Chapter 1 Burst Pipe #2
The homeowner had at least moved the electronics out of danger.
That was smarter than some people managed.
Mason crouched beside the cabinet and immediately spotted the problem.
Split supply line.
Messy but fixable.
"You shut off the main valve yet?" he asked.
The young man blinked.
"The what?"
Mason resisted a sigh.
Not because he was annoyed.
Because he genuinely wasn't surprised.
Most people didn't know where their shutoff valves were until disaster struck.
"Never mind."
He stood.
"Show me where your utility room is."
A confused pause followed.
Then the young man pointed toward the hallway.
"I think it's down there."
Think.
Not exactly reassuring.
Mason followed him through the house.
A few minutes later he found the main shutoff valve hidden inside a utility closet.
One turn later, the rushing sound vanished.
Silence settled over the house.
The young man released a breath that sounded like he'd been holding it for an hour.
"Oh my God."
Mason almost smiled.
Almost.
"Water's off."
The guy looked genuinely grateful.
"You have no idea how happy I am to hear that."
They returned to the kitchen.
Without the pressure running through the system, the damage became easier to assess.
Mason knelt beside the sink and began working.
The young man hovered nearby.
Not close enough to get in the way.
Close enough to make it obvious he didn't know what else to do.
Mason worked for several minutes before speaking.
"You live here alone?"
The question slipped out naturally.
The young man nodded.
"For now."
"Parents away?"
"They work overseas."
That explained the uncertainty.
Most college-aged kids didn't own houses this size.
Mason loosened a fitting and replaced the damaged section of pipe.
"You're handling it pretty well."
A quiet laugh followed.
"No, I'm not."
Mason glanced up.
The young man looked embarrassed.
"I spent ten minutes spraying myself with water trying to stop it."
That finally earned a small smile.
"Happens."
"I seriously doubt that."
"You'd be surprised."
The nervous tension eased slightly.
Mason returned his attention to the repair.
A few moments later he asked, "Name?"
"Liam."
"Liam," Mason repeated.
The name suited him.
"Liam what?"
"Carter."
"Mason."
"I figured."
"Truck gave it away?"
Liam nodded.
"The giant company logo was a clue."
A small laugh escaped him.
The sound seemed strangely out of place in the quiet house.
Not unpleasant.
Just unexpected.
The repair itself took less than thirty minutes.
Years of experience made simple jobs routine.
Unfortunately, something about the situation bothered Mason.
The pipe shouldn't have failed this badly.
Not on its own.
He stood and wiped his hands on a rag.
"When's the last time someone checked the plumbing?"
Liam frowned.
"I don't know."
"Nobody's done maintenance recently?"
"My parents usually handle that stuff."
Mason looked around the kitchen.
The house appeared well cared for on the surface.
But older homes often hid problems where nobody could see them.
His attention drifted toward a section of baseboard near the far wall.
Something looked off.
A faint discoloration.
Subtle.
Easy to miss.
Mason crossed the room and crouched.
His fingers pressed against the painted wood.
Soft.
Too soft.
He frowned.
Not good.
"What is it?" Liam asked.
Mason stood.
"How long has that stain been there?"
"What stain?"
Mason pointed.
Liam followed his gaze.
"Oh."
The uncertainty in his voice answered the question.
A long time.
Mason walked farther along the wall.
More discoloration appeared near the corner.
Then another.
His professional instincts immediately shifted into high gear.
He moved toward the hallway.
More signs.
Subtle warping.
Tiny cracks.
Moisture damage.
None of it recent.
Liam followed behind him.
The anxiety returned to his expression.
"What are you seeing?"
Mason didn't answer immediately.
He preferred being certain before alarming homeowners.
A few more minutes of inspection confirmed his suspicion.
This wasn't one burst pipe.
This house had been dealing with water issues for a while.
The burst line had simply exposed the larger problem.
Mason returned to the kitchen.
Liam stood waiting.
The kid looked like he already knew the news wouldn't be good.
Mason understood that feeling.
People usually did.
"There's more going on than this pipe."
Liam visibly tensed.
"What does that mean?"
"It means I think you've got additional water damage."
Liam stared at him.
"How much?"
"Not sure yet."
The honest answer wasn't comforting.
Mason knew that.
"I'll need to do a full inspection."
The silence stretched.
Rain rattled against the windows.
Liam crossed his arms.
"So this isn't fixed?"
"The pipe is."
Mason nodded toward the cabinet.
"That problem's handled."
Then he gestured around the room.
"The rest isn't."
Liam looked around as if seeing the house differently for the first time.
The confidence he'd managed to gather throughout the evening seemed to disappear.
Mason felt a surprising urge to reassure him.
"We'll figure it out."
Liam looked up.
"We?"
The word slipped out before Mason could stop it.
He shrugged.
"I mean the company."
A faint smile touched Liam's mouth.
The expression changed his entire face.
For a brief moment he looked younger.
Lighter.
Less burdened.
"Right."
Mason cleared his throat.
"I can come back tomorrow morning."
"You have time for that?"
"I'll make time."
The answer came easier than expected.
Liam nodded.
"Okay."
Neither of them moved immediately.
A strange pause settled between them.
Not awkward exactly.
Just unexpected.
Finally Mason picked up his tool bag.
"I'll be here around eight."
"Okay."
He headed toward the front door.
Rain still poured outside.
Before stepping onto the porch, Mason glanced back one last time.
Liam stood in the entryway watching him.
Still worried.
Still exhausted.
Still trying very hard to handle everything alone.
For reasons Mason couldn't explain, the image stayed with him.
The drive home should have cleared his mind.
Instead, he found himself replaying pieces of the evening.
The flooded kitchen.
The oversized sweatshirt.
The nervous smile.
The way relief had softened Liam's face when the water finally stopped.
It was ridiculous.
He'd met hundreds of customers over the years.
Most disappeared from memory before he reached the next job.
Yet as rain streaked across his windshield and the dark Oregon roads stretched ahead, Mason realized he was already thinking about tomorrow morning.
And about the anxious student waiting inside that too-big house.
· ? ·