But even though she told herself her father might come around, a foreboding feeling crept into her chest. If he decided this was good for her, she just might be stuck working for who knows how long.
Chapter 3
Austin turned on the faucet and bent over to check the P-trap once again. He’d been there for over thirty minutes, messing with the pipes. It was a welcome change in routine, as the most excitement he’d had in the last two weeks was ordering a Pepsi and getting a Dr. Pepper instead. He held his breath that he’d finally fixed the leak.
Another drop of water hit the wood. Well, darn. He’d already tightened the joint as far as he could. He knelt to see how fast the water was leaking and winced as pain shot through his knee. He bit his lip and held in a swear word.
Mrs. Fleming walked into the bathroom and tsked, folding her arms. “Can’t get it to stop? I knew this place was run down. I can’t believe what they charge here.”
“It just needs a little plumber’s tape, that’s all, ma’am.” Austin hefted himself up, hoping he hadn’t further damaged his knee. That was all he needed, more recovery time at a beautiful resort where he couldn’t do anything but stare at the ocean and wish he was in it.
A frown tugged on Mrs. Fleming’s mouth and she let out a long breath. “We’re leaving in a few minutes. We have tickets for the river run excursion.”
“Then I’ll stop by later tonight.” He tried to give Mrs. Fleming his best smile, but it felt forced. Maybe because she grated on his nerves, and what he really wanted to do was tell her off.
She touched her hair and glanced up at the ceiling. “Oh, all right, I suppose.”
Wow. She was a bottle of sunshine. Was this how she treated everyone? Or just people she felt were beneath her? Austin gave her a nod and motioned with his wrench. “I’ll be going, then.”
He didn’t wait for her to show him to the door. After he got outside, he took in a deep breath, filling his nose with the smell of the beach. It was probably stupid to insist on fixing Mrs. Fleming’s sink, but it was something to get his mind off his knee. At least, it had been.
He hobbled down the pathway. Surely he didn’t damage it more, right? All he did was kneel. It was probably just a twinge. Healing was painful. That’s all.
Danica emerged from the main building and rushed toward him, her hand on her hat. She held a bundle of clothes to her chest. As she grew closer, she waved at him. “Hey, thanks for helping me earlier. It looks like we’ll both be working here. I got the job.”
She pulled out a handful of papers. “I just need to fill these out.”
It was awkward now, having not corrected her before. It kind of felt like it was too late to do it. Besides, how often was he going to see her? Tomorrow she’d forget he even existed. He decided to play along. “Congratulations.”
“I’m Dani,” she said, sticking out her hand. “Well, everyone calls me Danica, but I prefer Dani.”
“Yes. I know who you are.”
She didn’t seem to be surprised. “I didn’t catch your name.”
“Austin.” Her skin felt surprisingly warm on his. And soft. She must use a ton of expensive creams on her hands. But she had a firm grip, which he liked. He hated those dead-fish handshakes.
Her smile widened. “Like the city. I can remember that. I once ate the most amazing steak in Austin.”
What an odd thing to say. He didn’t know how to respond to that, so he simply stood there like his feet were glued to the stones on the path.
Dani didn’t seem to notice. “Maybe I can take you to dinner as a thank you. Do you like seafood? There’s this great place down the street.” She froze, and her mouth shaped into a small circle. “Oh, I mean, after I get some money…” Pink rose to her cheeks and she shifted her weight. She’d obviously embarrassed herself. He felt bad for her, for some weird reason. A tense silence filled the space between them.
“I’ll treat,” he heard himself say. Wait, what? He hadn’t meant to say that. What was wrong with him? He didn’t want to sit through an entire dinner with Danica Jordan. He could just imagine what the spoiled princess would chatter on and on about.
But before he could take it back, her eyes lit up. “Really? You’d do that?”
Oh, man. He was in trouble now. She looked so genuinely happy that he couldn’t say no. “Sure.”
“Fantastic. Where should I meet you? Is there a maintenance shed or something?” She glanced around the property, as if the maintenance shed would be where he would be staying.
Austin almost backed out right then and there. This woman was such a clueless nut. Why was he even talking to her? He sighed and pointed. “I’m staying in 425.”
Her eyes widened. “You get to stay at the resort? Maintenance people must get paid a lot more than cleaning people. Kay suggested I go down to the budget hotel.” Her lips pulled down. “I don’t even want to know what that’s going to be like.”
He held back a smile. Whatever happened to Dani has put her in a tight spot for sure. He almost laughed at the thought of her having to do anything on a budget. The poor girl was completely unaware of how most people live. It might do her some good to have to work a bit for a living. “I’m sure it will be fine.”
Her face didn’t mirror his positivity. “Uh, huh.”
He held up the wrench, suddenly glad she thought he was a handyman. “Guess I’d better get back to it.”
“Oh, right.” Dani smiled. “I’ll see you tonight, then? I’ll stop by your room when I get off work.”
She seemed proud to say those words, which was so bizarre, like he’d fallen into some alternate world where it was cool for a notorious celebrity to don yellow gloves and clean bathtubs. There just wasn’t anything he could say to that. He gave her a small wave and headed toward the lobby to find Kay, because he could no longer handle the strangeness of the conversation.
He found Kay in her office, behind her desk. When he walked in, she glanced up at him, then did a double take. “Did you hurt your knee?”
He held back a scowl. How did she do that? She was the most perceptive person he knew. And now what was he supposed to say? “Not really.”
“What happened?”
“I just need some plumber’s tape. Do you have any?”
She frowned. “I’m not asking about the pipe. What happened to your knee? Your limp is more pronounced.”
“I…” He was going to lie, but decided it was useless around Kay. “I may have angered the knee gods a tiny bit.”
“Austin—”
“It’s not bad, ma’am, I swear.” He held up a hand like he was swearing in at court.
“Stop calling me ma’am.”
“I can’t help it. I grew up—”
“In the South,” she finished for him. “I know. It just makes me feel old.”
“You’re not old, ma’am.”
She shot him a withered look and held out her hand. “Give me that wrench. Go rest. I don’t want to see you fixing anything else. I’ll have someone else repair the leak.”