Page 22 of A Taste of Trouble

“I'm Olivia Crawford.” She walked around the counter toward the front door and held out her hand.

He extended his, but instead of a shake, he offered his business card. “I'm Walter Cross. Health Inspector with the City of Toronto.”

“Nice to meet you.” She looked at his card—tight black print surrounded by boring white space.

“I won't be performing an official inspection today, but knowing that this space has been unoccupied for quite some time, I anticipated you would have questions.” He scanned the room. “There's a lot of work to be done.”

So he was a business first, niceties last kind of guy. Noted.

“Without even taking one step further, I can tell you the hand-washing station is not in the right spot, nor is it equipped with proper plumbing.”

“I just got the keys.” Liv let out a high-pitched squeak. “I haven't even renovated yet.”

“I've also done a quick walk around the building, and it looks like your garbage facilities are not up to par.”

“What?” Her voice must have risen because Patti sidled a little closer.

“The debris is blocking the alley, which is a fire hazard.” He glanced over his clipboard.

Liv's eyes widened and her stomach churned. Was he not listening to her? Her thoughts flashed to her bank manager denying her the loan. This was exactly what she was afraid would happen.

He dabbed his pen on whatever sheet of paper that was held steady by the clip. “I'll be back in a couple of weeks. Give you some time to get things up to snuff.”

Oh, she planned on getting things up to snuff. He could bet on that.

“You have your work cut out for you, Ms. Crawford.”

Liv didn't expect a city inspector to be her best friend, but somewhat pleasant, maybe even accommodating, would be nice. It seemed as though she wasn't going to get either.

Austin came up behind her and grabbed hold of her arm. He squeezed, offering comfort.

Just then a gust of cold air swirled into the store as Nancy entered. She dusted off the lapels of her coat with one hand, a stern expression on her face.

“Nancy,” Liv said. “What are you doing here?”

“Hello, dear.” She struggled with a few bags and she held a stack of files close to her chest.

“Let me help you with that.” She walked around the counter toward the front door and grabbed the bags out of Nancy's hand.

“Nancy, great to see you,” Patti said as she jumped up on the counter.

“Whatcha got there, Nancy?” Austin asked as he took position beside Patti.

Instead of acknowledging her friends, Nancy's eyes grew wide when she registered the man standing in front of her. “Why, Mr. Cross, what on earth are you doing here?”

“Nice to see you, Ms. Arbour.” He smiled. He actually had teeth. “I was just advising Ms. Crawford that she has a lot of work to do.”

“Isn't this place a disaster?” She shrugged out of her coat and looked for a spot to rest it. The front space was still filthy. Liv didn't blame Nancy when she tucked her coat under her arm. “It's why I'm here.” She approached the counter and laid down the stack of files. “I brought you some inspection materials, a tip sheet, the regulation itself.”

“Nancy, that's so kind of you.” Liv glanced at her friends, who smiled.

There was no mistaking how much Liv needed Nancy in her life. She was always looking out for her.

/> “That is a great place to start,” Mr. Cross added. “All the information you need to pass the inspection is in those checklists.”

Liv's eyes widened and her stomach churned. That stack of pamphlets and checklists was…so very thick.

Nancy released a few sheets of paper from the file and passed them over. “I printed this from the Internet. You must have every one of those items completed in order to pass.”

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