"No, but you can tell people quietly."

I thanked Maddox, being purposefully quiet as he walked me out of the office. He assured me, yet again, that he would call me as soon as the reports came back. I didn't dare raise my hopes, however. Like he said, there was little chance anything would turn up on Juliet or Rob, and I didn't expect it to. I didn't think she was a criminal mastermind, and given Rob's apparently healthy relationship with her, and his ex and their child, I doubted very much that he was some kind of control freak, evil boyfriend who got off by terrorizing his partner. No, I expected to find zilch, but I had to try anyway. What kind of PI would I have been if I didn't dig further into my client's background?

As I approached my car, my cell phone beeped with a text message from my mom, asking me to swing by her house. With a couple more hours before I was due to relieve Lily from her surveillance shift, I texted her back that I was on my way.

My parents’ house is in West Montgomery. It’s a neat white house with yellow trim that invariably reminds me of an egg. I was raised in that house, and fought with my siblings, defied curfew, and skinned my knees on the sidewalk outside. Despite only living a few miles away, I didn't get home often enough. The regular family dinner was something I looked forward to with a mixture of eagerness and fear, but Mom had yet to notify us of the next one. I figured she'd be pleased when I showed up so quickly.

I spied my dad first as I entered the house, and followed the sounds of hammering that echoed from the kitchen. Dad stepped out of the kitchen, half-soaked, his hair plastered to his head, and holding a wrench. "What happened?" I asked, taking in the sight. "Wet t-shirt contest gone awry?"

"Ha-ha. A pipe burst in the ceiling and the kitchen flooded. I tried to get it to hold," he said, lifting his other hand, which held a reel of sodden duct tape, "but it exploded over my head just when I got it taped up." He began to shiver.

"At least, it was cold water," I said, shuddering at the thought of scalding water spilling over my father.

"Yippee," said Dad, looking the exact opposite of his exclamation.

"Let me get you a towel."

"Just get my robe from my bedroom," he said as I started up the stairs, careful to step around the puddle pooling at his feet.

"Where's Mom?" I called as I headed up.

Dad's voice floated up after me. "Ogling the plumber."

"Steve!" yelled my mom. How she heard my father's complaint over the sounds of gushing water and hammering, I didn't know, although I was well aware of her supersonic hearing. At least, now it wasn't scuppering my teenage plans of escape and subterfuge anymore.

"Sorry, dear," sniffed Dad.

Stepping into my parents’ bedroom, I looked around for his robe. The bed was neatly made in plain linens, an aged comforter folded at the foot. It looked like they redecorated recently because the walls were a pleasant, pale blue and the wardrobes looked new. There were several photos of the two of them on my mom's vanity. In every one they held hands; from their marriage photo to a recent picture I recognized from Lily and Jord's wedding. If I ever got married, I hoped it would be like theirs, I decided, as I turned around, finding Dad's robe hanging on the back of the door. I grabbed it, as well as a towel from the bathroom, and hurried downstairs.

"Thanks, sweetheart," Dad said as he took it. "Your mom's waiting for you."

"Does she need a robe?" I asked.

"No, she didn't get a drop on her."

"Lexi, is that you?" Mom called.

"Coming!" I found my mother standing at the entrance to the kitchen, plumbing tools in hand. "What are you doing with those?" I asked.

"Holding them for this nice, young man. Arnie, this is my daughter, Lexi. The single one," she added in a whisper that was anything but soft.

"Hi," said Arnie, turning slightly from where he was balanced on the countertop. His t-shirt was soaked through too, plastering the thin fabric to a wide, well-defined chest, and a set of biceps that rippled as he flexed his arm with the long pipe wrench in his hand. Water showered around him. No wonder my mother was looking on with unabashed glee. It was like the male version of Flashdance.

"Hi," I said, turning to my mom, and adding, "I'm not single."

She picked up my left hand. "I don't see a ring."

"I'm still not single! Also, Serena isn't married!"

"Arnie, you could snap her up!" she said, showing him my unencumbered hand.

"Mom!"

"I'm not single, Mrs. Graves," replied Arnie.

"I don't see a ring on your hand either!"

Arnie laughed and turned back to the pipe in the ceiling. In a few short twists of the wrench, he slowed the deluge to a tiny trickle.

"Wouldn't it be safer to turn the water off?" I asked.

"Mrs. Graves couldn't find the valve," Arnie said.

I narrowed my eyes at my mother. I knew exactly where the valve was, and so did she. I bet she forgot the moment Arnie arrived at the door in his tight t-shirt.

"There's no point playing matchmaker," I told Mom, not at all perturbed that Arnie was probably listening as he peered through the gaping hole in the ceiling. "I have a lovely boyfriend."

"Me too," said Arnie.

My mother sighed, and her shoulder dropped, but she didn't look away from Arnie's clinging t-shirt. Purely for research sake, I paused a moment to take in his chiseled abs. "At least, I tried. You need to settle down. I wasn't expecting you, was I?"

"I texted you right back to say I'd drop by. I thought we might go to lunch?"

"That would be lovely, but I think I'm going to have to help Arnie fix up this mess. Poor nice, young, single man."

"All fixed," he said, jumping nimbly off the counter and landing in a puddle that splashed upwards. I was pretty sure Arnie's boyfriend would have enjoyed this moment, when Arnie relayed it to him later. Lily would have been so disappointed she missed it. "You don't have to worry about any more water. I fixed the pipe temporarily, but I can do a full repair tomorrow. You'll need to call your insurance company about the ceiling and the kitchen. Some of your top cabinets are soaked and beginning to buckle. I didn't check inside, but I guess you'll have to throw any food items away," he told us as he gathered his tools. He wiped them off with a tea towel before loading them into his tool kit.

"Is this going to be very costly?" asked my mom.

"Your insurance should cover everything. The temp fix just costs my time, and I'd advise you strongly against running any water in the house until I can come back and fix it properly. I can be here tomorrow morning first thing?"

My mom didn't move. She appeared to be hypnotized by his twitching pecs.

"That would be great," I told him when it became apparent she couldn't speak. "We really appreciate it."

"I'll leave via the back," he said, pointing to his wet clothes. My mother breathed a little sigh as he splashed across the kitchen and exited through the door onto the yard. He waved as he passed by the kitchen window and I waved back. His boyfriend was a lucky man.

"I can't believe you tried to set me up with your gay plumber," I told my mother. "What would Solomon say?"

"Is 'Marry me?' too much to hope for?" she asked.

"I don't think he would feel the need to compete with another guy."