Romance Impossible(38)

Chef was halfway down the stairs before Aiden even finished speaking, pushing him aside to get through the door and down into the basement. I followed on his heels, and the rushing noise grew louder and louder. Before I knew it, I was standing in a half-inch of water, and rising. Instinctively, I started splashing across the floor to look for the main water shutoff, but Chef was already cranking the antique-looking red handle. I started looking around the room, trying to determine the source of the leak, but I didn't see any water rushing directly from the pipes that ran through the room. It almost seemed like it was coming through the walls, or the ceiling, or...

Chef hurried past me, sloshing the water high enough to splash into the tops of my shoes. I winced at the cold sensation of it spreading on my socks, and cautiously followed him upstairs. He was assuming the leak must be coming from the kitchen, or the bathroom, since it seemed to be above us - but even so, it should have abated when he shut off our supply, and I could hear it rushing louder than ever.

"What's going on?" Aiden didn't seem any less panicked than before, and the rest of the staff was all gathered in the dining room, staring.

"Don't know," I said. "But I don't think it's coming from in here."

One of the neighbors? Or...

Maybe not. Maybe it was even bigger than that.

I ran outside, and my ears were immediately filled with an even louder rushing sound - I realized it hadn't been coming from the basement after all, but from next to it. Hurrying around the corner, I solved the mystery in an instant.

A geyser was leaping out of the street, in a surreal display that had caused pedestrians and even drivers to slow down, stop and stare.

The water main.

When I turned around, the restaurant staff was all hovering behind me, Chef Dylan at their head. He looked momentarily speechless. But only momentarily.

"Aiden," he said. "Get the rest of the servers to help you get everything out of the basement that's not nailed down. Put it in the hallway, or the dining room, or wherever you have to. It doesn't matter. Just get it somewhere dry and safe." He paused, waiting for Aiden to react. "Go!"

After a moment's hesitation, Aiden leapt into action.

"Beckett," Chef went on. "Call all the reservations we have on the books tonight. Everyone who left a number. Tell them we have to close for the night, and suggest an alternative somewhere else - the North End, maybe. There's no telling how much of this neighborhood's going to be knocked out by this."

He glanced at me, and I braced myself for an order, but none came. He just turned and walked back into the restaurant, so I did, too.

Chef Dylan stepped wordlessly into his office, taking out a sheet of paper and starting to write on it. I stayed in the hallway, unsure of what was happening, or what he expected of me. Was he making a sign for the door?#p#分页标题#e#

Abruptly, he turned to me. "Call the city," he said. "Find out everything you can. When you're done, come meet me here."

He thrust the paper into my hand. There was an address scrawled on it. When I looked back up, Chef was already halfway to the front door.

I was on the verge of chasing after him, when I realized that I had nothing to say.





***



While I was on hold with the city, one of the restaurant's cordless phones tucked between my ear and shoulder, my curiosity got the better of me. I unfolded the piece of paper Chef had given me, and typed the address into my phone.

RON'S GYM, said the Google Maps entry.

CLOSED, the Yelp entry noted.

Hmm. It would have almost sounded ominous, like an empty business front that the mob brings people to "take care" of them. But Yelp had been wrong before.

I left the restaurant as soon as I could, curiosity eating away at me. It was halfway to the train station, so I took my bag with me and said my goodbyes to the staff who hadn't wandered home yet.

Waiting at a crosswalk, I tried to picture the kind of gym where Chef Dylan would work out. High ceilings, clanging weights, a lingering smell of body odor dating back to the mid-60s - I'd walk in the door, and I'd almost certainly be the only woman there. Maybe the only woman who'd ever been in there. There might be a few wilting plants by the window, but other than that, it would be strictly business. No TVs, no fancy elliptical machines, no yoga mats.

Hurrying down the sidewalk with the crowd, I almost walked right past it. Doubling back, I wanted to pat myself on the back. It looked exactly how I'd imagined. And, opening the door, yes - there was that smell.

It wasn't as strong as I would have guessed, though.

The place felt even colder than it was outside. I drew my coat around me tightly, walking over towards the boxing ring in the corner of the massive room. Under normal circumstances, I would have felt self-conscious with the many sets of eyes following me curiously. I was right; I could almost hear them wondering what the hell is SHE doing here?