“You’re carrying your iPad like you mean business. Are you on the job?” Sydney asks.
“Yes, and … well, yes,” I say. My shoulders straighten of their own accord.
“Want anything to eat?” Emberleigh asks.
“That depends. Is it bribery?” I ask with a smile.
“One hundred percent,” she says, laughing.
She reaches into the case and pulls out a pastry filled with some sort of chocolate cream. There’s a ribbon of milk chocolate zig-zagged across the top with an alternating white chocolate ribbon.
“You pass,” I joke.
“That’s what I thought,” Emberleigh says, handing the delicious looking treat over to me on a plate.
“This looks too good to eat,” I say. “But I’ll manage.”
“I know you,” Emberleigh says with a wink. “Now come on back and do whatever you have to do.”
I set the pastry down on the counter behind the cash register area and follow Emberleigh through the swinging doors into the kitchen.
I tell Sydney, “I might have to take that to go.”
I pull the form up on my iPad. Randall still uses a clipboard, but Susan informed me all our forms are online and can be filled out electronically during an inspection. That leaves less to file when I get back to the office. Randall told me not to be swayed by the modern approaches. I smiled at him and promptly took Susan up on her offer to get me a county-issued iPad.
We walk through the kitchen, I check extinguishers, exits, storage, and all the electrical outlets. Emberleigh quietly watches me while I go through each item on the checklist. I can’t help but think about the morning I wrestled a frosting tube into submission and ended up spraying Cody right here in this spot. A smile spreads across my face when I think of our night in his truck, the few kisses we’ve shared, our stream of text messages, and even thequick exchange by his truck when he dropped off the heat lamps.
“You enjoy your job that much?” Emberleigh asks.
“No … Uh. No. I mean, yes. I do. Mostly. I like it mostly so far. I was just thinking of that morning I helped you on Valentine’s and how that pastry bag misbehaved.”
“You’re not writing me up for that, are you?” she asks playfully.
“No. Not at all. That was all me, anyway. If anyone’s getting a write-up for that, it’s me.”
I finish checking the ovens, and then I review my findings and hand my iPad over to Emberleigh for her signature. “Be sure to get that latch fixed.”
“You really are the inspector, aren’t you?” she asks.
“I really am,” I say, and this time my smile has nothing to do with Cody.
“I’m proud of you. And we’ll give you another pastry on the way out.”
“No need. And I really shouldn’t accept anything without paying for it.”
“Please,” Emberleigh says. “We’ve had years of Randall. Take the pastry. We both know I’m not bribing you. I’m just proud of you—and happy for you.”
“Thanks. And you don’t have to ask me twice to take some chocolate off your hands.”
She smiles and we walk out front together.
“Can you stay for a bit?” Sydney asks.
She’s already boxed the pastry and written my name on the box.
“No. Unfortunately, I can’t. I have to get back to the office to file my paperwork.”
“Well, I guess we’ll see you tomorrow then.”
