We exchanged a smile and I was glad to have a momentary distraction from the seriousness of the situation. All hope for getting any painting done had flown out the window, but this was more important. This needed to be resolved as soon as possible.

  I punched in Bill’s number again.

  Sylvia came back into the room with a toolbox. “I think there’s a wrench in here somewhere,” she said, digging through the toolbox.

  When she handed the wrench to Jason, Nora scooted closer to him, gazing up at him like she was impressed. I couldn’t blame her, really. He did appear to have taken charge of the situation.

  “What are you gonna do
with that?” she asked, looking up at him expectantly.

  Dripping wet, and getting wetter by the minute from the water continuing to pour out of the sink, Jason smiled at her patiently. The phone rang in my ear as I watched him gesture to the cabinet under the sink.

  “There’s a pipe in the back that is leaking,” he said, which was the understatement of the century.

  Nora leaned around him to peer beyond the door into the shadowy underside of the cabinet, and then got sprayed with water. She squealed with delight and Jason seemed to stifle a laugh.

  “It’s like being at the waterpark!” Nora exclaimed, clapping her wet hands together. “Mama, this was the best idea ever to have a waterpark in the kitchen!”

  Her exuberance lightened the mood, at least.

  Jason chuckled. “Unfortunately, we’re going to have to turn off the water so that it doesn’t leak through the floor and into the apartment below this one,” he said.

  Nora frowned at him. “Don’t the people downstairs like waterparks?”

  “Not in their homes,” Jason said, giving her a wink that filled my heart.

  My call to Bill went to voicemail again, so I decided to leave a message. “Hi, Bill. This is Avery. I’m here at Founding Friendships. Sylvia’s apartment has a water leak in the kitchen, and by leak I mean a geyser. We’re working on the problem, but I think you need to get here as fast as you can. I’m not in any position to get this fixed, but my friend seems to be doing . . . well, something that may or may not work.”

  “Thanks for the confidence,” Jason said, amusement in his tone.

  I hung up the phone. “Do you need me to do anything?”

  He bent under the sink. “I’ve just about got the water shut off. Can you find me a flashlight? Then I can see what kind of damage we’re talking about.”

  “I have one in the bathroom under the sink,” Sylvia said, as she attempted to mop up the water with a towel.

  “Great, thanks,” I said, hurrying down the hall to the tiny bathroom, which had been painted bright pink. I had no trouble locating the flashlight, and when I got back to the kitchen Jason had indeed gotten the water turned off. I waded through the puddle of water, my sneakers getting soaked in the process. When he took the flashlight from me, our fingers brushed, and I felt a jolt of electricity run up my arm. He glanced briefly at me and then got to work.