Page 17 of Frostbite & Mistletoe
“See?” Fred Barker asked.“Told you there was nothing to worry about.” He gave her a hug before driving away.
The relief that washed through her was short-lived.
No sooner had Fred departed than Gabriel Egan’s truck pulled up outside for the fire suppression inspection.
The prospect of dealing with his clipboard-carrying ass—even if was a really nice ass—sent a fresh wave of anxiety washing through her.
Her stupid wolf was weirdly happy to see him, though.
“Hi, Kymberlie.” Gabriel’s deep voice carried across the space as he stepped through the doorway, his tall frame filling it completely. Today he wore a navy-blue jacket with the fire department insignia, his tawny-blond hair rumpled from the wind.“How’d the electrical inspection go?”
“I passed!” she said, grinning, pointing at the signed permit.
“Congratulations! That’s great news.” He returned her smile, his green-gold eyes warm, and her breath caught.
It should be illegal for the guy who had shut down her club to be so… so damnedsexy.
He seemed almost human today, instead of last Friday’s Grim Reaper.
Her wolf wriggled with happiness at his presence.Stop that, she ordered sternly.
Then Gabriel ruined her moment of triumph.“Now that the electrical is fixed, I need to check your sprinkler system before Tyler’s subcontractors put in your new ceilings.”
“Of course you do,” she said, trying to keep the edge from her voice.
It’s not his fault, she reminded herself.He’s just doing his job.
Gabriel reached up to examine the nearest sprinkler head, frowning deeply as he did so. Then, he used a small tool to remove the head.
“This isn’t good,” he said, more to himself than to her.
“What?” Kymberlie asked, her stomach already knotting.
Gabriel turned to her, his expression grim.“I need to check a few more, but from what I’m seeing, your sprinkler system is compromised. See?”
He pointed, and she craned her neck up to look. The pipe opening was clogged with rust and sediment.Shit.
The now-familiar sick feeling roiled through her as he inspected the sprinkler system’s pipes, pressure valves, and the remaining sprinkler heads. With each new point, his frown deepened, and Kymberlie’s hope of passing the inspection dwindled further.
“Most of the pipes are severely corroded,” he explained, showing her a section of rusted iron pipe in the back hallway.“Decades of water sitting in them has caused significant damage. In some spots, they’re likely to burst under pressure the next time you need them.”
“Can’t I just replace the damaged sections?” Kymberlie asked, desperately hoping for a solution that wouldn’t involve lots more money.
Gabriel shook his head.“It’s not just the pipes. Most of the sprinkler heads are also clogged with sediment and mineral buildup. It’s a common problem with the well water in this area. And several of the heads are damaged or missing entirely.” He pointed to a spot in the exposed ceiling where a sprinkler head had been painted over so many times it was just a featureless bump.“You need a completely new system.”
The words hit Kymberlie like a physical blow.“Fuck,” she breathed.
Gabriel winced in sympathy.
Then she straightened up.“I’ll need to get a quote before I can move forward,” she said, fighting to keep her voice steady.
Gabriel nodded.“Tyler’s fire suppression specialist said he could come by this afternoon to give you a quote. I, uh, contacted him this morning. Just in case.” His expression softened slightly.“I’m sorry, Kymberlie. I know this is the last thing you wanted to hear, but your place has failed the fire safety inspection. I’m going to have to file the report. Hold off on putting in drywall until the new sprinkler system is installed and inspected.”
∞∞∞
Five hours later, Kymberlie stared down at a printed quote on her desk, her vision blurring around the edges. The bottom-line figure made her physically ill.Twenty-seven thousand dollars?
But there was no arguing with cold, hard numbers. Or with the fire safety code.
