+ Excerpt +

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"She almost never calls. I should take this." I inclined my phone screen with Kinsley's name toward Dalton.

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Dalton nodded from where he sat at the wrought-iron table.

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I paced the patio, my heart rate picking up. "Kins, what's going on?"

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"I wasn't sure who to call. I just got home, and my house is flooded. I bet it was that leaking pipe."

I paused. "You're kidding me. He never fixed it?"

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"I called several times, asking him to come by as soon as possible. Now there's water everywhere. Most of our stuff is ruined." Her voice broke off as if she was near tears. "I don't know what I'm going to do."

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"You can live here. In my house. I haven't touched the bedrooms. You can share the bathroom until the guest bathrooms are finished. I can take you shopping for clothes." I had five bedrooms sitting empty. There was no reason why she couldn't come live with me.

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Kinsley sighed heavily. "Okay."

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She must have felt like she was stuck to give in that easily. I didn't have time to wonder why she'd called me. "You sit tight. I'm on my way."

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Dalton raised a brow. "You gotta go?"

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I patted my jeans, finding my truck keys in the front pocket. "I need to lock up."

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"I'll put your tools away and lock up. You go get Kinsley."

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I shot him a grateful look. "I appreciate it."

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I threw my truck into gear and drove toward Kinsley's house. I'd seen her address on documents at work, but I'd never been there in person. I didn't have a reason to be.

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I wasn't the kind of guy you depended on or called when you were in trouble. So why had Kinsley called me when her apartment flooded?

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I pulled up to the address, a small one-story home. She stood outside, holding her daughter Maya's hand and clutching a binder against her chest.

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I threw the truck in Park and got out. "Do you need me to grab anything?"

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Her eyes were shiny. "I didn't want to go in with Maya. Would you be able to grab our clothes?"

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"Of course." My throat felt tight as I headed back to my truck to grab some garbage bags I always kept there and then headed inside. There were a few inches of standing water on the floor. I carefully picked my way through the floating debris, going into what looked like Maya's room first.

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Her stuffed animals and books were waterlogged. I grabbed clothes from her closet and dresser, stuffing them into the bag. When her closet and dresser were cleared, I headed into Kinsley's room to do the same. My jaw tightened as I balled up tiny scraps of black lace from her lingerie drawer. Did she realize what she was asking when she sent me in here?

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I let out a breath, reminding myself that I shouldn't care what she wore under her clothes.

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In no time, I was back outside with the bags. I threw them into the bed of my truck. "Where's your landlord? He needs to get someone in here to mitigate the damage."

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A crease appeared between her eyebrows. "I told him what was going on. He said he'd send someone out."

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I ground my teeth together. "I think most of your stuff is ruined. Do you have renter's insurance?"

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She blew out a breath. "I do."

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"You can make a claim, and then you're giving him your notice. There's no way he can hold you to a lease with that kind of damage. You won't be able to move back in for months." From what I'd heard over the last several months, the landlord didn't fix things promptly, so I wasn't holding out hope that he'd handle this situation expeditiously either.

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Kinsley blinked away tears.

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Sensing she was overwhelmed, I touched her shoulder and guided her toward my truck. "I'll grab Maya's car seat from your vehicle."

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Kinsley fumbled for the keys in her purse, handing them to me. I unlocked her door and grabbed the car seat from the back. I was familiar with how these things worked because of my niece and nephew.

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I stepped back while Kinsley helped Maya into her seat and secured the belt.

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Once the door was closed, I asked, "Is there anything else you need?"

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She looked one last time at the place that had been her home. "That's everything."

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I opened the passenger side door for her and shut it behind her. I wanted to get her out of here. I didn't want her upset about the state of her home when nothing could be salvaged. Everything was waterlogged, and it would be months before she could think of moving back in. And that was if her landlord remediated the place properly.

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I threw the truck into Drive and pulled away from the curb. "You can stay at my place for as long as you need to."

Her lips pursed. "I don't want to intrude."

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My jaw worked. "You're helping me with the renovation of my house. If you're living there, it will be easier for you to help."

"Are you sure?"

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I glanced over at her, seeing the crease between her eyebrows and the way she played with the strap of her purse. "I'm positive."