Page 46 of Working For Her Sweet Treats

“A pipe burst beneath the commercial sink.”

“Is the water shut off?”

“Yes.”

“Is anyone hurt?”

“No.”

He pauses. Old Jake would already be telling me he is on his way.

This Jake asks, “What do you need from me?”

I look at the waiting pastry boxes, the flooded kitchen, and the display he built for me. Then I take a breath.

“I need your help.”

Chapter 12

Jake

“Ineed your help.” Those four words undo every reasonable plan I had for staying away from Sweet Treats.

“I’m coming,” I say, then stop myself. “Do you want me to come?”

A pause follows.

“Yes.”

“I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

I hang up and look across The Foundry at the untouched plate in front of me.

Kayla stands behind the bar polishing a glass. “Something happened.”

“A pipe burst at the bakery.”

She is already reaching for her phone. “Does Ava need the kitchen?”

“I don’t know yet.”

The answer feels unnatural. I know what needs to happen. Sweet Treats has no functioning sink, Ava has unfinished production, and the event begins in a few hours. The Foundry’s kitchen is the obvious solution. But it is not my decision.

“I’ll call if she wants it,” I tell Kayla.

She studies me for a second, then nods. “We’ll make room.”

I drive to Sweet Treats without breaking the speed limit by enough to attract Sheriff Callahan’s attention.

The front door is unlocked. Inside, finished pastry boxes cover the tables, and the three sections of the display wait near the windows. Loralee kneels on the kitchen floor pushing a mop through the last of the water.

Ava stands beside the commercial sink with her arms folded. She looks exhausted. She also looks relieved to see me.

I set my tool bag down but do not open it. “Show me what happened.”

Ava leads me into the kitchen and points beneath the sink. The cabinet doors are open, exposing the disconnected pipe and soaked wood inside.

“I shut off the water at the valve you showed me,” she says.