Page 7 of Frostbite & Mistletoe
With that, she headed toward her pickup, where her mate Cade stood waiting for her.
As he moved around the building taping notices to all the doors and windows, Gabriel had the distinct feeling he’d just passed a test he hadn’t known he was taking.
Now for the fun part.
Taking a deep breath, Gabriel squared his shoulders and looked for Kymberlie.
The earlier crowd had dispersed, leaving just the club’s employees, the fire crew packing up equipment, and Kymberlie.
She stood by the club’s main entrance, her blonde hair escaping from what had once been a neat ponytail, still clutching the blanket around her like a cape.
Even in the harsh floodlights from the fire trucks, with a worried frown etching deep lines between her brows, she was striking. Not conventionally beautiful, perhaps, but arresting—a presence that commanded attention.
Hisattention. And his cat’s.
Their eyes met as she approached, and Gabriel felt that strange jolt of recognition again. Not that he knew her, but something more primal.
Then he caught her scent and stopped short.My cat’s picked a wolf shifter for its mate? The hell?
Cross-lineage matings had been unheard-of back in Granite Gap. But from what he’d seen in Bearpaw Ridge so far, no one batted an eye at them here.
“Ms. Tringstad?” he asked, bracing himself to deliver the bad news.
“Call me Kymberlie,” she corrected automatically, her eyes never leaving his face.“Um, how bad is it?”
Direct. He could appreciate that, even if the hopeful look in her eyes was killing him right now.
“The fire’s out. Structural damage is minimal, mainly confined to your storeroom, back hallway, and part of your office.” He watched her shoulders relax slightly before adding,“But there are serious code violations throughout the building. Dangerous ones.”
Her posture stiffened again.“What do you mean?”
“Whoever wired your place clearly did a piss-poor job. There’s exposed wiring behind your bar, and overloaded circuits. And when we pulled the drywall in your storeroom to verify we’d knocked down the fire, we found wiring that was never up to code in the first place.” Gabriel kept his tone matter-of-fact, not accusatory.“Have you had any electrical work done since you purchased the building?”
She shook her head, her expression defensive but not hostile.“The previous owner assured me everything was up to code.”
“I see.” Gabriel nodded, unsurprised. He’d heard this story before.“I’ll need to return and carry out a full inspection before I can clear the building for reopening.”
Her gaze shifted to the front door and widened when she read the notice he’d posted.
“You’re shutting me down?” she asked, her eyes wide with dismay.
“Just temporarily,” Gabriel clarified.“Until I can verify the extent of the violations and determine what repairs are needed.”
“And how long will that take?” she demanded.
“The inspection? I can come back first thing tomorrow morning. As for the repairs…” He hesitated, knowing what his answer would mean to her.“That depends on what we find and how quickly you can get licensed contractors in to fix the issues.”
Kymberlie’s gaze swept over her club.
“But I have a major booking tomorrow night,” she protested.“Live band, and the tickets sold out weeks ago. If—if the club’s closed, I’ll have to refund everyone.” He heard the panic in her voice, and his chest squeezed.
Fuck.
He understood the razor-thin margins most places operated on.
“I’m sorry,” he said, and meant it.“But I can’t clear this building for occupancy until I know it’s safe.”
She studied him for a long moment, neither angry nor pleading, just intensely present.“I heard the county had hired a new fire marshal after Charlie Einarsson retired.”
