Free Kindling Flames: Granting Wishes (The Ancient Fire Series Book 5) by Julie Wetzel

 
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    Cathren sighed as she shifted a stack of boxes off the shelf. This was the third time this week she had gotten a shock off this stupid light fixture. Complaining to the owner hadn’t done her a bit of good. The idea of spending any money to replace the broken ballast was too appalling for the cheapskate.
    Unable to stand the idea of getting shocked again, or worse, a customer getting hurt, Cathren took it upon herself to fix the issue. It had to be a loose wire. Some electrical tape should be enough to repair the thing until she could talk some sense into the idiotic owner.
    Picking up a screwdriver, Cathren attacked the rack. The task couldn’t be that hard. She’d replaced light switches and outlets at home. One measly lamp couldn’t be more trouble than that. The real problem came in the fact that she couldn’t unplug the stupid light. The faulty rack was in the middle of a whole line of fixtures that was pushed up against the wall, blocking access to the plugs. To cut the power off, she’d have to throw the breaker for the store, cutting off the entire wall. That would not be possible. The register was plugged into that same circuit. She was just going to have to be careful as she worked with the live wires.
    “Come on, you!” Cathren growled as she pried the metal covering off. It was wedged in there pretty tight. Obviously, it was not meant to be taken off while still attached to the shelf. Popping one side out, Cathren slipped her fingers into the gap and wiggled the thing loose. The side-to-side motion of the cover must have hit the loose wire. Electricity bit at Cathren, making her yank her fingers back.
    “Crap.” Cathren cursed as her ring finger caught on the sharp edge of the metal, tearing the skin open. Sticking the bleeding digit in her mouth, she glared at the rack. Not only had she been electrocuted by the stinking light, but the shelf was fighting back, too. This was just not her lucky day. Eyeing the open cover, Cathren considered leaving the job for her boss, but he wouldn’t be in until tomorrow. She couldn’t leave the cover plate hanging like that. The metal was touching the wire, electrifying the whole line of fixtures now. If anyone touched any of the shelves, they could get a nasty shock. Pulling her scraped finger from her mouth, she got back to work.
    “Great,” Cathren growled as she turned the screwdriver around and banged on the metal bit until it fell off. The handle of the tool was coated in rubber, keeping her from getting any more of a shock. When the piece fell away, she looked up in the hole and found the problem. There was a crack in the ceramic ballast. A little tape should do the trick.
    Movement from the corner of Cathren’s eye made her heart drop. A hand was reaching up into the shelf to pick up one of the pewter figurines displayed under the faulty light. Cathren hadn’t touched the shelf again to see if it was still hot, but if her customer reached his goal, he might get the surprise of his life.
    Cathren’s left hand shot up and grabbed the customer’s forearm just past the wrist. “Wait!” she yelled, stopping him from touching anything. Her injured ring finger slipped through a small hole in his cable-knit sweater and touched his skin. They both jumped at the jolt of power that crossed between them. Cathren turned to look at the person she’d shocked. The man was gorgeous! His strong features were softened by the gentle curl of his bright red hair. His pale blue eyes held surprise as he stared at where Cathren held his arm away from the figure.
    “Sorry.” She smiled at him, pulling his hand from the shelf. “There’s a problem with the light.”
    The man’s eyes moved from where she held his arm to Cathren’s face. “Release me.”
    His soft voice washed around Cathren as he spoke. A strange feeling came over her, but she shook her head and it disappeared. “Of course,” she said, letting his arm go. “But, please, don’t touch the