“Stay here. I’ll be back,” he said.

“Where are you going?” The anger that reflected in her eyes had been replaced with worry.

“I’m going to see if I can shut off the water at the road. There should be a shut off valve there.” On second thought, he didn’t feel good about leaving her alone. He still didn’t trust her. “Come with me.”

“Why?”

His brain raced for a plausible reason. “So you can hold onto Peaches’s leash while you flag down the fire truck.”

She gave him a strange look. “They know where the bakery is. It’s the only one on the island.”

He inwardly groaned. “Would you rather stand here and argue, or you could come with me and I’ll see if I can get the water turned off?”

“Fine. Let’s go.”

He handed over the red leash. While the woman moved to the curb and looked down the street for impending help, he searched the bushes in the front of the building. And then on the other side, he found a metal cap. He pried it off and found the water shut off. But it was down deep.

He took off his jacket and then lowered himself to the grass. With his chest flat on the cold, hard ground, he reached his arm down the narrow pipe. He grasped the valve. He attempted to turn it. It didn’t budge. He gripped it tighter. Gritting his teeth, he gave it every bit of strength he possessed.

He wasn’t sure it was going to budge. And then it gave way, turning with a screech.

He got to his feet and dusted off his shirt and then his hands. He walked over to where the young woman was standing next to the curb. “The water’s off.”

“It is?” she asked as though needing reassurance that this nightmare wasn’t going to get any worse. When he nodded, she said, “Thank you.”

It wasn’t the first time he’d been thanked for his efforts, but the look of relief reflected in her eyes and the sincerity in her voice stirred a warm spot in his chest.

As though recalling that she was still holding Peaches’s leash, she held it out to him. When he reached for it, their fingers brushed. A tingling sensation started in his fingertips and then worked its way up his arm before settling in his chest.

She jerked her hand away as though she too had been affected by their brief connection. Her gaze met his briefly before she glanced back at the quiet roadway. “You…you don’t have to wait.”

“I don’t mind.” He didn’t want to leave her alone when she was clearly upset.

“It takes them a little bit since it’s a volunteer service. They don’t stay at the station. They all have other jobs and stuff.”

“I understand.” He didn’t know what to say next. His mind drew a blank. And so he stood by quietly while the young woman knelt down to love on Peaches, who happily ate up the attention.