Page 51 of When Love Takes Root

Josiah stepped from the hallway, wiping his hands on a rag. “Mrs. Leilani.”

She smiled. “Josiah. Thank you for coming.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Leilani looked at me with the slow turn of a woman who’d just been handed ammunition.

“Ma’am,” she repeated.

“Do not,” I whispered.

Leilani counted on her fingers. “Professional. Respectful. Tall. Handsome.”

Calista nodded. “Very safety-forward.”

Cassia murmured, “Y’all are terrible.”

I felt heat climbing my neck. “Can we focus on the electrical problem?”

Juice straightened. “We been focused. Some of us are focused on multiple safety hazards.” Josiah gave him a look. Juice lifted his hands. “I’m talking about the wiring, preacher.”

Josiah replied, “I’m not a preacher.”

Juice grinned. “Could’ve fooled me with all that restraint.”

Onyx laughed under his breath.

Josiah ignored him and turned to me. “The back row has too much load on it, and one neutral connection is loose enough to cause heat buildup. The outlet near the shampoo bowls needs replacing, and the dryer circuits need to be separated correctly. Whoever added equipment over the years made it work instead of making it safe.”

“So it’s not just a bad outlet.”

Josiah answered, “No. It’s bigger than that.”

I looked toward the back wall and saw Big J standing there with a drill in his hand, installing shelves for my products. That wall had held the memory for me. Now it smelled like heat.

Josiah read something in my face and looked away, giving pain somewhere private to stand.

“I’ll put everything in writing,” he said. “What has to happen immediately, what’s required, and what can wait. I can start tomorrow morning and keep you operating where it’s safe.”

For one reckless second, I wanted to ask God why He’d taken the man who made everything feel survivable.

Instead, I breathed. “Okay.”

Josiah studied my face. “You sure?”

The question nearly undid me, because he wasn’t asking whether I understood the repair. He was asking whether I could hold the news.

“Yes. Thank you.”

“I’ll send the estimate tonight.”

Leilani pressed a water bottle into my hand. “Drink.”

“I’m not a toddler.”

“Then stop needing supervision.”

Calista leaned against the counter. “We’re taking her to Brick & Ember after this.”