Chapter Thirteen
Jesse grinned when Ashly threw her arms around him when Miss Jasmine let him and Linc into the crisis center. She stared up at Linc. “Who’s that?” She ducked behind Jesse’s legs.
He knelt to catch her gaze. “That is Linc. He’s my best friend in the whole world. He’s big, but he’s kind and won’t hurt you. I promise.”
He turned to look at his friend. “Linc, this is Ashly. She lives here. Say hello.”
Linc kept his distance, but hunkered down to their level and slowly put out his hand. “Hi, Ashly. I’m Lincoln. You can call me Linc. All my friends do.”
She stared at his hand.
“You can shake hands, like this.” Jesse demonstrated. “But only if you want to.”
“Okay.” Timidly, she took his friend’s hand. “Hi, Linc.” She giggled.
“That’s my girl. You scoot and play now. Linc and I have work to do.”
She raced to the other room. “She’s a cutie. What’s the problem?” Jesse asked Miss Jasmine.
“Danged if I know. The basement laundry room is knee deep in water. I don’t know where it is coming from and the floor drain isn’t working. I appreciate you coming on such short notice. I’ll call a plumber if I have to, but I was hoping you’d check it out.”
“Let’s take a look. We’re pretty handy. Maybe we can fix it and save a few bucks on a plumber.”
“Thank you. We’d be lost without your help.”
As always, her gratitude moved him. He liked her way of putting the needs of her families in front of judging his appearance. Admittedly, people who knew him didn’t care how he dressed. It was only those who didn’t know him, like Hailey, that judged.
They swapped their shoes for rubber boots at the truck and went back inside. He smiled as Miss Jasmine led them downstairs. Of course, the longer he worked with Hailey, the less she seemed concerned about his appearance.
Worried faces peeked out from behind nearly closed doors as they passed. Curious children and timid women. He smiled and nodded as he went by and, adhering to house rules, didn’t speak unless spoken to. These families had been through terrible times at the hands of men. They deserved kindness and respect. His desire to help them out was what brought him here, time after time, and as quickly as he could, when Miss Jasmine called.
She hadn’t exaggerated much. Their boots splashed through water in the hall as they approached.
“I turned off the water on the main line and shut off the power. Can you find the leak and plug it? Ten women and two dozen kids can’t go long without running water.” Her voice was filled with entreaty.
Water lapped against his ankles as he waded into the room. She hadn’t exaggerated much about the depth of the water. Six washers lined one wall, six dryers the opposite one. There was a folding table between them and ironing boards hanging on the wall.
“Full house again?” Jesse asked, sliding a washer forward to climb behind it.
“Again,” she sighed. “You’d think that, just once, we’d empty out.”
“They’re blessed to have you here.” Linc said, shining a flashlight behind the washers.
“Thanks. I need to be upstairs. Call me if you need me.” She patted her pockets and pulled out a battered cell phone. She checked the screen as if confirming it still worked, and slid it back into place.
Leaving the pair of them unsupervised was an enormous measure of trust and they wouldn’t budge from the basement without an escort.
“Pull out the next one,” Jesse grunted. “I can’t see anything yet.”
“Man! These things are heavy.” Linc flipped a washer open. “They’re full of water. It’s not the machines that are leaking. So, how’re things going with Hailey?” He grunted and pulled the machine out from the wall, allowing Jesse a clear view behind it.
“This place is ancient. I expect the leak is probably a busted pipe in the wall. Pull out the next one, please. Shop’s taking shape.” He hedged, not really wanting to discuss his attraction and her inability to see beyond his appearance. He really liked her. She was kind and generous. Funny and smart. But she had a blind spot for who he really was. Sometimes it amused him, other times it annoyed him.
“You’re avoiding the question. How are things with Hailey?” Linc persisted
“She’s nice.”
“Any chance of a relationship?”
