Zoey reached under the sink for the small pail, setting it on the counter. “Potato skins.” Jack’s cheeks flushed. She didn’t want him to think it was some kind of gotcha moment, regardless of the slight pleasure she felt from being right. “It’s a very common culprit. They’re thin and small, but in any kind of quantity and without enough water pressure, they can create a ball big enough to clog a pipe.” She smiled. “Let me guess... Mother’s Day?”

His eyes went wide, as if she’d just pulled a rabbit out of her hat, then he nodded with a chagrined smile. “We had fifteen people here for leg of lamb and roast potatoes. I figured the disposal could handle the peels, though.”

“It probably could, as long as you don’t stuff them all in at once and you keep that water flowing for a minute or two after you turn the disposal off. Grinding it up isn’t enough—you gotta wash the debris down the pipes.” Zoey turned the disposal and faucet on and off a few times, then checked underneath to make sure everything was connected tightly with no leaks. She grabbed her invoice pad and handed a slip to Jack.

“That’s it?”

She shrugged. “It’s my minimum house call fee. I didn’t really repair anything...just cleaned the pipe and put it back together.”

He gave her a shrewd look before pulling out his checkbook. “You knew what was wrong from the minute you stepped in the kitchen, didn’t you? How long have you been doing appliance repair?”

“Since I was five.” She winked when he stopped writing and looked up. “I developed my fix-it gene early. I used to ride around with my dad all the time.”

“Well, your number is the first one I’ll call for appliance repairs, for sure.”

Another man won over. And easier than some. The fact that she was careful not to rub his nose in it probably helped. She thanked him and headed out to the truck. Mike had helped her figure out how to navigate male customers without pissing them off, from mild skeptics like Jack Nelson to flat-out misogynists like that jerkwad Hal Comstock down near Watkins Glen.

When he was alive, Dad would have just hauled off and punched anyone he thought was hassling his daughter. That wouldn’t be very good for business, so she couldn’t go to him. But Mike, as angry as he’d get on her behalf for any grief she got, kept his cool and helped her be more proactive.