“Occupancy?” Dex looked at the hole in the porch again. “It might be a little premature to start having guests here.”
“It’s not for that. It’s for the loan,” Jules said.
“Huh?” Dex looked at her. “Why would you need an inspection for a loan?”
Jules’s smile faltered. “Nick said it was a contingency on the loan approval.”
“Hey, Dex.” A short, stocky man in a blue button-down shirt and tan chinos approached.
“Hey, Ryan, this is Maddie, Jules, and Gina,” Dex introduced them. “Jules was telling me this inspection is for the loan. When did you start doing that?”
Ryan looked confused. “This isn’t for any loan that I know of. That wouldn’t make sense, especially if the loan is for repairs. The inspection needs to be done after the repairs.”
Maddie glanced at Jules, whose look of confusion was quickly turning to anger.
“Wait. You mean this isn’t something to make sure the motel will eventually be habitable?” Jules asked.
“Umm, no, this is the real thing.” Ryan tapped his clipboard, his expression indicating that he was doubtful the motel would pass.
“Wait,” Maddie said. “So we’re going to fail, then?”
“Hold on!” Dex put up his hands. “I think there has been a misunderstanding. We don’t want the inspection to fail, but what if I take you around and show you the intended repairs? Then you can get a head start on it and come back later for the final approval once they are done. That might be good enough for the bank.”
Ryan shrugged. “Okay, I guess that could work.”
Dex led him off, turning back to wink at them as he rounded the corner.
“Wow. I think he just saved the day,” Gina said. “Maybe you misunderstood them at the bank, Jules.”
“No, I don’t think I did. But I’m going to go down there right now and find out why I was misled.”
Maddie and Gina watched Jules storm off.
“Uh-oh, sounds like this could be trouble,” Gina said. “I hope she doesn’t piss off the bank guy. We may not get that loan at all.”
“Me too.” Maddie didn’t like the way it was going. Now, more than ever, she needed to come up with an event that would bring people to town.
And for that, she needed decent coffee.
Chapter Nineteen
Jules stormed through the lobby of the bank, barely acknowledging the greeting of the smiling teller. She turned down the hall where the offices were and stopped in front of Nick’s.
His desk faced the door, so she could see the look of surprise and something else—was that guilt?—on his face when he looked up.
He jumped up. “Jules. Hi. I was just working on your loan.”
“Really? That’s why I’m here. The inspector is at the motel right now. Funny thing though. He seemed confused about the inspection being a criterion for the loan.”
Nick looked uncomfortable. “Err… well… that’s a bank thing and not anything to—”
She cut him off. “The inspection isn’t required for the loan, is it?”
“Well, I guess not technically, but you need an inspection, and we do need to know if you’ll be able to generate an income.”
“Did you lie about the inspection?” Jules demanded.
Nick looked like a child who had gotten caught doing something wrong but was truly regretful about it. For a moment, Jules felt sorry for him.
