"Let's take a break from this for a minute," Ryuki suggested, wiping sweat from his forehead with a grimy towel.
He could see Michiko step back nervously as he spoke. "Oh." Her eyes darted to him expectantly. "A break? Does that mean, uh, you want your payment now?" she asked, her cheeks flushing.
Ryuki couldn't help but smile at her innocent response. "You're killing me, beautiful," he joked. "I want it more than you could possibly imagine. But I've got to get this done first, or we can't empty the pool, can't work on the inlets and pump line, can't do much of anything." He walked past her towards the deck, his mind already focused on what needed to be done next.
"Do you have a heavy duty extension cord we could use?" he called out over his shoulder.
Michiko nodded eagerly. "Sure. There's one in the garage."