Page 34 of A Taste of Trouble

Mr. Cross continued with his search and destroy mission as if looking for something to target, his eyes intent, his posture rigid. She had decided to wait in the storefront area so she didn't torture herself by watching. The bundle of nerves flip-flopping in her stomach was too much to handle.

Instead of focusing on the negative, Liv decided to turn her thoughts to something more positive. Like the state of the storefront. The renovations were complete and the storefront furniture had been delivered. Along the left sidewall, white frames held pictures of her previous work. Underneath sat a long, brown microfiber couch. A second one sat against the front window. Small white tables were placed in front of the couches, and matching microfiber stools sat on the opposite side.

The brown and pink awning bearing her bakery name, Cupcake!, was attached to the brick outside—the bright pink letters could be seen from a few blocks away. All that was left were some small finishing touches and the delivery of her supplies. Flour, sugar, meringue powder—all the things she needed to make her soon-to-be famous cupcakes.

“Ms. Crawford?” The inspector's voice tingled down her spine. Not in a good way.

The pride she felt at admiring her space deflated as soon as she turned. That same feeling of dread crept its way inside.

“I'm going to give you a conditional pass,” he said, scribbling something on his clipboard.

“Conditional? But I went through everything on that list.”

“Yes, but you still have a few minor infractions. Enough that I can't possibly issue you a pass.”

Liv's stomach tightened.

He tore off her inspection sheet. The yellow color of the notice brought tears to her eyes. The color of conditional. The color of failure.

Her stomach churned. “I have to have that on display, don't I?”

He nodded.

What were people going to think when they saw a conditional pass? She wouldn't buy food from a store that had a conditional pass, but maybe now she would, knowing that a conditional pass might not have anything to do with the actual food. It was about petty rules and restrictions.

The jingle of the bell on the front door rang again, but this time it wasn't an inspector. It was Nancy.

“Hello, dear, everything looks—” She paused. “Mr. Cross. How lovely to see you again.”

“Ms. Arbour, always a pleasure.”

“Oh, dear.” Nancy turned to Liv after she'd noticed the yellow paper. “A conditional pass. What happened?”

Liv shrugged. “I thought I followed everything on the list, but I guess it wasn't good enough.”

“Mr. Cross.” Nancy sidled closer, placing her hand on his arm. “Are you sure it's a conditional pass? Isn't there something you could—”

His eyebrow raised in surprise. “I'm afraid not, Ms. Arbour.”

Nancy was actually trying to bribe the guy. As much as Liv appreciated the effort, she had a feeling something like this would get her in even more hot water.

“Nancy, it's fine.” Liv grabbed Nancy's shoulder and pulled her back. She straightened once she had stepped away, then curled her hair around her ears.

“I'll be back in forty-eight hours.” Mr. Cross gave her a stern look. “Any infractions not rectified in that timeframe could result in a fine.” He nodded at Nancy, who gave a little wave of her fingers while he stepped out into the cold winter afternoon.

Bad luck. She was having the worst case of bad luck. No bank loan, no safety net. No safety net, no room for error. And the list of errors was beginning to grow as long as the Toronto Maple Leafs' streak of not making the playoffs.

“It's just a rough start,” Nancy said. “You can make the changes and then move on.” She sidled closer and pulled Liv in for a hug.

That's what everyone was saying. Austin, Patti, and now Nancy. Regroup and move on. It sounded so simple, but when you were in the middle of your own living nightmare, moving on wasn't so easy.

Nancy had walked off to the opposite end of the storefront, her hands gliding over the microfiber furniture. Come to think of it, she hadn't remembered telling Nancy that she would be finished with the renovations today. Her presence was unexpected. And what perfect timing she had. She didn't like the embarrassment running between them. Or maybe it was just Liv feeling that way. Nancy, as usual, smiled brightly.

“What are you doing here, Nancy?”

“I knew you were making excellent progress. I wanted to see how beautiful you made this place.”

“I'm great. Looks like I still have some work ahead of me.” Thanks to Mr. Cross and that enormous stick up his ass.

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