“That’s awesome. Are you ready for this meeting?”
“The real question is…are you ready for this meeting?” He turns slightly so I can walk by, and he follows through the back door. The meeting is in less than an hour, and the first stop is coffee.
“Can we take ten minutes and review everything? I’ll feel better if we can make sure there are no holes in our paperwork, the requirements, and the requests from them,” I say, and then make coffee.
“Of course, let me go grab the plans and folder.”
We’ve been diligent throughout the project. Now, all our files are in pristine condition. The work is done and documented from start to finish, along with any necessary inspections along the way.
“Kendall, I double-checked everything,” he says as he opens the job folder and pulls out the plans. “We should be good.”
The next hour passes in the blink of an eye. Roland comes in the front door with his clipboard in hand. Blake and I share a brief look. Since throat punching this guy is not an option, I decide to be overly friendly and shake his hand. It can’t hurt.
“Good morning, how are you?” I ask as pleasantly as possible.
Something is different about him this time around—he’s smiling. Even Blake glances at me with a smirk on his face and slightly shrugs his shoulders. At least we are on the same page. The last time he was here, he pointed out things that didn’t even pertain to the permits.
“Morning. Let’s get this done quickly for you.” He’s flipping through his checklist and doesn’t even bother to look up at us. “Okay, do you have the paperwork that we requested for this meeting?”
Blake shuffles through his folder, grabs a few pieces of paper, and hands them to Roland. “Here you go; that should be everything.”
Roland reads the pages, and after a few minutes of silence, he says, “This all looks to be in order.”
Almost everything that Blake handed over, we’ve given to him before.
“I’m sorry. What’s changed since the last time we met?”
Roland stares at me with curiosity. “You didn’t send down your attorney to take care of things with my office?”
“What? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You’re telling me you don’t know Attorney Dane Walsh.”
The realization flashes across my face. What did he say to this guy? I have so many questions.
Do I even admit to knowing Dane?
Yes, he was my one-night stand who decided to come and rescue me from the building inspector.
None of this is settling well with me.
“To answer your question…no, I didn’t send my attorney.”
I’m not even sure he believes me, but he says, “Okay, well, let’s keep the inspection moving along. There are a few things that I need to check.”
The entire process takes about thirty minutes. I haven’t seen this guy check things off his list this fast—ever.
“All the work looks great, and I’m signing off on my part right now. The office admin will have everything for you early next week to pick up.”
“That’s wonderful news,” I say, smiling.
Roland leaves, and Blake looks at me and says, “That went smoothly. I have no idea how. You must have a fairy godmother.”
“Apparently, this attorney is in fact my fairy godmother,” I say with an arched eyebrow and a slight shake of my head. I don't know how to explain it all.
“Okay, well, you should find that attorney and thank him. We just got the final sign-offs for your permits. Now you can finish planning your openings.”
I’m thankful he didn’t ask any further questions about the attorney. I really don’t want to get into it right now. “Yeah, I can’t wait.”
