Page 29 of Frostbite & Mistletoe
Kymberlie slumped against the porch railing. She’d been socloseto making everything work out. New club, new boyfriend….
And now, she was completely fucked. In more ways than one.
At least I didn’t mate that jerk, she thought.Then I’d be stuck with him forever.Her wolf whined in protest.
Shut up!she snarled.
Gabriel remained inside the club. She could hear him walking around.
Probably finding more code violations for his report, she thought bitterly.
To her enhanced shifter senses, the sound of his pen against his fucking clipboard was like nails on a chalkboard.
Her phone buzzed with Maggie’s reply:On my way. DON’T PANIC. We’ll figure something out.
Don’t panic?Kymberlie scoffed.No problem.
She was way beyond panic right now and deep into the territory of full-blown despair.
∞∞∞
Twenty minutes later, the club’s door burst open. Maggie swept in with all the force and determination of a summer thunderstorm. Her auburn hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, and she wore jeans and a flour-dusted pink Cinnamon + Sugar t-shirt. She’d clearly rushed straight over from the bakery.
“You okay?” she asked, making a beeline for Kymberlie.“How on earth did you fail? I thought you fixed everything!”
Before Kymberlie could answer, Gabriel emerged from the club.
“It’s the stove hood,” he said.“It’s ventilation-only, no fire suppression.”
“Oh.” Maggie turned to him, assessing rather than accusatory.“And there’s no way around it?”
Gabriel shook his head.“It’s a major code violation—one that could have catastrophic consequences if there’s ever a grease fire.” He spread his hands defensively.“Believe me, I want to see Kymberlie back in business as soon as possible. But I can’t overlook this.”
“Okay,” Maggie said, pulling out her phone.“Then we need to get Kymber a replacement hood with a fire suppression system. Let me see what I can find.”
Her fingers flew across the screen.
Now why didn’t I think of looking online for a new hood?Kymberlie thought sarcastically.Oh yeah, because I don’t have any fucking money left and I’ve maxed out my credit cards.
Even so, having Maggie here and on her side made Kymberlie feel a bit better.
“There,” Maggie said after a few minutes of online searching.“There’s a restaurant supply store in Missoula with a lightly used Type I hood with a built-in suppression system in stock. It’s used, but only a couple of years old. Will this fix the issue?”
She thrust her phone at Gabriel, who scrolled through the product listing, studying the product specs.
“Yeah, this will do the trick,” he said, his expression softening.“If it’s installed properly, it’ll bring the kitchen up to code.” He met Kymberlie’s gaze.“I finished the inspection, and everything else passed. If you can get this hood installed in the next day or two, you can reopen before Christmas.”
“How much?” Kymberlie asked, afraid to hear the answer.
“Three thousand,” Maggie replied.“Which is about a quarter of what a new one would cost.”
Kymberlie’s shoulders sagged.“Threethousanddollars?”Shit. Shit. Shit.
“I can’t—” she began.
But Maggie was already dialing.“Tyler? It’s Maggie. I need you to drive to Missoula today to pick up a stove hood for Kymberlie’s club. Yes, today. Drop whatever you’re doing; this is an emergency. I’m sending you the details. It’s the last thing she needs to pass her fire safety inspection.”
Kymberlie’s shifter hearing could hear both sides of the conversation.“She failed the inspection? Well, fuck,” said Tyler.“No problem. I’ll take care of it. I’ll pick it up today and install it tomorrow morning.”
