Chapter 20
416 Words
CHAPTER 20
Shannon gasped when she got close enough to see the flooding in Lucas’s shop. Water sprayed from a burst pipe in the ceiling, and Lucas was working as quickly as possible to move things out of the way.
Her heart broke for him. All the weeks he’d spent getting things ready, and now this. Yes, he might have lied to her. But he didn’t deserve this. Not to mention, the town was seriously in need of good coffee.
She saw a pickup pull into the fire station across the street, and an idea hit. She dashed across the street and into the firehouse.
Alex Martinez looked up at her from where he was cleaning gear. “Where’s the fire?”
“Not a fire. A flood. And if you still have your heart set on good coffee coming your way in the near future, Lucas could use a couple of extra hands.”
Alex rose quickly and stuck his head through the door to the office.
“Chief, can we spare a couple hands to go across the street and help out a neighbour with a flood? We’re close enough to hear the bell if it goes.”
He must have gotten a nod, because he grabbed a wheeled bucket and a couple of mops from the supply closet and shouted upstairs, “Jeff, Cindy—let’s roll.”
Shannon crossed the street with the firefighters, but she didn’t want to go in. She wasn’t rethinking her position on Lucas—he’d lied to her, and she’d learned her lesson. She was done with men who lied.
So why was she still standing there?
She stood outside, watching through the window. He’d looked so relieved when help showed up. But it was the surprise on his face that hurt her heart. Did he honestly think he had to do everything alone? Didn’t he realize that in Rivers End, there was always someone willing to help out?
She wanted to give him a big hug and tell him that he wasn’t alone anymore. Unlike his family, this town looked after its people. It went against her nature to just stand there when someone she loved needed help.
But she couldn’t go in there. Her resolve might weaken, and that’s the last thing she needed right now.
Fortunately, there were plenty of other ways to help that didn’t involve putting herself in the same room as Lucas. There was no question how much she loved her niece, and in four hours they were hosting a birthday party.
She pulled out her phone. She was going to need more pairs of hands.
- Writer
