Page 38 of Unexpected Entanglement

“I heard. He’s getting that sorted out?”

“Yeah.”

“Did he fix the other two breaks?” Chris asked.

Rowan glanced up at him, surprised. “You heard?”

“Yeah. You think this guy might’ve cheated you on the pipes?” Chris asked.

She hesitated, but then shook her head. “No. I believe him. Greg’s well-regarded on the island. And I’ve known him since we were kids. Plus, he’s always been helpful since I moved to the island.”

“A good, reliable plumber is worth their weight in gold.”

Rowan scoffed. “Yeah, well. I won’t be able to afford that gold if this keeps happening.”

Greg came walking back with his toolbox and materials. “I’ll fix this in no time,” Greg’s announcement trailed off, and a scowl formed on his face when he saw Chris next to Rowan.

“Hey,” Chris greeted.

“Greg, this is Chris. He’s…” Rowan didn’t seem to know how to explain him.

Why does she feel the need to explain at all?Chris wondered.

“I’m helping with the wedding next weekend,” he supplied.

“Oh yeah. The wedding. Everybody’s talking about it.” Greg’s face neutralized a bit.

“They are?” Rowan frowned.

“They’re excited about the business the wedding folks might bring. There hasn’t been a wedding at Bright Head for over a decade,” Greg said. “At least, that’s what my uncle told me.”

“Huh.” Rowan asked, “How’s Mr. Gibbes?”

“He’s all right. He’s almost finished building the house on the land he bought from your dad. Just some finishing touches left.”

Chris noted Rowan’s lips flattened at the mention of the sale. It must be a sore subject, knowing the land had been in the Kelly family for over a century.

“Good for him,” she finally said.

“He’d take some more acres off your hands if you’re willing,” Greg added.

“I’m sure he’d like that,” Rowan said. “Well, we’ll leave you to it. Chris and I have tons of things to do. And so little time.”

“Greg.” Chris nodded to the other guy while Greg just gave him a low grunt.

“Thanks again,” said Rowan as she turned to leave. “Email me the bill.”

“As a gesture of goodwill, I won’t charge you for this,” Greg said, making Rowan turn back.

“No, you can’t do that,” she blurted.

“I understand these pipes have been troubling you. The earlier problems seemed minor, and I’m glad I could fix them before they could cause any actual damage.” He added, “I can assure you we did the best job for Bright Head—”

“I believe you, Greg.”

“Thank you.” He nodded. “I’ll be happy to recheck all the plumbing we installed to make sure there’ll be no more issues.”

“That’s nice, but I can’t take advantage of your kindness.”

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