Page 10 of The Marriage Mission

"What I need is a voltmeter." Noah looked pointedly at Fish.

Fish bobbed his head like he was caught on a hook. He made no move to reach for the tool.

"Fish?"

"Yeah?"

"The meter? Unless you want her pastries to turn into soup."

Fish passed the tool, but his gaze was inevitably drawn back to Jules. "Right, right. Having Jules' pastries melt would be a crime against humanity."

Jules gave Fish a distracted smile. Then that pixie face of her scrunched into worry as she looked at her creations in the cooling refrigeration unit.

The inside of the fridge was a mess of wires and cooling coils, a puzzle that Noah was methodically working through. "Looks like the compressor's overheating. We need to reset it and see if that fixes the immediate issue."

With a click and a whirr, the refrigerator hummed back to life, the gentle cold air a sign of victory. Noah stood, wiping his hands on a rag. "There. She should hold now, but you'll want to get that part replaced soon, along with cleaning up the wiring, or it'll happen again."

"Do I have to hire someone new? Or can you take care of it?" asked Jules.

Noah had to bite his tongue before he barked that no one else would be taking care of anything but him. Not when he'd seen the mess in Chow Town. And this building was not only attached to the restaurant, it was just on the other side of Jacqui's office.

It was a relatively simple fix. For him, at least. He wouldn't put it past another technician to charge the Chou women an arm and a leg. "I'll take care of it."

There went that warm smile again. One thing about this Chou sister, she gave her smiles more freely than the eldest. Noah knew Jacqui was the eldest without meeting the other sister. Jacqui had oldest sister vibes blaring from her pores.

"Like I said, my sister will take care of the money stuff. But in the meantime…" Jules turned and pulled something from the fridge. "Cherry danishes all around?"

"Just glad I could help," Noah said, taking the proffered treat. "Whoa, that hit the sweet tooth."

"It's monk fruit."

"Monkey fruit?"

"No, monk fruit is a plant that's used in place of sugar. I'm diabetic. All of my baked goods are sugar free and keto friendly. Much better for you and they all taste good, too."

Noah couldn't deny that last bit. The cherry danish had a lightness to it along with the sweet notes. If she hadn't have told him there was no sugar, he wouldn't have believed it. His estimation of the pretty baker rose.

As they watched her go, Fish let out a wistful sigh. The big man cradled the pastry as though it was a precious gift from an angel.

"She's amazing, isn't she?" hedged Noah, counting off attributes on his sticky fingers. "Beautiful. She can cook. And that smile."

Fish's smile fell from his face. Noah had seen the man in combat. His eyes would go glassy, like a tiger's. Fish had the eye of the tiger look right now.

Noah clapped his friend on the shoulder, laughter in his voice. "Just messing with you, man. She's all yours."

"She's not mine. She has a boyfriend. Manchild is more like it."

"I agree with you there, young man."

It wasn't normal for anyone to sneak up on Noah, or Fish for that matter. Behind them stood an elderly woman. Her silver hair, the only traitor of her years, flowed like a river of moonlight, contrasting sharply with her otherwise youthful appearance.

She reminded him of the famed actress Michelle Yeoh. Like the actress, there was an unmistakable strength in this woman's posture, her back arrow-straight, betraying a lifetime of carrying not just physical burdens but the weight of her experiences and wisdom. It was her gaze, however, that captured Noah's full attention—a shrewd, penetrating look that seemed to see right through him, assessing his character with a precision that felt almost military in its accuracy.

Watching her, Noah was struck by the sense of quiet authority she wielded, a matriarchal figure who commanded respect not through volume but through the sheer force of her presence. It was clear she was the kind of woman who had navigated life's challenges with resilience and grace, shaping her into the formidable yet approachable figure she was today. That's how he knew she was Jacqui's relative. That and the Asian traits were clear in her features.

"My apologies, Mrs. Chou," said Fish, his gaze once again on the ground. "I meant no disrespect."

"I must say, it's rare to see young men so handy these days. And well mannered, too. You both carry yourselves like military men. Am I right?"

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