Grace set her bag down on the counter and leaned against it, still smelling faintly of the coconut oil and shea butter from the shop.
“Y’all,” she said, grinning, “I started at Red Lightning Braid & Fade last week and I already feel like I’ve been doing this forever. The place is right on the corner with that big red neon lightning bolt in the window—hard to miss. They’re letting me take walk-ins and regulars, mostly box braids, knotless, some feed-ins, and the occasional cornrow design. The clients are cool, the music’s good, and the other braiders actually help each other instead of competing. First time I’ve left a shop and not been sore from stress. Feels right.”