I could breathe.
Noah kissed my temple.
“I’ve got you.”
The words reversed everything.
He had said them countless times before the accident.
This time, he did not remember any of them.
He meant them anyway.
Chapter 24
REID
The settlement had been approved, but the money had not yet appeared in the yard’s account.
It didn’t matter.
Certainty changed a business before cash ever touched the balance sheet. For weeks, every decision had been an exercise in containment—what could wait, what could be repaired instead of replaced, which problem was least likely to become an emergency before we found the money to solve it.
Now I could think beyond survival.
I spent the afternoon reviewing safety systems.
Not luxuries.
Not the polished improvements consultants recommended because they looked impressive in annual reports.
Things we should have done years ago.
A replacement for the portable hoist.
Non-slip strips for the rear stairs.
New lockout-and-tag kits in both service bays.
A proper ventilated cabinet for battery charging.
Updated first-aid stations.
Better fall protection in the loft.
And once the van was replaced, no roadside service call would be handled by one person alone.
Caleb and Owen sat across from me in the cramped office while I worked through the list.
Caleb frowned at the first page.
“You’re replacing the hoist?”
“It was manufactured before Owen learned to read.”
Owen looked offended. “I learned unusually early.”
“The manufacturer no longer exists.”
