Loving my fake Husband

Sparks Behind the Walls

❀ Clark ❀

I was done hanging out on Camden’s couch and even though I wasn’t ready to go back to the city, I had no issues helping out at the store. Camden was already busy with the contractors, who were giving the store a new, updated look. When the bell above the door jingled which signaled a customer, I immediately waved at Camden to let him know I would assist the customer. He shot me a grateful look and I couldn’t help but wonder if my brother had considered hiring someone to help him around the store.

“Hi, welcome to Manson Plumbing, how can I help you?” I asked the man who walked in. He looked momentarily confused as he stared at me.

“Clark?”

“Yes?”

“It’s me, Mikey,” he said, and I smiled.

“Mikey Jones. Eighth-grade math whizz?” I asked to make sure, and he smiled. “Good to see you, man. What can we do for you?”

“I have a leaky faucet, and I need a replacement,” he explained. I spent the next twenty minutes helping Mikey and catching up. When he left, I felt so relaxed that when the phone rang, I didn’t even hesitate to answer it.

“Hi, thank you for calling Manson Plumbing, how can I help you?”

“Hi…um…” a voice said, and I patiently waited for the woman on the line to gather her thoughts. “I need someone to come and check my plumbing. There is no water coming through any of my taps and the pipes are making a weird noise,” she finally explained.

“Ok, can you give me your name and address,” I said as I grabbed Camden’s customer notebook. That also made me realize that my brother was still operating in the stone ages. Not only did the store need a makeover, but so did his system.

"Amy Winters. 14 Wren Lane,” she said, and I nodded. Wren Lane. That was just a few blocks over.

"Ok and how urgent is it?” I asked curiously. My brother was pretty busy, and it had been quite a while since I had done something like this.

“Urgent enough that I can’t do dishes or shower or make coffee without boiling bottled water,” Amy explained, and I chuckled softly.

“Ok, I can come by in about an hour or so,” I said as I glanced at my brother, who seemed to be finishing up with his meeting.

“That would be perfect. Thank you so much,” she said. We hung up, and I scribbled the information in the notebook.

“Who was that?” my brother asked as he approached the counter.

“Customer needs someone to check their pipes,” I said, and Camden groaned. “Don’t worry, I will check it out,” he immediately breathed a sigh of relief, but before he could truly relax, another customer walked in. Camden took over, and I went into the back to get the toolbox ready. It had been a long time since I had done something like this, but a wave of excitement washed over me. I hadn’t even realized that I had missed this part of the job. I left Camden to handle the store while I headed out to Amy’s house. When I parked the van in the driveway, it was clear that the cozy little house had seen better days. It was rather charming, but it needed a makeover. Of course, I kept my thoughts to myself as I headed to the front door with my toolbox in hand. I knocked on the door and stepped back as I waited for Amy to answer. When the door opened, a very attractive but tired-looking woman opened the door.

“Oh, thank goodness,” she said, and I smiled. “Please tell me you are from Mason Plumbing?” she asked as she eyed the toolbox.

“Clark Mason,” I said as I offered her a hand. “Nice to meet you. It’s Amy, right?”

“Right,” she said as she shook my hand. “Come on in,” she added as she stepped back to let me inside. I looked around, and it was just as charming on the inside. It was clean, but I couldn’t help but notice there wasn’t much going on. A few pieces of furniture, but not much else. I also noticed a few boxes stacked in the corner of the living room.

“Moving in or out?” I asked curiously.

“In,” Amy said, and I nodded. I spotted a teddy bear on the couch and a small pair of sneakers by the door.

“You have a kid?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“Yeah…Eva…she is at school, and I promised her I would have the water situation fixed up before she got home,” Amy said, and it was clear that she expected me to fix the problem immediately. I didn’t say another word as she led me into the kitchen. I crouched down to inspect the sink. After a good thirty minutes of checking all the faucets, pressure levels, and the crawl space beneath the house, I had my answer.

“I have a feeling you aren’t going to like this,” I said when I rejoined her in the kitchen. Amy looked as if she was about to burst into tears and I sighed softly. “The house is ancient, and the pipes haven’t been maintained or replaced since this place was built,” Amy groaned, and I felt bad to give her such horrible news.

“Ugh…that’s not good…”

“No, it’s not good, but it can be fixed,” I said as I watched her closely. “In the meantime, I can fix it so that you have water…but it’s a temporary fix,” I explained. Amy looked relieved despite the news.

“How much is this going to cost me?” she asked, and I wasn’t sure why, but I wanted to help her out.

“Not as much as you may think,” I lied. It would cost her a pretty penny, but the poor woman looked like she needed to catch a break. “Let me get you sorted out right now and once I’m back at the shop, I can work out a quote,”

“Thank you, Clark,” she said, and I shivered. I got to work, and I tried to force out any thoughts I had about the sweet and sexy customer. I had no idea if she was married or what, but I certainly wasn’t about to hit on a customer, no matter how attracted I was to her. I was here to do a job, plain and simple.

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