Watching him at work made Natalie miss Rick. Despite her ambivalence about their relationship, she did miss his big manly hands and can-do air of self-confidence. Rick had not filled a pair of jeans in quite the same way Peach did, though. She cut the thought short. She had dragged him from his wife’s bed this morning, for Pete’s sake. He was, as she often reminded herself, totally off-limits.

“I’m sorry to get you over here so early,” she said. “I’m sure you have better things to do on a Saturday than to look at my swampy basement.”

“I didn’t have to twist Dorothy’s arm,” he assured her. “She loves this place.”

“How about a fresh cinnamon roll and some cold apple cider?” Grandy offered. Just the sight of the little girl caused him to light up. He sat straighter, and the smile lines on his face deepened.

“Mr. Harper!” Dorothy scurried over to him. “Yes, please.”

“Oh good, you can keep each other company,” Natalie said. “Can the two of you hang out together while I show your dad the basement?”

“Yep!” Dorothy hoisted herself onto a chair and sank her teeth into a cinnamon bun.

Natalie motioned Peach toward the back of the shop and led the way downstairs. “She’s really cute,” she said. “I love seeing my grandfather’s face when he’s around her.”

“I’m pretty proud of that kid,” Peach agreed. He flipped off one of the breakers at the electrical panel. “In the future, kill the power before you go wading in the basement.”

“I didn’t know I was supposed to do that.”

“Standing water and live wires are not your friend.”

“Got it.”

Rays of light from the street-level windows highlighted the skeletal hulk of the letterpress and reflected off the surface of the water on the floor. “Looks bad, right?” she said. “Grandy asked if the sump pump failed again, so I suppose it’s happened before.”

“Let’s take a look.” He shone the light at the hot water heater and the pipes lining the ceiling and walls. “There might be a slight bit of good news,” he said. “The water doesn’t seem to be coming from a leak in your building. This is from the city.”

“Can I get them to stop it?”

“You’ll need to call the public works department. The pump should be able to handle it if I can get it running. I might need you to hold the flashlight.” He glanced down at her feet. “Got any boots?”

“I’m okay with flip-flops.”

His look of approval should not have been gratifying, but it was. She rolled up her pant legs, then took the flashlight from him and stepped into the standing water. “Dang, that’s cold,” she muttered, leading the way to the blinking red light in the corner.