Page 23 of A Taste of Trouble

Liv glanced back at her friends. Patti played with the hem of her shirt, a look of fear and sympathy in her eye. Austin, on the other hand, looked ready to take on an army. The small vein in the side of his neck pulsed under his skin.

Liv took hold of the paper and quickly glanced it over. Many of the items on the list were exactly what Nancy had mentioned the first time she had stopped by—shelving units, electrical outlets, placement of items in the refrigerator, temperature—but there were at least twenty more. The room spun. No way was she going to get all of these things done before her expected opening.

“I'll be back to follow up on your progress.” Cross slid his clipboard under his arm and nodded his head at Nancy. With that, he strode to the front door. Before he stepped out into the cold, he turned and glared. “Don't take this lightly, Ms. Crawford. The city has a zero tolerance policy for non-compliance.”

Even the merry jingle of the bell as Mr. Cross walked out the door did nothing to ease her tension.

“Did that just happen?” Patti asked.

“What the hell was that all about?” Austin exclaimed. He grabbed the paper out of her hand and quietly cursed.

“Zero tolerance? I have zero tolerance for that douche.” Patti walked around to stand in front of Liv.

“Mr. Cross is a lovely man and has been my health inspector for years.” Nancy tucked strands of hair behind her ears. “He's only doing his job.”

“Garbage and wastes shall be removed from the premises twice daily,” Austin read from the package. “A separate hand washing station…with hot and cold water and a soap dispenser…”

“Oh, dear, you just have to make sure you have soap on the premises.” Nancy waved off the rules. If anyone knew the ins and outs of the inspection process, it would be Nancy.

“Don't worry, Liv,” Patti cooed behind her, and laid a hand on her shoulder. “We'll help you.”

“I must be on my way, dears.” Nancy slipped into her coat and picked up her bags. “Call me if you have any questions.” The temperature of the storefront dipped with the opening of the front door.

“It's okay, honey.” Austin's cheerleader abilities were on high alert. “We'll take care of it and move on.”

“Austin's right,” Patti agreed. “We're almost done cleaning. Once the painting is done, you can work on the list, order all of your supplies. Then you'll be open for business and all of this will be a memory.”

“You're right.” Liv straightened her shoulders. “I know you're right.”

Despite her desire to move on, a strange sense of dread sat heavy in her stomach. This was only the beginning of her struggle. She could get over not getting the bank loan, but with a little-too-forceful city inspector breathing down her neck, Liv had no idea what other surprises were in store for her.

“We're going to go back to the kitchen and finish up.” Patti grabbed Austin by the arm.

“I'll be right there,” Liv called as they headed into the kitchen.

She slapped the papers in her hand.

What was she going to do now?

…

It didn't take Jake very long to figure out which storefront belonged to Liv. The old sign still hung over the doorway, and it was the only evidence of a bakery within a two-block radius.

After his conversation with Shelton, Jake knew the stakes were even higher than he realized. The promotion he wanted—needed—wasn't the lock he anticipated. So here he was, standing outside Liv's bakery like some kind of stalker, just as she'd said.

Despite her abrupt departure the other day, Jake was here to continue his pursuit. He wasn't giving up, no matter how hard she tried to push him away.

He peered through the front window. The inside was a disaster. Boxes were piled off to one corner of the room. Paint and other renovating supplies were heaped on the front side of the showcase. The room was dark and there was no indication Liv was in there. But he knocked anyway.

On his third try, the curtain slid open and Liv peered around the corner of the doorway. She took one step forward then stopped. Jake assumed she figured out it was him on the other side of the door. He lifted his hand and waved. She looked behind her as if doubting he was waving at her.

“Hi,” he said. The cold air accumulated in front of his face in a cloud of white.

The glare from the setting sun prevented him from getting a good look at her, but she was as beautiful as ever. She wiped her hands on her jeans and walked forward. The click of the lock forced Jake to step back.

When Liv opened the door, he immediately smelled her sweet familiar scent, but this time, it mixed with strong chemicals.

“What are you doing here?” she asked. It wasn't the greeting he had expected, but at least she opened the door.

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