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“What is it?” I asked but already saw the water spraying everywhere from somewhere in the back. Loud curses come from the same direction.

I rounded the counter and followed the barista to the back, thinking perhaps I could help whatever situation the freaked-out person was in. I nearly slipped and fell to my death on the water flooding the floor as I took in the scene. A male, an alpha if I’d ever smelled one, flailed around. Water dripped from every flat surface and even from the ceiling where it had splashed.

It took me two seconds to see the problem. The dishwasher’s main hose had detached and was flapping this way and that, spraying the place down. I took small steps toward the dishwasher, remaining as calm as possible. Once I reached the hose, I grabbed it tightly and kinked it, stopping the spraying. “You.” I pointed to the barista. I hadn’t read his name tag and, from this angle couldn’t read it if I wanted to. “Reach under here and turn the large silver knob to shut off the water.”

While the barista scrambled to do what I asked, I eyed the alpha. He wore a button-down shirt with his name embossed above the pocket. Maxwell. He was as drenched as the rest of the kitchen. I almost laughed out loud at his downturned mouth and those eyebrows dipped deeply above brown, beckoning eyes.

Gorgeous and brooding were the first words that came to mind.

“Done!” the barista shouted, getting up from the floor. I gently let the hose unbend, little by little so the water flowed into the sink.

“Excellent. Thank you. I’ll just…” I unscrewed the hose clamp with my fingernail and turned to Maxwell.

His eyes roamed my form. I shuddered, wondering what was going on in that beautiful head of his. “Maxwell, is it?” I asked and got a nod. “Do you have a”—I looked at the hose clamp once again to make sure—“flat screwdriver?”

“Oh. Yes, of course.” He darted through another doorway and came back shortly, jutting the screwdriver at me.

I took it, disregarding the pull he had on me. Dismissing the itch underneath my skin to reach out and make sure we touched in the exchange. “Thank you.”

I quickly replaced the clamp and attached the hose onto the top of the industrial dishwasher. After making sure everything was tight, I turned the water on myself since the barista had disappeared in answer to a ringing bell up front.

“There,” I said, nodding as the machine got back to its work and stopped its fussing.

“Thank you,” Maxwell said, letting out a long sigh. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without you. I’m not much of a plumber as you can see.”

“It’s no problem, really.” I looked around. “Can I help you clean this up?”

He waved it off as though it were a spilled coffee and not a sloshing mess and, even worse, a safety hazard for him and his employees. “No. But, I’d better get to it.”

“I’m good with a mop,” I said, winking at him and then wanted to crawl into a hole for being so forward. I wasn’t like that, but my bobcat approved of my action.

“We’ll do it together,” he conceded.

A few minutes later, we had the place as dry as possible, and Maxwell set up a fan to make sure everything left over dried in time. He even put a safety sign up, although the water remained in the kitchen area. Smart man.

“I’m Maxwell, but you already know that.” The bear of an alpha blushed. Gods, that only made him sexier in my eyes. A bit shy. Huh. I hadn’t realized that did it for me, but it so did. “How much do I owe you?”

“Oh. For that? Nothing at all. I’m Pike. It’s nice to meet you. Oh, my coffee.” I laughed. In the ordeal of fixing the dishwasher and helping out, uninvited, I might add, I’d forgotten about the jolt of caffeine that had probably gone cold a while ago. “I ordered one right before the ordeal.”

“What did you order? I’ll get you a fresh one. And a muffin? A pastry? What else would you like?” Maxwell hopped to work, going to the barista and asking a question, probably what my former order had been. He looked up, eyebrows raised, waiting on my choice. He was handsome, this tall, dark, and chocolate-smelling alpha.

“Your choice. Pick your favorite,” I replied and made my way to a table, avoiding the growing line and customers waiting on their orders.

As I waited, I took in the people of the town. They were all gracious and thankful, none of them tapping their toes in impatience or snarkily telling the barista their name.

Something about this town made time slow to a calm wave.

“I chose this almond pastry and the cherry cream-cheese one.”

Maxwell placed the two pastries in front of me, along with a flat white, or what I assumed was a flat white, and one of the same for himself. He sat across from me and smiled. “Tell me about yourself, Pike.”

The worst question of them all, in my opinion.

“About me?” I repeated. “There’s nothing much to tell.”

Maxwell’s gaze dropped to the table, and I felt a rush of distress in my chest. I had disappointed the alpha and, gods, I didn’t want to do that again.

My bobcat snarled inside me, demanding I correct the action. “I’m sorry,” I blurted. “I travel a lot doing this and that. A jack of all trades, if you will.”

The alpha across from me perked up. “Is that right? It must be exciting to travel.”

“It can be,” I admitted, but my bobcat was content for the first time I could remember. He wanted to make a den and settle down with a mate. With this alpha, who was our mate.